The Return Of Vinyl Records

My grandfather gave me a reel to reel tape recorder when I was around eight or nine years old. It wasn’t one of those fancy home studio kind of arrangements it was small and had little three inch reels that you would have to thread through like a sewing machine. I loved it to death and I would listen to the radio and try and record songs without the DJ talking over the top. That tape player was the beginning of my lifelong love of music and general musical geekery.

I also had a little portable record player with a speaker in the lid that I would play my 45rpm records on. Later on my father got a real stereo and I started collecting 33rpm records. The records were appealing not only because of the music but also for the artwork and literature displayed on their covers. They were tactile objet d’art that you could read whilst you listened to the record itself.

Alas records gave way to CD’s and the digital revolution. Digital laser technology promised an end to the snap, crackle and pop of vinyl records. It promised a purer sound experience and I fell for it hook line and sinker. I was an early adopter and when I bought my Phillips player there was only a choice of 10 CD’s to choose from. I still am a true believer in CD’s but in the department of album art they were a retrograde step. The second evolution of the digital age the MP3/Wav era has reduced album art to a mere thumbnail.

Lately I have realised that something was missing in my audiophile world. I missed records. I missed the albums and I missed marvelling at the wonderful engineering of a good record player. It was like the difference between having a solitary cuppa with a tea bag and the ritual of sharing a pot of tea with good friends.

This whole mid life crisis event came about when a record store opened in a nearby town. In an earlier life I had harboured a desire to open a record store in that very same town but wisely declined when another one went bust nearby. So with a vested interest I watched closely as the little record store prospered and eventually I was seduced back into the allure of all things vinyl. I went and purchased a turntable and once a week I trot off down to our new record store and buy an album. It has become my Saturday night highlight.

The little record store owner and I have developed a friendly rapport but I have noticed that the price of Jimi Hendrix records have increased now that I have been identified as a fan. I think the proprietor sees me as a new revenue stream. Not to be deterred I have widened my net and discovered a whole new underground of vinyl enthusiasts that I didn’t know existed. Although not a purist I am looking forward to my first vinyl fair to hopefully track down some old favourites. It’s the thrill of the hunt especially when I find a gem from my old record collection. You see there certainly is an element of nostalgia not only in the process of playing records but also because I am essentially recreating my old record collection. One that I foolishly gave away many years ago. This time around though I am being very selective of which records are worthy of my collection because I believe that playing music on a record player is special. Like bringing out the fine china. These days I even like the snap crackle and pop.

I Love The Sixties

Quality of music comes and goes and in my opinion contemporary music is in a bit of a rut. I never agree with the Rolling Stones 500 best albums or NME’s polls either for that matter. Who are these industry pundits that choose anyway, aren’t they listening to the same musical masterpeices that I do?  –  Philistines.  –  Here’s a list of my 50 alltime faves for the perusal of these music industry heavyweights.

1. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced

2. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric Ladyland

3. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Axis Bold As Love

4. The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

5. The Beatles – Abbey Road

 6. The Beatles – Let It Be

7. The Beatles – Rubber Soul

8. The Beatles – White Album

9. The Beatles – Revolver

10. The Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed (Let it Bleed/Let It Be? Mmmmm!)

11. The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers

12.The Rolling Stones – Exile On Main St.

13. The Rolling Stones – Some Girls

14. The Doors – self titled

15. The Doors – Morrison Hotel

16. The Doors – L.A. Woman

17. The Doors – Strange Days

18. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Cosmos Factory

19. Pink Floyd – Dark Side Of The Moon

20.  Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here

21.  Pink Floyd – The Wall

22. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Deja Vu

23. Crosby, Stills & Nash – self titled

24. Neil Young – Harvest

25. Neil Young – On The Beach

26. Neil Young – Hawks & Doves

27. The Easybeats – Easy

28. The Easybeats – Its 2 Easy

29. The Easybeats – Volume 3

30. Cream – Disraeli Gears

31. Led Zeppelin – 1

32. Led Zeppelin – 2

33. Led Zeppelin – 3

34. Led Zeppelin – Houses Of The Holy

35. Led Zeppelin – Sticks album

36. Inside Deep Note – Music of 1970’s Adult Cinema

37. Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti

38. Led Zeppelin – In Through The Outdoor

39. Fleetwood Mac – The Pious Bird Of Good Omen

40. Fleetwood Mac – Mr. Wonderful

41. Fleetwood Mac – Rumours

42. Janis Joplin – Cheap Thrills

43. Janis Joplin – Pearl

44. Janis Joplin – 18 Essential Songs

45. The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown – self titled

46. Joe Cocker – Mad Dogs & Englishmen

47. The Kinks – You Really Got Me

48. Georgie Fame – Get away With

49. Jimi Hendrix – First Rays Of The New Rising Sun

50. Jimi Hendrix – South Saturn Delta

I hope you read this Rolling Stone & NME pundits as I have now done the hard yards for you and I expect your next poll to be suitably enlightened.