Welcome to the 7th edition of our newsletter. Can you believe there's been seven already?! Hopefully you're in for a treat, they do say lucky number 7 after all!

As you know, we flung open our doors on the 12th of April and welcomed lots of familiar faces for lots of music chat and record digging. We have loved it! We will continue to be open with reduced hours from Wednesday to Sunday 11 - 4 PM selling records and take-away coffee until the 17th May (subject to government guidance).

Hopefully everything goes to plan and on the 17th May we can be back firing on all cylinders with the reintroduction our tables and chairs and our kitchen. We're looking forward to it - you can't beat freshly made eggs Benedict on a Sunday morning with a nice hot brew!

Check out this packed newsletter for everything we've got coming up over the coming weeks.

Here at Wax and Beans we like to stay one step ahead of the game and have our fingers on the pulse when it comes to upcoming releases. We've included our favourite for this month below, but you can check out our full list of pre-orders here.

Just a word of warning, they move quick, so don't miss out!

As always, we do want to hear from you! If you've got any suggestions for a pre-order we don't have listed, message us here. You can also chat to us about anything else using that same link.

Our favourite pre-order this month is:

The Bluetones - Expecting To Fly (25th Anniversary Edition)

On 12th February 1996, The Bluetones released their debut album, Expecting To Fly.

It knocked Oasis' What's The Story Morning Glory off the top of the charts in the week the Mancunians scooped an armful of Brit Awards and signalled the start of a hugely successful career for The Bluetones.

Hailing from Heston in West London, The Bluetones (Scott Morriss – bass, Eds Chesters – drums, Adam Devlin – guitars, and Mark Morriss – vocals) arrived on the scene in 1995 with their debut single “Are You Blue Or Are You Blind?”. They followed this up with “Bluetonic” and then “Slight Return”, which reached # 2 on the UK singles chart, both featured on this album.

Don't miss out on this rare (because everything comes on colour these days, right?!) 180gm black edition that features some of their biggest hits including "Slight Return" and "Bluetonic".

The Bluetones - Expecting To Fly (25th Anniversary Edition Indies Exclusive Clear Vinyl) - £26.99

SHOP NOW

Our biggest news has already been said, those doors being open!

We are here for all your record and takeaway coffee needs from 11 - 4 PM Wednesday to Sunday. For the rest of the time, you can find us online and answering all your emails, texts, Insta messages, Tweets, Facebook messages etc. As well as picking, packing and shipping orders both near and far, with our local contactless doorstep delivery still in operation too.

That is until 17th May (subject to government guidelines) when we will reopen fully. Every single day of the year (except Christmas Day and Easter Sunday) to feed your record addictions, as well as your bellies.

Next up, BIG news in the world of records, the RSD list landed!

We all got to see the releases for this year and we were not left disappointed. We have a dedicated RSD section on our website (HERE), dedicated to all these special edition releases and if you've not yet had chance to take a look what's on offer, have a dig about, we promise you won't be disappointed.

On to some of the nitty gritty, the rules... as decided by ERA (the organisers):

Drop 1 (12th June): There will still be social distancing rules in place, so we will need to enforce a socially distanced queue and limits on the number of people in store. Anything not sold on the day, will go online at 6pm that night.

Drop 2 (17th July): This will be like turning back time. No social distancing and our remaining stock won't be going online until almost a week later at 8pm on 23rd July.

On both drops, our doors open at 8am and everything will be sold on a first come, first served basis, as quickly as our hands will allow us to pick and pack.

RSD Drop 1 is only around the corner and we've already had to start submitting our orders to the distributors. However, we always like to get as much input from our customers as possible to make sure we order what you want, so if you haven't done so already, please submit your want list on our dedicated Google Form HERE.

(Please remember: no saves allowed for any of these RSD hot cakes! And only one copy per customer so we can fairly share the goodies around).

With the easing of all restrictions, we can finally get some real, live music on the go. The news is most definitely music to our ears!

We are working hard (as always) to try to bring a range of events to you - listening parties, live music and much more. Keep an eye out on the events page on our website for more updates, but some of our favourites so far include Steve Pilgrim and Vertaal.

18th July - Steve Pilgrim: Previously the drummer in Paul Weller's band, Steve Pilgrim is also a singer-songwriter. Steve will be performing an intimate, acoustic gig at Wax and Beans marking 10 years of his studio album 'Pixels and Paper'. This is one not to miss, tickets can be bought here.

If you'd like to get in the mood for the gig, we have limited edition copies of Steve Pilgrim's album 'Sunshine' available here to buy.

8th August - Vertaal: Vertaal, a nu-jazz duo featuring Theo Howarth and Ajit Gill recently released their new album ‘Paradigm Shifting’. The band will be playing many of the 12 tracks from their double album that was released in March. The pair share a love of groove and improvisation, forming musical ideas that traverse spiritual nu-jazz, Dilla-esque hip-hop, broken beat & neo-soul. We can't wait to welcome them at the shop, if you fancy joining us, you can purchase your tickets here.

Check out their sound, we have copies of 'Paradigm Shifting’ available to buy here.

Despite everything that's happened over the last twelve months, the world continues to spin (sorry!). Our days are non stop and everyone has to make the most of kicking back and relaxing when they can.

Luna is no different folks. After a busy day of doing what a dog does, she likes nothing better than to find a cold space of floor, chill and spin her current favourite record.

This month Luna has been loving the newly released "Typhoons", the 3rd album from the magnificent Royal Blood.

When we asked Luna what her initial thoughts were, she replied "woof, woof-woof, woooooof, woof". Which loosely translates to "I love it. It sounds incredible. I can't get enough of it".

This month's customer contribution is from none other than Graham Jones.

Graham Jones has been in the industry several decades, having started out as an assistant in HMV. He quickly moved into band management, before becoming an author, presenter and one of the founders of Proper Music Distribution.

Before opening Wax and Beans, we met with Graham to drain his knowledge of the industry and gain some invaluable advice. So, this month we thought we'd relive history and get a bit more insight into the world of vinyl records, from Graham's perspective.

Tell us a bit about your 9-5 day role as a Sales Rep at a leading distributor Proper.

My job involves selling the artists we distribute into the independent record shops of the UK.

This is my 36th year of doing the job and the first 35 were spent touring the whole of the UK visiting record shops. In fact, I know I have visited more record shops than any other human. The last year has changed everything. I have not gone out visiting shops due to COVID restrictions but spent my time selling via phone, email, Zoom and Skype. I look forward to visiting some shops soon, as I do miss that human interaction.

Tell us about your other roles of author and broadcaster. 

Back in 2008 so many of my record shops were closing that I thought in 20 years there would be none left. I decided to document tales from record shops so future generations could read about these important cultural community hubs and how they had supported new music and local artists.

These interviews came out in a book called ‘Last Shop Standing (Whatever Happened To Record Shops?). My expectations for the book were low, as it had been done on a shoestring budget. Amazingly it was successful and re-printed 6 times. These days it is hard to come by. It is available on Kindle but even Amazon only have second-hand copies.

The book was then released as a film that featured record shop supporters such as Johnny Marr, Paul Weller, Clint Boon, Fatboy Slim, Richard Hawley and lots of record shops. It is available on DVD and can be watched on Amazon Prime.

My second book was 200 genuine funny anecdotes called ‘Strange Requests and Comic Tales from Record Shops’. Many of the tales were highlighted by cartoons from ‘Kipper Williams’ the well-known cartoonist.

My current book is ‘The Vinyl Revival and the Shops That Made it Happen’. It tells the story of how record shops saved the format we all love and how others have since cashed in on all their hard work.

That too was turned in to a film featuring Nick Mason of Pink Floyd, Phil Selway of Radiohead and the excellent ‘Orielles’. I had the pleasure of screening it at Wax and Beans and I was delighted to meet so many of the shops customers. The film is available on DVD and along with the latest book is available from Wax and Beans.

I also do a blog on record shops https://grahamjonesvinylrevival.blogspot.com/ which has features on over 100 record shops.

You can listen to funny tales from record shops on my podcast. This episode features Wax and Beans: https://soundcloud.com/recordshoppodcast/manchester-vinyl-revival-record-shop-podcast

What has changed in the industry between 2000 and 2020? How are stores operating differently, how music in general is delivered to the consumer (e.g. vinyl / digital) and what trends are you seeing? 

Clearly the biggest change has been the vinyl revival. Vinyl was the format the industry wanted to kill off but independent record shops kept it alive. The record shop model has changed too. The shops who relied on the majors to look after them have gone. Shops have become creative. I visit a shop that just sells pies and vinyl (Pie & Vinyl) and a shop that just sells wine and vinyl (Winyl). In the 3 years pre-lockdown, I visited 42 vinyl cafes (none better than Wax and Beans of course). 41 are still trading. Making your shop a meeting place for the local music community is so important.

Tell us something from within the industry that not a lot of people will know.

A little-known tax loophole called Low Value Consignment Relief (LVCR) is known as the ‘Silent Killer of Record Shops’. It was the main reason why we lost over 1000 record shops in 8 years It allowed online retailers to sell from the Channel Islands without paying VAT giving them a huge financial advantage over bricks and mortar shops. So why record shops were helping fund our education and health services through their taxes ,online retailers were taking advantage of this legal loophole. (Full story in my latest book).

Is the demand for vinyl outstripping the supply: ie are labels being cautious with pressing quantities (as a number of titles sell out and are even deleted upon release), or are the pressing plants at such capacity that it's just taking longer for pressing lead times?

It is a bit of both. Some labels have been over cautious with pressing. The world does not have enough pressing plants to cope with demand. If I had a spare million, I would open one myself. Delighted to read recently a new one opening in Middlesbrough.

If we wish to get a CD pressed it can take as little as 3 weeks. If it is vinyl it is 6-8 months. If an album sells out on initial, then it can be a long time before it is back in stock.

Standard black, coloured or picture disc - what's your go-to choice?

I do like coloured and picture discs as they look cool spinning on your deck. The most important thing for me is that there is an exclusive independent record shop version. It is important we encourage music fans to buy from physical stores.

The consumer seems to almost always opt for coloured vinyl (when there's an option), sure they look great, but why do you think they've become so popular when purists will always tell you that black vinyl always sounds better.

I am just delighted people are buying any sort of vinyl. In my first book ‘Last Shop Standing’ the last chapter was called ‘Hope’. It argued that if the industry embraced vinyl, then the record shop decline could be revered. Even I could not have foreseen such an amazing record shop comeback. We have more record shops now than back in 2008.

How do you see the industry changing over the next 5 years?

There is no way that the vinyl revival can continue at this rate. Currently, vinyl is as fashionable as beards and saying, ‘Oh My God’. Out of the three I am confident vinyl will continue remaining fashionable longest. In the last 5 years, 34 TV adverts have featured vinyl. In the same period no CD has featured.

The format like record shops will continue to grow, but at a slower pace. I no longer worry about the future of record retailing.

This months blog post is provided by a Wax and Beans regular Charlie Brock (aka @vinyl.encounters)

Music of Lockdown, by Charlie Brock.

April. We’ve all been waiting patiently for the halfway point of the month, when pub gardens, and “non essential” shops can open their doors and welcome the masses back. This means that our beloved record shops can have us back (I’d argue that they’re the most essential shops of all). Lockdown has been hard: boring, stressful and at times, scary. Personally, I’ve relied on music more than ever over the last 12 months; whether that’s accompanied me around the supermarket, on a run or if I’m spinning some records following a day spent working from home. 

The amount of music put out over the lockdown period is staggering, there have been countless, brilliant singles, EP’s and albums. There has of course been no live music, which has pushed bands back into the studio: the lack of revenue streams has led to artists putting out more physical music. This is great news for the vinyl collector, more records and you get to support your favourite artists through a tough time? Win-win. 

Check out Charlie's full blog on our Blog page.