'It was an exciting time for music' - new exhibition celebrates Glasgow's record shops from 80s and 90s

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A new exhibition at Glasgow’s Riverside Museum transports music fans back to the golden age of the city’s record stores – at one point, there were around 130 outlets selling vinyl, cassettes, CDs and more.

Ken and David McCluskey and Robert Hodgens of The Bluebells, who reached Number One in the UK charts in the 90s with their hit Young At Heart, officially opened Spinning Around – Glasgow’s Remarkable Record Shops, a celebration of the numerous stores that thrived in the 80s and 90s.

Ken said: “Glasgow’s record shops in the 1980s were hugely important to me and The Bluebells; they were where we got our musical education from and where we would meet and hang out.

“It was an exciting time for music and the emergence of many of Scotland’s top bands and artists during those years grew out of the city’s record shop scene.

“It’s been a pleasure to donate a few rare items on behalf of the band to this brilliant new exhibition, which celebrates the importance of Glasgow’s record stores to the city’s musical legacy.”

During the late 80s and early 90s, Glasgow was home to businesses like Bruce’s, Gloria’s, Listen, Rub-a-Dub, 23rd Precinct and Volume, and as curator Neil Johnson-Symington explains, they were regarded as much more than just places to buy music.

“Glasgow has always been known as a City of Music, even before UNESCO’s official endorsement in 2008,” he said.

“However, this display is inspired not by the city’s unrivalled music venues, but by the scores of record shops from the 1980s to the mid-1990s which were instrumental to the forming of so many amazing local bands. They were not just places to buy records, they were creative hubs which inspired new music, club nights, recording studios and independent labels.”

As melting pots for the growth of the city’s burgeoning music scene, Glasgow’s record shops acted as launchpads for the careers of several successful Scottish acts, including The Bluebells, Deacon Blue, Orange Juice and Simple Minds.

The new display is the first to open at the Riverside Museum – managed by Glasgow Life – since 2019. Comprising 134 objects and housed in the museum’s former 1950s Pawn Shop, it reflects the work and success of major Glasgow acts like Teenage Fanclub, Primal Scream and Texas.

In all, more than 60 Scottish bands and artists who were active between 1980 and 1995 are represented through records, cassettes, CDs, posters, t-shirts and other music memorabilia.

A host of groups and musicians have supported the display through donating and loaning items, and record labels and record shops, such as The Creeping Bent Organisation and Fopp, have also given objects.

Among the exhibition’s main attractions are gold discs from The Bluebells and Simple Minds; a fan-made, screen-printed scarf dedicated to The Bluebells; record shop bags connected to some of Glasgow’s best-loved vinyl venues; rare club flyers, including the Volcano’s legendary ‘Partick Passport’; and a 1956 Lambretta LD 150 scooter bought by Alex Kapranos, lead singer of Franz Ferdinand, to toast his first record deal.

“It was Alex’s bike that started us off thinking an exhibition like this might be really good,” says Neil. “Glasgow has always had such a love affair with record shops, similar in a way to its love of cinemas, and we wanted to capture that through a variety of different displays.”

Visitors can try their hand at ‘crate-digging’ and browse an interactive record rack containing around 100 LP and 12-inch sleeves, or try to find all 130 Glasgow record shops, which are dotted around a hand-drawn, one-metre-square map created by acclaimed local illustrator, Adrian McMurchie.

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Visitors can also watch a series of short interviews with musicians, DJs, record shop owners and employees, as they recount their favourite stories of Glasgow’s record stores , as well as scan a QR code to access a video listing all of the records, cassettes and CDs presented within the display, including details of the sleeve designers and record labels.

Hidden among the records are lesser-known Glasgow music facts, like which band has had the most hits and the identities of the city’s oldest record shops.

A near six-hour playlist of bands and artists featured throughout the exhibition provides a seminal soundtrack.

“We had to have music playing,” said Neil, smiling. “We were also really pleased to be able to include some images from Harry Papadopoulos, the renowned music press photographer.”

He adds: “I hope people will look at this exhibition and see not just a collection of ‘stuff’ but also the people and stories behind it all, and really understand the sheer volume of creative and musical talent which has originated in the city and surrounding areas.”

Spinning Around – Glasgow’s Remarkable Record Shops will be refreshed with new objects and donations annually. It is free to visit during Riverside’s opening hours.