Vinyl Records
The Wonderful World of Vinyl
Records
Back when I was a child,
vinyl records were the vehicle used by diehard music lovers
to listen to their favorite songs. Eight tracks were going
out of style really quickly and the newest trend was the
cassette tape.
Believe it or not, I was one of the
first in my town to own a cassette player. I had just
returned from the Army in Europe in the early 1970's and
everyone laughed at this new form of tape player. Go
figure!!
But, back to the subject of vinyl
records. Even with the passing of the eight tracks and the
emergence of the cassette tape, many music lovers stuck to
the traditional vinyl records for their listening
pleasure.
We have come a long way since the
hay day of vinyl records. Compact discs are
all the rage today with good reason. The sound quality is
truly pure and you almost feel as if you are in a soundproof
room when you focus your listening skills on the CD player.
The clean sounds are a major
improvement from the vinyl records that
crackled as they played.
However, it is that crackling
sound that is only offered by the vinyl records that I
find so appealing. There is something about that sound that
is so cool to listen to especially when
I’m in a nostalgic mood.
Maybe it is because the crackling
sound is tied so closely to the songs I loved when I was a
young man. I just can’t seem to separate the
two.
A friend of mine, who happens to be a
DJ, plays only vinyl records, nothing
else.
This has never been a problem for me.
I've always wanted to skip all of the trendy pop-chart music
of today and focus on older dance music and classic songs
available on vinyl records.
My friend started playing dinner songs
at a reception I was attending. He chose classic Moog music
for the wedding meal.
The entire reception hall fell silent
during the prayer.
Once the prayer ended, the DJ placed
the needle on the record and the quiet room filled with soft
crackling sounds followed by some beautiful, almost
forgotten music.
The transition was magnificent and the
memory of the moment the crackling sounds overtook
the reception hall still gives me chills. You simply cannot
replicate that with a compact disc.
Technologically, we have come a
long way when it comes to music. However, we should not
completely let go of the little gems from our past.
- Those haunting sounds of the
crackling vinyl records help us truly touch
the past even if for just a moment in time.
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