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The Young Person's Guide To Vinyl
10:46 AM GMT 11/05/2010
I will never forget the first time I held my father's original vinyl copy of The Velvet Underground And Nico. For decades it had been left to the dust, abandoned in a cardboard casket bearing the marker-pen epitaph "John's Old Records", but I had unearthed it, and found myself clutching it in a state of rhapsodic paralysis. One blow to lift its dusty film, and I was left with the same bone white sleeve and electric yellow banana peel (still unpeeled) my father had acquired at some shanty record store in '72. I had known the album for ages, was essentially brought up on it, but this discovery was different. I really owned it now -- Nico, Lou, Warhol, those four sweaty, New York City nights in Scepter Studios -- the whole damn thing.
Recent headlines have been heralding the end of vinyl's hiatus, and oddly it seems that Generation Y-ers like myself are the ones getting struck the hardest by these resuscitated sound waves. One listen to side A of Beggar's Banquet and all of my friends started setting aside their weekly booze change for a turntable fund. My brother recently spent a week's worth of dishwashing money on Pavement's 5-LP box set, and record players are suddenly the coolest dorm room accessory since lava-lamps. Even US retail giant Best Buy has made room for a vinyl section.
It's an odd sort of phenomenon. In the midst of the most digitally adapted age we have ever known, kids are buying records again. In 2009 alone LP sales rose 33% in the US, twice the rate of digital album sales (Nielsen Soundscan), and 5.2% in the UK, with CD sales dropping 20% (UK Charts Company). And while vinyl still represents a relatively tiny percentage of total music sales, audiophilia is clearly a growing vocation. So what does it all mean? Has my generation, one for whom the iPod has become an auxiliary limb, become digitally disillusioned? Do we pine for an age when music was more than a lifestyle accessory squeezed through "ear buds", something we sought out, sat down to experience, and could hold in our hands?
You may roll your eyes when you pass a display of turntables in the window of Urban Outfitters, but the Back To Vinyl movement is something more than the latest hipster fad. Nigel House, manager of the Rough Trade Record stores, summarized it perfectly when he confronted me with the question: "I remember the first record I ever bought. Do you remember your first download?"
"I think there's a sense of horror with this generation that music is both made and distributed digitally," says 25-year singer-songwriter Johnny Flynn. "Today we can still dig up our heroes, like the Beatles masterpieces. We can still get the physical object. But will that always be the case?"
But it's not just about digital's ephemerality. Music is an art form, and like a painting or a good book, it reflects the time and value we invest in it. Today's youth have begun to understand this - much like their fathers who waited breathlessly for a Beach Boys record, emptied their pockets to watch it spin and pinned its album sleeve to their bedroom walls. The elegance of Cover Flow, and the convenience of the iTunes store are one thing, but there is a kind of beauty in the frayed edges of an aging album sleeve, and the ritual lift and drop of the needle that seem to be worth holding onto. Not to mention the acres of sonic detail we've slowly been scammed out of.
For those of us who grew up in a world where the stifled cry of a CD was the benchmark for quality recording, listening to analogue is like audio-alchemy. We even relish its imperfections. "The crackle before the album comes on is magical," reflects 25-year-old bassist Urby Whale of Noah And The Whale. In a world so seemingly bent on efficiency and advancement, that sentiment may appear passé, but vinyl lovers have good reason to remain optimistic. With new generations falling for its charms, in sixty years time we may still be blowing the dust off our styli and journeying through albums from start to finish (with an intermission between sides 1 and 2) because frankly there are some things technology just can't improve on.
Music should be something we can feel in our bones, and as Flynn remarks, "it comes from a physical entity, not numbers in space."
Liz Kulze
Posted by Ross_Bennett at 10:46 AM GMT 11/05/2010
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liz: as far as things technology can't improve on, obviously you have not heard super audio cd (sacd). unfortunately, the industry (mojo included) has done fuck all to promote it in the 10 years since its debut. dvd audio (vastly inferior) only served to confuse the issue. The stones allen klein era sacd's (currently out of print) are mind blowing and far superior to ANY vinyl. check out the rising prices on these and other out of print sacd's on e bay (electric warrior; avalon; my generation, dylan) the universal stones remasters are a waste of money (no sacd) and as good as the new beatles are, no sacd to anyone aware of it, is extremely disappointing. perhaps they and the record companies have positioned themselves for a future money grab. mojo, i realize you're not a stereophile magazine but trumpeting vinyl while ignoring sacd is tantamount to living in the past. while doing the sacd remixes, keef said he heard things he never realized were there!!!
Posted by the footman at 2:17 PM GMT 11/05/2010 Report Abuse
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you obviously don't get it.
Posted by Anonymous at 7:26 PM GMT 11/05/2010 Report Abuse
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Vinyl is still the greatest! For the whole experience - sound, cover art etc. it is always my preferred format.
That said, those SACD Stones releases the footman refers to did sound great.
Posted by Filthy McNasty at 1:06 AM GMT 12/05/2010 Report Abuse
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"I remember the first record I ever bought. Do you remember your first download?"
Couldn't have said it better! I have witnessed the coming of the cd and the rise of the digital age, and can see the pros and cons of those formats easily.
But it does not have any "soul" to it. My huge cd-collection gives me great music and hours of fun, but my vinyl collection gives me memories and smell and nostalgia, as well as excellent music. I have records that i can tell stories from; the Doobie Brothers cover that my friends dog ate the corner of, my Smiths "Meat is Murder" inner sleeve that my girlfriend dropped in the bathtub so it's been waveshaped since, etc. etc.....you get the point.
I must confess that i don't care much about the right or wrong sound; i have no problems playing a record worn by age, music is supposed to give you a kick!, it's not science.
Posted by Pw. at 12:56 PM GMT 13/05/2010 Report Abuse
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I once read an interview with Neil Young in which he compared vinyl to digital. He said something like vinyl is like being in the shower feeling the water running over you, but digital is like having ice chips thrown at your body.
Good analogy.
Posted by rocky dijohn at 5:00 PM GMT 13/05/2010 Report Abuse
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I once read an interview with Neil Young in which he compared vinyl to digital. He said something like vinyl is like being in the shower feeling the water running over you, but digital is like having ice chips thrown at your body.
Good analogy.
Posted by rocky dijohn at 5:01 PM GMT 13/05/2010 Report Abuse
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I once read an interview with Neil Young in which he compared vinyl to digital. He said something like vinyl is like being in the shower feeling the water running over you, but digital is like having ice chips thrown at your body.
Good analogy.
Posted by rocky dijohn at 5:02 PM GMT 13/05/2010 Report Abuse
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RE: rocky dijohn
Pardon?
Posted by Tommy Testicles at 6:21 PM GMT 13/05/2010 Report Abuse
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I hate listening to vinyl. Looking at the covers I agree is a wonderful experience but every time I hear a record on the radio, I get the hives. As far as I'm concerned, the people who invented the CD should get a Nobel prize. I am no youngster either. I grew up listening to vinyl. I have fond memories of my 45s. But why anyone would think that black discs sound better than silver ones is beyond me. And it has been pointed out that the major reason for today's vinyl market is simply because of its retro nature. I doubt that most of the people who buy vinyl records actually listen to them.
Posted by Howling Rabbit at 2:35 PM GMT 14/05/2010 Report Abuse
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live music is analogue i.e. sound waves. digital cuts those sound waves into little pieces and then tries to put them back together, which cannot be purely achieved. digital is information about music; it is not music. end of fuckin story
Posted by lataxsolarbeef at 2:57 PM GMT 14/05/2010 Report Abuse
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RE: the footman
Couldn't agree more! Besides, talking about records, it all depends on what we're looking for: nice sleeve artwork? Nostalgia of format? The best possible sound? The latter being, to my mind, what should matter most, somehow like true colours when you're watching the photograph of a painting, or a perfect picture when you're watching a movie. The rest, like old Bill (Shakespeare) would put it, is just words...
Posted by Pierre at 5:28 PM GMT 14/05/2010 Report Abuse
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I'm going through EXACTLY this right now. I'm 21 today and have been collecting vinyl for the last 6 or so months and getting thoroughly enthralled every single time I listen to music on the format. It's started it again for me, the passion.
As far as mp3 goes, I don't get, and can't get snobby about it. I love it. I can carry it around for a start. But it's just an image of the music. It's not the real thing.
When I want to feel the music, I listen to my Rega turntable and get out my first presses of 60s and 70s records, which kick the living crap out of ANYTHING I can download today, however good quaity people thing they are.
jamesjefferys_4@hotmail.com
Posted by James Jefferys at 8:23 PM GMT 14/05/2010 Report Abuse
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I think that the resurgence of vinyl is partly due to the music industry's need to try and find new income streams, whilst they suffer from declining cd sales, and partly because the 60s and 70s music lovers are a generation with exciting memories and money to burn. Small independents have been releasing a steady stream of vinyl ever since I started buying and listening, in the mid 90s. It's the majors and the re-issue labels that are upping their game, and this has to be a good thing. My only concern is that this might be a transient/temporary thing because the youngsters of today see it as fashionable? If it is only a novelty, and these youngsters have reverted to download in five years, then that means the vinyl market will only ever shrink, as current generations move on. I hope that this isn't the case, and that youngsters adopt systems and vinyl long-term, as this would ensure a healthy economic setting for trade and growth. I love the gatefolds. We need to have more 60s Jazz/Blues-LP-style guides to the recording process. These blurbs are an interesting way of placing each record in some context and fleshing out the whole experience. Nice...
Posted by Kennedy Space Centra at 1:43 AM GMT 15/05/2010 Report Abuse
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I love medium wave radio.
Posted by Ricardo Montelbanned at 2:12 AM GMT 15/05/2010 Report Abuse
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Funny enough that I read such an article (and a very good one by the way) THESE days!, 'cause I 've been thinking about this vinyl "come back", which I absolutely adore! I am twenty and It's been since 2007 that I started collecting vinyl. I think that people who experienced music using vinyl records or tapes are so much luckier than the "digital generation". Vinyl and tapes actually give you the chance to SEE the music, to LOOK at it! not only "listen to it". I remember, as a child, trying to reach my daddy's pick up just to see the record going round and round. And that strange thing of the sound coming out of the very needle itself if you turn the volume down!... You can be one with the sound in every possible, sensible way. But you can never "see" an mp3 file, you know what I mean? And another thing, I STILL prefer my daddy's LPs from my new ones!
Posted by joanna, Athens at 4:27 PM GMT 15/05/2010 Report Abuse
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I've just recently bought New Order's entire Factory label album catalogue on vinyl for £60.00 from Rhino.co.uk. Great value and bloody fantastic sound throughout, plus all original artwork. Now what's this about a Pavement LP box set. Oh dear, more expense.
Posted by Alexander Meerkat at 8:38 PM GMT 15/05/2010 Report Abuse
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RE: Alexander Meerkat Why are you advertising where you buy your shit music? No one gives a fucking flying one you pretentious prick. Oh no sorry you name dropped Pavement so you must be cool eh?
Posted by Charlie Chuperknuckle. Tampon,FL at 3:55 AM GMT 17/05/2010 Report Abuse
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Charlie Chipmunk. Why? What is the point in upsetting people? If you haven't got something interesting to say, then don't bother saying it. Unpleasant...
Posted by Kennedy Space Station at 2:51 AM GMT 18/05/2010 Report Abuse
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If something is recorded digitally (that's about 99 % of the music in the last 20 years) How does putting it on vinyl make it suddenly analog? Sure I love records but I don't love records that sound like CD's....which is basically everything released since the 80's. Try it for yourself. Once you take any digitally recorded vinyl record and turn it up past 3 it turns to compressed mud.
Posted by New Vinyl Sucks at 4:05 PM GMT 01/06/2010 Report Abuse
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New Vinyl Sucks makes an excellent point about digitally recorded music being released on vinyl. Seems to me it would be a waste. Of course, I'm not one to talk because I've bought some of these items on vinyl myself (but I've also bought the very same LPs on CD too, so I have the 'best' of both worlds).
But a major reason I'm buying vinyl again is the artwork - all that wonderful stuff that when shrunk down to CD size goes missing. Not that I'm a Coldplay fan (can take 'em or leave 'em), here in the US they released copies of "Viva la Vida" on vinyl with the CD inside also! Seems to me that'd be a great idea for others to follow...
and the footman is right about SACD - luckily I got many of those he mentioned - the Dylans, the Stones, 'Avalon', and a couple of jazz releases, including 'Kind of Blue'. But I also have some DVD-A's and I think they are just fine. Of course, I don't think anyone released any album on both SACD and DVD-A, so it'd be hard to compare them...
Posted by DDB9000 at 4:59 PM GMT 03/06/2010 Report Abuse
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