Gleeful buyer taken back to his youth
As hundreds of people flooded into the Regent Theatre in Dunedin for the third mid-year music sale, the Ashburton 54-year-old could not believe his eyes, or his luck, when he spotted a Flying Nun compilation record in pristine condition.
"It's a compilation I've always loved," he said.
"I had it on tape when I was at university, and I got it on CD at one point too.
"But I lost the CD, and the tape is too old to play now.
"So, it's something I've been hanging out to find for a long time."
Bryan Gellatly shows off a Flying Nun compilation record he chanced upon at the Regent Theatre Music Sale on Saturday. PHOTOS: PETER MCINTOSH
The album popped out at him from the thousands of others on display, and seconds later, it was in his hot little hands.
It was a case of being in the right place, at the right time, he said.
He only attended the sale because he was visiting a friend in Dunedin, and they suggested they go take a look at what was on offer.
The album includes hits by The Verlaines, Straitjacket Fits, The Chills, Look Blue Go Purple, and Sneaky Feelings.
Mr Gellatly was delighted with the find, because playing it took him on a journey down memory lane.
"I'm not sure if we would call them glory days, but it certainly takes you back to the day — the good times when I was at the peak of my youth."
He said the first thing he planned to do when he got home was give it a clean and then pop it on the turntable.
A large crowd sifts through thousands of records, CDs and cassettes at the sale.
Sale co-ordinator Mark Burns said there were thousands of records, CDs, cassette tapes, DVDs, video games, musical instruments, sheet music, music books and other musical paraphernalia up for grabs.
The most expensive item was a Pātea Māori Club record for $150, featuring Poi E which hit No. 1 in New Zealand in 1984.
Mr Burns said it was valuable because very few copies were made in the first instance.
"It's pretty rare. And I'd be very, very surprised if it's ever been re-released. It has historical value too."
Poi E and the Pātea Māori Club were closely linked to the closure of the Pātea freezing works in 1982, which created significant economic hardship. The song became a symbol of community resilience and cultural revival, he said.
All proceeds from the sale will go towards Regent Theatre projects and maintenance.
john.lewis@odt.co.nz
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Otago Daily Times
5 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Gleeful buyer taken back to his youth
Bryan Gellatly was like a seagull swooping on a discarded chip on Saturday. As hundreds of people flooded into the Regent Theatre in Dunedin for the third mid-year music sale, the Ashburton 54-year-old could not believe his eyes, or his luck, when he spotted a Flying Nun compilation record in pristine condition. "It's a compilation I've always loved," he said. "I had it on tape when I was at university, and I got it on CD at one point too. "But I lost the CD, and the tape is too old to play now. "So, it's something I've been hanging out to find for a long time." Bryan Gellatly shows off a Flying Nun compilation record he chanced upon at the Regent Theatre Music Sale on Saturday. PHOTOS: PETER MCINTOSH The album popped out at him from the thousands of others on display, and seconds later, it was in his hot little hands. It was a case of being in the right place, at the right time, he said. He only attended the sale because he was visiting a friend in Dunedin, and they suggested they go take a look at what was on offer. The album includes hits by The Verlaines, Straitjacket Fits, The Chills, Look Blue Go Purple, and Sneaky Feelings. Mr Gellatly was delighted with the find, because playing it took him on a journey down memory lane. "I'm not sure if we would call them glory days, but it certainly takes you back to the day — the good times when I was at the peak of my youth." He said the first thing he planned to do when he got home was give it a clean and then pop it on the turntable. A large crowd sifts through thousands of records, CDs and cassettes at the sale. Sale co-ordinator Mark Burns said there were thousands of records, CDs, cassette tapes, DVDs, video games, musical instruments, sheet music, music books and other musical paraphernalia up for grabs. The most expensive item was a Pātea Māori Club record for $150, featuring Poi E which hit No. 1 in New Zealand in 1984. Mr Burns said it was valuable because very few copies were made in the first instance. "It's pretty rare. And I'd be very, very surprised if it's ever been re-released. It has historical value too." Poi E and the Pātea Māori Club were closely linked to the closure of the Pātea freezing works in 1982, which created significant economic hardship. The song became a symbol of community resilience and cultural revival, he said. All proceeds from the sale will go towards Regent Theatre projects and maintenance.
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Feast of films for festival
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Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
‘Crate diggers' in for treat at sale
Regent Theatre Music Sale co-ordinator Mark Burrows examines a pressing of Eccentric Soul: The Nickel & Penny Labels amid boxes of DVDs at the theatre before its annual music sale on Saturday. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH Whether it is French field recordings, esoteric minimalist music or a 1959 concert at Dunedin's Town Hall, "crate diggers" are in for a treat at this year's Regent Theatre Music Sale. CDs, vinyl records, cassettes, DVDs, music sheets and more will be up for grabs at little cost on Saturday for the theatre's third annual sale. Sale co-ordinator Mark Burrows said about 1000 banana boxes worth of stock had been received so far. The music sale began as an off-shoot of the Regent Theatre's 24 Hour Book Sale to raise funds for the theatre. They were expecting a "real range" of customers on Saturday, Mr Burrows said. "Old guys like me, there'll be a bunch of them, crate diggers, but there's students who will turn up and look for a bargain or just out of curiosity." While the volume of donations was similar to last year, the quality this time around was better, he said. One particular donation contained next-to-new vinyl records that were "so outside the 99.5% of people's listening experience". This included a collection of electronic "non-music", which he believed were French field recordings of which only 350 copies were ever made. Also received was "a bunch of really interesting esoteric unusual music" of a "minimalist vein". "It'll be basically meaningless to the whole public, except for two people down at the music department in the University of Otago." Music from New Zealand bands such as the JPS Experience and Sneaky Feelings were also among the mix, as well as a recording of selected items from the King Edward Technical College Jubilee Music Festival, performed at the Dunedin Town Hall in August 1959. Vinyl records and CDs were good because they were physical mediums you could pick up and look at, Mr Burrows said. They had "just got cool". "So, I think it reflects a bit of that fringe edge of society. There's always people who are looking for cool stuff that the rest of the 95% don't know about. "And then there's the other side of it, the audiophile community, who believe, for good reason, that vinyl sounds better." The music sale runs from 10am to 6pm.
