Far Land Records

Graham Jones paid a visit to the UK’s most South Westerly record shop ‘Far Land Records’.

I called on this shop soon after it opened and its transformation in such a short time is impressive.

Far Land Records is run by husband-and-wife duo Paul and Angela Noble, whose relationship began with a shared passion for music. On their first date, Angela invited Paul in while she finished getting ready. Paul, left alone decided to browse her CD collection, was impressed and vocal about her musical taste. That moment sparked a connection that Angela says made her feel that the night might be a success!

They worked in the corporate world in Bristol but the longing to move back to the Southwest for a higher quality of life resulted in the couple locating to Penzance. Paul continued commuting to Bristol but was frustrated there were no record shops in Penzance to buy his new vinyl. After mentioning it umpteen times to Angela she commented “Why don’t you open one?” The seeds of the idea were sown and soon Paul took the plunge and packed in his job. The couple acquired a property at the top of town on Morrab Road.

The first day proved a real shock. The couple underestimated how excited the people of Penzance would be for a new record shop in their midst. The shop was stripped of stock, and the couple spent their first couple of weeks desperately topping it up.

The shops most unusual sale was of the English occultist Aleister Crowley 7” single titled ‘Esoteric’. He had once lived in Carn Cottage up on the moor above the Cornish village of Zennor. It was on sale for £120 but the purchaser would only buy it if he sold it for their lucky number. It turned out their lucky number was 113.

The shop has a fantastic reputation with the local community. In recent months Paul has had a couple of customers visit who have both been shocked and delighted with the price Paul has been able to raise for them. One brought in an original first pressing of Nick Drake’s seminal album -Five Leaves Left whilst another brought in a collection of jazz albums one of which was the Paul Gonsalves Quartet – LAE587.

I asked Paul what Proper releases he was enjoying:
Cubzoa – Unfold in the Sky. Far Land is a community shop, and recommendations are welcomed. One of our valued customers returned from the End of Road festival and was really excited by the album. We streamed some songs in-shop and decided to stock the band’s debut album.
Urbandawn – Come Together VIP. Penzance has a vibrant DJ scene with many open decks’ events. Urbandawn’s twist on the classic Beatles track we felt was something that would appeal to this scene especially with the festive party season fast approaching.

The Vinyl Revival and the Shops That Made It Happen

Graham Jones is the author of ‘The Vinyl Revival and the Shops That Made It Happen’ which has features on over 200 independent record shops that he has visited. The book was made in to a film titled ‘The Vinyl Revival’ available on DVD. Both can be ordered from Proper, independent record shops, Amazon and other online retailers.

Read about the book, film and vinyl soundtrack here