There was no Saturday morning lie-in for vinyl junkies today - instead they wiped the sleep from their eyes and made tracks to their independent music retailers for the annual Record Store Day event.
Unfortunately, Milton Keynes has a dire lack of music stores, which means that a healthy number of Keynes folks have to make tracks to Northampton for their fix.
Some of them started queuing outside Spun Out Records in the early hours of Saturday morning, hoping to bag ultra-rare, exclusive releases from hundreds of artists.
Big players releasing product this year included Queen, Prince, The Rolling Stones, Madness, The Prodigy and Morrissey.
More than 100 people snaked a trail up Gold Street in advance of the 8am store opening, and there were still people queueing an hour and a half later...this record collecting stuff, it's serious.
A speedy walk to Vinyl Underground Records in Abingdon Street presents another chance to bag a rarity, and business is just as brisk.
Both stores are brimming with releases, and eager punters snapping them up.
But just as sweet as the event itself is the camaraderie between fellow vinyl junkies, and the knowledge of those running both stores. You don't get that service when you order online, or pop into the last 'great' music retailer left on the High Street these days.
And, when you spy your most wanted release out of the corner of your eye, having thought you'd missed the boat? That feeling makes the cold feet, tired eyes and the battered bank balance a whole lot easier to deal with.
A little further on, and at the more acceptable time of 11am, long-established pre-loved vinyl hub Spiral Archive Records opened its doors on St Michaels Road with its own Record Store Day celebration – absolutely all of its pre-loved stock was half price.
And this store crams in the releases, let us tell you. Its two rooms are jam-packed with a ridiculously cool mix of great stuff, and those behind the counter are dead nice too.
There's not too much chat going on though, just the quiet sound of hands flicking plastic as racks of vinyl are navigated, and long-lost gems surface.
Record Store Day is a real event for the public who buy into it. But more than that, it is a significant day of trading for the stores.
Remember though, these shops should be frequented all year round, not just on Record Store Day.
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