Meet the Marc Bolan superfan spinning the record on vinyl in the digital age at Twickenham’s one and only music shop.
Phil Penman, whose love for vinyl is nothing short of iconic, owns the vibrant Eel Pie Records and is preparing to celebrate National Album Day on October 18 in line with this year’s theme: rock.
The shop, nestled in the heart of Twickenham’s quaint Church Street and accessed through a small ‘stairway to heaven’ if you will, perfectly encapsulates the timeless charm of vinyl.
The soundtrack to Eel Pie Records is exclusively albums they have in stock, to accommodate the inquisitive ear of those who wonder in for a light mooch and leave with a second-hand vinyl of Gladys Knight & the Pips greatest hits, Coldplay classic Parachutes and a pristine copy of Joy Crookes’ latest release.
In fact, Phil said he quietly changes up the music depending on who’s in the room.
His quirky sales technique is facilitated by a mixture of understanding the taste of regulars and making subtle judgements on customers upon entry.
He explained the importance of interaction in creating a welcoming environment to accompany the quirky shop front rather than challenging customers’ taste.
The shop plans to release rock albums from the likes of the Sex Pistols to Pati Smith in acknowledgement of National Album Day later this week.
“Anything that talks up buying physical music is a good thing,” Phil said.
He also discussed the cyclical trends surrounding physical and digital music consumption that he’s watched unravel over decades in the industry.
Whilst he praised the accessibility that streaming lends to the modern-day music aficionado, Phil explained the certain quality that comes with the ownership of physical records.
Many have returned to craving the magic that is vinyl artwork and storytelling.
Phil believes people yearn for the quintessential tracklist narrative – the very essence of vinyl records – that has been lost in modern streaming services.
He said: “The whole concept of an album fell apart when streaming began because people just wanted a song.
“Many artists will put records together and know exactly how they want it to start, how they want side one to end, how they want side two to start, and how they want side two to end.
“It’s not just a collection of songs – they have to flow in certain ways.
“A lot of artistic intent goes into that and the concept of pressing shuffle just ripped that all away.”
Physically flipping through record shops and playing songs sequentially through vinyl is almost ritualistic for the listener.
Whilst many say vinyl is a dying art, its contemporary exclusivity amidst streaming giants has ironically become its own selling point.
Phil was adamant: “Vinyl is here to stay.
“I think there will be, certainly for generations to come, that desire to have the physical product, artwork and engagement with the whole concept of an album.”
Whilst most seven-year-olds were saving their money for sweet shop splurges, music fanatic Phil was buying his first ever vinyl record.
From punk to jazz, reggae to rock, his love for music covers all bases and he spoke on the best albums the industry has to offer with eloquence and gusto.
There was one album in particular that Phil deemed his favourite ever – a record released during the earth-shattering epiphany that was the raucous emergence of punk.
For Phil, The Damned’s 1977 debut studio album Damned Damned Damned hit all the right notes.
He said: “The world changed for me when punk came along.
“The Damned completely transformed my view of music – I was never a spiky haired punk but that was my music.
“They were melodic but also angry, they were loud, they were fun.
“It stuck in my head forever – I love every minute of it.”
Damned Damned Damned single-handedly ignited Phil’s love for vinyl – quite literally, music to his ears.
“I just became absolutely fanatical about buying vinyl from then onwards,” he said.
It seems Phil has an affinity to eclectic 70s tunes, carefully selecting T. Rex’s 1971 album Electric Warrior and Simon & Garfunkel’s 1970 Bridge Over Troubled Water to accompany Damned Damned Damned in his top three.
T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan was more than Phil’s childhood hero.
He said: “I didn’t want to be a popstar – I wanted to be Marc Bolan.”
His bedroom was plastered with posters of the glam rock pioneer and became near enough a Bolan shrine.
However, the punk enthusiast’s music taste was slightly out of tune with that of his father, who only owned one record that wasn’t classical – Bridge Over Troubled Water.
Phil said: “I still love that album to this day.
“I just think it’s perfect from beginning to end.”
He described the emotional sonic experience that great albums facilitate – the jerking nostalgia that transports one through time and space.
These days, Phil uses the antidote of ambient electronica to soothe the chaos of the hectic lifestyle that is business ownership.
Featured image by Anna Caldwell
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