Mark Gilbert ATN founder and great friend of mine was the reason that I started getting back into collecting vinyl records. I have always loved music and I did dip my toe in the world of vinyl in the mid-90s, but then sort of let it slide. I met Mark at the Automotive Training Network and we instantly hit it off, chatting about our favorite genres and bands. Mark invited me to a record fair that he was going to and I was hooked, since then I have been buying up as many records as possible, digging throughout every country that I have visited in the past 10 years. If you are a music fan, I want to share with you why I love vinyl, and why I think you will too.
Albums
Something which has been sadly lost as society has moved forward into steaming music, is the pleasure of listening to an album from start to finish. This is just something that people don’t do anymore because they know that they can flip-flop from song to song as they wish. When you get into collecting vinyl however you do notice that you appreciate listening to an entire album, as it was intended to be listened to .
Artwork and Deets
The album artwork looks so much better when it is on a big 45 vinyl and this is something to really behold. Not only do you get a huge print of the artwork, you can also dig through all of the details inside, something which you certainly don’t get when you listen to digital music. I love to see who was featured on certain tracks, where the album was recorded and who produced all of the songs, you can really geek out when you listen to a vinyl record.
Absurd
Honestly the absurdity of playing and looking after vinyl is much of the reason that I enjoy it. When you think about it, the idea of getting up and flipping the record overwhelm the side is finished, cleaning the record as you carefully remove it, and of course having to change discs when you want a new artist, all seems a bit silly when we have the option to go online and do all that in the click of a button, but there is a certain hands-on feel which connects you to the music, and watching a record spin really is a thing of beauty.
Digging
Beyond listening to the record my favorite aspect is digging through crates and crates of records and trying to find some hidden treasure. There are so many vinyls in the world, and you just never know what is going to be out there waiting for you.
Does this sound like a hobby that you would consider starting? If you do love music then I would urge you to have a go, check out your local record store, and get swept away .
