Comments on: Vinyl Finals

By: tommyboy

tommyboy — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:15:42 +0000

Wow…jody you and your dad probably had a great collection. I still have mine, have not been able to take the next step. I just ordered a “moonrock needle” (.. a nod to steve martin..)

I just cannot not part with nana and roger

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:42:03 +0000

I felt like I was rambling on and on with my post and both of your comments have confirmed that I’m either not that crazy or we share the same affliction. I agree with you Phil… I was always more likely to listen to the whole album, song after song, side A to side B with LPs. Not all albums told a story, but I did get to become a fan of some songs that never had much air play. And it was a ritual with me too. Carefully opening an album, balancing the vinyl with a forefinger in the hole and a thumb at the edge. I’d set up a pillow on the floor and move the speakers close by, facing each other. I’d commit 20 minutes to lying down and focusing in on the tune… There was a proud feeling that the record remained in good enough share to truly enjoy the sound. There was a feeling that every time you listened could be the last and that a clumsy moment could scratch the surface and ruin it forever. It made listening that much more precious.

There I go… rambling on again!

By: Phillip

Phillip — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:09:34 +0000

I miss the artwork of vinyl. The big pictures. Looking at them while listening to an album. I miss listening to albums as albums, straight through, beginning to end, going for that ride. Listening to random MP3s, which is pretty much how most people listen to music these days, isn’t the same. I still have CDs, and still make my own compilations from time to time, so I can listen to albums as albums, as a specific sequence of songs. I can do the same with my MP3 player, with a playlist, but it doesn’t feel the same. It’s not the same as physically “putting on an album.” There’s more personal investment (and history) in the physicality of the medium. I miss that the most.

I would never sell my books though. Most of my books I know I’ll probably never read again. But I love looking at my book shelves. Again, it’s the sense of connection to my own history, remembering where I got each book, how much I enjoyed each book, at what time in my life I read the book, etc.

Listening to music is the same. What else is more evocative of a time and place than music?

A few years back I lived in a house for a few months that had a turntable and I thought, “Cool, I’ll play some of my old records!” Didn’t play it once.

By: jody

jody — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:33:31 +0000

I got rid of my dad’s and my albums a few years ago at a store in downtown Moncton (across from the Marriott): Elvis, Beatles, Doors, Beethoven, Mozart… It hurt. I still have cassettes. Next thing will be CDs.

Funny, we never owned anything by Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister, Randy Travis… seems we (my family) were only interested in music from dead guys or stuff that was 10+ years old, although we did have Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, ZZ-Top – so there were some exceptions.

I sometime regret getting rid of the vinyl: I miss the large cover artwork (I once wrapped them in clear plastic and tacked the albums covers on my bedroom wall in my youth); I miss the ritual of delicately pulling the shiny black plastic out of its sleeve, holding the edges, eyeing its surface for dust and scratches, then placing it on the record player and carefully placing the needle on the outer ring. I remember shopping for record player needles.

Good ole daze.