A Vinyl Bias

For some reason that I'm just not sure of I can't help escape that I love listening to music in vinyl form.

There is something about that crickle crackle as the record starts to spin that just gives a sense of anticipation that just can't be replicated in other more digital forms.  I love it...it's like it spins there going, wait for it, wait for it....wait for it...then bam...it kicks in and away you go.

There is something about the record that demands you listen in sequence.  Sure you can start someone in the middle, picking out a favourite song, but there's no automatic repeat or shuffle option.  You've got to manually apply those settings yourself.  It gives more power to the artist to decide how they think you should travel through the different soundscapes they have crafted.  On an LP, it's not just about writing 10 killer tracks, it's about crafting an overall experience.

There is also something about the finite nature of a record...there's only so many songs and it sure ain't going to flip itself once done.  Even cassette tapes could be set to play over and over on the right tape deck.  It's like it says, are you really listening or am I just background noise....I've stopped playing you know...

There's something about the way a record is delicate and needs to be cared for.  It was funny to hear Kim Deal on the Pixies Doolittle tour in Perth a couple years back joke that the band was playing the entire album song by song, unless you'd spilled beer on your copy and it jumped from the first song to the last.  I remember even my father-in-law having a little shot at me once when I wasn't paying enough care to one of my records, saying something like "Don't they worry about how they handle records anymore?"...point taken....mishandle your record at the risk of having it scratched right in the middle of your favourite song.

Sometimes I think it is good that our mediums demand something of us....Well, gotta go, that new record my wife bought recently is demanding my attention....