About me: My wife and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this year. Music has been the other love of my life since I was a kid. We are blessed to have four amazing kids and four grandchildren.
I work as a graphic designer for a small marketing and communication team. Over the years, I’ve designed many music promotional items, but just recently got my first job designing a vinyl record cover. When I retire, I’d love to open my own record store.
Favorite genres: Lately, Soul-Jazz. I also love Funk, Rock, Jazz, Punk, Soul, Gospel, and Surf.
Favorite musicians: At the risk of leaving out some or having a list of 100 names, I’ll just say the first one that came to mind was John Coltrane.
Q&A:
When did you start collecting vinyl records and what inspired your journey?
I started collecting in 1996. I had moved to Chicago for art school and began visiting used record stores. This was the height of the compact disc era. People were dumping their record collections for CDs.
I quickly realized that for the price of one CD, I could buy 3 to 8 albums!! That was all the inspiration I needed and it just grew from there. I’ve always loved music and have seen every format come and go, but vinyl records are the coolest of them all.
Pull a random record from your collection and tell us the story behind it.
Van Halen 1984. As a freshman in high school, I made two friends that would shape my musical identity. They turned me on to all kinds of things I had never heard of, like heavy metal, punk rock, alternative, skate culture, early rap, etc.
One friend had an uncle in the music industry who would send him album promo copies. I vividly remember seeing Van Halen 1984 and all the cool album covers of the day tacked up on my friend’s bedroom wall.
Unfortunately, shortly after high school, he passed. Decades later, I still listen to all that music he turned me on to and wonder what happened to his great record collection.
A couple years ago on a rainy night after work, I felt compelled to stop at a random garage sale near my house. In a small box of albums was a copy of Van Halen 1984. I already owned a copy, but thought I’d buy it for my son. It was a promo copy, not something you usually see at a garage sale.
I went to pay and realized the seller was the brother of my late friend. He still had all his brother’s albums, but he decided to let ONE go, this copy of 1984 I held in my hand. I looked close and you could see the tack holes where it hung on my friend’s wall all those decades ago.
I believe some things are meant to be and this was meant for me to find and to come home with me. Almost every record we own has some backstory, but this one for me is really special.
What vinyl record holds one of your most meaningful memories?
KISS Alive II. Like many kids in the 70s, I was fascinated by KISS. Their whole branding, from the image to the merchandise to the album covers, was just superb.
The most meaningful memory I have was with my sister in the summer of 1978. We saved up our money and rode our bikes to the local variety store to buy this album. The album package was just incredible: 2 LP gatefold, printed inner sleeves, a booklet of photos, merchandise order form and the single greatest album insert ever, a sheet of KISS temporary tattoos! And my sister gave me the coolest tattoo of the set.
I looked at that album all the time. The music, while it was good, was hardly as important as the package to me. It’s hard to describe today how magical moments like that were. It was this album that started my love of vinyl records and set the bar for making something special for your fans.
If you could pass down one record to your children, what would it be and why? Were any records passed down to you?
Nirvana’s Nevermind. Unlike many other albums that had a huge impact before I was born or old enough to appreciate it, I was at the perfect age (20) when Nevermind was released, and I got to witness it all.
I can share my personal memories with my kids and how exciting it was. It was one of the seminal and defining albums of my generation. Not only is the album a bulletproof masterpiece, it’s one of the great underdog stories of all time. A little band from nowhere goes to the top and changes the world. I’ve already given a copy to my step-daughter and my youngest.
Records passed down to me from my sister are some that I still cherish. She got me started on some really great rock bands like Black Sabbath, AC/DC and many more.
I’m lucky enough to have my parents’ records as well. They introduced us to all the greats from the late 50s and 60s. Lots of Elvis, Chuck Berry, The Supremes, The Beach Boys, etc.
As a graphic designer, what album art do you wish you had created yourself? What makes it stand out to you?
Anything from Blue Note Records. Designer Reid Miles and photographer Francis Wolff set the bar that is still being copied today.
Some of my favorites from Blue Note include: the iconic photo and type treatment of Cool Struttin’ by Sonny Clark; the text styling of Unity by Larry Young; the use of shapes, cropping and tension of Hub-Tones by Freddie Hubbard; and the moody photo and limited color of Blue Train by John Coltrane. It goes on and on. Masterful and peerless.
If you could time travel to one concert in music history, where would you go?
I would’ve loved to have seen so many of my favorites in a small club. Imagine catching Coltrane at the Village Vanguard or the Beatles at the Cavern Club!
If I had to pick one, I’d say Elvis pre-fame from the Sun Records era, when he first brought that raw energy, sexuality and rebellion to small stages. His fusion of rhythm & blues, country, gospel, blues and pop helped shape the youth identity of the 50s. My mom was a huge Elvis fan and my parents even saw Elvis in Las Vegas on their honeymoon.
Where are your favorite places to crate dig and buy records online?
For crate digging, record shows, no question. I go to a large local record show every couple months. You can spend most of the day trying to get through it all. There are tons of dealers who have great knowledge and stories. Usually you find lots of good deals, haggle over prices, find stuff you never see elsewhere and just be surrounded by thousands of records and fellow collectors. Pure heaven for record junkies and I highly recommend you check one out in your area.
I’ll never pass by a record store without stopping, but my favorite is We Buy Records in Westchester, IL. The owners have been digging in the trenches for decades. They find lots of quality stuff and they price everything about half of what others charge.
Online, I buy from Discogs, eBay and Whatnot fairly often. Plaid Room Records is a favorite online store as well.
What’s a rare or underrated record that you think more people should know about?
There’s a lot and sometimes this is what makes a record special, the fact that not everyone in the world knows about it. One that always comes to mind is The Flirtations Sounds Like The Flirtations. So insanely good it makes you wonder how they aren’t better known. The opening track “Nothing But A Heartache” alone is just pure songwriting and performing heaven to my ears.
I can’t leave out one of my all time favorites, Soul Fever by Marie Queenie Lyons. Ultra-rare, raw, funk-soul masterpiece.
As someone with a design eye, how do you balance function and aesthetics when organizing your collection?
Organizing is all about function. A-Z by genre. Aesthetics aren’t all that important to me for organizing. But I admit, as a designer when I see a record spine that looks all frayed like the cat scratched it up, it does bother me and I usually try to replace it at some point.
Aesthetically, the room is more important to have a vibe. I have lots of framed band promo material, things from my youth that bring back good memories, some cool lighting, a fake fireplace, and plenty of music books.
What advice do you have for fellow record collectors to help support them along their journeys?
Like the question says, collecting is a journey not a destination. Don’t feel like you need a wall of records because you see others with it. Pace yourself. It took me 30 years to get to where I am and I am still searching all the time. Music is an ocean, we can only swim in a small part of it, so enjoy.
You will be a different collector throughout your life. Things you loved at 18 years old may not mean the same at 55 years old. Don’t be afraid to let things go. I never let my collection get over a certain size. When I buy a bunch of new stuff, I get rid of some old records. I usually trade them in for different records or give them away to friends. Prune your collection. I’m going through a change in my collecting habits now. More about quality than quantity.
Collect within your means. When I started I had hardly any money, so it was almost always dollar bins, but you can find some real gems if you do the digging. The hunt is what makes collecting fun. And if you plan on playing your records, put some of your record budget aside and buy a good turntable, stylus & speakers. It makes a difference.
Buy what you like, but also be curious. Go with your gut. If I like an album cover and the song titles, I’ll usually pick it up if the price is right. I’ve found loads of new favorites this way. And don’t be ashamed of what you like. There is no such thing as a guilty pleasure. Also, don’t feel pressured to like something others claim is the “best” but doesn’t connect with you. I still think Pet Sounds is overrated.
Don’t sleep on 45s. A lot of great songs never made it to an album. Some artists only got to make one single. I have a feeling 45s are going to start seeing more popularity with everyday collectors. You can often find piles of them for nothing.
Go to record shows. It’s like having dozens of mini record stores in one place. Just be cool. I’ve seen people fight over $5 records and just be plain rude. Not cool.
If you have a good record shop nearby, go early and go often, especially if they get new/old stock regularly. Always check the new arrivals first. Or ask if they have anything not out in the bins yet. The early bird gets the vinyl and competition is fierce these days.
Learn as much as you can. Sadly, many sellers are overpricing records. Look up prices online. Dealers and shops have to make money of course but asking $50 for what should be a $10 record is just wrong. I still get stung now and then. It’s part of learning the hobby.
Unless it’s an ultra-rare record, there’s more out there. If it’s not in great condition, it’s ok to hold out for a better one. If you want it, it will find you. At the same time, if you see a record you want and the price and condition is right, buy it or the next person will. I still kick myself sometimes over records I put back to “think about” and someone else took it home.
Buy used records. New records can be ridiculously expensive. And be sure to always check the condition. I see so many people blindly buy without even looking at the condition of the record.
Tell people you collect. Ask people if they have any records. At a garage sale and don’t see any records? Ask. I’ve had many people give me record collections over the years. And I’ve been in some pretty scary basements for the love of vinyl!
Have fun and thank you Talia/Soultaurean.
***Wow!! Aron’s collecting journey is a reminder that vinyl is never just about records. It’s about connection, discovery, and the stories we carry with us through music. Follow him on IG @aron_gagliardo for more record reflections and discoveries along the way. Much thanks to Aron for sharing his amazing stories and giving us a glimpse into the heart behind his shelves! If you’d like to share your collecting journey with us next, hit us up on IG @soultaurean.