vinyl records and why they are my favorite thing to collect
I got into vinyl records in late 2024. I got into them initially because I had pre-ordered the American Idiot 20th Anniversary Box Set after attending the Saviors Tour that same year.
It was a sort of cart-before-the-horse situation as, up to that point, I only had a small collection of CDs. I had then bought a turntable and some bookshelf speakers (not exactly hi-fi, but what can you do). I got the Audio Technica LP120XBT, which is a really solid mid-range record player, shortly after I bought the pre-order.
I basically had the thing sitting on my desk as basically a $300 paperweight for a few weeks until I thought "Why don't I just go get a record until the box set shows up?"
So that's what I did, I went to a local record store and got me a copy of the anniversary pressing for MF DOOM's 'MM.. FOOD'. I had this album on CD and it's one of my favorites next to Madvillainy. Rap/Hip-Hop just feels right on analogue music mediums.
I brought it home, opened it, and that's when vinyl really clicked for me. The artwork is absolutely beautiful, the translucent pressing, and playing it all made me fully 'get' why people love vinyl records.
Vinyl is probably the 3rd best way to listen to music to most people. With #1 being FLAC/CDs, and #2 being high-bitrate MP3 rips from FLACs/CDs. It's flawed, you will likely hear some light static and occasional popping (or a lot of popping if you are unfortunate enough to get your hands on a bad pressing). It's inconvenient, bigger, and more fragile than CDs. So why the hell do I like it so much?
Sometimes I feel like when describing why I like vinyl records I sound like Ken from The Bee Movie:
As far as the static and popping goes, for me I enjoy that sort of white noise (so long as it's not overriding the music). Hearing the sound of the needle physically rubbing against the grooves before the music plays just sounds good to me.
Analogue music has a warmer sound to it, some people can't hear the difference, but I can (cassette is the most noticeable in this regard). It's kinda hard to explain, really. I wouldn't say it's "better", just different. If you want absolute "perfection" then CD/FLAC is obviously the way to go.
Vinyls are bigger than CDs, and to me I see this as more of a pro than a con. By making it bigger, you're able to take in more of the art and really examine it. The size makes it more displayable. The records themselves are made to be looked at unlike CDs which tend to be more plain. Record pressings mostly come in black, but certain pressings will have various splash patterns and art on the record (Tool - Lateralus Double LP being one such example). In the case of my MM FOOD record, the multi-colored splash pattern is also lightly translucent and I just find that really cool. Coupled with this, vinyls tend to come with extra stuff that CDs usually don't.
For example, my vinyl of Ace Frehley's solo KISS album comes with a part of a poster, if you get the other 3 albums you can connect the 4 pieces and form the whole poster. Vinyl box sets also tend to be the better deal compared to CD box sets as they come with large art books, print outs, and other goodies. My American Idiot 20th Anniversary came with a giant poster, a Flag, and an American Idiot Tie. My nimrod. anniversary box set came with a felt slipmat that looks like the 'nimrod.' sticker. My Hybrid Theory box set came with artwork printouts made from the members of the band as well as the Hybrid Theory EP (a sort of rarity).
The inconvenience is also, to me, part of the fun. It almost becomes meditative when I do a light brush over to remove any dust or cat hair, before manually placing the needle onto the record itself. It's kinda like those espresso enthusiasts that look like they're using a meth lab to brew coffee. It's the ritual of it that makes it enjoyable.
I have a few of my records digitized, which sounds fucking stupid if you think about it long enough. It's kind of a psychology thing to me. When I digitize my records, everything you hear is an exact capture of a specific moment in time with something that is unmistakably mine. I could just rip a FLAC off of my CD, but that file becomes indistinguishable from just downloading a FLAC off the internet. My digitized record is one that is 100% unique to me, nobody will have this exact recording. It also just kinda feels like I'm taking a bit of home with me.
CDs are probably the best way to listen to music, but Vinyls are an entire experience in my opinion. One is for casual consumption, the other is for experiencing art. I probably sound like a total fucking hipster saying that, but it's how I feel.
If I get a bad pressing (one that sounds poppy and kinda rough), it doesn't really bother me (though it kinda sucks I spent $30 on something that is sorta annoying to listen to). I just move it off my shelf and onto a wall. It becomes a piece of art that you can actually play.
Vinyls also gave me and my step dad something to bond over. I sometimes get stuff from his collection with some new ones, and I absolutely love it. I get to talking with him about the difference between repressings, first pressings, and pressings from Japan (which tend to be the better pressing).
I have two records from my step dad that are part of the One Step collection. A limited run of audiophile quality pressings. Each copy has a stamp of what number yours is out of 3000.
I have a sealed pressing of Green Day's 1000 Hours. Because of how records were distributed back then (especially for smaller bands which Green Day was at the time of that pressing), there's a good chance Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt physically held my exact copy that I have. That's just really damn cool.
Yeah it's not a cheap hobby to get into, but for me it's worth it for the benefits I've listed above.
It's not for everyone, but it is one of my favorite things to curate.
Reply via email: me@absurdpirate.com
as of writing this...
I've been in a bit of a Skyrim kick recently. Trying to 100% Special Edition on my XBOX One. Been listening to some Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden this morning on my commute to work. I downloaded like a couple hundred 70/80s Heavy/Thrash/Hair metal albums onto my iPod and have been finding some new stuff I like. Listened to Iron Maiden's 'Powerslave' for the first time.