Plaza packed with tracks on wax

Peoria Music Collectors Show draws die-hard fans of vintage LPs

By TIM SAMPSON
of the Journal Star


PEORIA — An MP3 never will be a match for an old-fashioned LP, Craig Moore says.

Including his personal collection and the inventory at his store, Younger Than Yesterday, 2615 N. University St., Moore estimates he owns between 70,000 and 100,000 albums and singles - all on vintage vinyl.

"If you just download music, you are not a real music collector," he said.

On Saturday, at the 25th annual Peoria Music Collectors Show, Moore was with plenty of others at Packard Plaza who share his disdain for digital music.

"You think with the technology they could get the music to sound as good on a CD as it did on records, but it doesn't even compare," said Steve Aderman, a music collector from Peoria.

As he shopped Saturday, Aderman had an old newspaper bag over his shoulder that held more than a dozen LPs and 45 rpm records.

Sponsored by Moore and his store, the show gathers music collectors from across the Midwest to swap singles and sell albums from almost any band and genre.

Turnout was smaller than usual this year, with only about 15 vendors showing up instead of the usual 40 to 50. Moore attributes this to an unusual date for the show this year and an economy that discourages collectors from traveling. But even with a smaller turnout, thousands of records were for sale.

"It's a sickness," said Tim Smith, a professional collector from St. Louis who has been gathering records for more than 20 years.

"You start off with a couple records, and it just grows over time," said Smith, who estimates he owns more than 10,000 LPs and CDs. Like many of the collectors on hand, he owns too many to keep an exact count.

Smith said part of the joy of album collecting comes from reading liner notes and seeing how artists and bands connect and how music has evolved over the decades.

CDs and some DVDs also were on sale at the show, but the main feature was records. Most ranged from $10 to $50, but albums by bigger-name artists were priced at more than $100. "Abbey Road" and "With the Beatles," two Beatles albums from Moore's collection, were going for $125 each.

Moore said he is a huge fan of the Fab Four. When making a list of his top five albums of all time, he puts the Beatles' "Revolver" at No. 2 and all the band's other ones in a tie for third.

"I grew up in the '60s and was prime meat for the Beatles," Moore said.

Although times have changed and many people get their music without stepping foot in a store, Moore said there always will be guys like him who have an affinity for "the album."

"An album gives you a story and experience you can't get from an MP3," he said.

SOURCE: http://www.pjstar.com