If you know me, you know I’m a record collector. Last month at my regular monthly Record Club at The Wellington Pub I met a local Ottawa guy named Josh Greenberg who was about to publish a book all about Canadian Record Stores, from coast to coast.
We had a lovely chat about record stores and especially Vancouver stores such as Neptoon, Red Cat and Zulu who feature in his book. I also talked to him about my days at A&B Sound, where I worked for about 10 years, he mentioned he new of A&B as some of the people he interviewed for the book had worked for them. I knew I had to get a copy of this book… the invitation was in the mail….
Photo left: The Record Collector and The Record Keepers: The background shows just the Bs of my collection, which is mostly David Bowie and Kate Bush, my two favourite artists. Hunky Dory was the first record I ever bought with my own money back in 1972. I always loved how similar Kate’s 1978 debut album cover The Kick Inside was to David’s Hunky Dory album cover.
Photo below: Author Josh Greenberg addressing the gathering at The Wellington Pub
The Launch
Yesterday afternoon, The Wellington Gastropub, hosted the Book Launch for Josh Greenberg’s The Record Keepers. Digging for Stories in Canada’s Record Stores. In Josh’s own words:
“Record stores: they’re where I discovered music, built friendships, and found community.
The Record Keepers is my tribute to their enduring presence, and to the shop owners and staff who keep them going.
Holding this book launch at The Wellington Gastropub was a brilliant idea, given The Wellie is the home of the Wellington Record Club, a monthly listening club hosted by the owner Shane Waldron. Josh started the launch with a reading from the book followed with music and conversation, and being a fabulous gastropub, of course there was a cash bar and food, wonderful canapés perfect to satiate your mid-afternoon appetite! A second set of readings began shortly after, focusing on the three Ottawa shops that are featured in the book: Odds & Sods, The Record Centre, and Vertigo Records. Books were of course available to purchase and a portion of proceeds from each book sale will be donated to support mental health services. If you’d like to get a copy of your own it can be purchased on line at The Record Keepers, or at any of the stores featured in the book, all of which are listed at the link. And do check out the website… it’s really nice, even though I wasn’t involved!
The Record Keepers
The owners of the three Ottawa stores in the book were all present at the launch, Odds & Sods (Mike and Erika), The Record Centre (John), and Vertigo Records (Darin), who generously donated gift certificates to 3 lucky guests that purchased books.
The photos below highlight the Vancouver and Ottawa stores I know and love that have enabled me in my passion for collecting vinyl over the past 50 years. Vancouver’s Neptoon Records and Zulu Records were two favourites, even though I worked at A&B Sound throughout the ‘80s. Vertigo Records, The Odds & Sods Shoppe and The Record Centre are where I can often be found digging here in Ottawa.
I asked Josh if he’d sign my copy of the book, which he did… I may have reminded him of my days working at A&B Sound in Vancouver.
Neptoon Records was, and still is, one of my favourite Vancouver record stores, it’s always a part of every trip I make out to Vancouver.
Zulu Records is also a favourite hang out for me and my friends I discovered a lot of great import records at these two stores.
All three of these Ottawa stores have been a part of my life since I moved to Ottawa in the ‘90s. One year I sold some of my records to Vertigo… last night I jokingly asked Darin if could have them back….
Odds & Sods are always a go to, especially for Record Store Day, after the lineups die down. Mike was store manager at CD Warehouse in the ’90s, they were literally down the road from where I first lived when I moved to Ottawa.
The Record Centre is a regular for me for new and used records, and a good place to begin my Record Store Day hunt, especially as I don’t have to get up early. During COVID their web site helped me keep my sanity.
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