We all have fond memories as music fanatics of rummaging through endless record shops looking for a new vinyl but ask any of these shoppers where their favourite musical gold mine is and you would likely hear Groucho’s in Dundee.
Last week we heard the sad news that Groucho’s owner Alastair Brodie had passed away but the shop and the impact he had on Dundee’s local music scene lives on forever.
To celebrate the legacy of Alastair we have collated our top albums from our personal collections and what they each mean to us.
Jo Dargie
My prized album of my record collection has got to be Rumours by Fleetwood Mac. Not only is it an absolute classic due to immense musical greatness but what makes it so special to me is that I hold an original 12 inch release from 1977. Thanks Mum for letting me ransack your record collection.
It cackles here and there and the corners of the sleeve have seen better days but i love that! It’s like holding a piece of history in my hands and it sparks images in my mind of all of the times it was played before me - a feeling you can only get from vinyl.
Chelsea Ness
One of my favourite albums of all time has to be ‘Sound Affects’ by 70s mod band, The Jam.
The album may have came out 16 years before I was born but it’s still a great influence over my music taste today.
My parents always had The Jam on repeat... I was probably the only 5 year old who’s favourite singer was Paul Weller! Sound affects always stood out to me with singles, ‘Pretty Green, Start and Boy About Town’ being some of my favourite Jam songs.
However, my favourite song off the album has to be ‘That’s Entertainment.’ From the first chord, the song seems to flick an internal switch in my brain leaving me with a feeling no other song can. It’s incredible how a song that doesn’t even last two minutes can leave such an impact but I suppose that’s the beauty of music. Lyrics are a huge importance for me in a song and the words in That’s Entertainment is truly poetic:
‘Two lovers kissing amongst the scream of midnight, Two lovers missing the tranquillity of solitude’
Even today, Paul Weller is still a god in our household so much so we even named our dog after him!
Sound Affects is still an album I listen to on repeat when I’ve had a bad day and want to zone out of reality for a bit... a true gift from the power of music.
Martin Low
My favourite album of all time has to be The View’s debut album Hats off to the Buskers. Growing up in Dundee when this album came out was a great time. A band from Dundee entering into the charts hadn't been heard of since The Associates back in the 80s.
This album was one of the first albums I knew every single word to and would listen to on repeat constantly. Me and my mum would sing along to the tracks almost everyday on the way to the school bus stop. As a 13 year old in Dundee at the time it was brilliant to see so many people supporting a local band and enjoying music.
Even though Same Jeans was played to death on the radio, my favourite song of the album is Wasted Little DJs. Even now, 12 years later I still get the hairs on my neck standing up at the sound of hearing the opening guitar riff to the song.
Gregor Farquharson
Great Divide by Twin Atlantic is the life affirming album for me. The stadia-rock sounds of the album grabbed me when I first heard it at 15 and I had instantly found my new favourite band.
The album’s biggest impact on me was learning about local music and finding out about bands on your doorstep. I have went on to pursue a career in music journalism, something Great Divide played a huge role in helping me do so.
Chloe Hendrie
An album which has had a great impact on my life – despite the fact that I only listened to it in full for the first time last year – is Costello Music, the debut from Glasgow indie rockers The Fratellis.
I first listened to Costello Music in full last year at a time when I was just starting to come out of a rough patch in my life, and also beginning to spend a lot of time in Glasgow. It became the soundtrack to me leaving the darker times behind and falling in love with Glasgow, the city I would finally move to and receive so many opportunities in a few months later.
I’ve listened to Creepin’ Up The Backstairs as my train pulled into Central, walked down Buchanan Street with For The Girl in my earplugs, dragged myself through Kelvingrove Park hungover to Whistle For The Choir and just generally felt as if, despite only being a child when it was released, certain lyrics of certain songs on that album were written just for me. And that’s the beauty of records.
Hollie Irvine
The first record I ever bought was actually in Groucho's. I was dating some weird guy from Dundee that I had met off this random dating app when I was like 14. It was all a bit creepy, and no surprise the f'relationship' lasted all of 15 minutes.
Anyway whilst I was waiting for him to arrive, I decided to pop in to Grouchos. One of the first times I was allowed to Dundee on my own, and I had heard about it before so I went in to explore.
I didn't have much money (spent it all on a train!) but I had a couple of quid and I desperately wanted a record. I ended up securing myself Big Country's Steeltown for a couple of pounds, not in mint condition of course. I didn't own a record player, I didn't have any other records, but it was my first and I will remember the smell of that purchase forever.
There we have it, our most cherished albums over the years and what they mean to us. Let us know what album has had the greatest impact on you, be it a vinyl record of a classic icon or a download of your favourite local band.
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