|
|
Maybe someone is interested how it all began with Steamhead Records...
My name is Peter Wrzeciono, born in 1962 and living in Germany. Similar
to many others of my age it all started at the beginning of the seventies with the
Beatles (Is there anybody, who has something to do with records, not mentioning the
Beatles???). After this I've found many other groups and artists which I really loved.
In the middle of the seventies I've heard for the first time, Deep Purple's "Stormbringer"-Album
- I loved this record and it laid down the basic stone for the things to come...
1986 I'd met Martin - at this time I had started to work for a big company, where he
was working for a few years longer. Very early we both learned, that we have something
in common: the love for the music of Deep Purple. Enthusiastic as we were, this meeting
found its peak some month later in a bet: Who has until the end of 1987 the highest
number of records by Deep Purple or a Deep Purple-musician?
A phase of learning and buying started. I've visited fleamarkets, record fairs, second
hand shops, bet in the german collectors magazine "Oldiemarkt" and met many
different people, 2 of them: Jochen and Joachim, who had a big influence for my future
business (BTW maybe you still remember their really good mail order-shop "Get
Happy!!").
If you start to collect something, is this a fast process, especially
in the beginning - later on it becomes more and more difficult to get something new
and interesting and... it starts to get more expensive. This was the birth of Steamhead
Records in 1989.
I spent much money for records, CDs and related stuff. And I've spent really a lot
of money..."If I spent so much money for records, why shouldn't others do it the
same way? I should sell records!" And I did...
The most help I got from the two J's: Jochen and Joachim. I've learned very much from
these both - and they introduced me in my first record fair ever as a dealer. This
was in September 1989 in Artis in Amsterdam. Over the years I did many fairs in Germany,
Holland, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg and France - with varying success: for example
the terrific first record fair in Basel 1990 (where I took part with my later wife
Petra) or the many good fairs in Utrecht and Amsterdam (at least at this time they
were good), but also in the beginning nineties in the "Mensa" in Bonn, where
the dealers sold their records to other dealer, because of lack of public or the big
and bad first record fair in Strasbourg in the middle of the nineties, where I sold
only very few records during the whole day - nevertheless this one was really funny..
(Thanks to Black Rills Records from Switzerland)
Not to mention the chaotic fair in "Alter Wartesaal" in Cologne, which Martin
and I have made after a wild night - it was horrible.
I don't know how much fairs I'd done during this time, but I was often three or four
times per month on the road - together with my good pal Martin naturally. Meanwhile
I'm married (today divorced), have made a lot of beautiful kids and stopped doing fairs
on a regular base - it went too much. BTW I'm again "on the road", but only
3 or 4 times a year, presenting "the Next Generation" of Steamhead: one of
my son's :-)
I didn't stop dealing with records really, I only changed the modus; first with offers
by letter, later on with offers by e-mail (it's fast, easy and cheap - you know this).
I never managed to have a printed catalog and also this website has taken many years
from the idea until the first presentation here in the web in March 2001 (to be honest:
it's far away from my vision, but I'm here at last...). If you know something, how
I can do this site better, don't hesitate to give me your hints and ideas. Mail
me your critics and comments.
Since the beginning of the year 2009 I'm on my own with Steamhead Records. Nowadays called Steamhead Records & Books. Now I can offer records and books, but also DVDs, novelbooks, comics and games. And I have a shop.
Finally I want to thank some people, which influenced and encouraged the development of this site (haha, I wanted to do this since a very long time):
-
Martin Slotty for his active support at many, many record fairs, his programming skills and simply for have had him as a good friend.
-
My ex-wife Petra, for her understanding and her support in the beginning.
-
Jochen Riegler (now running "Dimension 7 Records") and Joachim Gaertner (don't know what he's doing now) - my "teachers" in record dealing - for their experiences, from which I could participate in the past and the numerous records, tips and hints I've got from them over the years.
-
My cousin Werner Beckrath for being a generous, funny guy and the many good conversations we had over the years. May you rest in peace. I'll never forget you...
-
Andrea Mohr for offering her Mac-experiences, which I never really called on. Mac is something different...
-
And also a big "Thank you" to the following: my sister Tanja, my brother Thomas, my parents Josef & Helga, my kids Tobias, Pascal and Hendrik, my sister-in-law Monika Kracht, my father-in-law Erich Kracht, Mary Friederes (Black Devil Mary), Ingo Schittko, Guenter Henn, Mario Milewicz, Gerhard Hoffstaedter, David Hughes (Collectors' Auctions & Sales) und Andi Hopf - forgotten someone? Sorry, will do it better next time!
back to top