My appreciation for vinyl records dates to when I was young and wet behind the ears. Back then, vinyl was still king and while CDs and audio cassettes made their rounds at record stores and swap meets, the warm tone of an analog recording on wax was life changing.
My uncle turned me on to all manner of vinyl, from Black Flag’s “TV Party” to Beastie Boys’ “She’s On It,” both singles that are still very much in my collection and in heavy rotation. At the time of first hearing the sounds, it didn’t occur to me that my musical palate would evolve into vibing to more than one genre. However, with time and some mid-afternoon music hunting, it did.
In the 2000’s, when CDs were tucked in CD wallets and those wallets were tucked between car seats, with a disc changer that was sometimes up front and other times in the trunk, it seemed that vinyl fever had broken.
I knew in my heart that vinyl hysteria would make a serious comeback. And now, here we are around 15 years later, and vinyl is back, in a big way—along with physical media in general. Because in the digital age, us consumers want something tangible that we can hold in our mitts.
I suppose that’s why vinyl, with its double-gate folds, multi-color offerings that gleam with every shade of the rainbow and then some, still holds value and resonates now more than it ever has before.
For the initiated, April 23rd is Record Store Day and depending on what part of the world you live in, that could mean the difference in finding releases that are only exclusive to your country or mine. But. That doesn’t make the day is any less exciting.
In preparation for this year’s Record Store Day, I visited one of the best shops New York has to offer and procured some great releases along with some extra goodies—namely, a slip mat, and a Walkman (yes, those still do exist!).
So, I ask you. What are your favorite genres and artists? And will you be taking part in a Record Store Day where you reside?
Happy listening!
