The Record Collectors Club Conversations Podcast

On this weeks episode, Iain digs into his favourite record labels and specifically reissue labels. 

Record collectors all know how expensive original pressings of certain records can be so reissue labels are doing all collectors a great service in repressing records at reasonable prices.

Iain picks his top 10 reissue labels covering genres including Jazz, Funk, Soul and more in this special 30 minute roundup digging into each label's history and recommending some records he has picked up from each label.

On this week's episode of The Record Collectors Club Conversations Podcast, Iain welcomes Americana band Brown Horse on for a chat off the back of their recent intimate UK tour. 

Brown Horse are a band that this podcast has been championing since the start and the band have just recently released their second record titled "All The Right Weaknesses" in April 2025. 

Iain chats with Patrick, Emma, Niall and Rowan from the band about making music together, the recent tour, their inspiration and influences in music and dive into their own record collections too.

On this month's podcast episode of The Record Review, Iain runs through the  months shorter list of new releases including new records from Andrew Cushin, Sterolab, Pete Doherty and The Sherlocks including a few others.

Theres the pre-order round up of some exciting stuff coming out in the next few months and a brief segment on reissues including a deluxe boxset of Orbital's second record.

This week, Iain continues on with his Springsteen special series and welcomes on another Bruce Springsteen super fan onto the podcast.

He is joined by Irish fan, Josh Meany who, like Iain, has been following Bruce on his recent world tours in 2023 and 2024 and has a number of shows in the diary for the 2025 tour Bruce is embarking on.

Iain and Josh talk about his Instagram fan account for Bruce (@fanof_theboss), how Josh got into Bruce originally, his favourite shows he has attended and the current 2025 tour.

This week, Iain kicks off his Bruce Springsteen specials on the eve of Springsteen's Land Of Hope & Dreams European Tour starting on May 14th. 

These specials will invite some fans onto the podcast to chat about Bruce Springsteen, their history with Bruce and how they got into following the great man himself. 

On this weeks episode, Iain sits down for a chat with Kieran Lane who is a Bruce Springsteen super fan and fellow forum member where Kieran and Iain first met.

They talk about the upcoming tour, the new deluxe Bruce Springsteen bo...

On this weeks episode of The Record Collectors Club Conversation Podcast, Iain once again rounds up the month in the world of vinyl and music with The Record Review, this time for the month of April.

He discusses new releases from Stereophonics, Self Esteem, Brown Horse, Lucy Dacus and Butler, Blake & Grant. 

He also talks about Bruce Springsteen's upcoming box set and pre order news from Pulp and Arcade Fire.

This weeks episode of the Record Collectors Club Conversations Podcast is a special one as it features an artist that host Iain, has been working to get onto the podcast for a while. 

But, the stars aligned when the band, Danny & the Champions of the World were touring locally and lead singer Danny Wilson managed to spare an hour to chat to Iain about all things records and music.

Danny has been in a number of bands over the years including Danny & the Champions of the World and Grand Drive and he is also involved i...

It's Record Store Day 2025!

On this weeks episode, Iain talks about how Record Store Day went for him and what he bought from this years list at his local record shop, RPM Music in Newcastle upon Tyne.

He takes you through his day and also catches up with owner of RPM Music, Ritchie Lattimer on how the day went for the shop on what is usually the busiest day of the year for an Independent Record Shop.

On this weeks episode, Iain is joined by his 3 fellow record collecting friends from Leeds having previously set a challenge to them all to pick 5 records to start a record collection with for someone new to record collecting.

The collectors, Kev, Ben and Billy along with Iain, discuss which records they have selected and why, over this bumper episode discussing the merits of their choices and digging into the genres from each selection too.

If you are a new collector to records, this episode is for you and will give you plenty of options to...

This week, Iain is joined by Steven "Smoove" Moove on The Record Collectors Club Conversations Podcast for an episode as part of his ongoing Funk and Soul series.

Smoove is one half of Funk and Soul band from the North East, Smoove and Turrell but he also makes his own music and DJ's a number of nights around the UK and Europe too. 

We discuss his insane record collection, making his own music and with the band and we they talk about his history with the music scene in the local area of the North E...

The Record Review is back for another month and Iain focuses on the new releases, reissues and vinyl news for a bumper month that was March.

With fantastic new releases from the likes of The Lathums, Lottery Winners, Andy Bell, The Horrors and many more, vinyl lovers are spoiled for choice this past month.

Reissues and pre-orders are a plenty also, with some great announcements over the last 4 weeks for some great records to look forward to. 

Iain also discusses the upcoming Record Store Day event and gives a sneak preview on some u...

On this weeks episode of the podcast, Iain is joined by one of the best up and coming singer / songwriters around at the moment, Lissy Taylor. 

Shes been gaining media traction over the past year from the likes of BBC Radio 1 and Radio X and has opened for artists like Miles Kane, The Twang as well as being 
on festival lineups with the likes of Noel Gallagher and The Vaccines. 

Iain and Lissy talk about her career so far, an impressive 2024 for her and her band, talk about her highlights from 2024 and also what 2025 has...

On episode 23 of the podcast, Iain is joined by Sunderland music local and lead singer of the band Frankie & the Heartstrings, Frankie Francis. 

Frankie is one of the most recognisable faces around the city of Sunderland, not only for being the lead singer of the aforementioned band, but also so for his DJ nights he puts on around the city, being the pitch side announcer for Sunderland Football Club but most recently being the cities music officer and leading the cities bid for music city status, which they successfully achieved in January 2025.

Iain and Frankie d...

Welcome back to “The Record Review”, a monthly segment on The Record Collectors Club Conversations Podcast where I run through vinyl news and reviews of what has been released and what has been announced over the last month or so. 

February was a great month for vinyl releases, and new releases in particular with records dropped from Doves, Manic Street Preachers, Brooke Combe, The Murder Capital and a few others!

We also got the Record Store Day list earlier this month so I touch on that and talk other vinyl news, reissues and pre orders too!<...

I am joined on this weeks podcast episode by a notorious record collector, Steve Ellis who, over the last 35 years or so, has amassed a collection of over thirty thousand records, and it's a record collection to rival collections from DJ's like Carl Cox and Questlove!

Steve has spun records all over including places like Cafe Mambo in Ibiza, bringing his balearic sounds back from the white isle to the clubs of London and his hometown of Brighton.

I approached Steve to come on the podcast after discovering his book "50 at 50" which we discuss at...

Back in 2001, the band Doves were the first live artist that I ever saw and that kick started my love for live music and eventually vinyl records too! 

I am incredibly excited about this week's podcast episode as I am joined by the drummer from that band, Andy Williams. 

Doves have really been through the ringer over the last couple of years but the band are now back with a new record titled "Constellations of the Lonely" due out at the end of February and it's so great to see them return with new music an...

The Record Store Day 2025 list is here!

Join me as I run through the good and the bad on the list and my initial reactions on what is being released on April 12th 2025 for Record Store Day, both here in the UK and in the USA too.

The list is excellent this year with some great diverse titles so grab a coffee, a pen and paper and make a note of what you might be queuing up for outside your local Independent Record Shops.

There are some great titles being released from the...

Welcome to “The Record Review”, a new monthly segment on The Record Collectors Club Conversations Podcast where I run through vinyl news and reviews of what has been released and what has been announced over the last month or so. 

I will talk new releases, reissues, pre order news and other vinyl related bits so lets kick off with January’s Record Review!

2025 has had some exciting new releases already put out with comebacks from well loved bands like Franz Ferdinand, The Weather Station and Mogwai amongst others, making January a full month of vinyl release...

On this weeks episode of The Record Collectors Club Conversations Podcast, I kick off another new series as I dip into the world of collecting Psych, Prog and Folk records.

My guest this week is a Swedish collector with an incredible collection of the afore mentioned genres, Jonas Samuelsson. Jonas, has been collecting records for around 25 years or so and amassed a collection of first pressings, rare gems and beautiful reissues too. He's also just recently opened an online shop in Sweden, specialising in these genres.

Join us for our chat as we dig into...

On this weeks episode, I am again on my USA trip and in Portland, Oregon visiting the great city, digging for records and meeting up with some friends. One of whom, is this weeks guest on the podcast, Aaron Draplin.

For those that have heard Aaron's name in the design circles, will know how talented he is as a graphic designer but he is also an extremely funny person and very knowledgable about music.

I wanted to get Aaron on the podcast for all the above reasons mentioned but he also has a huge record...

Back in late 2024, I went digging for records (and to see Bruce Springsteen of course) in Canada and the USA for a two weeks trip visiting Vancouver, Seattle and Portland.

Whilst I was in Seattle, I was lucky enough to be invited to visit fellow record collector and Beatles maniac, Norman "Mazzy" Maslov. If you've heard of his name, you will have watched his YouTube videos over on the Vinyl Community on that platform.

We dug through his records, recorded a video for his channel but I also locked down some time with him to...

On the final part of the 2024 Year In Review series, my guests and I reveal our top 5 favourite records we have found during the year of digging in crates, shops and online as collectors. Personally I have found some incredible records in 2024 and it was tough narrowing it down to a Top 5 but I had to do it!

The selections we discuss on this episode are extremely varied across many genres and this was the favourite round table discussion I had personally out of the 3 episodes I recorded with my 3 guests, Kev, Ben and Billy.

...

Welcome to the next part of the Year In Review series, dissecting the amazing year in music that was 2024.

Continuing on with the 3 part round table mini series with my guests Kev, Ben and Billy, we discuss our Top 5 favourite vinyl reissues of 2024 across lots of different genres.

It's been an amazing year for reissues in 2024 with some long out of print, or never pressed on vinyl, records released this year, many of which we have added to our own collections. Hopefully, our recommendations will inspire you to buy some new discoveries from this episode.<...

Welcome to the first in a 3 part mini series as part of the overall 2024 Year in Review series that has been a focus of some of the recent podcast episodes. 

As I had stated on those previous episodes, 2024 has been an amazing year for music and records again and in this mini series I am joined by three record collecting friends from Leeds to discuss the year in music in a round table discussion where they disclose their favourite records, favourite reissues and favourite record finds in 2024. 

This episode focuses on favourite records of the ye...

Episode 11 is part 2 of the "2024, A Year in Review" Series where Iain discusses his favourite releases from the second half of the year and the months of July to December.

He discusses releases from lots of bands including Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Wunderhorse, Kasabian, Coldplay, Danny & The Champions of the World, Laura Marling and of course, The Cure!

The second half of 2024 was just as strong as the first half so have a listen and hopefully discover some new artists or records you might have missed from this year!

This week, Iain kicks off his Funk and Soul series on the podcast and welcomes onto it, notorious Funk, Soul and Reggae collector John Downing.

John has collected records all his adult life and whilst he specialises in collecting Funk and Soul stuff, he also digs into other genres too. 

Iain and John chat about the genres he collects, where he buys records, digging across the world for rare Funk and Soul stuff and also dip into the YouTube vinyl community where John shows off his record collection.

This weeks episode has been a long anticipated one for Iain as he talks to Neil Bunn, who tours with many different bands around the world looking after their tour merchandise.

He has toured with countless bands including some huge artists like Radiohead, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Self Esteem and also my favourite band of the last 10 years, Idles! He has some great tales to tell and a fascinating back story of how he got into this job.

Neil is also a keen record collector himself and has been lucky enough to visit Peel...

In Episode 8, Iain kicks of his "2024, A Year in Review" Series. 

The series will be a 4 part episode set where Iain and guests will run through 2024's records released in detail.

In the first part of the series, he dissects some of his favourite records in detail from the first half of the year and the months of January to June, with mini reviews of albums from artists including Bill Ryder-Jones, Bernard Butler, Shed Seven, Pet Shop Boys and many other great artists that have dropped records in the first half of 2024.

Come i...

This week I’m delighted to welcome a new favourite band of mine onto the podcast, Novablood, from Carlisle here in the UK. The band have just released their new album entitled “Destroy The Magic” on October 4th and have had a number of singles released over the last few months, one of which features as title music on this podcast! 

Having been friends with one member of the band, Paolo, for a few years after his appearance in the first Record Collectors Book, it’s a welcome return for him to this Record Collectors club project and this...

Welcome to Episode 6 of the Record Collectors Club Conversations Podcast and this weeks guest is author Mark Mcdonald.

Mark has just released a vinyl records related book around the genre of Rap records from the late 80s and early 90s. The book, titled “Megablast : The Top 100 UK Rap Records 1987-1993” digs deep into this genre and breaks down the UK Rap scene from this period.

We chat about the history of the UK Rap scene, key records released in this scene around the era that Mark's book is focused on and dig into his record coll...

On Episode 5 of the Record Collectors Club Conversations Podcast,  I am joined by an incredibly talented artist and illustrator, Ben O’Brien or better known as Ben the Illustrator. 

Ben’s work first caught my eye when he started to produce his “Cover Versions” illustrations of famous record sleeves and that has led him to work with some amazing bands and artists such as The Cure, Tim Burgess and Sparks. 

We talked about the art of creating record sleeves, music tastes, records (of course), music festivals and Elton John emoji's amongst many other things!

On episode 4 of The Record Collectors Club Conversations Podcast, Iain talks to two members of the Uk indie band, The Moonlight Parade. Having formed back in 2018, the band from the South Coast have released 4 records and have amassed an obsessive following of hardcore obsessive fans.

Their recent record "Strange Times" has just been released in the last couple of months to great acclaim from fans and critics, further cementing their reputation as one of my favourite bands of the past decade.

I chat to bass guitarist Alex and singer and lyricist Ben about their process...

On this weeks podcast episode, Iain speaks to world famous Oasis obsessive and collector, Brian Garcia from Los Angeles.

Brian's collection of Oasis memorabilia, records and rare items has to be seen to be believed but it currently spans into the thousands of items. Even Noel and Liam themselves are aware of this collection having signed numerous pieces for Brian when he's met them both.

We talk about how his collection started, favourite pieces, rare items and of course, dig into the recent news regarding the Oasis reunion and upcoming tour next year.

On this weeks episode, Iain talks to Grant Decker, the owner of Vinyl Shakedown Records in Hinckley. Having collected records most of his adult life and also DJ'd for a number of years using vinyl, Grant started to buy and sell vinyl using his house as a base.

He outgrew the house and in 2023, opened Vinyl Shakedown Records which has gone from strength to strength and is now in it's second location locally. 

Iain and Grant talk about opening a record shop and the details, time and effort that goes into it and also dip i...

On the first episode of The Record Collectors Club Conversations Podcast, host Iain Wakefield is joined by Johnny Marr and James super fan, Laura Dean from Warrington. 

Laura is a music fan, gig goer and writes regularly for a number of music publications online sharing her thoughts and reviews on live music gigs and new album releases. 

She has followed Johnny Marr and James around both the UK and recently the world seeing them play their incredible music to live audiences. We chat about her obsession with both artists, touch on her favourite records by th...

Welcome to The Record Collectors Club Conversations Podcast.

A new podcast series that centres around the vinyl record collecting and music world and focuses on conversations with record collectors, record shops, artists, bands and music obsessives all over the world.