A new exhibition opened today in Glasgow Riverside Museum celebrating the city's rich record store history.
'Spinning Around - Glasgow's Remarkable Record Shops' is a celebration of the numerous music stores that thrived in the city from the 1980s to the mid-1990s.
The exhibition includes 134 objects from more than 60 Scottish bands and artists who were active between 1980 and 1995 are represented through records, cassettes, CDs, posters, t-shirts and other music memorabilia.
During that period, Glasgow was home to 130 much-loved record shops. However, businesses like A1, Bruce's, Gloria's Rub-aDub and Tower records were regarded as much more than just places to buy music, but were described as 'melting pots' for the growth of the city's burgeoning cultural and creative scene.
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In fact, some would argue they were 'outlets of expression' which galvanised the city's identity as a City of Music before the title was officially granted by UNESCO in 2008.
They also helped to launch the careers of loads of other successful acts, like Deacon Blue, Orange Juice and Simple Minds.
Glasgow band The Bluebells, who topped the UK charts in the 1990s with their pop-hit ‘Young at Heart’, opened the exhibition today in the museums former 'Pawn Shop' exhibition site.
Robert Hodgens, founder of The Bluebells and better known as Bobby Bluebell, was joined by brothers and fellow bandmates Ken and David McCluskey for the launch, where people were able to see the exhibitions attractions like the gold discs from The Bluebells and Simple Minds, a fan-made, screen printed scarf dedicated to The Bluebells, and a 1956 Lambretta LD 150 scooter bought by Alex Kapranos, lead singer of Franz Ferdinand, to toast his first record deal.
Featuring a variety of digital elements, visitors can try their hand at ‘crate-digging’ and browse an interactive record rack containing around 100 LP and 12-inch sleeves, or try to find all 130 Glasgow record shops, which are dotted around a hand-drawn, one-metre-square map created by acclaimed local illustrator, Adrian McMurchie.
Ken McCluskey of The Bluebells said: “Glasgow’s record shops in the 1980s were hugely important to me and The Bluebells; they were where we got our musical education from and where we would meet and hang out. It was an exciting time for music and the emergence of many of Scotland’s top bands and artists during those years grew out of the city’s record shop scene. It’s been a pleasure to donate a few rare items on behalf of the band to this brilliant new exhibition, which celebrates the importance of Glasgow’s record stores to the city’s musical legacy.”
Neil Johnson-Symington, Curator of Transport and Technology at Glasgow Life Museums, who put the exhibition together, said: “Glasgow has always been known as a City of Music, even before UNESCO’s official endorsement in 2008. However, this display is inspired not by the city’s unrivalled music venues, but by the scores of record shops from the 1980s to the mid-1990s which were instrumental to the forming of so many amazing local bands.
"They weren’t just places to buy records, they were creative hubs which inspired new music, club nights, recording studios and independent labels.
“With demand for vinyl surging and opportunities to enjoy live music returning, this timely new display will provide music fans with an opportunity to enjoy a trip down memory lane and to reflect on Glasgow’s once flourishing love affair with its record shops.”
‘Spinning Around – Glasgow’s Remarkable Record Shops’ will be refreshed with new objects and donations annually. You can visit the exhibition for free during the Riverside Museum’s opening hours: Monday to Thursday, and Saturday, 10am-5pm; Friday and Sunday, 11am-5pm.
