The record deal
Simon O’Connell’s piece [Paper Late, Prog 96] arguing for the merits of vinyl was an interesting read. Like many of your readers I used to have a huge vinyl collection, sold most of it at some point when I was impetuous and broke, and ended up buying most of it (and a lot more) again on CD. I’ve resisted the vinyl revival for two reasons: 1. I remember what my house was like when I had vinyl and 2. I would end up taking out my pension pot and spending it on vinyl. A friend offered me quite a nice turntable for free as he was emigrating and I had to tell him that I couldn’t afford it.
Whether you like vinyl, CD, 8-track or download I would like to make an appeal for the album as an art form. A few years ago I wrote a blog piece on the subject. An edited version is pasted below as it still stands true.
Those of you who are of a similar age to myself, i.e. you remember when there was no internet and you had to talk to actual people, will likely have fond memories of saving up your pennies to go to the record shop and buy an album.
In those days albums came on vinyl or cassette, or even 8-track cartridge. We relished the album as a piece of art, the gatefold sleeve of vinyl was often taken beyond its standard form and became something to explore whilst listening to the music. Take Led Zeppelin III, for example, with its revolving insert or Yessongs, which stretched to a full four feet.
Most importantly though, the album was something that you listened to in its entirety. You put the needle in the groove at the beginning of side one and listened to all of it, then you flipped it and did the same with side two (and three and four quite often). You made the time to listen to the music and let it sink in, you stopped what you were doing and gave your time to the music and because of that, you appreciated it all the more.
You couldn’t, for instance, dip into The Dark Side Of The Moon, play one track, then randomly skip to something else; it has to be all or nothing.
Downloads, shuffles, random plays, streaming, YouTube, Spotify. All these guys have done their best to destroy the album as a work of art, but for many of us its importance is still right up there. Now that vinyl is making a strong comeback (for some inexplicable reason) I want to make an appeal to readers to revisit the album and appreciate its value as an entire work.
This evening, stop what you are doing, switch the telly off, put your computer, tablet and phone to one side, get a nice cuppa or a bottle of beer, sit in front of the fire with your slippers on and your feet up, dig out one of your favourite albums and just listen to the whole thing, let it soak in, let it envelop you in its beauty and creativity.
Andy Long