Barrtalk: Record Store Day 2026 and the enduring sound of Miles Davis

As a vinyl record aficionado of some renown, I did of course manage to lay my hands on a few new LPs for last weekend’s Record Store Day, which I have followed semi-religiously since it first began way back in 2008 [cue big celebrations for the 20th anniversary in two years’ time].

Some LPs I picked up this year include albums I already own on CD, including Ian Brown’s masterpiece from 2001, ‘Music of the Spheres’, and Tony Bennett’s equally amazing, but very different, work of art, ‘MTV Unplugged’, from 1994.

In fact, it was this MTV album that first turned me on to Bennett’s otherworldly voice, which continues to drape warmth and comfort over my life more than thirty years later.

I also invested in a yellow vinyl special release by ‘The Streets’, whose sound I’ve always loved, and a red vinyl deluxe edition of David Holmes’ ‘This Film's Crap Let's Slash the Seats’, an important electronic release which originally dates back to 1995.

I see the pattern here; I’m clearly going back to the older classics I grew up with, as the onset of middle age marches on relentlessly.

Although, you’ll have to go back to 1951 – a year after my father was born – for my favourite pick-up from this year’s Record Store Day, and that’s a 10-inch mono vinyl of ‘The New Sounds’ by Miles Davis, who I adore.

Even though the record is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, it still sounds incredibly new and fresh; and listening to its trumpetty crispness, you’d swear Miles was in the room with you when the needle hits the groove.

One reviewer says ‘The New Sounds’ release revisits one of the earliest snapshots of a musician who would go on to redefine modern jazz, while the mono format, far from limiting the experience, draws the ear closer, centring every note with an intimacy that stereo sometimes diffuses.

There is a clarity to the recording that defies its age, allowing subtle phrasing and breath control to come through with startling precision.

And I can’t disagree. It sounds simply breathtaking, in a way that no stream nor MP3 file could possibly come near.

If there is a heaven. It could never sound this good.

Jamie Oliver and the ‘Cool Britannia’ era

Here’s a good quiz question for you. But don’t take too long pondering it, because you’ll almost certainly never get it. I know I didn’t. And wouldn’t.

JK Rowling, of Harry Potter fame, is the best-selling British author of all-time, but who is second on the list with sales of more than 50 million books?

It’s a bit of a trick question too; as the answer is Jamie Oliver, who, of course, is not an author but a chef.

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You may remember him, as I do, as the original Naked Chef on BBC2 from the early 2000s when he was probably at the height of his celebrity, around the time of ‘Cool Britannia’ and just after ‘Britpop’.

And just in case you’re wondering, the ‘Naked Chef’ concept wasn’t about being unclothed – it referred to stripping recipes back to simple, accessible ingredients and techniques, which was what Oliver became known for.

On my way to and back from the office in Buncrana the other day, I listened to an insightful podcast between Oliver and Louis Theroux, and I have to say the chef, who has often been lampooned as something of a joke, comes across very well indeed.

He’s not as ever-present on our screens now, but remains a workaholic and continues to put out cookbooks. I’m sure there’s one in our house somewhere that we probably flipped through once or twice with good intentions, even if we never got around to cooking the lentil bolognese.

I guess the fact that Oliver manages to sell so many books worldwide underscores the global reach of his recipes, which have sold in vast numbers and been translated into multiple languages.

His publishing success reflects a rare ability to connect with readers at scale, combining practical guidance with an engaging, personal voice.

And that’s what I’ve always liked about him. He doesn’t treat cooking as a high art, but instead encourages us all to get involved by using everyday ingredients that can be bought almost anywhere, including here in the north-west of Ireland.

Oliver was one of the first TV chefs to encourage men to cook, by linking food with beer, music, and women, thereby making it cool, following the era of more staid screen chefs.

Perhaps what’s most remarkable about Oliver though, is that he still gets up at 4.30am every morning! And he typically exists on only four hours of sleep most nights.

He told Theroux he views sleep as work, and work as his hobby, which is an interesting way of looking at things, and probably a recipe [couldn’t resist, sorry] for a happy life.

If that were me, though, and I had gotten up before the crack of dawn this morning, this column would be even more grouchy than normal.

See ya next week.