Issue 47 / August 2014

20
Bido Lito! August 2014
LIMF 2014
BIdo LIto!’s HIgHLIgHts
RutHeRFoRd CHang’s We
Buy WHIte aLBuMs
@ FaCt,
15tH august – 16tH septeMBeR
Released on 22nd November 1968, The Beatles’ self-titled
ninth album originally divided opinion between music critics
and staunch fans. Above the clutch of classic hits contained
in its sprawling thirty song tracklist, there was something far
more striking about the record that would seal its fate as a cult
favourite and make it one of the most sought-after albums of alltime.
Richard Hamilton was credited with its ‘design’, and this
minimal approach would prove to be an act of genius: the band’s
name embossed on a white background, with all original copies
stamped and numbered. And so the White Album was born, an
icon of not just the 1960s but of rock music history.
RUTHERFORD CHANG owns 969 first-pressings of the White
Album. This may mark the American artist out to be an overly
obsessive superfan, but his hoarding is all part of an ongoing
project he’s been working on for a number of years. Chang’s
collection forms the exhibition WE BUY WHITE ALBUMS, which will
take place at FACT between 15th August and 16th September as
part of the Liverpool International Music Festival calendar.
The feature of this exhibition is in the minute differences between
hundreds of near-identical copies: each cover in Chang’s collection
is unique, thanks to its original owner’s scribbles, and the dogeared
corners and dirt accumulated over almost fifty years. Chang’s
installation showcases the joy of vinyl viewed across several
generations, and highlights the subtle way we turn the massproduced
into the intensely personal. Using a canvas as recognisable
as the White Album serves to make each nick and doodle that bit more
noticeable, and invokes individual memories related to the product.
Ahead of this exhibition, we asked local vinyl junkies WORTH
THE WAXXX to put some questions to Rutherford Chang and find
out a few more specifics about the exhibition.
Worth The Waxxx: You must have developed a personal
connection to the music on the record by now, so what would
you say is your favourite song from it?
Rutherford Chang: Everyone always asks me this, but I actually
don’t have a favourite song. At this point I see the album more as
a cultural phenomenon. I listened to all kinds of music growing
up and was obviously familiar with The Beatles, but I didn’t really
listen to the White Album until I started collecting them.
WTW: At what point did you realise that a collection of these
records in these states would work? Did you start out with an
aim to achieve anything by it?
RC: When I bought my second copy, I saw the minute ways it
differed from the first, and realised that every copy has become
unique. I wasn’t sure exactly how far I would go with the collection,
but I knew that it would be interesting to have as many copies
as possible. In the digital era, physicality is what makes collecting
vinyl appealing, which is especially apparent in this collection of
identical yet unique multiples.
bidolito.co.uk
WTW: Are you drawn to the White Album's cover by its
minimalism, the owner's reaction against it, or the sheer inability
to retain that blank slate over the course of time?
RC: The “blankness” of the cover, I think: it allows each copy to
age uniquely, creating artefacts that collectively tell a story of the
past half-century.
WTW: As each of the decaying copies serves as a memento
mori for mass-produced objects (yet also captures the life or
personality of its owner in many instances), do you ever feel like
you're sat in a graveyard?
RC: I think the physicality and inevitable aging of vinyl records
– which gives each copy a distinct personality – is particularly
what makes them interesting to collect, especially the White
Album obviously. I am quite interested in how objects in my
personal life have aged, too: though perhaps the White Albums
are more interesting because they have been collectively aged by
generations from around the world.
WTW:
One night last year, we realised that we own eleven
copies of Born In The USA and laughed about doing an exhibition
called Yawn In The USA. What would you genuinely like to follow
on from your work? And what do you hope to tackle next?
RC: Well, there are still a lot more White Albums out there.
It would be great if there could be a way for the collection to
continue growing, even without my participation, so that it could
really take on a life of its own.
WTW: OK, here are some quick-fire ones about the collection…
What is the lowest number White Album you have in the collection?
RC: 0013539.
WTW:
What is the most expensive
White Album you have
bought for the collection, bearing in mind it is often the most
sought-after Beatles album?
RC: $20.
WTW: What was the last record you bought that wasn't the
White Album?
RC: I recently picked up a Japanese Tight Connection to My
Heart (Has Anybody Seen My Love) 7” while shopping for White
Albums in Tokyo.
WTW: Of all the creative graffiti on the covers, is there one that
you value or remember the most?
RC: I like “Bob’s copy”.
WTW: Where are you looking forward to exploring whilst
you’re in Liverpool?
RC: People’s record collections for more copies of the White
Album.
rutherfordchang.com
limfestival.com
Liverpool International Music Festival 2014 runs between 13th
and 31st August 2014 across a variety of city-centre venues.