Those scratchy records might heal his broken heart
Recordings on vinyl are experiencing a resurgence following a lengthy decline. Those slabs of vinyl known as record albums faded into obscurity during the 1980s, but now they are making a solid rebound.
Some of us were prudent. We knew records would come back, so we held on to ours, right? Some classic albums are selling for big bucks these days. Eric Spitznagel got rid of the records from his youth. He had regrets. Years later, he embarked on a fantastic quest. Spitznagel tried to reassemble his lost collection.
He tells the story of his search in “Old Records Never Die: One Man’s Quest for His Vinyl and His Past.” Some of us troll eBay and other online sites hoping to acquire replacements for records that we owned before. Spitznagel wasn’t doing that. He wanted to find the exact same record albums he previously owned.
He didn’t want duplicates. He was looking for particular albums he could identify as being uniquely the ones that bore his handwriting or other recognizable distinctive characteristics, the genuine albums he had once owned. I know, this sounds absurd, but what a fabulous premise for a book.
Each record becomes unique. When I listen to one of my albums, I anticipate the exact spots where I’ll be hearing that record pop. The scratches are like fingerprints. None are exactly the same.
He writes that “the scratches matter. They’re not just an imperfection. Something meaningful happens when those scratches are made. Something is etched in the grooves. Something important has become a part of your permanent record. And the song is your witness. It’s borne witness to your milestones; it held your proverbial hand.”
He wanted to get his records back: “If it was one of my records, I’d like to think I’d recognize it. Even if it’s been sitting in a damp basement, or stored under a leaky air conditioner. I know where all the scratches are; I put them there myself. I know every pop and hiss.”
How will he locate, then reclaim, these objects from his past? How to begin? Where will he look? If and when he finds one of his old records, how will he get it back? This fascinating premise drives his story forward.
Do you believe his mission was doomed to fail? This becomes more than a quixotic journey. The author’s ability to reconstruct his past while looking at the reality of the present allows us to reflect upon our own experiences, memories, losses and triumphs.
This affectionate, sentimental memoir details how he sought out his lost collection. By the end, one realizes that the real buried treasure was hidden all along within our very hearts.