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An Ode to Vinyl and the Celebration of Concept
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A rainbow of Elvis vinyl (Goggle)
I feel bad for this younger, "digital" generation. Yeah, I'm an old vinyl-junkie and a bit of a crank, so I am going to rail in a very "these-kids-today-don't-know-what-they're-missing" kind of way. You'll have to excuse my curmudgeonly hater-ism.
I was raised on vinyl. Good, old-fashioned, anachronistic vinyl records. LPs, EPs, 10"s, 7"s... Those gorgeous packages of crackly, dust-laden, warmed-out mellow tones; those bulky behemoths of an ancient era which refuses to be forgotten.
See, in my stubborn-ness I, too, refuse to let the medium of vinyl become just a footnote in the grand narrative of planned obsolescence. And, luckily for me, there are millions like me who feel just as strongly. These are the collectors, the DJs, the purists. We come from different genres and backgrounds, we all have tastes for separate sounds and yet one common thread binds us together like a big Bokonon-ian Karass: a love of vinyl records.
It's no coincidence that this medium of sound production has persisted throughout the demise of things like reel-to-reel tape, cassette tape and the incredibly dated 8 track tape. There is just something about vinyl, and it is not just the sound, that attracts us throwbacks to these un-hip dinosaurs. It is as much the presentation as it is the aural experience. Vinyl, especially the full-length, 12" LP album, is a forgotten form of the highest artistic achievement. To create an extended, coherent and cohesive interpretation of feeling in one continuous thought (as opposed to a random collection of songs that sound nice) is as out-dated a concept as vinyl itself. The vinyl format was perfectly specific for this art form which achieved its most creative heights during the 60s, 70s and into the 80s. Jazz, Hip Hop and Rock led the revolution; whether it was the brilliance of Coltrane's A Love Supreme or the or the bombast of Led Zeppelin, a full-length album with sides that had to be flipped (paused moments made for a mental sigh or the collection of breath) was something the invited and absorbed the listener. It made for a true experience that just can't be duplicated in a digital format.
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The medium of polyvinyl chloride-laced discs has a long and storied history. It is the most consistent format that has ever been employed for the recording of sound with its crudest and earliest origins dating back to the early 1900s. Further, even, if you look back to the days of the phonograph cylinder. Through many incarnations and ingredient variances, vinyl has persisted (in one delightful form or another) for well over a century. It has also seen a number of quirky innovations (parallel grooves, locked grooves, micro-grooves, inside-to-outside recordings, stereophonic and quadraphonic formats...). And even though (at least, as of 2009) newer and more streamlined formats of digital capacity are the standard, vinyl still lurks out there for the true heads. Hundreds of independents still press vinyl in all sizes: Hip Hop and dance music for the DJ set, limited editions of rare 7"s in just about any kind of genre you can imagine for the collectors. While MP3s and 4s have become the accessible norms for everyday use and multi-faceted iPods and iPhones have replaced the turntable and the Walkman, there is still a select few of us who treasure the warmth and integrity of a great piece of vinyl.
Photo of an Archie's cereal box record from a box of Post's Super Sugar Crisps (courtesy The Internet Museum of Flexi/Cardboard/Oddity Records)
Aside from the overall sound of a record (which, admittedly, is vastly inferior to today's digital technology) there is also the element of artistic expression that is often lacking in most of today's music. In plain language: CD booklets can't compare to some of the meticulous and brilliant artwork that has adorned the covers of albums and EPs and 7"s for years. Streaming files and MP3s don't have majestic double gate-folds. In the digital forum there is no room for what some might consider "novelties:" the picture disc or the flexi disc; clear and colored vinyl, oddly-shaped records. Remember those old cardboard records you could cut off the back of a cereal box? Not the best-sounding things technology ever devised but they were fun. They were personal and full of personality. They were different and unique and they really enhanced the aesthetic of the medium and the music. And that's a serious component of what is lacking in today's most popular music: the full experience of lush, artistic covers and smooth, painted vinyl. The shapes, the sizes... they all added to the experience of listening to a piece of music. Especially with giant 70s ear-muff headphones.
I know the past is the past and that change is good and all that. All I ask is that you (you being whatever unseen entity is in charge of these things) don't take away our vinyl. I'll gladly suffer your numbingly bland radio-pop and your fake gangsta' culture if you will just let me have my vinyl...
Certain bits of historical data cited from Wickipedia.
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