By Sharon Roznik • The Reporter
To never know the feel of an album cover, the smell of a new vinyl record placed gingerly on the turntable, or the face of Barry Manilow — larger than life — staring back at you …
While iPod owners download digital tunes en masse, record aficionados expound on the higher quality of original sound, called analog recording.
City residents | Dale and Pat Luther have had a long time love affair | with record albums. Their collection of vinyl, numbering in the hundreds, in cludes several very rare editions. More than half of the | collection has been sold off because, Dale says, “You just can’t take it with you.” (The Reporter photo by Justin Connaher)
According to www.sickoftalk.com, a digital recording takes snapshots of the analog signal at a certain rate and does not do a very good job of replicating the original signal. This means that, by definition, a digital recording is not capturing the complete sound wave.
"With the horrible quality of digital music online, many of us have adopted the passions of our parents," said 24-year-old Nick Ciontea of Fond du Lac, who has a growing collection of vinyl albums. "It's considered by some to be the only music medium that will continue on."
A vinyl record has a groove carved into it that mirrors the original sound's waveform. No information is lost and the sound is fed directly into an amplifier with no conversion.
City residents Dale and Patty Luther have a stash of 500 recordings, including 45s, that contains some hard-to-find gems produced by local garage bands that once played venues around the Fox Valley.
"Some were one-hit wonders, recorded only one song, and never made it big," Dale said.
He mentions the obscure Appleton band, the Lord Beverly Moss and the Moss Men, with their 1968 single "The Kids are Alright," and the well-known Brownsville wildlife artist Don Kloetzke who was a member of the band White Ducks, along with other locals. The group worked as the backup band for Jimmy Buffet.
Signed album covers by Judy Collins and John Kaye of Steppenwolf decorate the walls of the Luther home.
"In many cases, the album (sleeves) were more important than the album," Dale said. "It was a way to connect with the band, find out what they looked like and who they were."
The Mad Hatteur Music on South Main Street has used albums for sale from the collection of store owner Charlie Rhodes. The $9.99 purchase comes complete with the original rice paper sleeve and no scratches. A new vinyl release runs around $25, he pointed out.
"I cut my teeth on vinyl growing up, so it holds a special place in my heart," he said.
His favorite album covers include "Stand Up" by Jethro Tull, which included a pop-up character, and an album by Oblivion that opened from the center with two wings.
A disc jockey for decades, Stance Bergelin of Fond du Lac said he owns about 500 records, each one filled with memories that cover "just about my whole life," he said.
"I play them every day. The Four Aces, Four Lads, the Ames brothers. I like those (harmonic) singing groups from back in the day," he said.
Like many youth of his generation, Bergelin, now 69, said he grew up with a transistor radio attached to his ear. Later, neighborhood kids hung out at the music store and tried out the latest records in little listening rooms that held a person or two.
"For many of us growing up poor, music became our friend," he said.
Source: http://www.fdlreporter.com
Reprinted By Permission
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