KEITH DALGLEISH The Vinylist
Record collector Keith Dalgleish has a treasure trove of vinyl that spans the ages. But it’s the latter part of one decade in particular T H E V I N Y L I S T that really lights his fire. Mark Alexander finds out more…
You can trace Keith Dalgleish’s love of 1960s music back to his childhood, and beyond. “I have a theory that I heard that style of music in the womb”, says the Scottish collector, sipping a beer. “It’s a theory I have, because I wonder why it’s captured my imagination so much.”
Of his 700-strong record collection, the majority are early pressings or reissues from a time of change – the late 60s. It was the era when rock and pop came of age; when manufactured chart-topping tunes gave way to social consciousness, political statements and experimentation. Festivals and psychedelia were the watchwords, and Dalgleish’s collection is full of the latter.
“It stems from my parents’ love of music”, he says. “It’s very common, but it’s significant. You associate music with good times and nice feelings. My mum loved Simon & Garfunkel and Nancy & Lee. It’s a very significant album for me. It’s that sort of ‘LA songwriting’ interpretation of folk rock. And my mum loved it. My first recollection of enjoying music is mum playing those records.”
Dalgleish and his siblings grew up around music, with the stereo a focal point of family life. “It wasn’t a status symbol, but my dad liked listening to music and decided to get himself a really nice stereo”, he says. “He spent £500 in 1970 on it. He wasn’t flash, but part of growing up was getting to use that stereo, although my dad was never precious about it. In fact, I blew one of the speakers once with too much volume and bass.”