It's strange how catching just a few notes of an old favourite song can magically transport you back to a place or a time, isn't it?
I still remember the first time my Dad played me Cool for Cats by Squeeze. I was just eight and the 7 inch vinyl sounded perfect, despite the battered old state of the record player it was blaring out from.
I quickly learned the lyrics and they've stuck with me to this day - some 20 years on.
I've heard the song only a handful of times since then, but when my chap treated me to the vinyl on limited edition pink vinyl just a few weeks ago, as soon as the needle on the record player hit the vinyl I remembered every last lyric like I'd just written them down and learned them (because that's what you had to do pre-internet, dontchaknow ) as a kid.
So it was something of a coincidence when Vinyl Clocks - a company which specialises in turning old records into....er...clocks - got in touch and offered to send me that beloved vinyl in clock form. Said company was even thoughtful enough to make sure it arrived ahead of a housewarming party I was throwing. Turns out the team at Vinyl Clocks love Cool for Cats, too - so much so the brand's pink logo was inspired by the vinyl of the same colour.
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| Attention to detail: Even the packaging was branded with the company's logo |
I'm a real sucker for well-packaged items bought online and I'll always be more likely to repurchase something from, say, eBay if the seller has gone to a lot of trouble wrapping it up. The beauty of an independent company like Vinyl Clocks is they have more time to put some real TLC into your product. And they really do. My record came packaged in brown paper and pink tissue - lovingly wrapped by the site's small team.
The really great thing about the website? You can just about type any relatively mainstream record into its search bar and it'll pop up. Roxy Music? Check. ELO's Mr Blue Sky on blue vinyl? No problem. That iconic vinyl artwork for Never Mind the Bollocks...by The Sex Pistols? You betcha! Don't worry about having to rattle through your kitchen drawer for your battery stash either; you'll get one with your order.
And with Father's Day just around the corner (June), you really can't go far wrong than to treat your Dad to a clock version of his favourite record, can you? There's even a selection of number ones to choose from; if you're struggling to think what band your old man was down in the mosh pit rocking out to in his youth.
Of course, some might say it's a shame to put clock hands through a perfectly good record. My view? If you love the song that much, why not have it on your wall? Why not indeed.
Here's Squeeze's Cool for Cats, given pride of place in my living room.
So go on, what song takes you back? You may even find it on vinyl in the Vinyl Clocks store
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