and for me, vinyl isn't about the sound at all. I'm not sure there's a difference -- I certainly can't hear it. It's about the emotional connection and the ritual and the reclaiming of music -- not all music, but the important music -- as art of substance and not just disposable digital bytes.
I tihnk this is an important distinction and one that we seem reluctant to make. just like with any art -- with anything, really -- there is junk food music and there is substantive music. That doesn't make the junk food music bad per se, although most music of any era is ultimately not very good just like most work in any field isn't very good. But I suspect we all have a weakness for some music that we know isn't all that well crafted or important, like my lifelong weakness for cheesy 70s female MOR pop.
But that less important, less-good (and outright bad) music doesn't need vinyl any more than Cheetos and Big Macs need to be served on fine china with table service at an expensive restaurant. For that kind of junk food music, streaming is excellent, because it allows a space for that music that's accessible and lightweight when we want it and doesn't require us to spend money on it -- I'm never going to buy a Barbara Mandrell or an Olivia Newton John ror a Mary MacGregor ecord, because they're not important enough to be on vinyl, but I will occasionally stream it like I'll grab a bag of Cheetos at the grocery store when the mood strikes me.
But for the real stuff, that's where I think we need to reclaim the weight and importance of it and there is no better way to do that than vinyl, which is why what you're writing with these pieces is so important.
That distinction is one of the reasons why I'm more and more convinced that vinyl and streaming are complementary, not mutually exclusive, and increasingly used for different purposes.
As a soul fan I see it a lot with new releases versus classics. Of course I try to support up and coming artists and some of the new stuff is actually pretty decent but there's ONE Aretha and ONE Marvin and ONE Stevie... and I will always gravitate towards those classics way more than I do towards anything new.
Thanks, as always, for your kind words and insightful comments!
Do you think it's an overreach by newer artists (esp really new artists?) to put their work out on vinyl, rather than waiting until vinyl has been -- I guess the word for it might be earned?
Genuine question that just occured to me and that I don't have a firm take on.
This is probably the spiciest, most thought-provoking and most difficult question anyone has asked me in like a very, very long time 😂 I love it, though. I don’t have my answer yet, but it’s definitely making me think, and it’s definitely giving me lots of food for thought… thank you again!
That's "about the sound" in a different way - not the sonic quality out of the speaker, per se, but the framing and presentation of it. All of these subjective contextual qualities matter in our experience.
I was born in 1962 and grew up with my parents' modest but much-loved record collection from the 50s and 60s. Records were cherished birthday and Christmas gifts, and I can still conjure the sights, sounds, even smells, from trips to the record store with my mom.
I've never lived in a home without a turntable, no matter how bleak my finances got during low points.
All of which is to say, I've always had a record collection, from Alvin & The Chipmunks Sing The Beatles as a preschooler, to the collector's edition Maria Schneider Orchestra box I got recently. I never "started collecting", I just never stopped. I'm old enough now to see this go from cool to incredibly uncool and back again several times.
Overall this resurgence of interest from the influencer generation has been a net plus for me. Yes, the prices have shot up. I used to be able to come home with an armful of used Dylan and Miles Davis in pristine condition for a buck or two each. Now? Forget it.
The net benefits far outweigh this though. I live in Pasadena, CA, a city of 130,000. There are six - SIX! - vinyl shops in town, and a monthly swap meet where retailers from all over the Western US have tables. And the availability and quality of stereo gear has shot up accordingly. Do you know how hard it was to find turntable belt and stylus replacements in the 90s?
I really like the energy and passion of the influencer generation. This is a fun time to be a record collector.
Like all things, I expect this will ebb once again. When it does, I'm ready for the liquidation sales!
Thank you, Ken! I really value and appreciate your taking the time to share a little bit of your journey here. Stories like yours are pure gold for younger collectors like me who were not alive (not even "a project", as I like to say) during the golden years of vinyl.
I'm glad to hear the resurgence has brought benefits to longtime collectors like yourself. Incredible that you have six record shops in a town of 130,000 people! The monthly swap meet sounds a lot of fun as well.
Thanks again for stopping by and sharing your story!
I don’t mind the genuine ‘vinyl porn’ posts on Instagram… I like a good-looking record room as much as the next vinyl junkie.
But the increasing number of AI vinyl porn posts is getting kinda annoying… y’know, the rooms with thousands of records and the Eames chair right in front of the speaker! Haha
I hear you. I love seeing (human) collectors’ rooms and “man caves” as some call them, but AI-generated stuff, especially in a supposedly analogue context, feels wrong 🤣
Great read! Personally I prefer the physical sense of ownership, reading the inserts, and supporting the artist and music they create by buying their art instead of just streaming it. This of course, escalated quickly as I started a Substack to write about the records in my collection 🤦🏻♂️😂
Thank you! Yes, the sense of ownership, and the tangible element that comes with vinyl, are very strong incentives. I look forward to reading more about your records!
Great spotlight on "the scene" today, Andy, and effectively wrapped-up, too, at the end. Vinyl has had ebbs and flows throughout the decades (now centuries), and there's been a specific focus on each and all of them!
There have been generations or eras where the following has occurred: Folks used to gather at player piano stores to hear the latest piano rolls (the "reels" of a century ago), sock hops in the '50s, records played on jukeboxes, teens gathered on bedroom floors playing singles on suitcase-like travel record players, the move, then, from singles to the veneration of the LP (and 8-tracck) in the late '60s thru '70s, the impact of video on vinyl sales and the advent of CDs, still tussling with cassettes (with vinyl saying, "Hey, whaddabout me?!?"), advent of PCs, online up to the streaming of this century.
It has, will, and will need to all be documented, Andy, and you're doing just that! Let the kids do what they're gonna do. The kids are alright, as I once heard sung! I don't think I can blame them for proudly displaying their vinyl as they listen to their latest streaming tunes!
What better time than Father's Day (that's not just an American thing, is it?) to say, "This is not your father's vinyl era!"
Thank you, Brad! You’re so right. So much has changed, and yet, a lot of underlying principles have remained, or evolved to a newer version of themselves.
I agree with what you say about “them kids”. I think a lot of what is revered today was probably ridiculed back then, and who knows, maybe in a couple of decades, what kids are doing now will be seen as “vintage” and “retro cool” 🤣 The circle of life, eh?
Thank you once again for always bringing so much wisdom to my humble abode!
My pleasure! I'm hoping today's kiddos who dig the PVC format feel enamored enough of last century's music-makers to tune into both your channel and FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE, to at least catch a glimpse of their heroes in what was once their "natural habitat," and not just on a Wiki page! Speaking of "catching a glimpse," I'm trying hard to wish away one particular LP pictured herein!😛See what you can do, won't you?😉
I am absolutely sure they will, and if they haven’t already, they MUST take a look at everything that was/is/will be taking place Front Row and Backstage! THE Bible! ♥️
LOL I think I know which one you mean…! Of course, Beatles on that Parlophone label… don’t I know you well? 😉
Alright, if (or when) I get to 1000 subscribers, I will recreate that image myself. Can’t promise a Capitol label, but I’ll do my best with the rest 😉😆
And ten of those were spent searching for the right disc because your kid never puts them in the right cover, walking around with it between the palms of your hands because if you touch it with your fingertips it will be the end of the world, wiping it down with a stupid little cloth, putting that weird fluid all over it and wiping it down with that chalk eraser thing, taking the album you just played off of the turntable, carrying it around with the palms of your hands, putting it inside the wrong cover because “What the hell . . . “, taking great care to put the right side of it on the turntable, getting depressed when you hear all the god dam clicking and skipping once you start playing it, realizing that it’s time to get a new needle . . . Tell us how much you miss watching Betamax . . .
So you go back to streaming, and you realise you don’t actually own anything. Your favourite tracks and playlists disappear, one by one, and someone says something that offends somebody else so yet another one of your favourite artists pulls their entire catalogue from the platform overnight. So you turn to the app’s recommendations to fill those voids, and you slowly realise all this music supposedly curated for you has less and less of your input, and more and more AI-generated content, but of course, they don’t tell you that, so you don’t know anymore whether the music you’re listening to has been created by a human being. That’s when you say enough is enough, you dust off your turntable, pull out your messy records, and breathe a sigh of relief when you can finally listen to your favourite albums again, not to mention when you reclaim a little bit of ownership and control in your overall listening experience. Such a pain in the ass, right?
and for me, vinyl isn't about the sound at all. I'm not sure there's a difference -- I certainly can't hear it. It's about the emotional connection and the ritual and the reclaiming of music -- not all music, but the important music -- as art of substance and not just disposable digital bytes.
I love what you say about the reclaiming of (important) music and the contast you make with disposable digital bytes. So true.
I tihnk this is an important distinction and one that we seem reluctant to make. just like with any art -- with anything, really -- there is junk food music and there is substantive music. That doesn't make the junk food music bad per se, although most music of any era is ultimately not very good just like most work in any field isn't very good. But I suspect we all have a weakness for some music that we know isn't all that well crafted or important, like my lifelong weakness for cheesy 70s female MOR pop.
But that less important, less-good (and outright bad) music doesn't need vinyl any more than Cheetos and Big Macs need to be served on fine china with table service at an expensive restaurant. For that kind of junk food music, streaming is excellent, because it allows a space for that music that's accessible and lightweight when we want it and doesn't require us to spend money on it -- I'm never going to buy a Barbara Mandrell or an Olivia Newton John ror a Mary MacGregor ecord, because they're not important enough to be on vinyl, but I will occasionally stream it like I'll grab a bag of Cheetos at the grocery store when the mood strikes me.
But for the real stuff, that's where I think we need to reclaim the weight and importance of it and there is no better way to do that than vinyl, which is why what you're writing with these pieces is so important.
That distinction is one of the reasons why I'm more and more convinced that vinyl and streaming are complementary, not mutually exclusive, and increasingly used for different purposes.
As a soul fan I see it a lot with new releases versus classics. Of course I try to support up and coming artists and some of the new stuff is actually pretty decent but there's ONE Aretha and ONE Marvin and ONE Stevie... and I will always gravitate towards those classics way more than I do towards anything new.
Thanks, as always, for your kind words and insightful comments!
Do you think it's an overreach by newer artists (esp really new artists?) to put their work out on vinyl, rather than waiting until vinyl has been -- I guess the word for it might be earned?
Genuine question that just occured to me and that I don't have a firm take on.
This is probably the spiciest, most thought-provoking and most difficult question anyone has asked me in like a very, very long time 😂 I love it, though. I don’t have my answer yet, but it’s definitely making me think, and it’s definitely giving me lots of food for thought… thank you again!
I'm just getting in practice for the podcast. 😂😎
That's "about the sound" in a different way - not the sonic quality out of the speaker, per se, but the framing and presentation of it. All of these subjective contextual qualities matter in our experience.
Yes, that's very well put.
I was born in 1962 and grew up with my parents' modest but much-loved record collection from the 50s and 60s. Records were cherished birthday and Christmas gifts, and I can still conjure the sights, sounds, even smells, from trips to the record store with my mom.
I've never lived in a home without a turntable, no matter how bleak my finances got during low points.
All of which is to say, I've always had a record collection, from Alvin & The Chipmunks Sing The Beatles as a preschooler, to the collector's edition Maria Schneider Orchestra box I got recently. I never "started collecting", I just never stopped. I'm old enough now to see this go from cool to incredibly uncool and back again several times.
Overall this resurgence of interest from the influencer generation has been a net plus for me. Yes, the prices have shot up. I used to be able to come home with an armful of used Dylan and Miles Davis in pristine condition for a buck or two each. Now? Forget it.
The net benefits far outweigh this though. I live in Pasadena, CA, a city of 130,000. There are six - SIX! - vinyl shops in town, and a monthly swap meet where retailers from all over the Western US have tables. And the availability and quality of stereo gear has shot up accordingly. Do you know how hard it was to find turntable belt and stylus replacements in the 90s?
I really like the energy and passion of the influencer generation. This is a fun time to be a record collector.
Like all things, I expect this will ebb once again. When it does, I'm ready for the liquidation sales!
Thank you, Ken! I really value and appreciate your taking the time to share a little bit of your journey here. Stories like yours are pure gold for younger collectors like me who were not alive (not even "a project", as I like to say) during the golden years of vinyl.
I'm glad to hear the resurgence has brought benefits to longtime collectors like yourself. Incredible that you have six record shops in a town of 130,000 people! The monthly swap meet sounds a lot of fun as well.
Thanks again for stopping by and sharing your story!
I don’t mind the genuine ‘vinyl porn’ posts on Instagram… I like a good-looking record room as much as the next vinyl junkie.
But the increasing number of AI vinyl porn posts is getting kinda annoying… y’know, the rooms with thousands of records and the Eames chair right in front of the speaker! Haha
I hear you. I love seeing (human) collectors’ rooms and “man caves” as some call them, but AI-generated stuff, especially in a supposedly analogue context, feels wrong 🤣
That. Is indeed silly
Great read! Personally I prefer the physical sense of ownership, reading the inserts, and supporting the artist and music they create by buying their art instead of just streaming it. This of course, escalated quickly as I started a Substack to write about the records in my collection 🤦🏻♂️😂
Thank you! Yes, the sense of ownership, and the tangible element that comes with vinyl, are very strong incentives. I look forward to reading more about your records!
Thanks a lot!
Great spotlight on "the scene" today, Andy, and effectively wrapped-up, too, at the end. Vinyl has had ebbs and flows throughout the decades (now centuries), and there's been a specific focus on each and all of them!
There have been generations or eras where the following has occurred: Folks used to gather at player piano stores to hear the latest piano rolls (the "reels" of a century ago), sock hops in the '50s, records played on jukeboxes, teens gathered on bedroom floors playing singles on suitcase-like travel record players, the move, then, from singles to the veneration of the LP (and 8-tracck) in the late '60s thru '70s, the impact of video on vinyl sales and the advent of CDs, still tussling with cassettes (with vinyl saying, "Hey, whaddabout me?!?"), advent of PCs, online up to the streaming of this century.
It has, will, and will need to all be documented, Andy, and you're doing just that! Let the kids do what they're gonna do. The kids are alright, as I once heard sung! I don't think I can blame them for proudly displaying their vinyl as they listen to their latest streaming tunes!
What better time than Father's Day (that's not just an American thing, is it?) to say, "This is not your father's vinyl era!"
Thank you, Brad! You’re so right. So much has changed, and yet, a lot of underlying principles have remained, or evolved to a newer version of themselves.
I agree with what you say about “them kids”. I think a lot of what is revered today was probably ridiculed back then, and who knows, maybe in a couple of decades, what kids are doing now will be seen as “vintage” and “retro cool” 🤣 The circle of life, eh?
Thank you once again for always bringing so much wisdom to my humble abode!
My pleasure! I'm hoping today's kiddos who dig the PVC format feel enamored enough of last century's music-makers to tune into both your channel and FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE, to at least catch a glimpse of their heroes in what was once their "natural habitat," and not just on a Wiki page! Speaking of "catching a glimpse," I'm trying hard to wish away one particular LP pictured herein!😛See what you can do, won't you?😉
I am absolutely sure they will, and if they haven’t already, they MUST take a look at everything that was/is/will be taking place Front Row and Backstage! THE Bible! ♥️
LOL I think I know which one you mean…! Of course, Beatles on that Parlophone label… don’t I know you well? 😉
Like, c’mon, you know I’m a U.S. Capitol guy!😁👍
Alright, if (or when) I get to 1000 subscribers, I will recreate that image myself. Can’t promise a Capitol label, but I’ll do my best with the rest 😉😆
😱You’ll have to excuse me…..I feel the sudden urge to go recruit readers for The Vinyl Room!!
I was a kid in the seventies and there is no mystery why we fell for eight tracks and cassettes - Vinyl is a pain in the ass.
And yet, vinyl has been growing for 16 consecutive years, and at its fastest rate this last decade.
And ten of those were spent searching for the right disc because your kid never puts them in the right cover, walking around with it between the palms of your hands because if you touch it with your fingertips it will be the end of the world, wiping it down with a stupid little cloth, putting that weird fluid all over it and wiping it down with that chalk eraser thing, taking the album you just played off of the turntable, carrying it around with the palms of your hands, putting it inside the wrong cover because “What the hell . . . “, taking great care to put the right side of it on the turntable, getting depressed when you hear all the god dam clicking and skipping once you start playing it, realizing that it’s time to get a new needle . . . Tell us how much you miss watching Betamax . . .
So you go back to streaming, and you realise you don’t actually own anything. Your favourite tracks and playlists disappear, one by one, and someone says something that offends somebody else so yet another one of your favourite artists pulls their entire catalogue from the platform overnight. So you turn to the app’s recommendations to fill those voids, and you slowly realise all this music supposedly curated for you has less and less of your input, and more and more AI-generated content, but of course, they don’t tell you that, so you don’t know anymore whether the music you’re listening to has been created by a human being. That’s when you say enough is enough, you dust off your turntable, pull out your messy records, and breathe a sigh of relief when you can finally listen to your favourite albums again, not to mention when you reclaim a little bit of ownership and control in your overall listening experience. Such a pain in the ass, right?
I dunno, I’ve been reading a lot.
Cool. Enjoy 😊
I dunno, I’ve been reading a lot.