The last CD at Disc Den

They say nobody buys CDs anymore, but I had to get This Is Not America, a CD compliation of Britpop bangers, when I saw it at Disc Den. Even though I remember it being too cheesy and obvious to bother with when it first appeared on shelves in the mid 90s.

During my recent free time in Dunedin, I passed by the perennial Disc Den record store, and had to check it out. I remember my mate Anthony buying the first Pearl Jam album on tape there, long before anybody else was into the Seattle scene of the day, and I heard it was closing down soon, so this was probably my last chance.

It's s strange store, full of ancient CDs and tapes, with one wall still covered in a baffling variety of cheap country and western cassettes. The joke is that the store's inventory hasn't changed in 30 years, but there is truth in the joke, because when I walked in, the window display was still proudly offering CDs of The Flintstones movie soundtrack.

The truth is, I never bought much from the store, even when I lived in the town back in the day, other than the odd poster. And the owner seemed a little surprised that I was actually buying something when I left.

But I had to, because I remember seeing that compact disc in that store back in that day, and I was still bombing around in a car with a CD player, and could use some tunes of my youth.

It's more than rampant nostalgia, although it's undoubtedly that, because A Design For Life still rips, even on old and forgotten CDs that nobody cares about anymore.