MY LIFE AT 33⅓ RPM..WHY?
Looking back in the day from the now….SPIN IT!
It started out innocently enough; a mother trying to pacify her crying child to absolutely no avail. There was no bottle, no pacifier, no cookie, nothing that could calm down whatever fit a 14‑month‑old can conjure. This young mother was instinctively reminded of an old proverb. The she slowly, meticulously, lovingly, she dropped the needle. Out came the soothing sounds of Johnny Mathis’ “Chances Are.” Not only was this savage beast soothed, he suddenly had something comforting that was easily accessible and not physically addictive… music. But it wasn’t just music; at least not to the kid who’s held onto that moment for seven decades.
That’s my story, and frankly, I’ve never wavered on the story (well, there is a whole other story about the song and it’s a bit of an emotional one). I was the baby, my mom was the lion tamer, Johnny Mathis was the sedative. Over the years I learned music did more than soothe the savage beast, it was a cure‑all for whatever ailed you. But it was vinyl that became the muse, that slab of wax held the keys to any kingdom.
It was the summer of 1963, and it’s my very first memory at 14 months old. This was the age of radio or records. We didn’t have cassettes, 8‑tracks, reel‑to‑reels; CDs weren’t even a thought, and streaming wasn’t even on the Jetsons’ radar. Did I evolve with the new physical media that came along? Sure. But that was certainly more for convenience.
As I grew up, the car was the only place outside my house where I couldn’t pick my music. Children of today, you have no idea of the struggle. Sure, you had radio… if you wanted to hear the same songs in what felt like perpetual repeat rotation. If you’d like, stream WDVE radio, same songs, same channel, same old same old.
As I said, anything outside of vinyl was just convenience. I didn’t make any of those other formats my “go‑to.” I kept buying vinyl albums; even past the new kids on the block; those “No. 2 pencil rewinds” of the cassette, the player would eat; and the annoying half‑song switch on an 8‑track. CDs were a bit different on several levels and by the dawn of the ’90s the CD ruled the planet. Vinyl was becoming less and less available, almost extinct. I didn’t care what “new and improved” listening experience came down the pike, I was far too invested in vinyl.
Which brings me to today’s topic… VINYL. And the answer, at least for me, why do I continue the trend?
I’ve collected vinyl albums since my first request for a 45 RPM at five years old. Within a year, it was all about full‑length 12” LPs, and those 7" singles became few and far between. The term “collected” may be misleading. “Accumulated” is better. “Procured” perhaps, fits later in life. I’m not a “collector” in the sense of building an expansive, expensive library of rare vinyl. I ain’t that guy. The albums in my current collection are albums I bought for one reason, to unseal and listen to.
My wife will often ask, “Why don’t you get rid of some of these records? Sell them, give them away, throw them away.” I know she’s passive/aggressively trying to call me a hoarder, which isn’t the case.
I finally broke through several years ago when I pointed out something shockingly poignant. I asked her how many cases of old photographs we have stored in the garage, attic, and storage unit. I didn’t wait for a response. I continued, “You won’t throw those away because they’re snapshots of our lives. They’re memories you want to keep.”
Now granted, several crates of photo albums are nowhere near 4,500+ record albums, I get that. BUT these albums are snapshots of my life for 60+ years. These are my memories. Memories, that I remind her, that get visited far more frequently than those photo albums.
There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t pull out some random album from this collective and play it on my turntable. Do I have obscure albums that never get played? Sure, I don’t know how many but, why does that matter? Each one is still a snapshot of my life.
These albums aren’t stacked up in some senseless hoarder‑type setting. They aren’t strewn around the house. They’re on cubic shelving units, all in alphabetical order. They aren’t an eyesore and not one that doesn’t fit the motif of my office. You ain’t gonna find A&E filming an episode here, but that doesn’t matter. I’m the Larry David of vinyl. “I respect vinyl. Do you respect vinyl?” It’s a “Curb“ thing.
Christ, I’m getting so old I forget what the hell I was even writing about. Gimme a minute.
Okay, that’s it…
Record collection and why I still buy vinyl. I think terms like “collector” and “collection” are backhanded complimentary descriptions. Either purchased for “value” or purchased to sit sealed with zero intention of being played. Not to mention, “collector” sounds a bit pretentious.
It’s quite simple why I still buy records. Oh, that’s another annoyance. I hated the use of term “records” in those dark, no‑vinyl days. A CD, cassette, or download is not a RECORD…tThey’re recordings; but a “record” is that piece of wax, so…
I buy albums because I don’t need any more convenience when I’m driving. I have Apple Music, Spotify, Sirius with no need for outside physical media other than my phone. At home, there’s only so much space. I don’t need, want, or like the rack system with a cassette deck, CD player, etc. from back in the day. And as for streaming those same songs via Bluetooth, I want to be in the moment with that piece of physical media. I do enough driving throughout the day to be reminded of more driving.
Not to mention, there’s a sonic feeling you get with vinyl. Not the perfect sound that a CD offers, but the feel of a vinyl album popping out of your speakers… nothing like it. Forget the pops, hissing, or skip complaints I hear, maybe I’m lucky. Outside of original pressings, I don’t remember the last new release I bought that had ANY of that. Hell, even picture discs today sound ten times better than the picture discs of the past.
Then there are those who complain that keeping an album clean, maintaining the needle and turntable, saying it’s a pain in the ass, wrong. My only complaint is that albums today are trying more and more to give a cleaner, CD‑like sound to vinyl. By doing so, you get a maximum of four songs per side and that’s the pain in my ass. Do I hear a difference between these new pressings and the originals from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s? Yes, of course I do. But is it enough to warrant me wanting to get up to flip and switch out an album every 11 minutes? Hell no. I miss the days of dropping the needle and getting 25 minutes each side with five or six songs, then rinse and repeat.
As for convenience now, I’ve accumulated such a massive amount of vinyl that vinyl IS the convenience. As far as the lifespan of vinyl versus CDs? None of my albums have outlived me yet, so… there’s that.
Could some of it be nostalgia? The excitement I felt pulling that first‑day release of Iron Maiden’s Soundhouse Tapes from the import section, Van Halen 1 through 1984, Ozzy’s Blizzard of Ozz? Standing in line at midnight with special releases?? Sure, but grabbing a new release today doesn’t feel nostalgic to me, that anticipation and excitement is still there. Am I ever disappointed? I’m sure, but it’s not so much the music contained in that groove. It’s the one sure‑fire disappointment from me which is the packaging. I love liner notes, printed inserts, the whole thing. Opening an album with only wax and a plain white sleeve? UGH.
Now that we’re at the close of this rambling… I hate on NO physical media. But once it’s all on a streaming platform with no physical media available? That’s when we’re doomed.
