Tuesday 31 March 2020

50 YEARS - NOSTALGIA 'TRIP' No.4
RAINBOW RECORDS- Victoria Pier,Colwyn Bay.
A regular stop off point on the way home from our family visits to the Llyn Peninsula in the 90's.The shop had a great selection of second hand vinyl and cds for all tastes.From memory there was a Cafe,Arcade,Fishing Tackle shop,Pub and the Record shop.The outside space was restricted and already in disrepair so no chance of walking to the end of Pier.Herein lies a tale...on one stop off we arrived only to find the Record shop had closed (permanently), everything was still in place but all we could do was peer through the windows at well stocked racks. Being sad about the closure and having always harboured the thought that i would love to work in a Record shop,thoughts turned to could it be something i could do? Quickly dispelling this as delusional, but couldnt seem to get it out of my mind...what would i call our shop? Having always liked a good 'pun' in a dream the words VINYL and DECK leapt out. The Pier, the boards..this is VINYLONDECK and this linked with the obvious vinyl on a turntable.
So, the name was born but not used until 2004 when we set up our business, followed by our first Record Fairs in 2006 and shop in 2009. VINYLONDECK was shortened to VOD when we set up our website in 2011. So, who would have thought a trip to the seaside could have such an influence on our life....tried to keep it brief but guess i rambled!
To the album,
KING CRIMSON - THREE OF A PERFECT PAIR (1984)
This 80's album was at the time a filler for my KC/FRIPP collection and i think i purchased BEAT at the same time.Its an album of highs and lows, certainly no match for the early albums where IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING remains in my top 10 of all time.

Now, only a few pillars to the Pier were visible when this photo was taken but i can picture the exact location and
advertising that you could spot from a distance when driving from the Rhos on Sea end of the  promenade.