FOR THE LOVE OF VINYL

If you had to select one item to represent 20th-century pop culture, what would it be? A cassette? A video? Maybe a CD? Well for my money, you can’t go past the humble record.

Despite their limitations, varying formats and relative expense these days, there is much that elevates a piece of vinyl above and beyond its many sound-recording rivals. To begin with, records made music affordable and accessible to the masses.

Can you imagine the 1960s without the Beatles? Without the protest songs of the American civil rights movement or the sublime sound of the Dusty in Memphis LP? You can argue it was the music, rather than the format, that made the difference, but records made music personal.

Having grown up in the 1970s and 1980s, I experienced records in all their hi-fi glory and can attest to the sentimentality most people of my vintage feel towards vinyl. It’s an attachment later generations are unlikely to have to digital downloads.

Chief among my record collection of the era were ABBA, Blondie and a rather raunchy British singer by the name of Pussyfoot.

When I first heard of the compact disc, I was sceptical. Sure, records had their problems. They were easy to scratch, they sometimes crackled, and it seemed you were forever getting up to turn the thing over – yet at the time it was just part of the process. But I was wrong: by the end of the 1980s, vinyl was on the way out and, like everyone else, I gave in without a whimper.

Slowly the shelves of my favourite record shop began to overwhelmingly stock CDs. There soon came a period in the 1990s when major commercial outlets refused to even stock vinyl. Buying and listening to records became distinctly unhip.

I had spent over two decades worshipping at the altar of the digital recording and even started to embrace digital downloads when, during the summer of 2014, my partner arrived home with a multitude of booklets singing the praises of modern-day turntables. I wasn’t immediately convinced, but within a day of installation my attitude towards the shiny new device had changed to complete enthusiasm. Memories came flooding back, and I was soon at our local specialist record shop contemplating my first vinyl purchase in over 20 years.

The first thing I really noticed was the clarity of sound. Take the Kate Bush album Hounds of Love. Over the years I would have listened to the compressed digital version thousands of times, yet, despite my familiarity, on vinyl I suddenly discovered new sounds, I could hear the wonder of the instrumentation and the nuances of the vocal. It was exhilarating.

Another distinct benefit of placing the needle on the record is that, as a listener, you make a commitment to sit through an entire side of an album rather than simply repeat a favourite tune ad nauseam.

Purchasing vinyl is also a great way to discover new music. Each payday I allow myself to buy one new-release record, which usually comes with either a digital download card or a CD version of the recording in order to make it more appealing and accessible on a range of formats.

EMBRACING VINYL

For those inspired enough to return or consider a change to vinyl, there are but a few things to consider:

•  The initial set-up will cost you money. What’s your budget?

•  Do your research: what kind of turntable do you want? What system will best suit your home?

•  Like records themselves, there are plenty of turntables available – both new and second-hand – from hi-fi stores to recycling shops and specialists who lovingly restore old sound systems.

•  Vinyl is more expensive than CDs or downloading – what can you afford? Consider allowing yourself one purchase each fortnight – that way, you will really have to think about what you’d like to add to your collection.

•  As well as specialist and second-hand record stores, check out markets, op shops and online marketplaces.

•  Look after your records. Don’t leave them in a sunny spot or in a pile – both may result in buckling.