Short biog of Red Eye Records:Short biog of Red Eye Records:

Our mail order business has been very successful in helping customers from all over the world find rare, out of print and unique Australian items. Red Eye supplies all Australian major label and independent releases and import titles, with weekly air shipments from the USA and UK, and frequently from Canada, Germany, Holland, Italy, France, Japan, Argentina and more. "It was an extension of mail-ordering from late 60's mail order companies ... I would take orders from my friends at school, and their stuff would help offset the cost of things I wanted for myself."

Chris (Daddy) at Red Eye Records

1) How did you end up working in a record shop?

I was crap at washing dishes! Lasted as a 15 year-old kitchen rat for 2 weeks before deciding that I needed to do work I actually enjoyed. Haven't looked back ever since. It's great being able to spend your day trawling through boxes of CD's and vinyl, or looking music up from all over the world, under the auspices of doing work. Never feels like a chore.

2) What do you love so much about music?

It's utterly universal (do you know anyone that doesn't like music), and although highly addictive, has yet to be proven as a cause of death! The objectivity of it all is astounding as well ... one man's shit is another man's biscuit. The love of music is as likely to inspire a Kylie Minogue fan to come breathlessly into Red Eye after a rare B-side, as it is a Marduk obsessive. And it's great working in a shop because you come into contact with some customers that are (thankfully) even more passionate and/or extreme than you are!

3) If your record shop was an album, what would it be?

Rubber Room by Porter Wagoner ... because most of the time it's crazy! Staff and customers alike. But also because just like Porter we've got great hair, would look stylish in a Nudie suit (if anyone wants to donate), and hope to live at least as long as he did.

4) Do people come to your counter knowing what they want or do you have a huge role in turning people onto great stuff still? Red Eye has always been a great "destination" store ... a lot of people come to us for that hard-to-find title that they can't get elsewhere. To that end, we get a lot of people asking for obscure records that a lot of the time we haven't heard of ourselves, but are able to track down for them. That said, a lot of our customers will also come to us to recommend new releases, or something we think they'd like. I think we're good at recognising early trends, and reacting quickly to what people will want. In that sense, customers know they can bank on Red Eye to have in-stock an exciting release that's getting great reviews or word-of-mouth.

5) What's the local music scene like in your city? Is there a distinctive identity to the type of music coming out?

It might be a cliché to say it, but the Sydney music scene has never felt stronger. As far away from the rest of the world as we are, Sydney's always felt like a good place to absorb everything from everywhere. With so much going on, there's never much of a distinctive identity ... and in some ways Sydney can sometimes seem refreshingly out-of-step with what's being frothed-over in either London or New York! For example, the last few years in Sydney have seen an explosion in post-rave 'n' electro-pop acts like The Presets, Lost Valentinos and Wow. But at the same time, there's also a very fertile psych-pop revival going on courtesy of groups like Belles Will Ring, Richard In Your Mind and Cloud Control. There's a healthy DIY no-fi community that's given up bands like Naked On The Vague, Straight Arrows and Soft Tigers. And then there's the talented kids! All-ages shows around Sydney over the last year or two have uncovered just-out-of-school sensations like Bridezilla, Ghostwood and Teenagers In Tokyo.

6) What's the place for record stores in the 21st Century?

There will hopefully always be a place for record stores ... honestly! It's not all doom and gloom, trust us. We're staunch believers in the communicative aspect of switching each other on to different albums, and there's a human exchange in any kind of retail which I think that people will always want to experience. And what's nicer than still being able to walk into a shop, touch 'n' feel some 180-gram vinyl edition of one of your favourite albums?

7) If you could make a perfect mix tape from your record shop collection – what would be on it?

That's way too hard! So I went for a quick run around the shop and asked our staff to name either their favourite song of all time, or one they've been loving lately.

1. Cattle & Cane : The Go-Betweens (Evil Matt) "Unique, evocative, Australian"
2. The Lighthouse : Interpol (Pene-Joy) "An atmospheric curveball"
3. Future Foe Scenarios : Silversun Pickups (Beardy Adam) "Tense 'n' explosive"
4. Synaesthesia : Peabody (Little Nick) "Underrated locals and amazing live"
5. Trooper : Iron Maiden (Dan) "Kick-ass!"
6. Lazy Life : Heart & Soul (Gaz) "If Scott Walker and Phil Spector had grown up in 1960's Brisbane"
7. No One Ever Tells You : The Crystals (Daddy) "Early Carole King, brings me to tears every time"
8. White Diamond : Hatchback (Scott) "Like Lindstrøm on three valium"
9. Fever : Peggy Lee (Nadia) "Sultry classic and makes me feel like a woman"
10. Candy Says : The Velvet Underground (Geoff) "Unassailably pretty"
11. Sun Hits The Sky : Supergrass (Susan WK) "Timeless pop from men with beards"
12. I Feel Love : Donna Summer (Berko) "Disco + sex + Giorgio Moroder = yes please"

We publish our current Top Ten Sellers on our website (www.redeye.com.au) ... which changes daily!