In this digital age of downloadable music, mp3s and iPods, you can essentially get any song you want with just the click of a button. This is undoubtedly convenient, however it has come at the cost of a major decline in the sales of tangible mediums of music, such as CDs and records.
This is arguably a tragedy – not least of all because much of the physical and visual experience of enjoying music is lost. There’s something magical about flicking through the racks of a record store and taking a punt on an album just because of its vivid artwork, then meticulously studying its liner notes as you fully appreciate the artist at work.
That’s why there are still a lot of blokes out there who would choose a modest rack of CDs over a massive iTunes library any day.
One man who has his fair share of CDs, but also still swears by the warm crackle of vinyl, is Alan Howe, a senior journalist for the Herald Sun newspaper. Over the years, Alan has amassed an enormous collection of around 2,000 records and 5,000 CDs, which adorn the walls of his impressive music room.
He says his obsession was hatched from birth, but it wasn’t until 11 years ago, when he found the perfect block of land , that he saw an opportunity to provide a dedicated spot for his passion. He and his wife set out to build their dream home, which – for Alan – had to include a purpose-built room to keep his records, instruments and various bits of music memorabilia. The result is a quaint cabin, detached from the rest of the house, allowing Alan to make as much noise as he needs no matter what time of day it is.
Alan’s work as a journalist has seen him jet to the far corners of the world on overseas postings and return with nearly as many amazing stories as he has records. He has interviewed Ringo Starr, forged friendships with various members of Australian rock royalty and met the three surviving members of The Doors (visiting singer Jim Morrison’s grave in Paris three times to complete the set).
“I never set out to start a collection, it just happened by accident really,” he explains.
“I’ve been into music since the day I was born. When I got older I played in a few bands and it just seems that music has always played a large part in my life.
“I always found that if I heard a song I liked at a friend’s house, I couldn’t leave it at that, I’d have to have it in my collection the next day.”
However, Alan’s cabin isn’t merely a storage space for this collection; it functions as a hub for all of his musical passions.
“I love that all my music possessions are collected together in one place. I can come out here and play bass – badly … play drums – badly … play mandolin – very badly … and I’m not upsetting anybody. I can make quite a din in here and nobody has to hear it.”
After only a short time in Alan’s room, you get an immediate sense of the connection he has with his music. Although it is undoubtedly impressive, he hasn’t merely set out to buy as many records as he can or acquired a particular piece for its status or monetary value – there is an interesting reason or a personal story behind every single item in the library. It’s as much a compilation of memories as it is a collection of discs.
“I’m out here pretty much every night and I’ll often just relax on my own and play an album from start to finish,” he says.
“Occasionally I’ll have friends round and they’ll ask if I have a particular record and the answer is normally, ‘Yes I do!’”
Over these years of collecting, Alan has managed to get an array of his favourite items autographed – everybody from Deep Purple, to The Doors, Paul Simon, Alice Cooper, Pete Best and Ray Davies, to name just a few.
Also a self-confessed Beatlemaniac, he even managed to pick up a copy of With the Beatles signed by the band itself. However, it’s his copy of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band which is his prized possession. It contains a message by The Beatles’ legendary producer Sir George Martin addressed to Alan’s twin daughters, which reads, Love to Hayley and Alice who today are 86 days old, from George Martin who today is 21,821 days old!
“This is the most important album to me,” Alan says.
“It’s probably the greatest album of the rock era and it’s been signed by the man who helped create it. The thought that it has been in his hands still amazes me.”
He adds that when growing up, his ultimate dream was to meet a Beatles member, however, when the opportunity arose, things didn’t go as smoothly as he’d hoped.
“When Paul McCartney came to Melbourne in 1993, they held a press conference at the MCG and I was lucky enough to snap up two tickets,” he recalls.
“There weren’t many questions asked as people were quite nervous in the presence of Paul McCartney, but eventually everybody had asked a question except me. When it was my turn, Paul looked at me and said, ‘Are there any more questions?’ I stood up twice, but not a sound came out of my mouth! I was struck dumb!”
Luckily though, he got the opportunity to interview Ringo Starr later in his career, so all was not lost.
Although Alan’s passion has seen him hunting down relics and chasing down autographs (he’s still pursuing a Bob Dylan signed piece), he isn’t like other collectors who merely long to complete a set or hoard items to see them increase in value. For Alan, it’s about the passion for the music first, and the collecting second.
“A lot of people ask if I listen to all my music and the fact is, I do. I listen to music eight hours a day when I’m working and when I’m at home I don’t watch a lot of TV. I’d prefer to put a record on.
“Sometimes I just think I’ve gone mad collecting music. Often when I randomly hear new things or somebody alludes me to a good track, I go through a stage of elation because I found a great song, but then I go through a slightly depressed phase because I think of all the music I still haven’t heard which could be better than this.”
It is this passion which can be found in collectors like Alan, but is often lost in the modern age where music is supplied as a computer file and not as a complete, physical work of art.
“Back in the day, even if you bought an album you weren’t too familiar with, you’d work your way through it diligently, purely because you’d invested $15 in it,” Alan says.
“I find that some of my favourite songs are buried in the album tracks. But now, with services like iTunes, this is lost because music is geared towards single songs. You don’t have the spontaneity and adventure you used to have.
“When I met George Martin, I told him that when I first bought Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, I didn’t like the song Within You, Without You, but now it’s my favourite track on the album. If I had been an iTunes customer in 1967, I probably wouldn’t have bought it and would never have heard it.”
However, as much as the internet has taken over, the physical format hasn’t fully died out. Many DJs still choose CDs and records for their shows and a recent trend has even seen a resurgence in bands recording on vintage analogue equipment and releasing their music on vinyl. So hopefully this, coupled with avid collectors like Alan supporting the physical format, means that the record will keep on spinning.
Off the record
In the event of a fire, which record would you save?
“It would really depend on the time of day, perhaps Sketches of Spain by Miles Davis or The Doors’ LA Woman – I think that’s the one blinding flash of a moment where music was important and articulate.”
What was the first ever record you bought?
“It was If I Were a Carpenter by Bobby Darin, which I then swapped with a mate for The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine.”
Do you have any guilty pleasures?
“When I was young I went mad on Marc Bolan & T-Rex records but now I can’t stand that stuff.”
Do you know where any one particular piece is?
“You bet. Every single one of them.”
Do you play them all?
“Of course. Music to me is not something to ‘collect’; it’s a functioning piece of art. I’ve got plenty of records here that are not played regularly, but they might have one very good song on them.”
Is there an autograph you’re still searching for?
“Unfortunately I have never snagged Dylan. One day I will.”
