The story

I have been collecting records since the early seventies.
In those years we did not pay attention to the edition, the label, or the country a record came from; it was important to listen to groups or singers who were rarely on the radio or on television.
With new technology vinyl became a collector’s item. In this new dimension, elements such as the original cover, different labels or even print matrix have become fundamental. In many case, a record has so many variations that it is very difficult to know the exact sequence but it is only through this that we can determine price and quality.


When I began to buy LP taking these aspects into consideration and attending vinyl market exhibitions, I realized that if you did not want to make mistakes it was important to distinguish between different versions of the same record (that apparently seemed identical) to see if the prices were correct, and for this reason it was necessary to have expert eyes and to be well organized.


So my passion for rock has become inter wined with the desire to create a collection and these two aspects have since then fueled each other creating a new curiosity and need to deepen my passion.
I systematically carried out the research by providing a first list of groups and artists who most interested me, and then I enriched each item with all the data that I gathered and which could help me in the selection and evaluation of the right price to buy missing pieces.
With the purchase of the new records (that in the past was quite difficult to find catalogues from stores around the world and then became easier thanks to website) I felt the need to catalogue accurately my collection writing down the seller, the year and the price of each piece.
This became a single notebook to consult easily including spaces for my notes covering the period from the mid-60s until the 70s.
Those who saw my notebook: my friends who had the same passion for music but also the dealers I met at vinyl market exhibitions convinced me to share it so that it could also be helpful to many others who like music.


I was stimulated by this idea and a couple of years ago I decided to improve my notebook. At the beginning it was just a list of names, data and prices but gradually I added images, first the covers and then the labels.
My notebook gradually became more and more complete but I know that it will be eternally evolving. I thought I had finished it three times and told my wife and sons but I started over with new contents.


It is a book enriched every day with new artists or with details about a cover or a label.I was once surprised to find out that I myself had a particular version of the second LP of Freedom which is not in any other catalogue or guide and of course I have inserted it here. Anyway now I have to publish the first edition.


That is how my guide was born. It has helped me to research, to enrich and to preserve my collection of vinyl records.
My interests include rock music in the period between the 60s and 70s and in particular what was published in the UK, in the United States and in Italy.
This first edition of the guide deals with British artists and groups with the exception of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Due to their complexity they would deserve a separate edition which I may prepare in the future.
Then there are some other exceptions, some artists who collaborated with English groups or singers (for example, great American bluesmen with the first Fleetwood Mac) or Jimi Hendrix discography (who published his first records after his concerts in Great Britain at the end of the 70s) and a few more.
I want also like to point out that for those English groups which published their records partly or entirely abroad (Soft Machine, Lights of Darkness …).


I also took into consideration the British jazz (of which have always been a big fan) which in books and guides dealing with this fervent musical period is often overlooked and underestimated.
Despite the fact that the number of artists in this guide is considerable, I am aware that it should be increased and I will certainly do it in future editions.


The number of covers and labels that I took into consideration is considerable and I believe that at the moment does not exist such a rich and detailed guide.
It is clear that my vinyl collection has been of a great help for this guide; most of the photographs come from my own records. Having to categorize and review my own records gave me the opportunity to listen to most of them again. This has involved my teenage sons who have now experienced a little “history of rock” thanks to their father's passion. If this should be the only result, I can say it repays me for all my hard work. I hope those who will buy this book will forgive me for any mistakes I have made (I hope very few). It has been a hard work.


I also ask you to be flexible in judging the prices that I have inserted for each record. It is not easy to indicate the prices of records now that the market has become global.
I compared the real prices on specialized internet websites with those of guides and magazines. The price in pounds is the synthesis of these two elements which is useful to buy a record or to know the value of a record you own.


In conclusion I cannot say “enjoy the book” this is not a novel!I can just say … “enjoy shopping and enjoy good music!”.


With my kindest regards, paolo