In an era when physical records – mainly vinyl, but also CDs and even cassettes – are making an against-the-streaming-tide comeback worldwide, in For The Record, a unique format for RTÉ Gold whose first series aired in late 2022 and second in spring of 2024, I visited the homes of a bunch of Irish celebrities who, like me, have over the years amassed significant hard-copy record collections.
While rummaging through their shelves I heard the music from and the stories behind not only their first, favourite and most recent acquisitions, but also any regrettable impulse buys and howling misjudgements, all the while discussing the varying importance of music to them at different points in their lives and the joy collecting and playing records has brought them.
I’ve worked on numerous music shows before this, including producing and presenting the Access All Areas music-business series on RTÉ Radio 1, filling in on, and later producing, RTÉ 2fm’s Dave Fanning Show, and presenting Feile TV for RTÉ and Witnness TV for TV3 (now Virgin Media), so this was a very natural progression.
I bought my first record, a 7” single of Quick Joey Small (Run Joey Run) by The Real McCoy, in 1969 for 7s 6d. I still have it.
For The Record – whether the 55′ broadcast versions or their longer extended-mix cuts – can be listened to anywhere in the world via its RTÉ Gold webpage.
RTÉ Gold is an RTÉ digital-only classic music radio station available live on smartphone/speaker, digital radio & TV and online: https://www.rte.ie/radio/gold/stories/1224113-how-to-listen-to-rte-gold/
I produced For The Record for RTÉ Gold funded by the Comisiún na Meán (formerly the BAI) Sound & Vision Fund.
For The Record was the first Sound & Vision-funded production on RTÉ Gold.
Production credits:
Me: producer, presenter, editor
Damien Clifford: sound recordist
Aidan Leonard: RTÉ Gold executive producer
To date the show’s guests have been:
Series #1
Episode 4: Aidan Gillen & Camille O’Sullivan
Series #2