Acrophet Corrupt Minds

Acrophet 'Corrupt Minds' (Roadrunner, 1988)

A deviation to the slavish alphabetical structure is presented as a result of an inspiring visit to Really Good Records in Plymouth. I have been travelling to Plymouth for over 20 years because my Aunt and Uncle live in the nearby idyllic village Holbeton. Added to that my grandparents moved to Plymstock in 2002 and I began visiting much more regularly after that.

I have searched Plymouth looking for records shops on many occasions. I have walked for hours up and down the University area, up to Plymouth Argyle's football ground, down the main drag from the Drake Centre and I had previously only found a small stall in a market selling second hand disco and classical records.

Usually when I'm going to a new city I will search the internet to locate the best record shops prior to arrival, but I never thought of doing this when visiting Plymouth. I was convinced that it was sadly bereft of a decent purveyor of plastic and contented myself with the odd browse in Bristol, Exeter or even Totnes; Drift Records may not cater specifically to my tastes, but it is an amazing shop for such a small place reminding me a wee bit of Avalanche prior to its slow decline.

Finally I came to my senses; Plymouth is a vibrant student city with a UK renowned venue, The White Rabbit, so it must have a record shop. A quick perusal on the smartphone revealed that my hunch was correct and literally in the shadow of the aforementioned venue I found the wonderful Really Good Records right next to another record shop The Last Shop Standing.

The cleanly lined The Last Shop Standing obviously dealt with new releases and promisingly sold tickets for Boy Sets Fire's upcoming gig in Plymouth, but I had limited time, Lu and Ma were browsing in Primark, and the scent of beautiful second hand card and vinyl drew me into the more familiar environs of Really Good Records.
As soon as I walked in I was greeted by one of the most friendly record shop owners/workers I've ever encountered. I was welcomed, told to ask for anything I wanted and advised that I could listen to anything I fancied on the turntable at the end of the shop. I was so taken aback by this unnatural approach that I briefly began to panic as I looked around for comfort; Dance, Hip Hop, 80s Indie, Pysch they were all there, but where was metal? After about 20 seconds I calmed down and blissfully found the punk, metal and hardcore sections.

I took off my coat, folded it in the corner and began browsing. The treasures Really Good Records held were magnificent. 100s of lower league thrash and metal releases were there for the picking and all of them were in nigh on immaculate condition. I was so excited that I immediately phoned Pringle who has only recently begun to collect again.

'They've got 'Vile Vibes' man, they've got Mortal Sin, they've got Apocalypse!' I recounted excitedly as I pulled out at least a hundred pounds worth of vinyl. 'Have they got 'And Justice for All'?' Pringle enquired, 'No man, it's not that type of shop, they've got Mordred, Reanimator and Xentrix,' I retorted.

Eventually Pringle talked me down; on his collecting comeback he wasn't going to waste his time on the minor players and was going to stick only to proven favourites, he was too busy and didn't have enough room in the hoose to start collecting third grade funk thrash. Admittedly he had a point although I did remind him that they had 'Vile Vibes', but he was not moved even by that tempting morsel.

With his stern words of maturity echoing in my vinyl hazed mind I replaced half of what I had picked. I also noticed that there didn't appear to be a Switch machine and I only had £40 cash on me so rather than embarrass myself, like an annoying student paying by card at a busy bar, I went for the safe option of £36 spend.

Just as I thought that the record shop couldn't possibly get any better the implausibly good natured gent at the till advised me that I would get a free t shirt for spending more than £20. I thanked him profusely and advised I would wear said shirt with pride whenever I could. Which I will, because he, his shop and the shirt are all totally and utterly cool.

My only regret was not buying 'Acid Air Raid' on the impeccable Chocki's Chunes label, but I was in the mood for metal and the sands of time for me were running low as Maiden would say. I'd already had the 'Where are you? We're in Thorntons' Café!' text, but I will certainly return to a gem of a record shop as soon as I can.

As for the record - it's extremely good. Acrophet first came to my attention on Roadrunner's inferior version of the 'Speed Kills' series, 'Stars on Thrash' - like 'Hits' compared to 'Now That's What I Call Music'. They were easily in the top three bands on that compilation and I always loved the excellent artwork portraying various 'Corrupt Minds'.

I'd be willing to bet a large amount of money that Ryan has listened to Acrophet on a few occasions before penning a Municipal Waste tune. The music rages with hardcore energy but is fully metalised and Dave Baumann spits out the lyrics like a mix of Joey Belladonna and Phil Rind. Probably the best comparison would be Sacred Reich at their most thrashing which is no mean feat.

'Really Good Records' is not a misnomer for either the shop or the records purchased there. The visit cheered me up no end and proved the point that finding a good record shop is just as rewarding as finding a good record. Go and visit!

Peace