Last Shop Standing: The Rise, Fall And Rebirth Of The Independent Record Shop

One of two new DVDs about the rise and fall (and rise?) of Independent Record Stores
One of two new DVDs about the rise and fall (and rise?) of Independent Record Stores

This week - just two days before 2013 Record Store Day - I got TWO new DVDs, both documentaries celebrating independent record shops. One covers the British market while the other focuses on one store in Louisville, KY, while it does include interviews with shop owners in other parts of the US. Since they are similar, I'm making this a combined review and will post it under both titles. Both have "release" dates of April 23rd but should be in independent record stores on April 21st (RSD)

"Last Shop Standing" (LSS) is really the "official DVD" of Record Store Days 2013 (per the distributor). A standard version of the 48-minute film is available in the PAL-format (not playable in the US) but has no bonues. The "Deluxe Edition" (the one coming on 4/23/13) adds 74 minutes of extras (more on those in a minute). Based on the book of the same name LSS is a compilation of interview...

Last Shop Standing - The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of the Independent Record Shop
These are great times for vinyl records. With the arrival of the compact disc (CD), it seemed that vinyl was dead, and was being replaced by a more efficient system of sound. Well... not quite. Surprisingly, it took little time for CDs to have detractors, those that claim that vinyl is better - the jury is still out on that. Well, vinyl is back and artists are releasing them, stores are selling them, and the splendid "Last Shop Standing" takes a detailed and very informative look at the return of vinyl.

Based on the book by the same name, by Graham Jones, the film starts by quoting some owners of existing record shops in England, most notably Keith Hudson, from C E Hudson, which opened in 1906 and closed in 2012. From then on, the documentary evolves into chapters, beginning with "The Rise," detailing the birth of the independent record shops in England during the late 60s, with acts like Elvis Presley and the Beatles, and how they increased with the arrival of Punk Rock...



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