I honestly resisted adding my two cents to the mostly noisy blogs that have become a sort of pandemic on the WWW. But what the hell, I have some time on my hands now that I resigned my job.
Why not start typing away on subjects dear to my heart such as playing music and listening to music. If nothing else it might actually be an healthy outlet.
So here it goes…
Recently I returned to the modestly resurgent world of the analog pre-recorded music format, i.e the vinyl LP. I grew up buying records but was lured away by the marketing of the compact disc in the late eighties. The compact disc logo followed by, “The Compact Disc Digital Audio System offers, on a small, convenient sound-carrier, state-of-the-art sound reproduction.” was hard to argue with at the time. Being a pragmatic person, I was sold on the small convenient nature of the compact disc. I was also sold on the purported longevity of the format. “Compact Discs will provide a lifetime of pure listening enjoyment.” I should of been suspicious of any marketing language that used pure.
The vinyl LP for me is about capturing the warmth and organic nature of music created by humans. The analog versus digital technology debate is not that interesting to me from an emotional point of view. The physics behind the analog and digital technologies is quite fascinating but I leave that discussion to much smarter people. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_recording_vs._digital_recording
To me the compact disc, the mp3 etc are all about convenience. Don’t get me wrong being born and raised in America I am accustomed to instant gratification and enjoy the spoils of ultra convenience. But I digress, back to what makes me crave music committed to analog tape and then pressed to vinyl. To my ear the vinyl record format sounds more natural than the pristine digital formats. Digital formats to my ears sound brittle and shallow. Of course, all of this depends on the equipment used for playback and the consumer.
Beyond the auditory experience, I enjoy the packaging of vinyl records. The gate fold sleeve is one of the best things to happen to any music format. Poring over art work and liner notes that are legible is a joy and adds to the experience of the music. Listening to music on vinyl requires attention and care not required with CDs and mp3s. You have to check and clean the records, the stylus etc. Skipping and repeating songs is not as convenient with vinyl so the listener is sort of forced to experience the thoughtful ordering of compositions. The patient listener is sort of rewarded for the all the effort.
Perhaps I am biased by nostalgia for my tween and teen years. Regardless, I am enjoying my return to the vinyl LP experience.
Before I sign off here are some the records I am enjoying on vinyl at the moment.
http://www.classicrecords.com/item.cfm?item=2657%20013-200G
http://www.builttospill.com/store/product/you-reverse-cd-or-vinyl
http://wilco.kungfustore.com/products/843-summerteeth-lp-preorder-wil194
Enough pointless unoriginal ramblings for now.