Some more great advice as always Andy! I love the asides, banter, and thinking aloud in your voiceovers, it makes them very organic and dynamic. And entertaining!!
Every time I play a an album bought in my university days and hear a scratch or “noise”, it often makes me smile remembering what antic might have caused that specific scratch. Probably why music and memory are so closely intertwined. Enjoyed the post!
Thank you so much, Clark. This is beautiful: the scratch or mark as a reminder or souvenir of times well had. It reinforces the point that vinyl helps us establish a deeper connection to the music, and the specific way we may have lived or experienced the music throughout the years. Thanks again!
I’m here for the asides which, this week, were gloriously numerous. Substack is often a place of information, but almost never a place of JOY. (In fact, these days, it’s a bit [!!] on the dour side.)
These are joyous posts, celebrating music (yes, bass IS life), surface noise (life is what happens while we’re trying to get rid of surface noise, to bastardize John Lennon), and the art of distraction (I mean that in the best possible way—the James Joyce-an way of NEVER not going down a side road when it appears.)
These days, in the States, I don’t need someone to tell me life is in the shitter. I need music and laughter. Thanks for that.
Thank you so much, John. I am really glad to be able to bring some entertainment (sometimes even in spite of myself) 🤣 I agree with you that Substack needs more humour, more comedy, something that helps us take life (and ourselves) less seriously every now and then. They say humour is England's national pride (on a deeper level than the NHS, common law, football [soccer] or the Crown), and I'll always be happy to bring you guys some of our humour to your shores 😉 Thanks again for listening. Means a lot!
Very informative, Andy....and, as usual, your V.O.s are a right proper hoot! I can recall a couple times, in my bargain bin/flea market vinyl hunts, noticing a mark, potential scratch, etc, somewhere on the record. Now, usually, I'd be hunting down a record for a particular song. If the offending mark was on a song I had no interest in, I've been known to buy the record.
Rarely was I looking for an album for a long-playing experience. In other words, I usually had no problem "not being able" to play a certain song on a certain side. As long as "my" song was unfettered (or seemed to be), I was good to go!
Thank you so much, my friend! This VO was longer than usual, so extra special thanks for taking the time. Glad you enjoyed (and thank God I didn’t sneeze or fart 🤣).
This is very interesting, and makes a lot of sense when your main motivation to purchase a record is one song or set of songs. Very clever and pragmatic.
Even “album fans” like moi and many others would be lying if we said we like all tracks of a given album the same way. BS! There is always at least one song that will stand out more, so it makes sense (and makes things easier) to bear this in mind when crate-digging.
Thank you! Yes, the Dali Spektor 2 are awesome. I don’t think you can get that amount of power, excellent handling of dynamics, and rich soundstage with many others at that price.
My amp is Denon PMA-600 NE. It’s very solid and lets you navigate from phono to CD to streaming (and more) at the switch of a button. Again, very powerful bass, and excellent resonance and dynamics (basically I’ve chosen, in each category, the most bass and the best at dynamics that I could afford at the time 😂). Amps can be quite personal, as different people have different system needs, but if you have a traditional setup like mine, I highly recommend.
The best advice here is to make the most of the time you have. My bad habit is to only play a record when everything is perfect. This can mean weeks between plays and a sense of frustration instead of happiness when I look at my collection. So I’m trying to spin when I can. Early morning, late at night. Trading sleep for spins is a good exchange. If I have ten minutes alone during the day, play an EP. And if I get interrupted don’t get upset.
Thank you, Michael, for your comment. I agree that it can be frustrating to refrain from spinning completely but I also understand the frustration of not being able to spin in the calm manner we would ideally like. A vinyl lover’s dilemma of sorts/
In Sep 2023, I wrote a little post on this topic and shared my views on the subject (link below if of interest)
Some more great advice as always Andy! I love the asides, banter, and thinking aloud in your voiceovers, it makes them very organic and dynamic. And entertaining!!
(Putting Away Records) NAKED: A Series 😝
Thank you, Mark! I thought I’d spice it up seeing as the topic itself can be a bit boring. Glad you enjoyed!
Ohh, yes, that’s a good title… Don’t give me ideas! (Please do!!) 😂 🤣
Thanks again!!
Andres,
Every time I play a an album bought in my university days and hear a scratch or “noise”, it often makes me smile remembering what antic might have caused that specific scratch. Probably why music and memory are so closely intertwined. Enjoyed the post!
Thank you so much, Clark. This is beautiful: the scratch or mark as a reminder or souvenir of times well had. It reinforces the point that vinyl helps us establish a deeper connection to the music, and the specific way we may have lived or experienced the music throughout the years. Thanks again!
Oh, this one was a classic.
I’m here for the asides which, this week, were gloriously numerous. Substack is often a place of information, but almost never a place of JOY. (In fact, these days, it’s a bit [!!] on the dour side.)
These are joyous posts, celebrating music (yes, bass IS life), surface noise (life is what happens while we’re trying to get rid of surface noise, to bastardize John Lennon), and the art of distraction (I mean that in the best possible way—the James Joyce-an way of NEVER not going down a side road when it appears.)
These days, in the States, I don’t need someone to tell me life is in the shitter. I need music and laughter. Thanks for that.
Ain’t that the truth!
Thank you so much, John. I am really glad to be able to bring some entertainment (sometimes even in spite of myself) 🤣 I agree with you that Substack needs more humour, more comedy, something that helps us take life (and ourselves) less seriously every now and then. They say humour is England's national pride (on a deeper level than the NHS, common law, football [soccer] or the Crown), and I'll always be happy to bring you guys some of our humour to your shores 😉 Thanks again for listening. Means a lot!
Very informative, Andy....and, as usual, your V.O.s are a right proper hoot! I can recall a couple times, in my bargain bin/flea market vinyl hunts, noticing a mark, potential scratch, etc, somewhere on the record. Now, usually, I'd be hunting down a record for a particular song. If the offending mark was on a song I had no interest in, I've been known to buy the record.
Rarely was I looking for an album for a long-playing experience. In other words, I usually had no problem "not being able" to play a certain song on a certain side. As long as "my" song was unfettered (or seemed to be), I was good to go!
Thank you so much, my friend! This VO was longer than usual, so extra special thanks for taking the time. Glad you enjoyed (and thank God I didn’t sneeze or fart 🤣).
This is very interesting, and makes a lot of sense when your main motivation to purchase a record is one song or set of songs. Very clever and pragmatic.
Even “album fans” like moi and many others would be lying if we said we like all tracks of a given album the same way. BS! There is always at least one song that will stand out more, so it makes sense (and makes things easier) to bear this in mind when crate-digging.
Thanks again!
As always, well done.
Thank you, Bob! Glad you enjoyed
Thanks for this, Andy! I like the look of those speakers. Apologies if I missed it, but what kind of amp and/or receiver are you using?
Thank you! Yes, the Dali Spektor 2 are awesome. I don’t think you can get that amount of power, excellent handling of dynamics, and rich soundstage with many others at that price.
My amp is Denon PMA-600 NE. It’s very solid and lets you navigate from phono to CD to streaming (and more) at the switch of a button. Again, very powerful bass, and excellent resonance and dynamics (basically I’ve chosen, in each category, the most bass and the best at dynamics that I could afford at the time 😂). Amps can be quite personal, as different people have different system needs, but if you have a traditional setup like mine, I highly recommend.
That’s what I’m looking for as well. I don’t need my windows to rattle, but I do need to be able to feel the beat.
Then look no further! Check all options you have available, of course, but these are, IMO, solid choices.
The best advice here is to make the most of the time you have. My bad habit is to only play a record when everything is perfect. This can mean weeks between plays and a sense of frustration instead of happiness when I look at my collection. So I’m trying to spin when I can. Early morning, late at night. Trading sleep for spins is a good exchange. If I have ten minutes alone during the day, play an EP. And if I get interrupted don’t get upset.
Thank you, Michael, for your comment. I agree that it can be frustrating to refrain from spinning completely but I also understand the frustration of not being able to spin in the calm manner we would ideally like. A vinyl lover’s dilemma of sorts/
In Sep 2023, I wrote a little post on this topic and shared my views on the subject (link below if of interest)
https://open.substack.com/pub/vinylroom/p/vinyl-time-and-the-living-is-busy?r=222vb3&utm_medium=ios
Thanks for reading and commenting!