Some shops have no vinyl; those that do have it tucked away in a basket on the floor. In one instance, alongside the novelty singles were loads of what can only be described as classics. Four or five of those pictured below were charity-shop finds for 50p each.
There was always the fear that as I collected all the 1980s number ones, I'd inadvertently start picking up other gems. Maybe it's just me and my obsession, though I always feel like I'm holding a piece of history in my hands when I find a truly iconic track for next to nothing, including:
Gerry And The Pacemakers – You'll Never Walk Alone (1963 number one) = 50p
Gerry And The Pacemakers – How Do You Do It? (1963 number one) = 50p
The Beatles – She Loves You (1963 number one) = £1.99
The Beatles – I Want To Hold Your Hand (1963 number one) = 99p
The Searchers – Needles And Pins (1964 number one) = 50p
Roy Orbison – Oh Pretty Woman (1964 number one) = 50p
Frank Sinatra – Strangers In The Night (1966 number one) = 50p
Of course, I now only need I Like It by Gerry And The Pacemakers to complete a historic chart double. As any collector knows, the Merseybeat musicians were the first act to have their first three releases hit the top spot. This feat was not repeated until fellow Scousers Frankie Goes To Hollywood did the triple in 1984. I already have all of Frankie's number ones on vinyl.
It's this obsession with pop trivia that feeds my habit and causes my partner to groan. No matter how many of them I eventually find from the 60s, 70s and 80s; number ones form a finite set of specific records. She should start to worry when I decide to collect all releases by certain artists. But those days are a long way off ... I think!
