I may be a twentysomething in 2010, but I firmly believe that the best sound comes from vinyl, especially music made before 1989. I'm not an audiophile, not by any stretch of the imagination. For me, I feel a certain importance to listening to music the way the artist intended. Elton John wanted me to listen to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road the way that it was pressed into the vinyl, you know? Not remastered on an mp3. (My snobbery takes many forms, but believe me, this form is the strongest.)
I've got a decently impressive vinyl collection, thanks to two pretty rad parents who no longer felt the need to hang onto these precious albums. Let's stroll through the highlights.
Synchronicity by The Police. This is one of my favorite albums of all time, save "Every Breath You Take"... I hate that song. Aside from that, song after song after song on this album is the peak of their career together (well... "Mother" is strange). Unfortunately this was not one I obtained from Mom or Dad, but it was found, buried in the used section of Treehouse Records. This album sounds awesome on vinyl, although the one drawback is having to skip over that godawful song.
Who's Next by The Who. This, babes, is the real deal. My dad bought this album brand new in 1971. I'll tell you, when I was weeding through his box of vinyls, I grabbed this one and he winced with a secret desire to hang on to it. Every crack and pop in this album is met with a smile because it's 100% authentic -- I can almost see my dad as a 16-year-old sitting on the floor listening to the album for the first time. I get as excited as I'm sure he did when the chorus of "Baba O'Riley" crashes through the speakers. This as an awesome family heirloom.
Abbey Road by The Beatles. Another authentic album, this time from Mom. My mom was a teenager when this album came out, and similarly with Who's Next, I get a lot of flashes to my mom when she was but a child listening to this album. Classic! Classic! One of the best things about albums like this is that I don't want to skip any songs. It flows so well, beginning to end, that you get wrapped up in it and are surprised when it's over. Another excellent family heirloom. My parents rule.
Live at the Flamingo by Tom Jones. This deserves a mention for one great reason (aside from the obvious) -- this was my very first vinyl record, another mother hand-me-down. I feel that this was quite the appropriate first album for me to receive. Tom Jones is the shit. He covers everyone from the Beatles to Burt Bacharach to the Grateful Dead on this album. His smarmy banter between songs is just so perfect it hurts, very Vegas in the 70s. When showing off my collection, I always pull this one out to showcase.
The Joshua Tree by U2. I picked this one out myself, obviously. Go back far enough and you'll discover that I've always been a huge U2 fan. Everything up to and including All That You Can't Leave Behind is fucking brilliant, even their artsy-fartsy era stuff. This album specifically sounds great on vinyl because of the way it was recorded (thanks, wikipedia), but the pops of the aging record add to the atmosphere of the songs. Non-U2 fans, learn about this album.
Evolution by Journey. This is another album where the quivers and cracks in the music due to the age of the vinyl add to its charm rather than detract from it, but in a much different way than an album like The Joshua Tree. This is the only album that fist-pumping is appropriate for. When I first discovered this gem among others in the bargain bin, I ran home and played it first, and I sat back with a smile, thinking that it sounded exactly the way that it should. Then I danced by myself for awhile. I think Steve Perry would approve.
These two albums are different from the rest -- bought brand new, but still absolutely vital to my collection. The Velvet Underground & Nico and Trust by Low. These two albums were necessary purchases, but I didn't want them used. I wanted to hear them at the peak of their quality, as the musicians involved in both bands are incredibly meticulous about their sound. Wear and tear would just distract from the sound that they wanted to create. Believe me, you've never heard "In The Drugs" sound as sad or "I'll Be Your Mirror" sound quite as genuine as it does on vinyl.
These albums are Tom Waits albums. Brand new, like the Velvet Underground and Low albums. Tom Waits is my favorite solo artist ever, and I feel his music to be such that I don't want to hear it at any quality that is less than perfect. I need the authenticity. If there's a crackle, I want it to be because he put it there. If it warbles, I want it to be because Tom saw it for the greater good of the song. Nothing but brand new Tom Waits. He's the only artist I'll do that for.
I like to hear music in a billion forms, but vinyl is absolutely my favorite for many reasons. You have to commit to the album if you want to listen to it, otherwise you'll spend an enormous amount of time skipping songs. You can't take it with you -- you have to sit and listen. And most importantly, it sounds so fucking good. As my vinyl collection expands, I feel a sense of arrogance in my musical tastes... but let us not forget that "Hold The Line" by Toto sounds great on vinyl.
1 comment:
We are connected by unforeseen galactic forces! At the time you were posting your loves, I was watching Almost Famous. I've had Elton John in my head all day. Thankfully replacing Gene Chandler's Duke of Earl that so often gets trapped inside of me. God, I hate that song even more than Every Breath You Take. In short, I love you and your record collection.
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