italianoabout us
ROCK BOTTOM was established in Florence in 1993. We mostly deal in vinyl records, both new and used, mainly rock music, from the "golden age" of the 60's and 70's, through punk and new wave, to 90's alternative rock, the most recent musical strains and long-established artists that still continue to make records in the new century. We try to build up and constantly update our catalogue. Our goal is to make it the most significant and exhaustive within the boundaries of rock music history. Consequently we also deal in genres that influenced or were influenced by rock, like acoustic and electric blues, soul, funk, jazz, hip-hop, and 20th century electronica, techno and the latest electro trends.
We trace the records that you will find here by searching them directly and through collaborators in North America and Europe. This gives us the opportunity to constantly renew our supply of records pressed in different parts of the world, from the U.S.A. and the U.K. to less central countries, in different editions, from the rare first pressings to the economical but high quality reissues. At the same time we try to keep up with new releases on the market, always keeping our stock up-to-date with the latest developments in the rock music world.
All used records in our catalogue are accurately examined and cleaned in our store. For each record, used and new, we write out an info sheet with: the condition of the record, the edition, musical content and a short description of the musical and historical period in which the record was produced to put it in context and to link it to other musical artists and cultural and social events of its time.
Vinyl records are progressively acquiring a new significance that goes beyond the artistic and cultural value of their musical content: they are becoming collectible objects and even antiques. They are destined to become rarer and rarer. Because of the tendency to add bonus songs, to remaster the content or to change the order of the original track-list in the most recent reissues and because more and more frequently original master tapes are deteriorating, original pressings of records (like early Jefferson Airplane or Pink Floyd) are the only testimonies of the original conception and sound of those works.
Recognising sometimes very small differences between different pressings is a very important aspect of our job, which allows us to determine the exact edition and consequently the collectibility and the value of the record.. Through constant, almost philological, research, we try to reconstruct as accurately as possible all the characteristics of different editions to effectively understand the rarity of the object in question. Since there is always the possibility of a mistake we are always ready to recognise this and to exchange the record or give our costumers a refund if what they have bought in our store is not what we specified in the description.
We are also interested in buying records and collections. If you are interested, please contact us and we will be happy to evaluate your records and eventually buy them. Since we know that many collectors wish to find records in better conditions than theirs, we are willing to take back a copy you have bought in our store if you want to buy a copy of the album in the same or different edition but in better condition. In this case you will only have to pay the difference in price between the two records.
Thank you for your attention, Rock Bottom.
