Spinning Vinyl

I got my music bug from my dad.  He collected albums in the 1960's & 1970's, usually with a rock & pop slant.  I grew up learning how to string a reel-to-reel and properly cue up a record.  Age 5 my favorite was "Rubber Ducky".

Visiting my parents this holiday, I pulled out some records to play.  My iPod battery was dead and I didn't feel like pawing through their CD collection to find something listenable.  But I do know the basic order of dad's record collection and what is in it.

So I started with the Beetles.  "Sgt. Pepper" first and then the "White Album" (#6130 to be precise - that is it spinning in the picture).  These are original pressings my dad bought when they were released.  Then some Herbie Mann.  Rolling Stones.  Led Zeppelin.  

It does sound different.  I think the mixes are a little different than the current CD versions (at least in the stereo image & levels of instrument tracks).  Nothing double blind.  Just a gut feel.  Threw on a Symphony and got no bass.  But with America, the strumming guitars, especially the higher registers is clean.  Very clean.  

But it is fun.  Playing music from 40 years ago.  The vinyl heads speak of a connection to the music as analog requires more involvement to make it play & is only 20 minutes at a time.  Maybe there is something to it.  Analog is warm to iPod's cold digital.  Or it is due to needing only one step to play a record (move stylus to play) where it requires many steps to put music onto an iPod.  

In the end it is the music that matters, which is the cool part about spinning vinyl at my parent's house.

-Mike M.