Vinyl Record Day: Who owns the most expensive, rarest and oldest records in the world?
'Vinyl Record Day', celebrated annually on August 12, is a day for vinyl lovers worldwide to celebrate good old-fashioned records. It is organized by the Vinyl Record Day Company, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of vinyl records. The day itself was chosen by the day's founder Gary Freiberg, in honor of the day the phonograph was invented by Thomas Edison in 1877. In addition to the enjoyment of music, Vinyl Record Day also allows the Company to shed light on the history of vinyl records, as well as vital information on caring for and storing a priceless collection. Mostly, the day is a way for all to reminisce on the good things life has to offer, be it fond memories or good music.
For those lucky enough to own a vinyl player and collection, this is the perfect day to put on your favorite record, kick back, and melt into the sounds of the good old days. But for others who may not have access to records themselves, we've got a few interesting stories to tell on some classic vinyl records.
The oldest 'vinyl' in history
Vinyl records, also called gramophone or phonograph records, have a long and rather illustrious history. The story began in 1857 when Leon Scott patented the phonautograph, a device that recorded sound waves onto paper as a way to visually analyze sound. The oldest recording of the human voice is believed to be the 'Au Clair de la Lune', sung by an unidentified woman and recorded by Scott on a phonautograph in 1960. Unfortunately, Scott only worked out how to record sound, but not how to play it back. Thomas Edison would later invent the phonograph in 1877 which had the ability to both record and reproduce sound. Following his invention, more recordings were made, including Arthur Sullivan’s 'The Lost Chord' in 1888, violinist Herr Krahmer and pianist Herr Schmalfuß, members of the Kaiser Franz Garde-Grenadier-Regiment Band, playing the earliest known recording of Beethoven's 'Romance Op 50' in 1889 (a time where many who knew Beethoven himself were still alive), pianist Johannes Brahms' 'Hungarian Dance No 1' in 1889, and Alessandro Moreschi's 'The Last Castrato' in 1902. The Moreschi recording is of particular importance to many as he is the only Castrati singer to ever have been recorded. Castrati were male singers castrated before the age of 10 in order to ensure their voices never dropped, a practice that was forbidden after 1870.
Despite these early inventions and recordings, though, the first vinyl record would not be recorded until 1948. At 21 minutes per side, the Peter Goldmark Long Play (LP) record would change the face of the music industry, ushering in the era of albums. The first album in human history, however, was recorded in 1889 by Emile Berliner who many refer to as the "father of the gramophone". His recording, made on the vertical-cut flat disc record he invented to be used with a phonograph, was destroyed not long after it was created. As technology progressed, so too did the methods used to create these records. Shellac, which was typically used to make records, was replaced by polyvinyl chloride in the '40s, which is how these records earned the name "vinyl". The materials used to make records changed the decades rolled on, but the name stuck. And everything from the earliest shellac records to contemporary records continues to be called "vinyls" regardless of the materials used to make them. To that end, Berliner's album, which includes him reciting Friedrich Schiller’s ballad 'Der Handschuh' is sometimes cited as the first "vinyl" ever recorded.
Most of these early recorded sounds were sadly lost to the sands of time. That is, of course, until technology caught up. In 2008, Scott's recordings of speech and sound, including the 'Au Clair de la Lune' recording, were finally played back as sound, and in 2012, sound historian Patrick Feaster managed to recreate Berliner's record using nothing more than a printed photograph of the album that he managed to unearth, giving the world access to the oldest album ever made.
Rarest and most valuable vinyl records
As records were slowly replaced by cassettes, CDs and eventually digital recordings, vinyl went from the standard way to record and play music to something only the most avid music history lovers collected. Owing to this shift, several vinyl records wound up falling out of production, leading to many records being priced quite high. But even amongst the most expensive and rare records, there are a few that reign supreme.
By and large, the rarest and most expensive records seem to come mostly from the Beatles, with the Sex Pistols coming in a close second. The Beatles' rare vinyl records come from before their superstardom when they were known as The Quarrymen, a group founded by John Lennon in 1956. Of their early recordings, a 1958 one titled 'That’ll Be The Day/In Spite Of All The Danger' is often listed as one of the rarest records in existence. It features a young Paul McCartney when he visited the studio and recorded with The Quarrymen for the first time who at that point consisted of four other members: John Lennon, (guitar/vocals) George Harrison (guitar), John "Duff" Lowe (piano), Colin Hanlon (drums). The original recording ended up with Lowe after the group's split who later sold it to McCartney in 1981 for an undisclosed sum. The record is valued at £200,000 (just over $260,000). A reproduced version also exists, made by McCartney at Abbey Road after his purchase and making no mention of The Quarrymen. Copies were made for the other members as well, but their current whereabouts and value are unknown.
Other Beatles records also sell for a pretty penny, despite not necessarily being the rarest of the bunch. This includes 'The Beatles: Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' (signed by all four Beatles and valued at $290,000) and the 'White Album' (valued at $790,000). A copy of John Lennon & Yoko Ono's 'Double Fantasy' (valued at $150,000) also makes this list, owing to it being one that Lennon signed hours before he was shot to death in 1980. Apart from the Beatles' records, Elvis Presley also managed to land the list of most expensive vinyls with his 'My Happiness' record, which was purchased by none other than Jack White of the White Stripes in 2015 for $300,000.
Of the many Sex Pistols record, a few have become rarities over time. Only three copies of 'Anarchy In The UK/No Fun' remain, valued at £7,000 (just under $9,200) remain, while their 'God Save The Queen/No Feelings', despite having 20,000 copies pressed, has become a collectible valued as £8,000.00 (just under $10,500) owing to most of the original copies being destroyed. A few copies that were sent out to help the band secure new deals and gigs, and after one of these sold for £12,630.00 (just over $16,500), the value of this record has increased substantially.
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Most expensive vinyl
All their worldwide and timeless fame aside, none of these artistes hold the record for most expensive vinyl sold. That distinction goes to the Wu-Tang Clan's 'Once Upon a Time in Shaolin' which sold for a whopping $2 million. As the only copy ever produced, it's not hard to imagine this record would call for a high price. But in addition to its uniqueness, the record also comes with a contract that forbids its new owner from attempting to sell the record for the next 100 years. The Clan did, however, state the owner could share the music for free. They put in one more hilarious clause regarding their right to steal the record back: "The buying party also agrees that at any time during the stipulated 88 year period, the seller may legally plan and attempt to execute one (1) heist or caper to steal back Once Upon A Time In Shaolin, which, if successful, would return all ownership rights to the seller. Said heist or caper can only be undertaken by currently active members of the Wu-Tang Clan and/or actor Bill Murray, with no legal repercussions."
The record's buyer was the highly controversial Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli whose company famously purchased an anti-HIV drug and then attempted to sell it at 5,000% its original rate. Shkreli has since landed in a heap of legal trouble, and the LP was confiscated by the Feds, where it remains.
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