Given it's our e-Birthday this month and we turn 5 (online), we're having our second pop-up this Saturday at The Jade! 

We recently came into a tonne of amazing secondhand records (titles and gradings are excellent!) so I had the task of going through every single one and checking 'em out to make sure they're up to scratch, and playing lots of them too.

I knew it was going to be a big job, but not that big! 

Early on in the piece I had a good friend, Luke, come and shower his expertise over a couple hundred records. Then it was up to me to do the rest... 

2,000 records later and we're ready to go for the big birthday bash on Saturday!

Thought I'd post my thoughts on this ridiculous record-grading journey.

- Listening to the 12inch instrumental remix version of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's "Relax" at half speed is mesmerizing and totally relaxing. Fire all your gurus and cancel your yoga subscriptions and come and get 1 of the 3 copies we have of this single. Bliss is waiting for you.

- The Guess Who are actually great. Yes, we all know "American Woman", and lots of us probably know the uninspired cover version by Lenny Kravitz (sorry Lenny, this was the exact fork in the road from when you were basically amazing...to where you are now), but I had the pleasure of listening to some deep cuts whilst testing out a rekkid, and I dug what my ears were picking up. Get involved.

- Olivia Newton-John singing "You better shape up 'cause I need a man" in the Grease Megamix is quite possibly the sexiest sound ever recorded to tape...very closely followed by the unsexiest thing ever recorded to tape, which is John Travolta's falsetto on the word "Nights" at the end of the song.

- Australian record buyers of the 70s and 80s looked after their 12inch singles and compilations exceedingly well. Like better than Frank Zappa looked after his facial hair. I was astounded to find so many classic comps in this lot that looked like they had never been played. If you guys don't buy this stuff, I'm thinking of using them somehow as a theme for my 40th birthday next year. It's gooood stuff.

- While it's sad to find a record with a scratch so dastardly that the record skips and loops...man that loop is hypnotic. It becomes it's own entity. Again, gurus watch your back. This could become a new craze. I filmed one such loop that occurred on a Wings record for my own personal use as a bedtime mantra.

- When it comes to books, people say never judge a book by it's cover. That's because generally (and in comparison to records), book covers are crap. I mean come on, if you're looking at the book cover of Angela's Ashes and the album cover of Cream's "Disraeli Gears", we all know what's getting devoured first. The rule of thumb for our pop-up (and any record fair in general) is judge the hell outta that cover! If the cover is great, there's a high chance of the music being great. At a record fair last year I bought a copy of a duo I'd never heard of called Batdorf & Rodney. Ended up being the best thing o' my bunch. CSN-esque. Get involved in some pot-luck-action on Saturday. The prices of this stuff make it even more enticing to do it too. Oh and one other thing, get judgey with the release year of the album. I'm a 70s nut. But I prefer about 71 - 77. I found a Boz Scaggs album from '71 in this lot that I'm praying you guys don't buy so I can get my mitts on it.

- I have an affinity for music released when I was 10. I guess maybe I was just starting to really get into music? I didn't really realize this until I started going through all the compilations in this lot of records. I had lots of these compilations (albeit on cassette) but I remember vivid moments of listening to particular songs, and looking back now I have a deep love for certain songs of that year that I totally disregard all other output from the same bands. Does anyone else get this? Is the 10 year old feelgood-memory thing a thing...?

- People who graffiti all over their records by putting their name on the sleeve, thus ruining the sweet grading, actually seem to take incredible care of the coveted media within. C Williamson, whoever you are, I'm looking at you. You wrote your name all over front covers, but it kinda became a stamp of approval for the quality that was to be found on the record. There were lots of names, but Williamson, you'll always stay with me.

Well that's my thoughts on grading 2,000 records in a short space of time. Can't wait for everyone (who can) to come check them out, and walk away with sore arms under the sheer weight of the musical care packages available. Seeyou Saturday!

Paul x