I was about to create my own thread on this, which I would have entitled 'The Return of the Vinyl, or, Vinyl Strikes Back!'
But I have found that my colleague, samurai4114, beat me to it during my extended sabbatical...
A bit of background: I once had a collection of more than 900 LPs, which I had begun to amass in my childhood (the first one I ever bought myself was 'Kiss: Alive!' - with my paper route earnings - as a freshman in high school)...but lost in its entirety due to a significant life change a few years back. I should also add that my collection of several hundred CDs is equally gone, so I stepped into my new life unburdened by many more physical possessions that I could fit into my minivan.
I had long since resolved to not having vinyl again, having discovered iTunes (which I value for its convenience and portability), but something changed this last November, when my friends and I attended a show put on by Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers - an independent band whose front man and drummer had once belonged to a group called the Refreshments, who put out two CDs and composed and performed the theme song to the animated TV show 'King of the Hill' before breaking up. At the merchandise counter was a newly-rereleased edition of the Refreshments' debut album, 'Fizzy Fuzzy Big and Buzzy'*, which is in the 20th Anniversary of its original release date, autographed by Roger Clyne and PH Naffah, the drummer. A friend of mine bought it for me as a surprise...obviously I was delighted, until I came home and put it on my turntable, which used to belong to my father and is more than 40 years old...and the old machine literally died halfway through side one
Cue Christmas, when my lovely girlfriend got me a new turntable
And so now, it's on. I've begun scouring used record stores and exploring new reissues in 180-gram audiophile pressings. On Facebook, I have compared notes with our mutual friend here, Golrush007, on the 180-gram reissue of the Beatles' "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band," which is one of the first two I bought in that tier of quality. The other was Aerosmith's classic "Toys in the Attic," which just kicks ass.
I love the sound of the stylus hitting the platter, the way it charges the air - the richness of the sound, and the tactile sensation of holding the jacket and reading the liner notes/enjoying the art and presentation of the work. As much as I value the smaller size of the CD...and the ability to put an entire musical library in my iPhone...nothing beats the immersion of a vinyl listening experience: as you have a maximum of 20-30 minutes per side, you're less likely to simply have music on as a background to whatever else you might be doing. When I listen to an LP record, it tends to be pretty much all I do, and I experience the music, or comedy, or whatever in a much more complete fashion.
My next purchase will be David Bowie's critically-acclaimed swan song, "Blackstar," which looks to be an eerie and challenging listening experience based upon the three of the LP's seven songs I've heard so far.
The collecting continues, but since vinyl has officially returned to vogue, it can be a challenge finding good quality copies of older, non-reissued works. Going forward, I'll share a few of my rediscovered treasures here, and would be interested in other opinions on this old (but new again) medium.
*If you don't know it, look it up. Good stuff; great pop music, flavoured with Southwestern/Mexican sensibilities, fused with a bit of punk.
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