The whirr of the turntable, the gentle scratch of the needle as it touches down on vinyl, and the delicious music that pours forth with the subtle balance of pops and crackles. To some, this is the only way to listen to music. While I do have my iPod (mostly for my car, but maybe I should look into one of those car record players they had in the 70s), vinyl is my preferred way to hear my favorite artists.
People are some what surprised by my vinyl collection, thinking no one listens to them anymore. However, I’m definitely not alone. This Who Knew video states that vinyls “were the fastest growing format of 2010.” And sales are up 40% in 2011. While the actual numbers still pale in comparison to digital downloads, more and more people are rediscovering and appreciating the vinyl record.
It’s not just about the sound and the turntable itself, there’s a whole experience and “way of the record.” Clicking through iTunes and hitting “buy,” and instantly having your song, is not very exciting. What is exhilarating? Walking into a record store, where the dusty smell of record covers and years of owners before waft past your nose. The rows of records invite you, enticing you to sift through their secrets, just waiting for you to find that hidden gem, that record you’ve been longing for, or maybe the one you didn’t even know you wanted.
There is a thrill in the hunt for records, a thirst for that particular artist or title, and the excitement of its discovery. When you clutch those sought after treasures to your chest and approach the cash register, you know you have just quenched a hunger in your music soul.
Go ahead, give one a spin.
Lovely Shades of Nostalgia 
We had a record player with no records, until we went to a bookstore in Knoxville, Tennessee that was selling records for 25 cents each. I found a Frank Sinatra Christmas album there was listed for about $10 on ebay. Best thing of all is that I was able to find some albums, I had years ago and had sold at garage sales for almost nothing. Love playing the Frank Sinatra album Nearness of You as he starts singing:
It’s not the pale moon that excites me, that thrills and delights me
Oh no, it’s just the nearness of you.
Thank you reminding us of National Vinyl Record Day.
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I run estate sales for a living, and vinyl sells great! Whenever I have a sale, I have at least a couple people who come specifically to look at the albums. Thanks for a lovely entry.
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I love every one of my records. I owe a huge thanks to you, my friend, for inspiring me to finally indulge myself into record collecting and playing. 🙂 Now that I have started I can’t stop and I can’t imagine a life without vinyl…
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“Walking into a record store, where the dusty smell of record covers and years of owners before waft past your nose. The rows of records invite you, enticing you to sift through their secrets, just waiting for you to find that hidden gem, that record you’ve been longing for, or maybe the one you didn’t even know you wanted.”
THAT…is why I like to browse music stores, flea markets and book stores. This was a great piece.
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