Thursday, April 25, 2013

"V" is for Vinyl

Please note: this post is about vinyl records.  If you're looking for pleather,  just keep moving.  This isn't that kind of blog.

Having been born in 1969 not only means my knees ache and I need glasses and I'm squarely in the target demographic for some of the tackier pharmaceutical ads on late night television, but also that my contemporaries and I remember some pretty rad stuff, like G.I. Joe with the Kung-Fu Grip, The New Zoo Revue, crocheted beer can hats, and... the vinyl record.
 

Most of us children of the '70s had portable phonographs with our very own 45s and LPs, and as teenagers of the '80s, we caught the tail end of an era when going over to a high school friend's house meant studying album covers and reading lyrics from sleeves while listening to their record collection, just as it did for our Boomer parents.  We were living the swan song of the vinyl record; we just didn't know it, and probably wouldn't have understood it if we had.
 
In my childhood bedroom... and at Chris and Greg's house after school


Digital music is an advance over the vinyl record... in some ways.  It's compact and portable, it's not affected by a host of physical problems that plague record playback, it's not worn out by normal use, and a rack of CDs is much less likely than your roommate's musty stack of cardboard-sleeved records to take on the lovely bouquet of spilled beer and cat pee.  The vinyl record is also pretty much a home-bound affair.  1950s car-mounted record players gave it the old college try but pretty much went the way of the Edsel (I wonder how many discs were scratched going over railroad tracks).  If you've got to roller-boogie in sweatbands and short-shorts to Alicia Bridges, your boom box is going to need a cassette player.  And what level of hell would recitals, family gatherings and car trips be for sullen adolescents without mp3 players and ear buds?

Remember this?
But as with many other objects of nostalgia, the vinyl record has qualities that have never been bettered.  Much has been said about the realism, immediacy and warmth of vinyl, and I'm convinced that when an analog signal is converted into discreet zeroes and ones, just as when an image is expressed in pixels, something is necessarily lost.

Then there is something that the quibbler or the uninitiated may complain about, but is an essential part of the experience for many of us.  We vividly remember laying down on the floor of our living room in front of the gigantic Magnavox console stereo, or flopping down in a beanbag with headphones (real ones, that covered the ears) plugged into the hi-fi.   When we lowered the tone arm onto the record's lead-in groove, that little bit of audible crackle was a Pavlovian signal to our young temporal lobes that something cracklin' good was about to happen.  In particular, I remember that anticipation just before the London Symphony Orchestra sounded the first crashing strains of the Star Wars Fanfare on our two-disc soundtrack album.





But the biggest loss with the demise of the LP has to be the album cover.  It's not just that the larger format provided a more generous canvas for groundbreaking artwork than the CD; in the '60s and '70s, especially with double albums, they blossomed into interactive mixed-media experiences, with front, inside and back covers linked conceptually, playing a joke, giving a visual pun or surprise, or telling a story.  A jewel case insert or the digital thumbnail picture next to the .mp3 listing on iTunes has no provision for the listener to punch out die-cut marching band memorabilia, open tenement windows, undo zippers or peel bananas.

Often, "new and improved" really means cheaper to manufacture, distribute and retail.  Whether it means real improvement for the consumer isn't always clear, especially in the rear view mirror.  Call me a throwback, but I'm sad that the vinyl record is mostly a museum piece.

What's your favorite album and album cover from the vinyl era, and why?  

Update: Five bonus points for the first person to give the name and artist of all the above album covers.  Two points if you know which picture is of the back cover and why, and one point if you can identify the doohickey above.  Points not redeemable outside Bakersfield, CA, terms and conditions apply, see store for details.

46 comments:

  1. Love it. My husband and I still have about 200 + albums we like to play on an old Zenith speaker box rerecord player dated back to 1959 and it still sounds great.

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    1. That sounds like a great collection. I only have a handful, and no turntable. It must be nice to be able to play records when the mood strikes you.

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  2. My husband was born in 1970 and I always chuckle at him when he calls our CDs albums.

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    1. Now, now, Melanie, be nice. In a way, musically, they sort of are albums, although they're missing a lot of what makes an album an album.

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  3. 60's chick here!!! I have all the old stuff which means I am vintage! Great V post!

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    1. Thanks, Lady. I'm sure you are of a fine vintage and only getting better with age.

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  4. When you were born I was entering college, so where's that leave me!

    Great post that brings back so many memories. And you are so right. The covers were a great part of albums that are essentially lost. My favorite? That's a difficult one. Always liked a lot of the Jefferson Airplane and Starship albums and covers. There are many more that aren't coming to mind right now.

    I still have several hundred vinyl records that are in good condition still, but I don't have a working turntable. I've been considering selling the vinyl, but I'd hate to see them go.

    Lee
    Blogging from A to Z
    Twitter: @AprilA2Z
    #atozchallenge

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    1. It used to be a point of pride for people to say "I own this album" or "Yeah, I had that album." Record collections especially were something to brag about. There's maybe some of that with CDs, but we're told they're going the way of vinyl, too. When we access all our music from the cloud, what then? Glad I could stir some memories.

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  5. Oh yes, the album covers were the greatest. Not just of rock music, also of classical. I've heard that the sound is somewhat diminished when made digital. It was an era for sure - makes me nostalgic for it.
    Thank you - great post!
    A-Z Susan Scott's Soul Stuff

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    1. I'm mostly a rock and roll type, but love most genres and there are so many classical, jazz, folk, blues, bluegrass and country albums I wish I'd have had room for. I had Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, The Great Summit, Billie Holiday, Etta James, Ray Charles, Robert Johnson, Patsy Cline, Elvis...

      Thanks for stopping by, Susan.

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    2. D'oh! I don't know what manner of massive brain fart caused me to forget classic R&B.

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  6. Thank you for underlining -- do not throw your vinyl LPs away! I have dozens from the "old" days, but my husband put away the turntable for playing them, etc. I don't even know if the needle is still OK. But I would like to play them again, not all. I have classical collections, etc. I have heard that the sound is better. And. . .my son (your age) had a GI Joe with the Kung Fu grip which I gave away and he still reminds me that they are now valuable. Would love to find him one for his birthday.

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    1. You can likely get a new cartridge for your turntable, since they were somewhat standardized. "Better" is in the ear of the beholder, but there's definitely a large community of people who prefer analog music on vinyl. You're also not alone, I still remind my parents that the Uncanny X-Men issue #136 that got tossed out with the rest of my comic books is worth $100, heh heh.

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  7. Jerry, this is a marvelous post, bringing us back to those less complicated days. Kids could still be kids in the 1970s. Both my daughters, who are about your age, worked in "record shops" in their teen and college years. I'll bet they would recognize many in your album cover display. Thanks for this nostalgic run. xoA

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    1. Thank you, Annis. It didn't seem like society was so hell-bent on stripping kids of the last vestiges of their childhood before age 12, the way it seems now. Record shops must have been a fun job for your girls. The only times I bought music before records disappeared around 1991, I bought cassettes because they were so much cheaper and I could play them in the car. If only we all had crystal balls, right?

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  8. Jerry,

    I still own (and treasure) my vinyl records. Including Neil Diamond's "Hot August Night", Chicago, Kenny Rogers, and many others.

    My most valuable record I own is not worth much to anyone else but me. After my dad passed in 2010, I was going through his dresser and came upon an album my mom had cut in a studio with Sweet Adolines. It was recorded in the mid-50s, and is the only recording of her voice I have. (She passed in 1978). My husband took the old, faded record and using special care he was able to clean it up enough to record it onto a CD. The record itself is thick and scratched, but it means everything to me.

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    1. Funny, my parents had Neil Diamond's "Taproot Manuscript" in their big Magnavox stereo. They had the American Graffiti double soundtrack album which had some great album art. I also remember Helen Reddy (lol), Andy Williams, The Smothers Brothers, Barry Manilow...

      That's great that you have that record with your mom, what a treasure.

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    2. I also have "Taproot Manuscript", "Jonathan Livingston Seagull", and many other of Neil Diamond's albums. I remember my dad getting mad when I spent my $5.00 allowance on yet another album. Yes, I was a fan, still am. I saw him live in Fresno years back - my dad bought the ticket and treated me to the concert.

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    3. Awesome. I don't know which album it was, but I know they had something with "Kentucky Woman," "Cracklin Rose," "Cherry, Cherry" and "Clouds" on it. What a great songwriter, and I love his gritty voice.

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  9. I recognize all of those record covers, but because I was born in the 90's, I don't actually own any vinyl records which is a shame. I do even miss looking at the album art covers on CD's now that I have gone the way of digital downloading from iTunes and Google music. It does feel like a part of the music buying process is missing, so I can only imagine how it feels like to not be able to walk into a popular local record store and buy a new album on vinyl.

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    1. Hi, Jasmine. As I mentioned, I was on the tail end of things, so I was more of an observer and never built up a collection of my own, so I can relate. I know that bringing home a new record was a big deal. It's hard to imagine people taking pride in an iPod playlist, isn't it?

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  10. I own half of those you've shown and then some! I love the scratchy sound of vinyl, especially with Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd. Digital loses some of the music mojo, I think.
    Two favorites albums: Van Halen 5150 and Empire Strikes Back. Darth Vader's Theme, Best of Both Worlds, Dreams--do they really need explanation?
    Album cover? Paul McCartney and Wings--Band on the Run. I always wanted to be a professional thief/lead guitarist. The album still gives me hope to one day live the dream.

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    1. Hi, Bethie. Yeah, there was just something about sitting around playing records that isn't the same. Thanks for sharing your favorites, and thanks for mentioning Band on the Run. Paul had some incredible solo music.

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    2. By the way, with "loses some of the music mojo" I think you nailed it. I don't know if you can adequately explain it with physics. It's just something you know and feel.

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  11. What a great post. I was born in '69 as well. All the covers here look familiar to me. The Doors ... oh, man ... Michael Jackson ... I saw him live in Bucharest, Romania, summer of '91. Talk about someone who gave it his all on the stage. Have not seen anything like it before or after.
    Thanks for bringing it all back.


    Silvia @ Silvia Writes

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    1. Hi, Sylvia. It's interesting that we've lived in six different decades, isn't it? But it makes us sound so old. I'd have loved to have pictured some more obscure albums, but how could I resist those. I mean, Abbey Road has to be the most iconic album cover image of all time (and coincidentally, was released the year we were born. In fact, the day I was born, they were in the studio working on overdubs to Octopus' Garden). The Doors were so mysterious to me when I was younger. And Michael Jackson was in a league by himself, wasn't he? (My wife still has her Thriller album, by the way).

      Thanks for stopping by.

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  12. Hi there! The doohickey goes in the middle of a single so it can play on the record player.

    I love the cover for The Little River Band's Diamantina Cocktail album. Next choice would be anything from Journey.

    Happy A to Z!

    lillian888.wordpress.com

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    1. You are correct! Diamantina Cocktail is a great cover (the pull-tab is classic), and Journey had great covers. I like the way theirs and ELOs, among others, had a visual theme that tied the different albums together.

      Thanks.

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  13. I'm late to the comment party, but the doo-hickie is what you inserted into a 45 in order to play it on your turntable without needing the special arm (right?! And no, I didn't read anyone else's answers before submitting my own. Of course, I may be wrong, so that fact might be glaringly obvious. Anyway! Yes, that fuzzy sound is still a nostalgic high note. The last time I listened to a record on a console record player was Neil Young back in the late '90's....

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  14. Oh yeah, I had that very same S&G album up until a few years ago...

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    1. You're right, too. I don't know what it's called, either, other than an adaptor, but I know what it's for. I'd love to have Neil Young on vinyl. I can just imagine laying on my bed with my eyes closed listening to "Down By The River." The S&G album is a masterpiece, maybe even better than their Greatest Hits. So much music, so little time.

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    2. D'oh! I forgot, "Cinnamon Girl" is my favorite Neil Young song.

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  15. Great post! Vinyl records seem to be making something of a comeback in popularity, though! My kids, definitely children of the digital era, though now in their 20's, love perusing old record shops and forming their own collection of vinyl records! It amazes me that they do so! Visiting from A-Z, I'm off to see what else you've written about...!

    Elaine, www.spontaneoussputterings.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks, Elaine. I've read that vinyl record sales are at the highest they've been since 1991. It may be a drop in the bucket, but who knows, we may yet see a full-blown Vinyl Revival. Thanks for stopping by.

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  16. My 20-something son has a nice little collection of contemporary vinyl - but he won't trust our player in case it wrecks his 'pride and joy'! (he's saving for a slick new turntable and amp!)

    He's also very keen to get up in our attic and in the cupboard under the stairs to get at all the 60's-90's original vinyl hubby and I accumulated in the days before cassette tapes and CDs - I wonder if it's worth anything on eBay? ;-p

    Nice to meet you on the A-Z blog-hop!

    SueH I refuse to go quietly!

    Twitter - @Librarymaid

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    1. Hi, Sue. Glad your son appreciates unique good stuff, and I'm glad that you can still by turntables and new vinyl. Not sure about eBay, but if you go that route, I'm sure your son will skim the cream off the top first.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  17. Vinyl is still awesome.

    A few months ago, my boss found a Violent Femmes album in the attic of a building he is renovating on their property. He saved it for me. I have an awesome boss.

    We actually have two functional record players in our house too. Someday, we'll have an awesome DJ party for people with aboslutely no appreciation for it.

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    1. Violent Femmes? Functional record players? Is that you, Sis?

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  18. I had many years head start on you, birthday-wise. Prior to me were the 78 rpm records, but the golden of age of LPs synched with my adolescence. Cover art was an introduction to symbolism and visual expression for so many of us. We spent hours debating the inner meaning of each character on the Sgt. Pepper album, the prism on Dark Side of the Moon, the etching on Santana Abraxis, subtlety of the milk-drop cover on Robin Trower Bridge of Sighs. One of my friends became a painter as a result of his fascination with the creative expressions on album covers.

    A close friend of mine in the Bay Area has a 'Man Cave' in his home. It has a peaked-roof ceiling, decorated end-to-end with album covers of LPs he loves. The walls display the overflow, mixed in with SF Giants and 49ers memorabilia (because they also rock). Be is a single; neither of his marriages were long-played...

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    1. What an exciting time go grow up. Abraxis is one of those I wish I'd had room for (along with Who's Next, Bitches Brew (Miles Davis), the Allman Brothers. I love the cover for Neil Young's Greatest Hits.

      I would also love to visit your friend's man cave, though I'd find it hard to abide the Giants stuff. Thanks for visiting and commenting.

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    2. Er, Abraxis is one I had room for in the album cover pic, that is.

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  19. I love the music and the nostalgia it stirs. I have no feelings about vinyl. I got rid of mine years ago. Though I sometimes fantasize about the joys and pleasures of living in an era much earlier than the 70s, I'm happier in the present moment enjoying the wonders of modern medicine and modern technology.

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  20. I've no desire to go back to any earlier times, I'd just like to be able to bring some of the cool stuff from back then with us. If I had a turntable, I wouldn't get rid of my CD player.

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  21. In the early 1960's we had an actual stereo record player that took up as much space as my cedar chest in the living room in its hard-wood cabinet with little woven speakers on the front. It was "automatic" so you could put a stack of records on the spindle and put down the little arm and away it would play. We had the Abbey Road album and the Simon and Garfunkle as well, but my mom was a huge fan of Mario Lanza and Herb Alpert. We had Tony Bennett, Andy Williams (Moon River still brings a tear to my eye!) and Sing Along with Mitch for Christmas.

    My sisters were both teenagers in the 1960's and had many other albums as well--all the Beatles, Moody Blues, Rolling Stones and a few others. Sure enough, we spent time studying those covers! They had the coolest songs on 45 records, and those were my favorites. The little plastic inserts were hard for my chubby hand to make operate well, and more than once those would end up scratched by the needle when the record failed to fall straight onto the platen. ...Ah, those were the days.
    tm

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  22. Sounds very familiar. I remember the woven speaker cloth, kind of gold with a bit of red in it or something. I also remember that at least some 2-disc LPs had sides 1 and 3 on one disc and sides 2 and 4 on the other, so that they'd play in the correct order when you played them with the automatic changer like you're talking about. Good times. Thanks for stopping by.

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  23. I Love albums!!!, and never went away from them, there were a few years in which it became almost impossible...to find new releases, but there was always the second hand shops, garage sales and buying from private sellers, but it looks as though albums are coming back in a big way, be it they're a little more expensive, but most are released in the true 180 gram audiophile format, with mp3 downloads of said album.
    I for one love the sound of an album it has a more organic feel to it and I dare anyone to compare, say Miles Davis:Kind of blue to the CD version, same with Led Zeppelin iv and you'll notice the difference, plus as I was growing up albums had the artwork and sometimes a surprise waiting for you inside, be it a single or poster,etc. but the thing that albums win hands down is the liner notes and information that is sadly lacking in today's formats, so thank-you for your site and here's to hoping that the beloved albums never die.

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