Back in the 1960s, long before the Pacific Northwest was the bustling hub it is today, a regional phone company called Pacific Bell saw what tourism did for the region during the 1962 World Fair and decided to get into the record business.
What followed was the release of The Fabulous Sounds of the Pacific Northwest, an odd duck of a found sound record featuring the booming sound of ferry horns, along with recordings of rodeos, hydroplanes, regional orchestras and jazz ensembles. Meant to lure tourists to this “exotic” corner of the country, the record stands today as a precursor to the region’s continued fascination with recorded sound.
With the 16th annual Record Store Day falling on Saturday, April 20 this year, it’s worth celebrating a format once thought to be headed for the same fate as Betamax and beepers: the vinyl record.
While always appreciated by vintage-minded DJs and audiophiles for its unique aural characteristics, vinyl has seen quite the resurgence in recent years among music fans of all stripes. Perhaps it's due in part to an over-saturated digital music landscape that feels increasingly impersonal when held up against the cozy familiarity of a record’s gentle pops and lush low-end, and the feel of a sleeve in your hand.
The Pacific Northwest has played no small part in ushering in vinyl’s second coming, with a thriving coterie of record shops and vinyl-focused businesses keeping the plates spinning, both literally and figuratively.
Local labels
Light in the Attic is one of the more visible local cheerleaders of the vinyl resurgence. Founded in 2002, the independent record label is known for re-releasing obscure and exquisite records that have long been out-of-print, which would otherwise fetch obscene amounts of money on web-based marketplaces like Discogs.
Recently, Light in the Attic reissued the excellent Seasons, a funky, esoteric jazz album by West Coast pianist Pete Jolly. Sampled by hip-hop artists from Cypress Hill to Busta Rhymes, the importance of Seasons is outlined in the liner notes by journalist Dave Segal, where he notes:
“[The album] serves as a valuable lesson to artists: venturing outside your comfort zone can yield the most interesting, enduring results.”
Segal also scored interviews with legendary trumpeter/producer Herb Alpert and bassist Chuck Berghofer, both of whom were in the room where the magic happened.
It’s but one small example of Light in the Attic’s curatorial discretion. A quick glance through their recent and upcoming releases proves their bona fides beyond the shadow of a doubt, among them a Nancy Sinatra 7-inch vinyl, a pink LP of Japanese keyboard maestro Shigeo Sekito, and Soul Generation’s Beyond Body and Soul.
Not to be outdone, legendary Seattle label Sub Pop has presented limited-edition “singles club” singles since debuting with Nirvana’s “Love Buzz” all the way back in 1988. These monthly 7-inches are key to cultivating Sub Pop’s unparalleled reputation among local music lovers.
Regional record stores
Seattle scene stalwarts like Sonic Boom and Easy Street are meccas for vinyl lovers, with plenty of choice selections available on Record Store Day. Key to the day’s appeal among aficionados is the promise of exclusive, collector’s edition-style offerings to get people in the door at brick-and-mortar locations around the U.S. and 13 other countries.
There are often live performances as well, giving fans an up-close and intimate experience to remember. This year, Easy Street plans to provide free bacon and coffee for the early birds, and an in-store DJ set by Marco Collins. Sonic Boom will have Top Pot doughnuts and coffee as well.
On the venue side of things, there’s a lot of buzz around the recently opened Ballard vinyl haven Shibuya Hi-Fi. As the name implies, along with high-flying cocktails, Shibuya prides itself on an impressive sound system and a DJ-friendly booth. There’s even a back lounge, where, for a small fee, patrons can participate in half-hour “listening sessions” separate from the main bar.
A little further into the city, Revolver Bar has been a reliable Capitol Hill standby for vinyl-lovers since 2014, with DJs at the decks most nights and hand-picked music from their “house collection” filling the air during daytime hours.
Great record stores also make their mark outside of Seattle. Anacortes’ famed shop The Business (named by Vinyl Me Please in 2018 as one of the top 50 record stores in the country) recently reopened after a move and seems stronger than ever. Once employing such local luminaries as Mount Eerie’s Phil Elverum and Beat Happening’s Bret Lunsford, The Business doubles down on Anacortes’ reputation as a musical pilgrimage worth making.
In Bellingham, longtime downtown chain Everyday Music was replaced by Ritual Records in 2022, an impressively curated emporium from first-time owner Cory Blackwood. And in Tacoma, local institution Hi-Voltage Records is having a hefty Record Store Day sale.
Vinyl turns back into a good business
As The New York Times reported in June of last year, vinyl is the hottest game in town when it comes to physical media these days, so much so that it’s difficult to keep up with the manufacturing demands.
When the vinyl boom was upended by cassette tapes in the '80s, CDs in the '90s, and finally digital formats and streaming in the new millennium, many pressing plants closed or shifted their operations to other areas. Now, these very same plants are re-orienting once again, as new producers enter the vinyl game to compete, hoping to fill consumers’ new, seemingly boundless appetite.
In 2023, more than 43 million vinyl records were sold, generating $1.4 billion in revenue. It was the 17th consecutive year of growth for vinyl albums, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
Streaming services absolutely have their place for the modern music lover. But this special fondness for the physicality of an album — bringing a new record home, perusing its artwork and liner notes while watching the record play — shows no signs of abating any time soon.
It’s a matter of keeping up with demand at this point. In the meantime, go forth, explore, and enjoy your very own “fabulous sounds of the Pacific Northwest.”
