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Happy National Vinyl Record Day, everyone! To celebrate, I’ve been spinning a number of favorite LPs as my soundtrack for the day, both old/reissued (Mobile Fidelity’s truly stunning Ultradisc OneStep 180g 2LP 45rpm upgrade of Van Halen’s underrated 1981 Warner Bros. LP Fair Warning, which I’ll be covering here on AP in more depth soon) and new alike (an early copy of AM PM SOHO LIVE, a 2LP set featuring the avant-rock talents of Roxy Music’s forever-linked brothers in arms, guitarist Phil Manzanera and saxophonist Andy Mackay, which is coming out via Expression/BFD/The Orchard on September 19, 2025).

Continuing with the vibes of the day, I also want to share the YouTube clip for the track that closes out Side 2 of Genesis’ 1981 Atlantic LP Abacab, which I think summarizes a core ideal behind August 12’s stated M.O. quite succinctly. (I’m also looking forward to spinning this song anew via the 180g 2LP 45rpm Analogue Productions Atlantic 75 Series edition of Abacab, which I expect to have in hand fairly soon.)

Besides these and other needle-on-wax genuflections today, I’ve also been in the midst of compiling a related story about a wonderful local vinyl-donation initiative program called Spin It Forward, which Jessica Marinelli wrote about so beautifully in last week’s Buffalo Rising newsletter. Reading about the Spin It Forward campaign that’s being spearheaded by the fine folks at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library reminded me of something I hadn’t thought about for quite some time.

While attending 10th grade at Loch Raven High School in suburban Baltimore in the fall of 1982, I would occasionally check out a few LPs from the local library branch to spin at home — and one of them I recall most vividly was Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s November 1981 aggro-opus on Reprise, Re-ac-tor. Among my favorite tracks on that LP were the 9-minute workout of “T-Bone” in the middle of Side 1 (“got mashed po-tay-toes!”) and 7 minutes of the war-tinged “Shots” at the end of Side 2. Of course, I picked up my own copy of Re-ac-tor on vinyl years later — and, more recently, I was able to nab the triangular, red vinyl promo single featuring two of its tracks, “Southern Pacific” b/w “Motor City.” I also always enjoy seeing, and following, the instructions that are printed on the back cover (albeit all in beginning caps, a style that I won’t replicate here): “Due to the special shape of this record, automatic turntables must be operated manually to avoid damage to the stylus.” (Duly noted!)

Anyway, back to the story task at hand. To get some firsthand commentary about the Spin It Forward campaign, I reached out to three people to tell the related tale in their own words, in a colloquial style I consider to be a nice blend of championing a truly good cause, sharing personal vinyl touchstones, and reinforcing the ongoing importance of indie record stores. Read on, and enjoy — and then, however you choose to continue celebrating this special day: Happy Spinning, one and all!

SEAN PIAZZA
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
Spin it Forward began as a simple idea, which was to bring our vinyl collection at the library into the present. We hadn’t substantially added to it since 1989, leaving entire music eras unrepresented for patrons. Marking National Vinyl Record Day on August 12 felt like the right moment to change that, and to do it in a way that strengthened Buffalo’s public collection. By encouraging purchases from local record stores, we’re not only growing our collection, but we’re supporting the experts and small businesses that keep our city’s music scene vibrant.

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library is the oldest cultural institution in the region, with a music archive that dates back to 1898. Some of our records exist nowhere else — but we also know our collection has to speak to today’s listeners and contemporary sounds. Gen Z has embraced vinyl, and most of them also own turntables. More than half of them say they listen to vinyl as a way to unplug from the constant pull of digital life. If we’re here to serve everyone who walks through our doors, we have to meet them where their passions are.

This effort is also in line with the spirit and viewpoint of our late director, John Spears, who believed libraries should be active, not passive, in the communities they serve. He often said we should go where the patron is, listen to them, and respond. That’s exactly what Spin it Forward does. We’re inviting a younger generation to discover the power of analog sound. With partnership of BTPM The Bridge, Buffalo’s NPR alternative station, the message is reaching even more people. As a profoundly public institution locally, our vinyl collection is alive, evolving, and open to all.

I’d also like to add that local artist Mal Blum generously provided us with a copy of their 2025 LP The Villain (Get Better Records GBR-191) as the first donation, which was given to us right after their July 29, 2025, show at Babeville in downtown Buffalo.

[MM adds: Sean generously invited me to come to the library to see their collection in person, and I will be talking him up on the offer in the coming weeks for a more detailed followup story. I’m also going to donate some unopened/unplayed LPs from my own collection to further the cause, so stay tuned for the full update to come.]

JESSICA MARINELLI
Buffalo Rising
National Vinyl Record Day honors a format that brought music en masse to homes across America — and, for me, vinyl formed my earliest core memories. In the ’80s, my grandmother co-founded [local indie record store] New World Record with Govindan Kartha. I remember afternoons spent tucked beneath the record racks, playing with my dolls, and watching people flip through album covers.

At NWR, Nirvana’s Nevermind poster loomed large. [Nevermind is, of course, Nirvana’s gamechanging 1991 DGC LP.] My grandmother’s Nagel prints still hang on my walls. My first record? Kylie Minogue’s “The Loco-Motion” [the No. 3-charting hit cover song for the still-strong-at-it Australian singer that also appears on her 1988 Mushroom/PWL/Geffen LP, Kylie].

My grandmother also taught me how to slip an LP from the sleeve, holding just the edges, and carefully drop and pick up the needle. And now, a new generation is discovering the joy of music you can hold in your hands.

BOB MADDEN
New World Record alum
I am Jessica Marinelli’s uncle, and my mom Christine was co-owner of New World Record with her partner Govindan Kartha. I worked at the store while I was in school in the mid-’80s, up until about 1989.

Growing up, my mom was an avid collector, and she had thousands of albums. She kept most of them — and when she passed, I kept the majority of them myself, including many of the albums and 12in singles she had gotten at her store. Mom retired in 1995, I believe, and her partner ran the store for another 13 years by himself. Govindan really was the backbone of the store, and a good friend of ours. Our buyer was Marty Boratin, who was a fixture in the local music scene for decades. Before coming to New World, he was at some of the other record stores in Buffalo including Record Theatre, and I believe he was also at Home of the Hits for a while too. Marty was also a promoter and DJ in his days at UB. His nickname was “The Vinyl Maven,” and he still hosts house concerts at his home in Hamburg, New York.

What kind of system did we have for vinyl playback? My mom had a Bang & Olufsen turntable, a Beogram TX 5653, and I now have that. She also had some other very good components like a Carver receiver, a Nakamichi tape deck, and a Luxman CD player.

NWR was a very fun and exciting place, and it had a very strong sense of community. A lot of customers became friends, and one of the greatest things was that when they would come into the store, there was a lot of sharing of musical knowledge and things that everybody found as a gem to let everyone else know about. The store was very much geared towards audiophiles, and getting people hard-to-find items like imports, back when they were less easy to find. They also did a lot of in-store appearances with up-and-coming bands.

If you want to see more about New World Records, check out the clip below for an interview that was recorded at Asbury Hall at Babeville in Buffalo on October 18, 2024. (I’m interviewed from the 18th minute on through the 24th.)

One thing you should also know is that when Govindan and my mom were managers at Cavages at the Boulevard Mall in the early ’80s and had gotten to the point where they wanted to open their own store that catered to audiophiles and those interested in music that was also outside the Top 40, CDs had just been invented and were deemed to be the future. So, the store featured that concept at first. That said, the store certainly had vinyl, and it was a significant spot for customers to find 12in singles and extended mixes.

Club DJs were huge customers. I had left the store after grad school, and my mom retired when vinyl had its resurgence. I am sure vinyl would have accounted for a larger percentage of sales at NWR in the late ’90s, and as the 21st century came along. At End of An Ear, the store I now shop at here in Austin, vinyl accounts for the predominance of its sales space.

There was also a short 24-minute documentary made in 2008 by Yuichiro Yamada when Govindan finally closed New World Record in 2008. It was called Irreplaceable, and you can check it out above. Long live vinyl!