I never dreamed when I was a young kid stacking 45s on my portable
stereo that someday I would own a machine that could hold 100
CDs and play them like a jukebox. It boggles my mind to think
how far all this has come. Still, I feel very lucky to have been
part of the vinyl generation. I admit it. I’m a total nut
about records.
This week’s concert at the Villages Amphitheater featuring
the Swingin’ Medallions brought back many memories from
the vinyl days.
The first album I ever owned was Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits
and the first 45 I ever owned was “Daydream Believer” by
The Monkees. That should give you some idea where my head is
at. My older brother, Steve, bought those for me for Christmas
one year. He already had a collection of singles going.
We used to listen to his little transistor radio at night in
bed after lights out. WLS out of Chicago played the top three
songs every night. I can remember hearing “I Want To Hold
Your Hand” through my flattened pillow. I have been a Beatles
fan ever since. Those orange and yellow swirl Capitol labels
were the coolest thing going back then. Both sides always sounded
great.
Steve and I started our own top twenty list which we voted on
every week. I look at them now and they seem like ancient documents.
They are a record of what we considered cool and groovy. It was
truly the golden age of rock radio.
There were so many good hits coming out, but to be there when
45s like “Proud Mary” and “All Along The Watchtower” and ”Eve
of Destruction” were released cannot be duplicated in today’s
world of jewel cases and MP3s.
I remember staying up one night after bedtime trying to count
the “Na-nas” at the end of “Hey Jude.” I
can’t remember the exact number, but Steve would know.
By the time I got to high school, I was into the long players,
buying every album whose cover caught my eye or whose name made
me the least bit curious. My sister’s boyfriend, Bob, now
her husband, expanded my horizons with records by The Moody Blues,
Pink Floyd, Uriah Heep, Blue Oyster Cult, King Crimson, Strawbs,
Santana, and Captain Beefheart. It was all too much!
We would scan the credits to see what instruments the bands
played. Mellotrons and ARP synthesizers always got our attention.
I used to visit The Freak Boutique downtown and marvel at the
selection of titles. I remember buying ”Tarkus” and “The
Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust.”
When I dig them out and play them now, it’s like I’m
still 14 and struggling through first year German.
Bob would starve himself at lunch so he could spend every penny
he got on music. Albums were $3 in those days. Double albums
were $5. I spent all I could on records as well. Many times I
would open up my purchase and throw away the shrink wrap before
I got home so it looked like I was borrowing it.
After I slipped it alphabetically into my growing collection,
I was home safe. My shelf of records would grow slowly and steadily
to its present uncounted size. I have to keep my albums in three
different rooms.
Everything pre-1977 is in the dining room. Everything up to
today, and yes, you can still buy new music on vinyl, is in the
pantry, of all places. Soundtracks, 12 inch singles, classical
and comedy sits piled up in the front hall.
My father used to ask how I could listen to them all. I said
I like to have choices. Some albums I have played so many times,
I’ve had to hunt for a second copy.
I guess my lifestyle lends itself to records. I listen to music
when I clean, when I paint or draw, when I cook. I like the fact
that, unlike television, you aren’t anchored to one spot.
You can move around and do stuff.
Probably my favorite memories about records, besides working
at the legendary Divinyl Madness Records in Champaign, Illinois
is going home after school to clean up the house before dinner.
My mother and father were both still at work. So my sisters and
I would blast the stereo and get the dishes and the vacuuming
done in record time.
It’s amazing how efficient Alice Cooper can make you!
