Getting ready for the season that shall not speak its name...

...by which I mean "Christmas".

Things are moving at a pace toward that season that holds a special place in the hearts of British adults - we love to roll our eyes and curse whenever somebody dares mention Christmas, and then we slide out and spend squillions of pounds on sweet booze and exotic cheeses and… yes… vinyl.

Hi, it’s Gary here again (Graham is off ooooop north this week with his happy band of troubadours), and here’s your weekly newsletter from Grinning Soul Records.

As is common at this strange nethertime (pronounced “November”) in the retail industry, there isn’t much to report, but I can assure you that Gray has been busy getting in a stunning treasure trove of new presses to suit all tastes. This week we have added a healthy parade of the great musical artists of our time, from Radiohead, Nick Cave, Prodigy, MF Doom, Gruff Rhys, The Smile, John Grant, My Bloody Valentine, Orbital, The Libertines, Fontaines D.C., The Damned, Laura Marling, Kamasi Washington, Herbert von Karajan, and loads more.

And yes, the inclusion of the great classical conductor of his era, Herbert von Karajan, (whose masterful rendition of Verdi’s Requiem Mass we now have in a delectable analogue remaster box set), reminds me that I wanted to do a little bit on our classical music collection. It’s growing, and it’s getting tasty.

Here’s a short video flying through a selection of our collection.

So, let’s not forget the classical music-lover in your life (could it be you?) this Christmas. Our CM section grows more proud by the week.

Which now brings us to this week’s Grinning Soul playlist, lovingly compiled by me and Gray through the week as we stick on all the things we’ve been listening to and discussing.

And that’s it for this week. Keep up with us on social media for more immediate announcements about what we’ve got going on.

Supeeeeee Twist.