One day when I was about nine years old, my younger brother and I found a box of old vinyl records belonging to our Dad. Having listened to music on CDs and cassettes up to that point, it was interesting for me to see this then outdated medium. After Dad saw us looking at the records, he brought out a bulky turntable and showed us how to actually play them. The age of the turntable showed in its size and the readily apparent wear-and-tear, but it still functioned.
The records themselves were something wonderful to me. I can still remember being captivated by the size and artwork of the cases and sleeves and how I could look at the records and see the grooves. The titles were varied, and I remember being introduced to musical luminaries such as Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry through listening to those records. Looking back on it, I am still amazed by how much personality those records had. I remember my Dad’s copy of “Christmas with John Denver & The Muppets” having a sizable piece around the rim missing, and skipping during “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” when John Denver sang the “...make the Yuleti…” part.
I listened to those records quite a bit until the next time we moved, my family and I moved quite a bit due to my Dad being a career Army Officer, and it became my custom to start from scratch and kind of reinvent myself with each move. Listening to records was a casualty of that particular move, and while listening to them didn’t become a regular part of my life I never forgot that initial experience.
I don’t know when exactly this began, but vinyl made a comeback. I first realized that this was the case when I was walking through a Books A Million store and saw racks of vinyl records for sale, some of which were for new releases. I was interested in acquiring records and listening to them again, but for some reason it didn’t click for me that it was an option. Then, for my 32nd birthday my Grandma Shaha gave me some money for a gift with the caveat that I had to spend some of it on something fun that I wanted, as opposed to saving it or using it for more practical things.
I used some of it to buy an easily transportable stereo, in my opinion the best that money can buy, from RC Willey that plays cassettes or CDs with an analog radio tuner and an old-time design that makes it look like a radio from the 1930s. Most importantly for me, the stereo also has a turntable. Now with the means to actually play them, I started collecting and listening the heck out of vinyl records. I have heard people associating those with record players and vinyl collections with the term “Hipster” (I’m still not entirely sure what that means) or people trying to be cool, non-conformist types. For me, the initial motive for getting into vinyl as an adult goes back to the bulky turntable in my Dad’s house and the rich personal experience of listening to music that it gave me.
I want to talk about why I love vinyl records. The main reason is that I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love music and listening to it. Listening to music, especially in the current day and age, has become a more impersonal experience with ease of use and listening to assorted individual tracks as opposed to a full album. In a time when someone can literally call out to a smart speaker to play what they want to hear at any given time, there is something to be said for instead listening to music on a medium that requires actual effort and intent.
Another reason I love vinyl records is that listening to them is an involved process with numerous parts, and I love every one of them. For me, the process starts with going through my records for either a specific one or just browsing through them to get what I want to hear at a given time. When I find what I want, I hold it in my hands and take a look at the case before removing the sleeve. Next, I balance the record on my right index finger without touching the grooves and lift up the lid on my stereo that covers the turntable. That accomplished, I hold the edges of the record against the fingers on both of my hands and place it on the turntable.
Next, I turn on the stereo, mine has a knob for off/on and volume that gives an audible click when I turn it on or off, and move the arm with the needle into position. One of my favorite sounds in the world is the kind of snap that I hear when the needle first meets the spinning vinyl, it instantly gives me the anticipation of great things to come. A few seconds later, the music hits and I get to be immersed in it until it’s time to repeat the last few steps and turn the record over.
Another great thing about vinyl records is that their nature begs for them to be played in their entirety rather than using a “skip track” or “shuffle” option. People like me who have a lot of experience with playing records will be able to play specific tracks as we desire, but I prefer to listen to the entire album from start to finish. A big reason for this is that I get to listen to lesser-known tracks on the albums that often turn out to be hidden gems. Just one example of this for me is on my copy of the “Please Please Me” album by The Beatles. Until I got the vinyl and listened to it from start to finish I had never heard a song called “There’s A Place”, and now it is one of my favorite Beatles songs.
The Baptist pastor Gary Chapman wrote a book about what he called “The 5 Love Languages”. Those languages have become part of the public lexicon and are used somewhat commonly. My wife has told me that my love language is physical touch, and that explains a lot about why I love vinyl records as touch plays a much bigger part in owning and playing them than any other medium.
I don’t know when exactly vinyl records started making their comeback, but I am so grateful that they did. My favorite way of listening to music is now easily accessible, and I get to pass it on to my kids now the way my Dad did to me, but more directly and passionately. I would hope that more people, especially younger ones, will embrace listening to a well made album instead of a collection of individual tracks and embrace the beauty of experiencing music on a multi-sensory level through a medium requiring touch, intent, and effort, preferably augmented with a healthy dose of passion.
Comments