As I started collecting Stephen King hardbacks last year, Matt started collecting old vinyl records. Nuggets from his youth, on wax, for roughly five dollars a pop. Since he listened to these records at his parents' house and not our house, I suggested to his girlfriend that she get him a turntable for Christmas.
Now there's a turntable in the reading room and Matt has played plenty of his records. From a Genesis live record to an obscure Frank Sinatra record, the needle has received plenty of use.
I've found plenty to marvel about with vinyl, but I have my reasons for not building up my own collection. Since I stopped writing for Punk Planet, I have not added any more. Sound quality and availability have been big reasons why for me. And the only reason why I bought 7-inches by punk bands was that the B-sides never appeared on CD. Plus, when a record was given to the KTCU music staff and I was the only one interested in it, I'd get it and find a proper home for it (usually, my stash).
A recent realization I had going through Matt's Sinatra records was the abundance of songs that have never appeared on CDs, aside from box sets. I don't know how many people are hankering for Old Blue Eyes' version of "Both Sides, Now," but it's sure nice to find deep album cuts. Especially when it comes to cover songs. Besides, for an artist like him, you're more likely to see greatest hits compilations on CDs than individual albums.
And what's also interesting about the recent addition of a turntable in our house? I have not once pulled out any of my records to play. I'm not against pulling out my records, but I don't have the hankering to do it yet. These days I'm too busy testing out Genius mixes on my iTunes library.
Now there's a turntable in the reading room and Matt has played plenty of his records. From a Genesis live record to an obscure Frank Sinatra record, the needle has received plenty of use.
I've found plenty to marvel about with vinyl, but I have my reasons for not building up my own collection. Since I stopped writing for Punk Planet, I have not added any more. Sound quality and availability have been big reasons why for me. And the only reason why I bought 7-inches by punk bands was that the B-sides never appeared on CD. Plus, when a record was given to the KTCU music staff and I was the only one interested in it, I'd get it and find a proper home for it (usually, my stash).
A recent realization I had going through Matt's Sinatra records was the abundance of songs that have never appeared on CDs, aside from box sets. I don't know how many people are hankering for Old Blue Eyes' version of "Both Sides, Now," but it's sure nice to find deep album cuts. Especially when it comes to cover songs. Besides, for an artist like him, you're more likely to see greatest hits compilations on CDs than individual albums.
And what's also interesting about the recent addition of a turntable in our house? I have not once pulled out any of my records to play. I'm not against pulling out my records, but I don't have the hankering to do it yet. These days I'm too busy testing out Genius mixes on my iTunes library.
Comments