Big Star Records: In the Adelaide City region of South Australia

This is Hollywood's take on the kind of passionate conversations between obsessive music buffs played out in record and CD stores around the world. We are all a product of our times and the music which shaped them and that’s especially true of Vic Flierl, a partner in Big Star Records and CDs.

Big Star is the ‘Mr. Big’ of music from the 60s and 70s as Vic explains:

“We actually began as a second hand shop 10 years ago at Norwood. At the time, a friend, Andy and myself were interested in sixties music and that’s how we started. And over the years we picked up a few things for ourselves and the store.”

From a small shop at Magill Road Norwood, Big Star now has six outlets in Adelaide including one in Rundle Street in the East End. And its crammed with an eclectic mix of sixties sounds.

There's also plenty of world music, rhythm and blues, jazz, hip-hop and the rest. While most trawl through the staggering array of CD's, some true sixties aficionados are in search of the nostalgic rush that can only come with handling vinyl. And in the right condition, some albums, like an Australian classic can fetch a pretty penny.

“This is like the Holy Grail of Australian sixties music. Ironically you can get this now on CD for thirty dollars. But if anyone has got one of these and wants to sell it to us, we'll give them five hundred for it. It's mainly because you just can't find them and they're very good. Being rare in itself isn't enough.”

Big Star is a strong supporter of local music. Casey Chambers is just one of the many acts to stage an impromptu performance in the basement. And throughout the expansion of Big Star Vic, the avid collector, has always been keen to make available on CD the Aussie classics we first heard on vinyl.

“A lot of the really good Australian music like The Masters Apprentices' first album, again on vinyl is worth a lot of money. But on a CD, it’s readily available for twenty-two dollars. This is the first Zoot LP. Probably if someone was to bring this in you'd be looking at $50 to $80 dollars.

In a lot of cases I think with the old vinyl a lot of the beauty is on the artwork - the presentation. Just the fact that you're holding something substantial in your hand rather than a little plastic thing.”

And for a mint condition first pressing of the Beatles' Please Please Me - on mono of course - you may receive some substantial cash. Vic's more than willing to appraise your vinyl classic and point you in the right direction should the pop and crackle of that favourite album prove too much and you're desperate for a new copy on CD.

Big Star's city store is located at 197 Rundle Street.