From first-ever purchases to formative influences and failsafe floor-fillers, Jarvis Cocker reveals the records that mean the most to him in his record collecting journey.
“Downstairs, in the basement, was the worst place to store them…”
The room we sit in feels perfectly suited to the man who wrote Acrylic Afternoons (olive-coloured curtains; wall-mounted 70s shelving with sliding panels), and holds just a small portion of a vast collection that has, over the years, been spread across London, Paris, the Peak District, and his Sheffield hometown.
In RC576, Jason Draper is invited around to Jarvis Cocker’s house, for a wide-ranging chat about record collecting…
“I’ve always bought records, from the age of 13. Going into record shops when you’re a kid is quite scary…”
Guy Wathelet – I’m Sorry/Some People Said (Decca 23.725, 7”, picture sleeve, Belgium, 1968). Current Market Value: £150+
JC: This is officially the most expensive single I’ve ever bought – Jason Buckle was the first person that played it to me. It’s a Belgian semi-garage record, but it’s got operatic elements as well. I almost lost this one when DJing, so that’s another reason why I’m going to retire from it. I DJed in Birmingham with Alexis Taylor from Hot Chip. We were at Hare And Hounds, where you play early in the day, from something like 2pm to 7pm, but you’re in this dark room and you’ve got no idea what time it is. All my records fell on the floor, and I couldn’t see where the fuck they were. I left this one there, but they rang me and told me – and thank God for that, because I’m embarrassed by how much it cost. I can’t remember exactly, but it was probably £200 or something ridiculous like that.”
Lord Sutch And Heavy Friends – Lord Sutch And Heavy Friends (Atlantic 2400 008, LP, UK, 1970). Current Market Value: £25
JC: I got this from a shop called Golden Grooves. It’s not there anymore, but it was on Old Street, as you go down towards Bunhill Fields. Lord Sutch was an interesting character. The track Flashing Lights has got Jimmy Page on, and it ended up on that Trip compilation I did with Steve.
David Essex – The David Essex Collection (Hallmark PDA069, 2LP, UK,1980). Current Market Value: £3
JC: If people remember David Essex at all, they think of him as a bubblegum artist, but Rock On and Lamplight are great songs with a really great sound. They’re undervalued.”
[see RC 565 for David Essex interview].
Mike Leander – Privilege: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (His Master’s Voice CLP 3623, LP, UK, 1967). Current Market Value: £40
JC: This is an early one. It’s the soundtrack to a film called Privilege, which is really good, but the main reason I bought it was because it didn’t have a sleeve, so it was only 10 pence in a shop in Sheffield called Violet May, a legendary shop that closed when I was about 15 or 16. It was run by an old woman, and it was cavernous. I’d heard about this place, but I didn’t really know what to look for, so I just thought, I’ve got to buy something, and I looked for the cheapest records. I started off buying soundtracks because, though they would often be for films I’d not seen, they were done to try and illustrate something in a film, so they would bring pictures into your mind.
Our full chat with Jarvis Cocker, as he guides us through is record collection, and updates us on current goings on in the world of Pulp, features in Record Collector November 2025 issue (RC576), and can be purchased from our online shop.
