We Buy White Albums
Rutherford has a unique vinyl collection. He only collects the Beatles first pressing of The White Album.
Chang’s collection of White Albums is on display at Recess, a storefront art space in SoHo. It’s set up like a record store with the albums arranged in bins by serial number, and visitors are invited to browse and listen to the records. Except, rather than sell the albums, Chang is buying more from anyone willing to part with an original pressing in any condition. In February last year he had 693 copies.
“I’m most interested in the albums as objects and observing how they have aged. So for me, a Beatles album with an all white cover is perfect. I collect numbered copies of the White Album in any condition. In fact I often find the “poorer” condition albums more interesting. I’m collecting them as cultural artefacts. Each one has aged uniquely over the course of the last half-decade. The pressings from 1968 were numbered, implying that it is a limited edition, although one running in excess of 3 million.”
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