As I’m carefully packing LPs for the relocation of Culture Of None from Detroit to Seattle, I’m feeling a bit sentimental. So,here’s a just a few of the reasons I continue to love wax:
- It’s the most vast collection of sounds ever: I’ve said it before, and it deserves repeatin’: Vinyl has been the primary recorded audio format for the longest period in the history of recorded formats. I would guess that only 33.3% of that sonic output has been deemed worthy of re-issue on CD – so there’s an endless wealth of weird, unusual, obscure, and amazing thrift store LPs scattered all over the globe, waiting to be re-discovered.
- You can see the music: DJs and sampling enthusiasts know this, and it lends physicality to the whole record playing experience: You can see variations in the grooves and tell much about the character of the tracks visually. Beat-diggers can spy a drum break or instrumental passage quickly, and “scan” a record for breaks to loop or chop. Under a DJs turntable lamp, these groove variations provide visual cues and reference points during the mix.
- It’s all about the artwork: You may recall the initial backlash toward the industry’s push of the CD came from LP-hugging codgers who scorned those “tiny booklets”. LPs have luxurious (and many times, elaborate) gatefold jackets that open to lovingly crafted design work and printed inserts. Often the record’s labels themselves will have unique graphics, and occasional artists (like Styx) are inspired to include embossed designs on the play surface. Not to mention picture discs and coloured/translucent vinyl…
- CDs have hidden tracks, LPs have hidden sides: Mr. Bungle and Monty Python are among the many musical pranksters who have released LP pressings with concentric grooves, resulting in a “third side” that plays when the needle is landed with precision. Even those wacky Beatles put a hidden endless loop at the end of side two of Sgt. Pepper’s.
- They really do sound better than CDs: I invite anybody who has ears to sit down with a compact disc re-issue of any classic ’70s jazz title, and compare it to the original LP. When played through a quality receiver/speaker setup, the record will deliver rich, warm bass and an overall sonic presence that eludes digital.
Yes, they are heavy to move. Sure, they are beginning to take up (a LOT) of space. And yet, I cannot bring myself to stop collecting them: the feeling I get when I have to drive past an unexplored thrift store would made a junkie shudder.
But I am definitely looking forward to investigating the thrifts in Seattle, that’s for sure.
{ 1 comment }
Vinyl is great, I wish I had a record player. Or, better yet, the SPACE to have a record player. But really, I'd love to go back to vinyl. It's just that: "every time I go to try to leave / my iPod keeps pulling on my sleeve."
For real though, is that a photo of your collection, or do you own a record store? I get the feeling from reading your entries that you could open up a new wing in the Smithsonian with the amount of stuff you've got.
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