Dear Reader,
When it comes to most trends, I am a Judy-come-lately because
they seem to be deliberately created by corporate marketing
departments. Despite this suspicion, the vinyl revival has finally
earned my attention. The root of my interest is my record collection,
hundreds of vinyl discs stored in a cabinet topped by my tuner,
cassette tape deck, Philips turntable, and one of two Ohm speakers
(the other being across the room on a bookcase). Yes, there
are also hundreds of CD’s, which are supported by a Bose
system. Yes, I love music, and no, I do not download it.
My vinyl collection spans the 1960s to the early 2000s, after
which CD technology dominates. Cassette tapes were intermittent
purchases. After reading an interview, “Neil Young’s
Lonely Quest to Save Music” (NYT Magazine, 8/20/2019),
I looked askance at my CD collection and considered pressing
the power button on my tuner and placing a beloved record on
my turntable (no stacking, please). But I didn’t because
it was easier to pop a CD into the Bose and have my music –
one CD, no getting up to flip to the B side. How lazy was I,
and what was I missing? Yet, my weighty vinyl collection followed
me from city to city, while the decades fell away, like boosters
on a Saturn rocket.
My recent foray into taking stock of collections (more than
6 of anything) put me in front of those cabinet doors protecting
my vinyl records. I heard that the resurgence had created a
market for these vintage beauties. What I needed to do was create
an inventory and, do what? Sell them? I would have to be desperate.
Sigh, just what I needed, another project. But first I should
see if vinyl did sound better than CD or cassette tape, or if
it was just advertising hype.
Beginning with my favorite duo, Steely Dan. I would choose the
perfect chair, so designated because it is lined up exactly
between the two Ohm speakers. It’s a good thing that I
was sitting because when the needle dropped into “Do It
Again,” from their 1972 “Can’t Buy a Thrill”
debut album, I would have collapsed with the sound: rich and
deep, offering up instruments I hadn’t picked up on the
CD (I duplicated some albums in the newer format because, in
those days, your car came with a player). Neil Young was right!
In our quest to have all music all the time, we had seriously
forsaken quality. But, Neil, I drove thousands of miles listening
to you! What’s a music lover to do?
I have hundreds of records: rock, folk, jazz, classical, opera,
spoken word, pop, film soundtracks, alternative music. There
is no country category, but likely others will emerge from the
cabinet. The catalogue will need to be chronological, so it
will mean doing the research – Did “Rubber Soul”
come before or after “Revolver”? Don’t forget,
I started buying records in the 1950s. My first 45 was “Ebb
Tide,” and no, I don’t have it or any other 45s or
78s.
When I told my friend what I was doing with my vinyl collection,
he scrunched up his nose and said, “What about the crackle
and pop?” Well, that means more research starting with
static electricity, but I am not daunted. Here I go into a listening
adventure that will last months! “Sticky Fingers”
anyone?
