So, I made my last post here 952 days ago. I thought I should wait until I hit 1000 before posting this, but now seems like a good time. I am not resurrecting this blog. I am finished with blogging in the conventional sense. However, it occurs to me that I would like to make a few posts every now and again about things that interest me, and currently, that is vinyl.
Some months ago, I bought my last compact disc. I can't believe that the record companies were able to pull the wool over our eyes for so long. I was an early adopter of CDs, feeling that the clean, noise-free sound was a huge advance over the pops and clicks of vinyl. I know I missed the large cover art. I knew I missed watching the needle track across the vinyl. I knew that shopping for CDs was never as enjoyable as digging through record bins. I knew that I hated the idea of downloading music. I have never bought a single song from iTunes. Who are these people who buy one song? I have always been a record buyer. If you are not going to buy an entire album, because there in only one good song on it, you shouldn't be listening to that artist (and I use that term sarcastically).
A few months back, I unboxed my vinyl collection and set up my turntable. I forgot how good vinyl sounds. I am not going to enter the debate about which is better, but I will say that listening to a record through a real sound system (not an iPod and not computer speakers) sounds awesome. I know that CDs can sound amazing too, especially if run through real speakers and a real amplifier. Are vinyl records warmer? I am not sure. Some early CDs sound terrible to my ears, but I recognize that mastering has greatly improved.
With regret, I did the inevitable mental inventory of records I sold when I adopted CDs. My musical tastes have always been wide-ranging. I like Rock, so-called alternative, some classical, some pop, jazz, blues. Sadly, I recalled that I sold my AC/DC records, parted with some Genesis, offloaded XTC, sold some Pink Floyd, Humble Pie, Traffic, and Grand Funk Railroad, among many others. Some of these I would not claim as artists I still like, but, nevertheless, I am now sad that I got rid of them. I am not upset that I sold Goofy Greats (my first piece of full-length vinyl), but even the loss of my Trooper records (a band that I would be embarrassed to have in my CD collection) is palpable.
On the other hand, I have some pieces of vinyl that I am relieved that I held onto. And that is what I might bore you with next. I realize that it is quite likely that no one will read these posts, but that is probably for the best. It might turn out to a sort of High Fidelity series of posts, anyway.
No comments:
Post a Comment