The Watering Hole

So the father in law dropped me a turntable... a technics something.  Probably nothing audiophile about it.  I hooked it up, but had no records... so there it sat, looking pretty atop the power amp.

And then I made a roadtrip this weekend, found a vinyl shop...

Records are fucking expensive, by the way... talking $22 for one of those new-fangled 180-gram LPs... fuck that!

But I found an old copy of Darkness on the Edge of Town by Bruce Springsteen, and grabbed it for $3.50.  Much more my speed.  While I was at it I grabbed a Steve Hackett record and a Knack record for $3 each.  Well, the Springsteen was very enjoyable.  Sounded good enough, lots of pops and clicks and noise, and it's friggin impossible to get all the dust off... and the volume was lower than any MP3 or CD.  But the LP is an aesthetic experience... watching the needle drop and watching the record spin is just fun.  The whole family dug it.  And it's a great album.  It sounded good enough, it's not some virgin vinyl thing anyway and the turntable was free so I'm not expecting DTR level orgasmatronics.  So after a few plays, my daughter thought she'd help out, and somehow completely trashed the needle.  So much for the fun, until I can get another needle.

Here's the moment memorialized.

That's a great story, Charger.  It's funny to hear you describe the experience.  That was basically the way everyone "kept" music in the early seventies.  Albums would develop a scratch, or something and you would get accustomed to the skip.  There are songs that I hear on the radio even now and I expect the skip.  A trained brain. LOL.

FM radio of the time was cool.  They had radio shows that would feature new albums, so you could get a chance to sample the tune before dropping the coin on the vinyl.

It's funny you should mention how we remember those vinyl imperfections, DM - I had "Best Of Cream" that I stole from my dad, and it had a very well-defined skip in "White Room" and for the longest time I'd expect that every time I heard that song. I eventually got over it, though.

I have a giant pile of vinyl and just need to get a new turntable (my old one ate it). The last time I listened to some vinyl I wasn't that impressed, but since I have all the records, I'll try again.

Tripper

Ha! Needles for the relatively decent Shure p-mount cartridge on this thing cost a ton.  A new cartridge (people seem to like the AT-92E) is about half the price.  Goddam gear.

It is an experience.  One that requires a little love to fully understand.  Get a good record thoroughly cleaned, then keep your style clean and lubricated, you'll be amazed how LITTLE noise there is.  no ticks, pops, scratches, skips.... but yes, that is part of the experience with "old" albums, and especially those that lived most of their life in "less than audiophile land."   :)  

Is this "less than audiophile land" quality??? ;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoD52fb6rbM

I'm sick of it. Why bother?

Sick of what?