Dust & Grooves: Adventures in Record Collecting

by Eilon Paz, RZA (Foreword)

Dust & Grooves: Adventures in Record Collecting is an inside look into the world of vinyl record collectors in the most intimate of environments—their record rooms. Compelling photographic essays from photographer Eilon Paz are paired with in-depth and insightful interviews to illustrate what motivates these collectors to keep digging for more records. The reader gets an up close and personal look at a variety of well-known vinyl champions, including Gilles Peterson and King Britt, as well as a glimpse into the collections of known and unknown DJs, producers, record dealers, and everyday enthusiasts. Driven by his love for vinyl records, Paz takes us on a five-year journey unearthing the very soul of the vinyl community.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Photography, Art, Pop Culture, Art and Photography, Coffee Table Books

428 pages, Hardcover

First published April 19, 2014

Reviews

[Diz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating look into the world of vinyl collecting. The first half of the book features photographs of collectors and their collections of records. The second half of the book contains interviews with collectors from a wide variety of backgrounds. It's interesting to read how people got into records and to see the wide range of their musical interests. Music lovers, especially those with nostalgia for vinyl, will enjoy this.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautifully photographed gift that I received from my family for Christmas. Collectors and non-collectors alike will delve into this incredible volume if they have interest in collecting, music history, social history, or the work of DJs. Probably the most famous record collector profiled is Questlove, whose father, Lee Andrews, was the lead singer of Lee Andrews & The Hearts; he grew up surrounded by musicians and consequently with an incredible understanding and appreciation of the roots of American music. But there are other collectors, perhaps less famous but equally quirky and interesting, who share their collections, what got them started, what their favorite and/or most unusual and/or most valuable record is, and other questions that will fascinate music lovers. I am not much of a collector of vinyl, not having the space, but I treasure the pieces I do have and relate to the collectors' desire to be completists, to enjoy reading the liner notes and studying the artwork, and to sit down and listen with intense concentration to a conceptual album. This is a lovely work of art from music aficionado and collector Eilon Paz.

[Phoebe A · Rating 5 out of 5]

My late grandfather left us his vinyl records. As I was browsing it, I remember him listening to music and turning up the volume to full blast. He even set up two large speakers. I also remember feeling embarrassed whenever he did that because I was thinking that the neighbors and the people walking outside might think we were too braggart about it. Maybe that's just the way my grandfather enjoyed music. Or he might be the type of collector who was proud. Like me.

I am not into vinyl but I know what collectors feel like. I collect so many cassette tapes when I was little. I collect books, mangas, and postcards today. Like Jeff Mao said, I take a twisted pride in impractical. I still want to have something to look at and to hold, even if I ran out of space or other more logical reasons.

Dust and Grooves made me want to buy a turntable and collect records (I just hope I have the money to afford another obsession). Eilon Paz captured wonderful images of passionate collectors in their sanctuaries. Different backgrounds, races, and continents were united by one interest: record collecting. The feelings of the collectors passed beyond the pages. Their references might flew over me and I might be out of place with their interviews but the passion is easily felt and understood.

The experience was different but I searched online and listened to some of their recommended records. I commend Eilon Paz for making this and I commend every collector for their dedication. I enjoyed the book.

Here are some of my favorites:



Philip Osey Kojo hasn't listened to his records for over 30 years since his turntable needle worn out. In this photo, he was rediscovering his collection.


funny cover of a Filipino group


Sheila Burgel collects 45s of girl artists & groups. She even learned Japanese because of Jpop.


Joe Bussard, the King of 78s, hates Rock and Roll.


A cutting-edge saw blade record!

[A Reader's Heaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

An incredibly cool glimpse into the vinyl collections of known and unknown DJs, producers, record dealers, and everyday enthusiasts, with compelling photographic essays paired with in-depth interviews that delve into collectors' personal histories and vinyl troves.
This sumptuous coffee table book is the culmination of photographer Eilon Paz's six-year journey around the globe to unearth the very soul of the vinyl community. A peek into the worlds of more than 130 vinyl record collectors in their most intimate of environments--their record rooms--it combines compelling photographic essays, anecdotes, and quotes with in-depth interviews to illustrate what motivates these collectors to keep digging for more records. The reader gets an up-close-and-personal look at a variety of well-known vinyl champions--including Questlove, Gilles Peterson, and King Britt--as well as a glimpse into fascinating collections of hobbyists and a foreword by The RZA (chief producer of the Wu-Tang Clan). Mesmerizing and moving, Dust & Grooves is a celebration of passion and discovery and a tribute to the spirit of a thriving movement.


This is a beautifully presented book - not just about record collecting, but about people, places, obsessions and, ultimately, a love affair with vinyl and the artwork that adorns the covers.

Throughout the book we are treated to photos of some amazing record collections, astonishing cover art that may (or may not) have seen the light of day for years but also the people behind these collections. As we flick through the pages, there are quotes attributed to the collectors or side notes about where they are and what albums they are showing in the pics.

The only thing that didn't earn this book a prized 5 star was the way the book was put together. The first 2/3 of the book are photos, the last third interviews. I personally would have preferred the interviews interspersed throughout the book as a way of breaking up all the images. It is only a minor thing but after looking through all those wonderful images, it was a bit of a dull ending for me (although the interviews themselves are wonderful.)


Paul
ARH

[RebL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very pretty book. The photos are the best part; lots of these people have really impressive record collections. Actually the best part is looking at the photos and seeing a record I have :)
For some oddball reason they printed the first 2/3 book on heavy glossy stock, and the final third, which is interviews with the people whose collections they photographed (along with more, smaller photos) is on a lighter weight matte stock. That was weird and it feels like a mistake.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book - an absolute joy to read through from cover to cover. The photography and the interviews perfectly combine to illustrate the passion of the collectors and their collections.

Word of warning: if you have any interest in collecting records yourself, reading this book may well turn that interest into an addiction!

[Adrienne Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT book full of stellar photography, quirky quotes, and interesting, eye-opening interviews. This book is eye candy for any lover of music and vinyl, and it is easy to see that it was a labor of love. Great read! I highly and very enthusiastically recommend it!

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book!

Adrienne Thompson
Author of Summertime

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent look at vinyl collections and collectors. It makes no sense to do 300 pages of photography and then do 150 pages of photo-Heavy interviews, particularly when those interviewees have popped up in the front part. Mix it up. Aside from layout this is excellent and I will pursue buying a copy.

[Beth Voecks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! The photos were amazing and I loved reading about people's love affair with vinyl.

[Paula ϟ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love this! I love the photos, the stories, every quirky weird thing about records, record collecting, and especially the varied types of people so drawn to vinyl. As someone who grew up with parents who are baby boomers, I spent many summer days dancing around the house with my siblings listening to my dad's AC/DC albums, my mom's Beatles albums, and everything else in between. My parent's always had a large combined record collection, which led to my own interest and fascination with vinyl. The first record I bought on my own was Radiohead - In Rainbows which still stands as one of my all time favorites, alongside my mom's album Simon and Garfunkel Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. which still has her maiden name written on the cover. When I was in middle school, I was one of the small handful of middle schoolers who were "good enough" for high school marching band (Nerd Alert) and my first year our show was The Beatles themed. I listened to every Beatles album on repeat that summer as a 12 year old memorizing every groove where my favorite songs were. I remember in college when I was studying music, I played in jazz band and one of our shows featured Steely Dan. My mom and I spent months tracking down every single Steely Dan album we could get our hands on. Since my mom passed away, I have an even stronger attachment to all of her vinyl albums, almost as though the analog sounds, the physical copies bring me closer to those memories and closer to her. Records and record collections mean something a little different to everyone and that's why I loved seeing so many different stories in Dust & Grooves.

[kim.through.books]

I'm gonna leave this one unrated. Here's why. Record collecting is such a specific niche, which makes this book so super specific. There were parts of this book that I REALLY enjoyed, were interesting and provided new learning. Other parts of this book were completely boring because I just didn't understand what was being told. For example, I have no interest or background with music from other countries or DJing. When those stories were being told, I had no idea what was being talked about. I'm not going to give a low rating just because I didn't understand the topic and was bored. In the same respect, I don't feel like it's fair to give a high rating either. So here's my first unrated book!

[Gunther Ramysen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dust & Grooves - Adventures In Record Collecting is een boek waar ik zelf gerust in zou kunnen staan. Ik heb net zoals veel van deze verzamelaars een vrij grote platenverzameling. Maar draait het bij het verzamelen van lp’s niet altijd rond, want wat nog belangrijker is, is de zoektocht naar dat zwarte goud. Dust & Grooves is een mengeling van een fotoboek met achteraan uitstekende interviews. En die wondermooie combinatie levert een prachtig koffietafelboek op dat in de kast van iedere platenverzamelaar zou moeten staan. Ik heb nu eindelijk de tijd genomen om de interviews eens allemaal te lezen. Ik ben nu vooral enorm benieuwd naar wat het tweede deel van Dust & Grooves gaat brengen aangezien het boek volgende maand verschijnt.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's fun to see pictures of vinyl collections, all the different versions of stacked shelves. Records are just as much about the art and the physical experience of placing the record on the record player, etc.

My takeaways were that records used to be cheap to pick up and have gotten more expensive, you may need a carpenter to help build shelves if your collection keeps growing, and there is no end to how rare/niche/specific you can collect.

In the interviews I picked up a few new music recommendations. I think with streaming (whether it be music or shows/movies) it's easy to think everything in existence is available when it's actually not. Anyway, interesting group of people, these record collectors.

[Gareth Brewin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book.

The photography in this book is fantastic and really captures the essence of record collecting.
The interviews with the collectors are of a nice length to get plenty of insight from the individuals, without going on too long or deviatingvfrom the subjects.
Great book with some wonderful stories. I live seeing how others go about building their collections. And reading about bands I've never heard of.

[Liza · Rating 4 out of 5]

A worker at the library recommended this book to me. I liked it but it is definitely a coffee table book and might be to expensive to buy. Love the ideas of storing and displaying albums.

[Esther · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly fascinating. The interviews are great, pouring over the photos of people's collection spaces and also getting a massive list of must check that out tunes. My kind of people.

[Jessica Camara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice coffee table type book for record collectors. Fun to see the collections of many different people!

[Joe]

Wonderful book and photos about avid,rabid record collectors

[Heng · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing stories about hardcore vinyl collectors. Skip if you never understood the old school charm of vinyl (or even CDs).

[Pat Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful book.

[James Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy any book that sends in search of music I haven’t heard. My only complaint is that a coffee table book is nearly too unwieldy for reading the interviews at the end.

[Aaron Badgley · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a record collector I enjoyed reading about others and their collections.

[Bud Winn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, fast read.

[Jordan Varey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I collect records. Specifically, I collect Jesus Music from the era roughly spanning from 1969 - 1989. I really enjoyed leafing through this sturdy coffee table book and seeing all the pictures of other people's dusty collections and hearing about their favourite finds.

It was also a great book for getting ideas about how to display album covers and how to store collections. It is amazing how people's personalities are so evident from their collections. The book had images of everything from minimalist ikea shelved collections to cardboard boxes stacked ceiling high.

If you like collecting records this is worth a library checkout. If you know a collector it would be a really neat gift that a person could go back to again and again.

[Bamboozlepig · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a record collector myself, this book spoke to my heart. I enjoyed the glimpses into the lives of other collectors, it was rather fascinating. Like them, I've had both heartbreak and joy in my own collecting life, and I could identify with the reasons they began their vinyl obsession and why they keep it going. For me, listening to music on vinyl is an experience...the music is warmer and richer, plus there's the physical connection of taking the record out of the cover and reading the liner notes as I listen to the music. And it was awesome to see other people share those same ideas. My only tiny complaint is I wish the author would've included more about those who collect in the rock and roll genre, as that felt rather under-represented.

[Alan Eggleston · Rating 5 out of 5]

From my Booksville (Blogspot) book review site: "What you will find here is not your typical result of intensive interviews, although there are some longer pieces farther into the book. But what is amazing are the photos of collectors' record habitats. If you're an avid reader, imagine a tabletop book on book collectors that shows collectors' book nooks and libraries teeming with books. Imagine the characters you would meet behind the collectors. That's what Dust & Grooves exposes, only for vinyl record collectors. And they're as diverse as you might imagine." Not as much a good read as a great perusal.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my Valentine's present to my husband today (Feb 14, 2016). He is an avid vinyl collector and relates to most of the pictures and stories in this amazing book. Perhaps it will spur him on to finally do a blog or website about his massive collection which he has been building since a teen in the early 1960's. It is quite international with both 45's and albums from USA, England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, The Bahamas and other Caribbean countries, meticulously organized and preserved.

This is a wonderful gift for the passionate vinyl maniac in your life!

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book speaks to me. I see myself at times in these pages, but then realize that there are people far more addicted than me. I find it fascinating to see how far out there some people have gone, seemingly in the hunt for something different, something new -- a place that their own musical journey has taken them to. Thoroughly enjoying this book.

[Bill Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! Having had a vinyl record collection at one time, I could appreciate the photos of the collections and the stories behind the collectors. Truly a good read for anyone who has a love of music, regardless of the genre.

[Patrick Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

So perfectly catches the unique brand of monomania that possesses crate-diggers and stack-dwellers. The interviews are incredible, and the photos show how universal this pursuit truly is. An absolutely gorgeous presentation on every level.