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Why Vinyl Records Will Always Reign Supreme |
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Written by Joshua Glidden
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Monday, 22 January 2007 |
"...drop the needle and play" - Bruce Springsteen
A vinyl record epitomizes the heart and soul of music in a way that the lesser mediums (CDs, MP3s) can never attain to. An iPod symbolizes convenience. I say there are joys of inconvenience. Is “playlist” anything but another word for background noise? Once the music deteriorates to background noise level we’ve warped John Fogerty, Chuck Berry, Wilco into the drivel of elevators.
Vinyl is oversized, it’s bulky, it can’t be carried into the school library. It can’t be plugged into your car’s stereo system. No, it commands your attention. It says: You will listen my way or you won’t listen.
Picture the record listener. They’re confronted with an album cover bigger than the occasional promo rock poster that comes with your tiny CD. It’s big, it demands examination, it demands thought and consideration…we could call it artwork in some cases. With care the listener removes the vinyl instrument from its sheath placing it on a circular bed. It is now prepared for the needle that will set its sounds free. The needle appears. A needle that symbolizes precision. A needle that symbolizes true sound. A pointed utensil that magically drags itself across the entirety of the vinyl leaving it unvandalized.
The listener now has an opportunity to listen. They have 20 minutes to focus on the music. They aren’t given the privilege of starting another project. If our listener becomes bill-payer, paper-writer, E-mail responder then our record soon becomes silent belting out a reminder that they’ve transformed into non-listener. Our character is forced with the choice of listening or continually being distracted from their more important tasks.
This assumes a greater responsibility for the record creator. Their album takes on a different face. They must think through the music they are creating. How do these four songs sound together on one side of the album? What stories or emotions am I creating in 20-minute segments? Does my two-sided story cohere? It’s no wonder that albums used to be shorter. To do this with quality is a difficult task. …which begs the question: Is it necessary for an album to be 15 tracks? Or, should 15 tracks be reserved for the occasional double-album or greatest hits package?
Side one ends. The listener gets up and carefully turns the album to its second side. Maybe it’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan…maybe Born to Run…Tapestry. They place the needle back in its groove and return to their listening post.
As the music plays they think. Lyrics begin to take shape. Even though they’ve heard the song 100 times, the music’s characters still develop, take on history, and…I can see myself…emotions develop. The listener’s regulars on the record playing machine are selected carefully, many albums are not suited to careful repeated listening. The scheduled time the record demands does not suit itself well to poorly created albums.
Eventually side two ends. The listener returns the music to its cardboard casing and returns the album to its shelf. As they head to their room for a night of sleep they are somehow relaxed. The listener's mind has been active in a non-TV type of way while still unwinding from a long day.
It’s tempting to imagine a world where vinyl still reigns supreme. Instead we live in a world where people buy computer files that simulate music. The initial impressions of the cover art exist only in the most bare minimalistic fashion possible. The idea of a complete “album” suffers due to the ability to buy, borrow, or steal individual songs…the coherent two-sided album is a fuzzy memory. CD binders are full of silver CDRs covered with black Sharpie reminders of 1) the names of the CDs and 2) that the owner cares more about the destination than the trip.
Perhaps, more music is better. But, I’d like to suggest that a 5-star album today may not be what it was 20 years ago. How much time do we give to discovering the back alleys of an album…the songs that grow on you…the subtle moments that you missed…how much time do we have to hang out in the songs when our collection grows daily due to the enormous musical web that we’ve created?
I realize that there are pros and cons to the new digital age of music, just as there are pros and cons to the vinyl age. However, in the mighty fury for dominance in the MP3 market, we just may need a reminder that there’s nothing cooler than pulling a Johnny Cash record out of its sleeve and putting it on your turntable. And, no matter how much money the Apple-folks or anyone else spend on attempts to program my mind otherwise, this will always be true.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 23 January 2007 )
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