Mucus companies? Gross.

Yeah, once the click track/drum machine took over playing the melody in a song, they kinda lost me.

So I'm Supposed To Sit Upon My Couch Watching My
T.V.
I'm Still Listening To Wax, I'm Not Using The CD

I just came to the realization that my newborn son will have no idea what a cassette tape or record is unless I keep a few around for him to see.

PEG ME

KITBASH

NT-KREW

HNK BAG

Records are selling because audiophiles who prefer them have the money to spend. And with gadgets like laser turntables^ on the market, now they don't even have to worry about the needle damaging their precious collection.

When my brother's band (new window) plays, vinyl generally outsells CDs at the merch table by about a 2-1 margin.

Yeah, but try listening to those records in the car or while you're out jogging.

labman:Yeah, but try listening to those records ... while you're out jogging.

It may not sound good, but it's *really* good exercise.

well, I suppose you could play a record in the car if you had one of the 60s model GM vehicles with the turntable option instead of a glove compartment. You just can't listen to them while you're moving unless you want scratched records. that and don't leave them in the sun on a hot day

/My 69 skylark was one of the cars you could get that option on.

In other news, black turtle necks and Clove cigarette sales are also on the rise.

I like to whistle me some happy hardcore techno while I work.

What are these strange words, "whistle" and "tunes, in your headline, smitty?

And isn't all music black?

/^believeit_ornot^thisis_sarcasm

I still have more LPs than CDs. Mainly because I'd rather spend $2 on a used record and download the new stuff.

I want a turntable that automatically flips the LP.

For fans of records- I highly recommend Dj Shadow & Cut Chemist- Product Placement. It's a big 45 mixtape, and these guys took a lot of time laying out the routines. Really really good.

You mean a record record record?

this trend has been going on for a couple years now. it's good to see, because records are fun and, well...I believe having the total package (artwork, lyrics, liner notes, etc...) just adds to the overall music experience.

I have The Beatles collection on MFSL half speed masters and a 20 year old turntable. I still play records now and then.

Love vinyl.

Record companies are getting smart about vinyl albums too.

A lot of the vinyl belonging to newer bands also comes with a free download of the album. So you get the sound of vinyl and the portability of MP3s.

does anyone know a cheap option for a turntable? i got a couple records as gifts then bought a couple more that i wanted, but can't play em :/

gimmedaloot:For fans of records- I highly recommend Dj Shadow & Cut Chemist- Product Placement. It's a big 45 mixtape, and these guys took a lot of time laying out the routines. Really really good.

I saw them live, and I'll be seeing them again in two weeks. One of the most amazing things I've ever witnessed live, and I've seen a lot of shows.

Ok, so they do sound richer, but needles cost like $50 now and I put off buying it so long they invented mp3s. So the music I don't listen to takes up many cubic feet of space and what I do takes up absolutely none. Weird.

Vinyl is overrated. The "great" things people remember about vinyl are typically things record companies have just f*cked up over the years... liner notes, lyrics, artwork, non-"enhanced" sound/noise, decent music... these things can easily be incorporated into CDs, but in many cases aren't.

Hey hey, it's the monthly 'Vinyl is coming back!' thread.

I've been reading these stories since I first discovered music nearly 15 years ago.

Let me get all the inevitable arguments out of the way: vinyl won't die because it has a hardcore niche audience, no it does not sound better than CD (it's a scientific fact CDs have a higher dynamic range and a lower noise floor, it's just that mastering over the last 20 years has been degraded into a race for loudness and reduced range), it is fun to listen to vinyl occasionally, audiophiles are idiots for buying stupid cables, vinyl is warm, digital is cold, vinyl is crackly and wears out, CDs are more convenient, MP3s sound hollow etc etc etc blah blah blah.

Unright:I like to whistle me some happy hardcore techno while I work.

I think I would cave your head in with a glowstick if I had to hear "Heart Of Gold" whistled in the cubicle next to me.

amo:

Those laser turntables aren't reportedly all they're cracked up to be. Records have to be absolutely, surgically pristine when played back on one of those, or they pick up every little bit of noise much more than a stylus would. They're more of a gimmick than anything, really. You'll get better results with just a good conventional turntable & properly setup tonearm & cartridge.

puffy999:

"Vinyl is overrated. The "great" things people remember about vinyl are typically things record companies have just f*cked up over the years... liner notes, lyrics, artwork, non-"enhanced" sound/noise, decent music... these things can easily be incorporated into CDs, but in many cases aren't."

As someone who is a vinyl buff with 5 turntables, (It's a sickness, I know...) I must say you're right on the money, there. I listen to LPs, reels, cassettes, CDs, computer files, you-name-it. The fact is all of the formats can sound absolutely terrific or craptastic. It can go either way. It's all about everything that happens on the way to the final product that determines the quality of the recording.

labman:well, I suppose you could play a record in the car if you had one of the 60s model GM vehicles with the turntable option instead of a glove compartment. You just can't listen to them while you're moving unless you want scratched records. that and don't leave them in the sun on a hot day

/My 69 skylark was one of the cars you could get that option on.

This concept gave rise to the name and product, "Motorola" - a Victrola for the automobile.

I am a huge audiophile and I use multiple formats. While I love the convenience of an mp3 player, analog recordings will never die.

I remember seeing Steve Albini give a lecture, and he talked about why he prefers analog recordings and vinyl over digital recordings and CDs. The gist of it was that digital technology changes too often to hold up over time. He gave the example of how some of the earliest known digital recordings from the 70's and 80's were made on formats that are now extinct, making the preservation of them extremely challenging. He then noted that if you brought him any analog recording dating back as far as you like, he would be able to play and listen to it with relatively no problems.

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Akbar & Jeff disapprove.
/still have my vinyl & antique Dennon turntable

This is great news and makes me want to tie an onion to my belt!

where is all the open reel a.k.a. reel to reel tapes going to be re released

It's been a few weeks, so we were overdue for the "vinyl is making a comeback" story

jvcturntable:I remember seeing Steve Albini give a lecture, and he talked about why he prefers analog recordings and vinyl over digital recordings and CDs. The gist of it was that digital technology changes too often to hold up over time. He gave the example of how some of the earliest known digital recordings from the 70's and 80's were made on formats that are now extinct, making the preservation of them extremely challenging. He then noted that if you brought him any analog recording dating back as far as you like, he would be able to play and listen to it with relatively no problems.

this is also the guy that doesn't even bother properly mastering his albums to CD. I like Big Black, but of course CDs will sound worse than vinyl if not properly mastered.

labman:glove compartment.

In my 79 Lincoln Town Car I always kept it full of gloves. Gardening gloves, Rubbermaid dishwashing gloves, any gloves I could find. Glove glove glove.

I'm not gonna lie, having your grandmother's antique record player with some used Billy Joel records really has a way of getting you some indie ass in college.

I'm buying this on vinyl when it comes out. Every record I ever owned was used, I want to see what a brand new one looks like



Link (new window)

Pshaw - Me, I'm waiting for the re-introduction of 8-track tapes!

Nothing's like hearing Sgt. Pepper or Kiss Alive! with that click-chunk noise between every three songs, hearing two tracks at once if the road was bumpy, and occasionally hearing that whirl/wowowowwow sound and 'knowing' you were gonna pull out a cartidge with it's tapey brown guts trailing back into the tape player door. I lost 'Frampton Comes Alive' that way.

Between the non-Dolby tape hiss and the variable speed of the playback if the player was dirty, and a song fading out and then resuming on the next track, the audio fidelity was cromulently craptastic.

Oh yeah, LPs sucked too - they were too easily scratched. Even if you were very careful, it was bound to happen eventually, just like with a new car.

For the uninitiated amongst us who have never seen one:

I just came back from a record store so I'm getting a kick...

I hadn't heard anything on LP until about a year ago. You can't beat the warmth and presence.

Kids know if you're going to pay $15-22 for a physical recording, it might as well sound good.

syrynxx:labman:glove compartment.

In my 79 Lincoln Town Car I always kept it full of gloves. Gardening gloves, Rubbermaid dishwashing gloves, any gloves I could find. Glove glove glove.

You must like the new El Tubadero Club huh?

You could set your watch to "records are making a comeback!" greenlights here on Fark.

dont call it a comeback, they never left.

labman
Yeah, but try listening to those records in the car or while you're out jogging.

okay, maybe not jogging, but driving...you can do that. It's a simple turntable mod about as involved as putting a roll of duct tape on the deck and flipping your needle upside down to listen to a record backwards.

CyranoJones:Pshaw - Me, I'm waiting for the re-introduction of 8-track tapes!

Nothing's like hearing Sgt. Pepper or Kiss Alive! with that click-chunk noise between every three songs, hearing two tracks at once if the road was bumpy, and occasionally hearing that whirl/wowowowwow sound and 'knowing' you were gonna pull out a cartidge with it's tapey brown guts trailing back into the tape player door. I lost 'Frampton Comes Alive' that way.

Between the non-Dolby tape hiss and the variable speed of the playback if the player was dirty, and a song fading out and then resuming on the next track, the audio fidelity was cromulently craptastic.

Oh yeah, LPs sucked too - they were too easily scratched. Even if you were very careful, it was bound to happen eventually, just like with a new car.

For the uninitiated amongst us who have never seen one:

What memories! We had Kiss, The Eagles and The Knack on 8-Track!
We listened to it as kids while riding in the back my folks' brown Chevy Impala...with NO SEATBELTS...

Those were the days...

And when I was a teenager in the 80s, I had Sgt. Pepper on LP and I still remember every little pop and scratch on the songs...and Magical Mystery Tour had the cool booklet...Sgt. Pepper had the cutouts...

atowntommy:This is great news and makes me want to tie an onion to my belt!

In other news, clothing stores are selling more belts with onion ties than they have in years.

gren713:

And when I was a teenager in the 80s, I had Sgt. Pepper on LP and I still remember every little pop and scratch on the songs...and Magical Mystery Tour had the cool booklet...Sgt. Pepper had the cutouts...

And that Rolling Stones LP 'sticky fingers' with the actual zipper that unzipped to reveal the underwear with the tongue and lips.

Too bad the zipper messed with the vinyl.

As a breakbeat DJ struggling to find a club that hasn't switched to those overpriced, oversensitive CD players that are supposed to emulate the tactile interface of vinyl on a turntable...

...yeah, gettin' a kick.

/Vinyl is final.

One thing I'll mention:
I put out records all the time. This year has been crazy trying to find pressing plants. They are really booked. One used to have a four week turnover, now it's 8 weeks. It's pretty crazy

CyranoJones:Pshaw - Me, I'm waiting for the re-introduction of 8-track tapes!

And your pictured example includes one of my very favorite features of the 8 track format: splitting a song between tracks. There are songs that, to this day, when I hear them I mentally do the "song fades...CA-CHUNK!...song fades back in" thing because I owned the album on 8 track.

Good times. Ermmm...not.