Rohan Mehta
How long has it been since you started record collecting?
Been about 6 months since I actually started collecting them. Before all that a friend of mine gifted me Father John Misty's Pure Comedy on wax thinking I must already own a record player. That what started most of it. I HAVE GOT TO HEAR THIS ALBUM!!!
So after a year of trying to convince my mother to let me start this and a major, extremely potent amount of music puns, I finally got a record player and instantly began collecting the records I wanted to listen to once I get the record player... but not before I listened to Pure Comedy for weeks.Next was everything Radiohead ever made.Ever.
How large is your vinyl collection?
It's about 24 records of my own and some records that I just borrow from my friends for a while.
I am INCREDIBLY CAUTIOUS AND PROUD ABOUT THEM. That's just me though. They have their special place in my heart and my room. Makes for good fun when friends come over seeing me carefully putting a record back in it's sleeve like it's radioactive! Fun for them, genuine concern for me.Records are pretty strong though *shrugs*.
Anyway my collection is as follows (due to it's size, might aswell list it out)
1. Radiohead- Kid A
2. Radiohead- OK COMPUTER OKNOTOK BOXSET 1997-2018
3. Kraftwerk- The Man-Machine
4. Nine Inch Nails- Hesitation Marks
5. Sonic Youth- Goo
6. Sun Ra- Space Is The Place
7. The Clash- Combat Rock
8. Led Zeppelin- Physical Graffiti
9. Painted Zeros- Floriography
10.The Velvet Underground- The Velvet Underground and Nico
11. Arlo Guthrie- Alice's Restraunt
12. Manic Street Preachers- The Holy Bible
13. Aerosmith- Toys In The Attic
14. JC Flowers- Driving Excitement and the Pleasure of Ownership
15. The Cure- The Head On The Door
16.Afro Cuban Band- Rhythm Of Life
17.Monarch- Two Isles
18.Father John Misty- Pure Comedy
19.Father John Misty- God's Favorite Customer
20.Ravi Shankar- Raga Khamj,Raga Lalit
21.Stravinsky- Jeu De Cartes (A Card Game)
22. Stravinsky- The Rite Of Spring
23.MGMT- Little Dark Age
24. Weezer-.Pinkerton
Which is the most valuable record in your collection?
God, all of them mean so much to me! If I had to pick though which is kinda hard so I'll give you two of 'em.
I love Radiohead, 'nuff said.
I listen to Kid A on a daily basis and screech about my house singing to Idioteque, At the same time, I can't be without listening to The Tourist from OK COMPUTER around the night... These albums and the Father John Misty albums are collectively my most valuable records. There are so many emotions just hanging between these records and me that my ears practically eat the songs from these albums everyday.
Tell us about your turntable setup-
Oh oh OH! Weeeeeellll I have a Cosmic Cocgram 4000 which is attached to an incredibly modest Sony home theater system. For a student, this stuff is a miracle. Inexpensive and high quality.
Gold.
It's direct drive and vinyl jargon. It's easy to operate and good in every way. Pickup, put down and spin. I love that stuff!
Any advice to people that are about to start their collection?
Okay first, two ways to go about actually buying the records.
First way- Just jump in:
Vinyl is AN INCREDIBLY GOOD OPPORTUNITY to discover music you otherwise would never really bump into. Many of the artists pushing their tracks onto vinyl won't be found on most streaming services anyway so this is a good way to just catch that and broaden both your palette and your musical knowledge. I've bumped into a fair share of records already which never saw the light of the internet. This is diving through history and coming back home with it. I also buy a set of records from artists I know and love (RADIOHEAD GOD GOD OHHHH) but I often just pick up a random record just to see where it takes me. Often I start from, for example Modest Mouse and end up at Miami Sound system and take a right somewhere and end up at Stravinsky. It's a fun ride when you don't know where you're going.
Second way- Make a list
Make a list of artists you love and CHASE PEOPLE AROUND THE RECORD STORE UNTIL YOU GET THEM. It's quite something else when you finally get this record you've heard a thousand times on an other medium and then this physical and very tangible object just cozies itself up in your hands. You instantly feel this rush of nostalgia and newfound excitement. You go back home with something you know well that has a new part to it's character, an experience everyone should gift themselves.
As for record players, that's something I can't say much on. One thing I can put out there is buy something you're confident in. There will always be someone here to help you navigate through the many options that will whisk you away to the perfect listening experience. Don't rush into anything, take your time and don't be afraid to ask for help around here!
