Lotte: I was first aware of the significance of a record collection when I was seven years old. My parents had divorced and my Dad was insisting my Mum was hanging onto some of his favourite records. He asked me to bring a record, one at a time, on my fortnightly visits to him; it was a covert operation (as a teenager I heard a different side of the story and returned them to my Mum, but that's another story).
I remember gazing at the cover of Dylan's 'Blood On The Tracks'- I didn't understand what it meant, but it looked like it meant something significant. Secret worlds were encased in dusty record sleeves; yearnings, unspoken desire and fury all waiting to be spun around at 78 rpm. Records are like time capsules to me, to be treasured in a way that mp3s or streaming can't touch - that moment when the needle drops and you are transported to another world is pure bliss. It's a fully involving experience from reading the lyrics on the sleeve, to pouring over the artwork. I'm so delighted to have my own record on vinyl for the first time, and I have 2 copies for each of my parents so all will be well.