I grew up in Armadale during the seventies. It was an affluent suburb within inner Melbourne and a block away from the Glenferrie Road shopping precinct. The area featured some amazing record stores over the years which I grew to love and also taught me all about music and pretty much defined my life to this day.

Pet Sounds was the first record store I had ever set foot in and the very first record I purchased was a 7” single of ‘Shout It Out Loud’ by KISS in 1976. I still have that record. That was the beginning of a life-long, life-altering passion.

Pet Sounds was located pretty close to the corner of High Street and Glenferrie Road in Malvern.

It moved a few doors down in the ensuing years to a much bigger location.

Quality Records now stands where the Pet Sounds store was located. So after all these years, that particular section of Glenferrie Road is a record store again.

On a recent visit at Quality Records, I asked the owner if he was in somehow connected with Pet Sounds back in the seventies. I think he was surprised I knew of the store (I look 15-20 years younger than what my age is and many are surprised at my knowledge of the 70’s). He said Pet Sounds was a long, long time ago and that no, he had no affiliation with the store.

I told him that in the very spot I am standing, Mental As Anything performed a set when they were promoting the release of their very first album in 1979.

The other major record store that inhabited Glenferrie Road was the incredible Gaslight Records. Now this place took my record collecting to a whole new level and opened up my eyes (and ears!) to so much more music.

Gaslight was an import store and they would have weekly regular shipments of imported records from the US, the UK and beyond.

I remember flicking through the KISS section and noticing the quality of the album covers and the vinyl itself were of far superior stock and vinyl to their Australian pressing counterparts. The records were also much more pricier, but they were of amazing quality.

Gaslight stocked some amazing rare vinyl and it was the first place I had ever seen records such as KISS Originals I and II as well as an assortment of other Japanese pressings which I collect to this day.

I grew up with record stores a mere block away from where I lived as a child. I make a point to visit as many as I can these days when I am out and about. I don’t care what genre they specialise in, I just love being amongst the music and the vinyl and taking in the entire store with my eyes, ears and mind.

Record stores these days, always take me back to my youth where I would hunt down rare KISS records for my collection.

With today’s Record Store Day celebrations and the rebirth of vinyl and the record store, I wanted to visit as many of my fave local stores (Greville, Eureka Rebellion Trading, Heartland, Vicious Sloth etc) and document today’s happenings with my camera. Unfortunately I am carrying a painful knee injury so I was only able to visit one – Greville Records.

I hope everyone went out and supported their fave store today. Remember, it is not about getting exclusive Record Store Day records but supporting the stores that bring you these gems time and time again.

It is still not too late, go out there and grab a record today!