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It's been said many times, I know, but buying new albums these days is a very sterile affair. We just don't have the same emotional attachment to CDs as we did with shellac* and vinyl; the sanitised sound with all the goodness taken out, liner notes which can only be read with the aid of the Hubble telescope and, please, don't get me started on digital downloads - Artwork? What artwork? I'm just grateful that the great jazzers never lived to witness the iTunes phenomenon; coming home on the bus with a hallowed copy of Playboys under your arm is an experience that can't be replicated by hitting the 'Are you sure you want to buy and download Black Eyed Peas?' button on a laptop - where it will be dumped in your library and, almost certainly, languish unlistened to for the rest of time. Nurse! The screens!
OK, shellac was before my time, but it scans, alright?
Best case scenarios:
ReplyDeletea) You buy new/reissue vinyl and it comes with a digital download code e.g. http://www.polyvinylrecords.com/
b) You buy new vinyl and you get the CD version tucked within the sleeve e.g. http://www.navigatorrecords.co.uk/
A few weeks ago I got the most recent Ultravox release (yes, I was a new romantic 30 years ago!) - 10 inch coloured vinyl, gatefold sleeve, artcard enclosed and CD version tucked within the gatefold... I haven't even touched the CD...
ReplyDeleteUltravox are certainly a very subjective taste, but full bloody marks to them for this release.
I work in the chemical industry (not not THAT type of chemicals) and a few years ago a supplier came with a sample of a plastic that is chemically similar to wood (i.e. it's derived from cellulose). Trying to sell me on its properties, he made the claim "and like wood, it has a nice warm feel". He was right, it didn't feel cheap and nasty like plastic often does. I honestly feel that the music industry made a big mistake in the 80s by settling on those clickety-clackety jewel boxes instead of using cardboard packaging like vinyl records. People like the feel of paper, whether it's a book, a magazine, a comic or an LP sleeve. It has a warm, tactile feeling that creates a bond. And the fact that it ages makes you treat it better. You value it more.
ReplyDeleteWe were clearing out the spare room last weekend and found a load of old 78s and jazz albums on top of a cupboard. I think they were my (late) father-in-laws. The vinyl/shellac is sadly knackered (that'll teach us) but the sleeves are beautiful. I might even seek out some Sarah Vaughan on the strength of them. But a download seems completely against the spirit, so I may well end up on a vinyl quest.
ReplyDeleteThat's an awesome sleeve, no doubt about it. I used to particularly enjoy train journeys back from London with a bag full of records to browse, and hopefully annoy fellow passengers with distasteful sleeves.
ReplyDeleteFrom Blue Note to Hipgnosis we've lost a vital part of record collecting i.e. what an album looked like. And for me that was just as important as what it sounded like.
ReplyDeleteSterile - yes, absolutely!
ReplyDeleteAw, I was working in a record shop when CDs first came out. I remember the first ones being delivered (seem to recall they may have included Jean Michel Jarre and Dire Straits?) and how I felt about them, a sort of defiant 'they'll never catch on' but with that voice in my head saying, 'wave goodbye to vinyl...' And now I like CDs over downloads for all sorts of reasons. But I do miss those twelve inches square of album sleeve artwork...
You'll never beat a Double LP Gatefold cover!
ReplyDeleteCalm down dear... I'm with Lost Jimmy though... remember the smell of buying a new lp - getting it home and playing it whilst reading everything on the sleeve including what guitar Steve Howe used for which 8 bar phrase in the latest 20 min epic... just me? Oh well. :-0
ReplyDeleteHowever I still mostly buy the CD - for me it is still about ownership, about the statement of receiving something that is crafted for my money. For many today is it all about access - I want it all, I want it now! And I'll not be bothered in 5 mins time when the next download is available