Top 10 reasons why I still love records.
I really really love my record collection. And your record collection. And everybody else's collection. So here are my top 10 reasons why I love records so much:
1. Records just sound better.
Everybody knows it so I won't go on about it.
2. Records smell great.
Old records have a beautiful musty smell that says "I've been around. I've seen a lot in my time." New records smell fantastic. New records smell of fresh printers ink and freshly pressed vinyl. The combination is magical.
3. Records respect the album art.
Okay, I've been a sleeve designer since the days when the only thing artists put out was a record, so I'm a bit biased. But a 12" by 12" sleeve looks like a freaking billboard compared to a CD cover or those tiny images I see on my smart phone.
4. Records make your room sound better.
I read about this years ago in The Absolute Sound and some other audiophile journals. And you know what? Those crazy bastards are right. A wall of records stacked neatly with their spines facing out creates an ideal surface to bound back sound. A wall of CDs sounds brittle and quite frankly terrible. They even look crass.
5. Records are practically free these days.
I know, new records actually cost a lot. But every now and then, somebody who knows that I love records will donate their entire collection to me. It's like Christmas and my birthday on the same day when that happens.
6. Records are way more fun to look at when they are playing.
There is something real and organic about watching the needle follow the groove cut into the vinyl as the record spins around. On drugs or no drugs, it's far more entertaining than anything else that plays music today.
7. It takes a village to play a record.
My turntable was made by VPI (American), the tonearm is from Sumiko (Japanese), and the cartridge is from Ortofon (Danish). Put on a Canadian, British or German pressing and it has taken no less than four countries to make the sound come out of the turntable. Never mind the other countries responsible for the amplification, speakers and cabling involved.
8. Records are just sexy.
Cool girls and guys get turned on by a record collection. I've experienced it all my life. You are sexier with a big record collection. No really.
9. Records invite you to listen to the whole album.
In this lazy, zero attention span, quick change world, putting on a record invites you to slow down, take some time, clean the record, put it on carefully, and then sit back and listen to, oh my God, maybe twenty-five minutes of music at a time. It's like taking a vacation.
10. Records SOUND BETTER.
I know, it was number one already. But I can't help myself from saying it again: The pops and cracks; the occasional skip; the wow and flutter sound of a slightly warped disc? It's all music to my ears. There is a warmth and honesty to the sound of a record that I know I will never get tired of.
Your comments are always welcome. Especially if you like records.
Mark
