The Queen Is Dead: Return Of The Vinyl
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When my daughter was very young – about 5 or so – she asked me “What ARE these daddy?”. They were and remain my prized collection of vinyl records. The majority are in mint or near mint condition as they only got played once as I recorded them onto cassette and, later, CD. By so doing they didn’t get scratched or damaged. I am absolutely delighted to report, in case you didn’t already know, that vinyl records are making something of a comeback.
Vinyl records are far better than CD’s. Certainly they are far more easily damaged but it’s something about the feel and texture and, yes, sound of a vinyl that has always beaten CD’s. Somehow a vinyl record is more ‘personal’ than a CD which is strangely ‘cold’ in comparison – or perhaps I’m just a technophobe?
Anyway. I spotted a vinyl the other day that I already had but, in this case, it was quite badly scratched through too many plays. For some reason I felt only the ‘vinyl sound’ was acceptable for the greatest band that has ever existed so The Smiths ‘The Queen Is Dead’ got played to death. Finding a pristine new copy made my day.
Buying it and playing it prompted me to pull out a few more vinyl’s and ‘give them a spin’. At this point I realised just how many memories a vinyl record could bring back up in what passes for my mind.
Elvis Costello’s ‘My Aim Is True’, his debut album released not long after I had sat at a bar chatting to a bloke called Declan about music, life, the universe and everything not realising that Declan was shortly to become Elvis Costello.
Bowwowwow’s debut album ‘See Jungle See Jungle Go Join Your Gang Yeah! City All Over Go Ape Crazy’ (which has to be a challenger for the longest album title ever). At the age of 22(?) I was in an all night cafe in London when I recognised lead vocalist Anabella Lwin. Being drunk I wandered over and said ‘Fancy a shag?’. She tipped her cup of coffee over my head and wisely fled into the night.
Former Spiders From Mars (Bowie) lead guitarist Mick Ronson’s ‘Slaughter On Tenth Avenue’. I saw the late Ronson at Manchester’s Free Trade Hall in ’75(?). I was at the stage door when he emerged and he gave me his leather jacket – suffice to say it wouldn’t fit me now if I had any idea where I’ve put the damn thing!
Madness ‘One Step Beyond’, ‘The Best Of Hot Chocolate’, Sex Pistols ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’, Roxy Music ‘For Your Pleasure’ and on and on I went, pulling out old favourites and loving every tune. Cockney Rebel’s ‘Psychomodo’ – MAGNIFICENT!
You can keep your metallic impersonal CD’s.
Vinyl is the true form of the true music fan. Only a live performance can hold it’s own against vinyl and even then sometimes not.
Do not dare to differ! 😉
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Great article! Had Hat Full of Hollow import. Bought Meat is Murder in DC in 85 at a place called Beer, Wine and Records. Both records, along with untold others (like Lone Justice’s debut featuring “After The Flood”) ruined when my basement flooded – still have memories thou. cheers!
Apparently my offspring agree with you as so much of my collection has gone missing, but of course it’s a generation older than yours – you know back when music was music and Rock was American.
I got my dad’s collection too after he passed away and he had a shitload of albums and 45s.
I’ve lost or misplaced dozens of records over the years. That makes me sad.