Writer Ian Rankin and Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess have created a unique vinyl for Oxfam Music Southampton

Writer Ian Rankin and Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess have come together in a unique collaboration for Oxfam.

A Little Bit of Powder, a short story written by Rankin for Burgess’s record label O Genesis, will be released on a limited edition 12in vinyl and sold at Oxfam Music Southampton in East Street.

The store is back on its feet after thieves fled with almost £6,000-worth of stock, rare records, and computers holding databases in August last year.

A campaign backed by the Daily Echo was launched and readers in their hundreds donated records and memorabilia to help it trade again.

A Little Bit of Powder will be sold for £9.99 and features actor Craig Parkinson reading Rankin’s short story with theme music by Burgess and Factory Floor’s Nik Void.

There is also a version of the theme featuring vocals by Tim and Nik on the B side.

Rob Milner, who manages the East Street store, said: “We are really excited to be one of only a small number of shops across the country to be selling this exciting – and unusual – record.

“Tim Burgess and Ian Rankin are hugely respected names, and we know our customers will be thrilled to have the chance to get something so collectable, and we even have a limited number of records generously signed by Tim Burgess and Ian Rankin themselves.”

Writer Ian Rankin

Rankin said: “I had a great time writing the story. I wanted it to involve music and musicians and to take place at Christmas. A friend had told me this anecdote about a songwriter's final wishes, and that gave me the idea.

"Like Tim, I’m a big fan of Oxfam, so it’s great that A Little Bit of Powder can help a favourite charity.”

Burgess said: “One of the reasons for starting a record label was so that we work on projects like this – our last release was with Professor Tim O’Brien using the sound archive from Jodrell Bank and we’ve released poetry on vinyl, sleeves that play when you put them on your turntable and then there’s the more regular label stuff like records by The Vaccines and R Stevie Moore.

"I knew Ian was a big fan of vinyl and we became friends over a shared love of music.

“To get a short story from Ian Rankin was amazing. We wanted to make it a release where someone else benefitted from the money and Oxfam was top of our list.

"Both Ian and I buy lots of records from charity shops and we put it to Oxfam and they loved the idea too.”