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Time
recently ran a story about the resurgence of records.
This makes me happy.
I listen to
my iPod every day, and I have hundreds of CDs, but my records mean the most to
me. Records are fragile things that require care and consideration. Because
they are slightly awkward and can be ruined easily, they make music feel and
sound that much more precious and important. When so much these days feels like
air, like nothing at all, records feel real.
Playing
records is immensely comforting in its ritual … taking the record out of the
sleeve and placing the needle carefully upon it, listening closely to make sure
it all sounds OK, the quietness when the turntable politely lifts the needle
and places the arm back in its cradle … records motivate us to pay attention to
music in a way that CDs and MP3s do not.
Even though
Amazon introduced a vinyl-only store,
I hope that people never stop going to record stores. I love flipping through
stacks of used records and whenever I have had a chance to do so at a legendary
store, like Amoeba Music, it is pure
pleasure. Each of my records has a little story behind it. I remember where I
got it, and when. I remember the conversation I had with the record store dude
when I paid for them. Records were literally currency for me when I was the
dudette working at the record store during college. After each shift, I got paid
in records. The compensation was more than adequate.
I remember
a good friend of mine in college once saying to me how much he loved having and
listening to records. He said each one of his records is like a gift to be
unwrapped and discovered time and time again. He was so right.
Time’s article was titled “Vinyl Gets
it’s Groove Back.” I hope that, like
Stella herself, vinyl LPs can continue to flex their proverbial biceps and
never be taken for granted again.
**to read more articles by this author, click on the name under the headline**
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