I also remember buying my first album, on holiday in Blackpool with my big brother. It was From A to B by New Musik but we couldn't hear a note of it until our holiday was over and that wouldn't be for two weeks. So we stared at the artwork, the titles, the inner bag, the inscription on the play out groove and could only imagine what magic lay within. My next obsession would be Soft Cell and their albums Non Stop Erotic Cabaret and The Art Of Falling Apart. Dave Ball's Warm synths, Crisp and clear 808 drum machines, Marc's melodramatic vocals, black leather all pressed on delicious black vinyl and housed in Hew Feathers' fabulous illustrated 12 inch sleeves. I was hooked.

Vinyl was and still is magical for me. It's big, it smells great, the ink, the plastic, I still don't know how it works. It's enchanting and I'll never recover from that first love affair. One song from the Hello Leo album called Pure is about that very thing, That first deep love, long before cars and girls came along !

Chris Braide - DBA