Saturday, April 16 is a date music lovers in Chester will have had in the diaries for some time.
That's because it marks this year's Record Store Day, when hundreds of independent shops across the UK come together to celebrate their unique culture.
Special vinyl releases are made exclusively for the day, available only from participating stores, and many shops and cities host live performances to mark the occasion.
The event has been running annually since 2007 and there are exclusive releases this year from legends such as Bob Dylan, Metallica, Patti Smith and The Doors.
How can I get involved?
You could start by making a trip to Chester's sole surviving independent record store, Grey and Pink. With places like The Disc Box on Frodsham Street and Penny Lane on Foregate Street long gone, the Brook Street shop is the last of a dying breed in the city.
You'll find everything in there from 1950s rock 'n' roll to indie and rap – just don't expect any easy listening, classical or dance music. They do not stock it!
Soda Comics and Records, on Watergate Street, also sell second-hand vinyl, but you'll have to travel slightly further afield to find stores which are officially participating in Record Store Day.
So which stores are taking part?
The closest to Chester is VOD Music on New Street, Mold, while there are two in Wrexham – Alun Hughes Film, Music and Nostalgia on Bank Street and Moonlight Records on Bridge Street.
If you fancy a trip to Liverpool, you'll find that Jacaranda Records and 3B Records, both on Slater Street, and Probe Records at The Bluecoat building are all signed up to Record Store Day.
The excellent Kaleidoscope Records in St Helens is worth a trip, while in Manchester this Saturday the usual suspects are all throwing their weight behind RSD2016 – Piccadilly Records and Vinyl Exchange, both on Oldham Street, Vinyl Revival on Hilton Street, and Eastern Bloc Records at Stevenson Square.
You can find out more about RSD2016 on their official website HERE.
Now it's time for a few confessions...
Chronicle staff recall the first record they bought
Executive Editor Michael Green: "Like Sister and Brother by The Drifters, my first ever favourite group. Bought from second hand record shop that used to be on the site now occupied by Grey and Pink Records."
Digital Editor Jo Henwood: "Suzi Quatro's Devil Gate Drive single or Bowie's Changes album. Can't remember where I bought them in Swansea, although probably from HMV or Our Price. Spent a fortune as far as I recall."
Content Editor David Triggs: "If we're not counting Keith Harris and Orville's 1982 tear-jerker Orville's Song, which was bought for me as a gift, then mine was Velveteen by Transvision Vamp. It was from Asda in Ellesmere Port, I think, and we're talking about vinyl here, not a cassette or CD."
Reporter Carmella De Lucia: "The first record I remember actually going out and buying was Spice Girls' Wannabe on cassette from Asda, circa 1996. I had to keep going back several times because they kept selling out of it. It was like goldust when I finally got it."
Reporter Frances Barrett: "Wannabe by the Spice Girls was the first cassette I splashed out on as a seven-year-old who didn't know any better. Fast forward 13 years and my first LP was Foreign Lands by Teenage Cool Kids, which is still a favourite today."
Reporter Mike Fuller: "I have no idea where I bought it, but unfortunately my first single was Re-Rewind by the Artful Dodger featuring Craig David. When the crowd say 'bo selecta' indeed."
Reporter David Norbury: "We used to build our own radios and put the pop songs on to kit built tape recorders. Go for Duane Eddy's Because They're Young. Purchased in the home town of The Flying Scotsman."
Sports reporter Jim Green: "Things Can Only Get Better by D-Ream (very apt for a Chester FC fan) from Our Price."
Sports reporter Dave Powell: "Cassette tape of Evolver by The Grid. Bought it from WH Smith on Eastgate Street, mainly for Swamp Thing."
Story editor Anthony White: "I've Been Thinking About You by Londonbeat in 1990. I remember being more fond of the B-side 9AM (The Comfort Zone). Got it from a record store whose name escapes me that was in Queen's Parade in Winsford shopping centre."
Story editor Mark Dowling: "Sigh... Steps and their album, Step One. Bought on CD. Still have it somewhere, but it hasn't been played this century."
Story editor Howard Lockley: "The first CD I ever bought was Strauss – The Last Four Songs with Jessye Norman."
What was your first record? Let us know in the comments section below.
