The Vinyl Revival- Down Under

Vinyl records are a hot commodity as people both young and old are reverting back to this historical audio medium. Older folks are recapturing a bit of the past and buying up classic rock records, the exact records they dumped with the advent of the dreaded CD. Younger music listeners, used to the sterile sound of the digital age, are now finding that the music sounds so much better on vinyl.

As I continue to write about music and vinyl records, I have made many friends all over the world. The Internet makes the world a much smaller place, and corresponding with a gentleman from Australia, I was curious about the world of vinyl records in his country and about his love for collecting records:

Record Collecting In Australia

by DONALD J.KAY

My interest in music stems from my mother, who used to play in bands in the south west of the state. I started listening to music at an early age, possibly around 6 years of age. My first artist/group I got keen on was the Beatles. As soon as I heard a Beatle track, my ears were pushed into the speaker of our portable radio. My mother bought me the first 6 Beatles 45’s. My father came home one day and thought ”jeez, I think he likes music, I better buy him a record player.”

From then on my record collecting began, with my first LP being the Beatles “A Hard Days Night.” For some reason, of which, I can’t explain, my tastes always lent towards buying singles, not albums. In the seventies, I got influenced by a friend of mine who convinced me that albums were a great way to buy the music I wanted, especially when record companies were pulling at least five tracks off of albums and releasing them as singles.

My collection has expanded somewhat into a number of areas. I have mountains of hard to get 45’s. I also collect Australian artist’s overseas releases. My other passion is Japanese releases by major artists like Blondie, Heart, AC/DC, just to name a few. My collection also includes a smattering of compilation albums, purchased because they contain obscure tracks that I’m after. And finally I collect radio shows. My collection of shows is only small, but with eBay, I hope to increase my collection. Enough said.

On to another aspect of collecting and that is the vinyl record vs. CD debate. Here in Australia, we have a large yuppie population who are led either by media intervention - telling them how bad the vinyl sound is - or their friend’s influences - i.e. “I got rid of my records, because the CD is the coolest.”

Quite the reverse has happened over the years because the capabilities of CD are limited in the way music is translated on this ‘wiz bang’ state of the art music format. CDs cannot do justice to 50’s-60’s and 70’s music and the reasons are that the recording techniques were, by today’s standards, pretty basic, plus the music wasn’t recorded totally in digital format. Hence a Beatles, Stones or Abba LP will sound 100% better on vinyl than its CD counterpart.

Record companies ,in their efforts to make 60’s and 70’s music sound just as “new“ as a disc released last week, by decreasing the bass, and increasing the treble, which doesn’t work. Do yourself a favour, and pick any vinyl album, plus its CD equivalent. Play them both alongside each other and you will immediately feel and hear the difference.

Vinyl has a warmth that a CD cannot deliver. It also has equal bass and treble in the sound spectrum, whereas CD is all high end dynamics. Compact discs works for 80’s to present day music, because of the digital age. Most people who heavily invested in a high priced CD player, sold all their vinyl and replaced it with CD, are “NOW” getting rid of their discs, and going back to vinyl and the beloved record player.

Vinyl sales in Australia have soared an amazing 60% this year, drawing me to the conclusion that progress, (i.e.CD) sometimes doesn’t mean going forward; in fact it can mean going backward. I certainly believe this to be so, as far as listening to 50’s, 60’s and 70’s music. As mentioned above, compact discs do an injustice to the sound quality of the vinyl records pressed during these eras, lacking warmth, and feel to the music. In time, there will be new ways and means to listen to our much loved music.

However, as much as record companies want you to “LIKE“ the new formats, whatever concept that may be, I think that true “music” fans will always want to listen and enjoy his/her collection on their almighty record player. Millions of fans worldwide still love and appreciate those little crackles and other noises that tell us we’re listening to “real music,” and I can’t see things changing for the next twenty years or so.

As an added footnote, 9/9/09 sees the “new” digital remasters of all the Beatles albums, the first four in true stereo. Each album features extra sleeve notes, CD rom features and hopefully a better mix of each track than the previous version, which most of us have on our CD shelves. The Beatles have maintained a strong following, the world over, and in Australia, their music is sold, played, and performed hourly. I hope you enjoyed reading my article, and you give the humble vinyl another spin on your beloved turntables, and feel the warmth of the “real” music.

May your day be great and filled with music, brought to you by your “record player!”

What makes this article so intriguing is the message; music is a universal medium, played and enjoyed the world over. Here, Donald talks from the heart, with passion and a keen eye for the details. It’s always about enjoying the music and the appreciation of the medium; you can’t go wrong with that!

Donald Kay suggests an online vinyl shop for hard to find music in Australia, www.replayrecords.com.au and the shop also runs at least 3 to 4 auction lists of collectible vinyl a year.