One of the worst cases of recent Aussie music theft has been reported this week, with thousands of dollars worth of rare records stolen from a Melbourne home.
Unique pressings of Nick Cave and Rowland S. Howard were stolen from the home of Howard’s longtime partner, Genevieve McGuckin, in St. Kilda, as Fairfax reports.
The loot is said to contain around 200 records, many of these individual items fetching for thousands of dollars a piece. Among the booty includes extremely rare first cuts of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The Birthday Party and These Immortal Souls, not to mention one-offs of Howard’s solo ventures.
McGuckin notified police Sunday night when her and a friend were going through the collection, discovering to her horror that the job had been a gradual work in progress, the thief replacing the rare vinyl with other records so she didn’t notice that anything was missing.
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The records were said to be replaced with 1970s “hippie” albums as well as Elvis Compilations, “they bought hundreds of bad records that they’ve put where my records were hoping they weren’t noticed. My friend pulled a record out the other night and said ‘Gen, what are you doing with Motorhead?,'” believing that the culprit was therefore someone she trusted and had access to her home, as there was also no sign of a break-in.
McGuckin, devastated after the theft, continued, “I would feel better if I had lost my leg, they’re part of my identity, every record had a story of where you bought it or who you played it with, they were just our lives, they were threaded into our bones.”
She has put out a call to all fans to watch online sites as well as record stores as far as London and New York City to keep their eyes out for any ultra rare records that fit the description, asking that if any appear they be returned to her.
Anyone with information should phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report to www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
