Vinyl Album Collectors?
- Thread starter marothisu
- Start date
If he took care of them and you have a decently good turntable, you might realize vinyl sounds better :smile: How many albums did you inherit though?
By the way, if anyone wants to keep track of their CDs and Vinyl online, rateyourmusic.com is pretty good for that. Here's my very random Vinyl collection:
mar86's music - Rate Your Music (Even more random with CDs mar86's music - Rate Your Music)
I'm old, so I have all my own vinyl that I bought before there ever was such a thing as a CD. I worked hard and spent some $$$ to complete my Beatles 45RPM single and picture sleeve collection. It was on the wall in the mancave for years until just recently moving in the last month. The rarest item is the Please Please Me promo Picture sleeve on VJ that was only issued with the promotional copies of the 45. Either that or the George Harrison Love Comes To Everyone Picture Sleeve that one time sold for over $4,000 on EBay.
I have a LOT of vinyl and let me tell you one BAD thing about it. Vinyl LP's are HEAVY when you are moving
I have a LOT of vinyl and let me tell you one BAD thing about it. Vinyl LP's are HEAVY when you are moving
Very nice, how many do you have then..?
This is true too about being heavy...I remember when my great uncle died and my parents took about 1000 of his LPs. So. damn. heavy
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I don't have any idea on count.
As far as linear feet in a continuous row around 10 or 12 feet of LPs.
45's are more interesting to me because there are a lot more obscure 45's out there than LPs. There were so many small independent labels out there in the 50's and 60's before the national music scene got 100% homogeneous so you can find local issue items that are not well know nationally. A small independent label was more willing to take a chance on an unknown artist for a couple of 45's before they would consider releasing an LP based solely on the financial risk to record all the songs and the pressings were more expensive, not to mention the Album cover and artwork. Most of the labels had a generic 45 company sleeve and even the smallest label could just put them in a plain brown paper sleeve.
On 45's I have two four drawer legal file cabinets full, plus another 2 drawer file. The legal files work great for 45's. You can stick a flat piece of corrugated cardboard in the bottom of the drawer for a level base then make two rows front to back in each drawer.
As far as linear feet in a continuous row around 10 or 12 feet of LPs.
45's are more interesting to me because there are a lot more obscure 45's out there than LPs. There were so many small independent labels out there in the 50's and 60's before the national music scene got 100% homogeneous so you can find local issue items that are not well know nationally. A small independent label was more willing to take a chance on an unknown artist for a couple of 45's before they would consider releasing an LP based solely on the financial risk to record all the songs and the pressings were more expensive, not to mention the Album cover and artwork. Most of the labels had a generic 45 company sleeve and even the smallest label could just put them in a plain brown paper sleeve.
On 45's I have two four drawer legal file cabinets full, plus another 2 drawer file. The legal files work great for 45's. You can stick a flat piece of corrugated cardboard in the bottom of the drawer for a level base then make two rows front to back in each drawer.
That's a lot of LPs! I'd be willing to bet it's at least 700 or 750. Never really thought of the 45s like that, but I think you're right. There's a lot of random stuff on EP and even today with CDs, or at least in the 90s, a lot of groups made EPs, but the record company said "no deal" after the fact.
I love the album art on LPs though. You don't really get a sense for them on CDs sometimes and then you get the real, big thing and it's pretty cool... All my LPs are sitting on a bookshelf, but I don't have as many as you. My dad probably has about 1200 of them, but I doubt he'll give any up anytime soon :\
I have a fine collection of 2 vinyl albums: Huey Lewis & The News: "Sports" (my first album) and The J. Geils Band: "Freeze Frame" (my brother's first album). The latter contains the song "**** on the Wall" which my brother and I got a big kick out of as kids.
I bought a new turntable last year and have been adding to my collection. I try to only buy records that are in good shape. I am into lounge, exotica, surf rock, and whatever...
Trying to throw together an extensive collection of the exotica stuff like Arthur Lyman and Martin Denny. I have about 40 different Ventures albums.
My turntable is a relatively cheap Pro-Ject Debut III. I wanted something nice enough I wouldn't damage my albums though. Photos of it playing some of my stuff:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2451/4004147654_20d1a0928f_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2514/4123265089_29f2a2ec87_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4312952538_fb42220d3b_b.jpg
I've also thrown together a cheap contraption I use to seal my labels from the harm of water. I came up with my own formula for record washing solution and I use my shower to blast clean records I buy at thrift stores. Basically two pieces of rubber pressed together with plastic caps on both sides. Something to hold onto and keep the paper dry.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2595/4124035882_9f3ca8273d_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2559/4123265597_eb21bdb2d2_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2687/4123265367_f83de774bd_b.jpg
Why is it popular now? I think it's just a trendy thing to do.. Get a bunch of old albums so you can impress your faux hippy girlfriend in college. Older people have always collected albums. Younger ones (too young to have been around before CDs were popular) are buying them for indie cred. Me? I'm just a weirdo who has weird taste. I didn't get around to it, but I wanted to build a tubed preamp and amplifier on my own to power my turntable and go completely analog. Maybe next winter
Trying to throw together an extensive collection of the exotica stuff like Arthur Lyman and Martin Denny. I have about 40 different Ventures albums.
My turntable is a relatively cheap Pro-Ject Debut III. I wanted something nice enough I wouldn't damage my albums though. Photos of it playing some of my stuff:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2451/4004147654_20d1a0928f_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2514/4123265089_29f2a2ec87_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4312952538_fb42220d3b_b.jpg
I've also thrown together a cheap contraption I use to seal my labels from the harm of water. I came up with my own formula for record washing solution and I use my shower to blast clean records I buy at thrift stores. Basically two pieces of rubber pressed together with plastic caps on both sides. Something to hold onto and keep the paper dry.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2595/4124035882_9f3ca8273d_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2559/4123265597_eb21bdb2d2_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2687/4123265367_f83de774bd_b.jpg
Why is it popular now? I think it's just a trendy thing to do.. Get a bunch of old albums so you can impress your faux hippy girlfriend in college. Older people have always collected albums. Younger ones (too young to have been around before CDs were popular) are buying them for indie cred. Me? I'm just a weirdo who has weird taste. I didn't get around to it, but I wanted to build a tubed preamp and amplifier on my own to power my turntable and go completely analog. Maybe next winter
My brother and I bought a turn table a couple summers ago, after we found our dad's vinyl collection. He's (my dad) an audophile, and he doesn't have fond memories of the vinyl sound. Claims there's a bunch of distortion, and cds sound better, but I happen to like that vinyl sound. There were some really good albums in that collection that we would crank. Sticky Fingers, with a working zipper, Quadrophenia (sounds INCREDIBLE on vinyl), Zeppelin IV, Dark Side, etc.
A good buddy of mine is always searching for vinyl, and pretty much every time we get together at his place, we crack some beers and listen to some Petty. Good stuff.
A good buddy of mine is always searching for vinyl, and pretty much every time we get together at his place, we crack some beers and listen to some Petty. Good stuff.
Not sure about the picture wheel from LZ III, but I'll check.
Yes to the working zipper. :smile:
Oh, and I forgot to mention the most prized item from my collection. A nice 45 of Pac-Man Fever.
If you've never heard that song, I highly recommend it. :biglaugh:
If you've never heard that song, I highly recommend it. :biglaugh:
I've got the 12" of the Pacman related Atari songs. They're all terrible, but the record is in pristine condition.
You can typically find that album for a buck at any record store in nearly unplayed condition.
In terms of fidelity, I don't have thousands of dollars of equipment, so mp3, CD, phonograph.. it's all the same to me. I just like the act of chilling out and listening to media that I sort of have to interact with moreso than firing up winamp on the computer. If people had to get up every 15 minutes to change sides on a record or turn the TV station knob, we probably would outlive (statistically) the previous generation.
You can typically find that album for a buck at any record store in nearly unplayed condition.
In terms of fidelity, I don't have thousands of dollars of equipment, so mp3, CD, phonograph.. it's all the same to me. I just like the act of chilling out and listening to media that I sort of have to interact with moreso than firing up winamp on the computer. If people had to get up every 15 minutes to change sides on a record or turn the TV station knob, we probably would outlive (statistically) the previous generation.
Not only do I have a very large (over 1000) Lp collection, I also own a record store in Des Moines. As a huge Stones fan some of my favs are Exile On Main Street, Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers. Other stuff I like Television--Marquee Moon, Lou Reed-Transformer, Pink Floyd-Animals, heck I could go on all day!!!
Cheech and Chong 'Big Bambu' and David Bromberg 'How Late'll Ya Play Til'
Also inherited my mom's albums, noteably her Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass collection and some birdman albums
Also inherited my mom's albums, noteably her Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass collection and some birdman albums
I bought a new turntable last year and have been adding to my collection. I try to only buy records that are in good shape. I am into lounge, exotica, surf rock, and whatever...
Trying to throw together an extensive collection of the exotica stuff like Arthur Lyman and Martin Denny. I have about 40 different Ventures albums.
My turntable is a relatively cheap Pro-Ject Debut III. I wanted something nice enough I wouldn't damage my albums though. Photos of it playing some of my stuff:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2451/4004147654_20d1a0928f_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2514/4123265089_29f2a2ec87_b.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4312952538_fb42220d3b_b.jpg
I've also thrown together a cheap contraption I use to seal my labels from the harm of water. I came up with my own formula for record washing solution and I use my shower to blast clean records I buy at thrift stores. Basically two pieces of rubber pressed together with plastic caps on both sides. Something to hold onto and keep the paper dry.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2595/4124035882_9f3ca8273d_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2559/4123265597_eb21bdb2d2_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2687/4123265367_f83de774bd_b.jpg
Why is it popular now? I think it's just a trendy thing to do.. Get a bunch of old albums so you can impress your faux hippy girlfriend in college. Older people have always collected albums. Younger ones (too young to have been around before CDs were popular) are buying them for indie cred. Me? I'm just a weirdo who has weird taste. I didn't get around to it, but I wanted to build a tubed preamp and amplifier on my own to power my turntable and go completely analog. Maybe next winter
I like the look of your turntable...pretty cool stuff. Lounge music is cool too, and new lounge music like Thievery Corporation is cool. Wonder how easy it is to get their vinyl...
I think you hit on a point...a lot of kids do it for indie cred. The record store I go to is inhabited by mostly two demographics. Hipsters in their 20s or audiophiles 40+ years old. I guess I fit into the 20s thing, but definitely not a hipster. I personally collect vinyl for a few reasons.
1) I like having the original recording. A lot of old recordings have been remastered, but pretty badly or things were touched up. I have many LPs where in an intro for example, a certain instrument comes out more but when you listen on the CD version, they "turned it down." I guess I prefer to have the original recording.
2) Digital recording is often missing little bits of information. Considering digital audio is compressed from the original waveform, it's missing bits of information. It's the nature of compression. Yes, Nyquist's Theorem states one thing, but in reality vinyl preserves timbre of instruments, nuances in instruments/voice, tone, etc. This is just the sad nature of compressing something which isn't very redundant. Compressing a text file for example is easy because of how incredibly redundant it is and per information theory, how easy it is to reconstruct the file using other data structures. Audio and Video aren't the same, so in that case the compression is made up in other ways..for example in Audio cutting out certain frequencies, analyzing and making certain pitches actually driven by the playback software and not from the waveform itself, etc.
3) There are some albums on vinyl which were never "converted" to digital. I picked up a Richie Havens album the other day, The Great Blind Degree (which is pretty good by the way). Good luck finding it on CD.
4) I enjoy the "challenge" of finding certain albums on Vinyl. They're old, the jackets are easier to damage, some are scratched to hell, etc. Finding a rare vinyl album is fun.
Don't get me wrong, I still collect CDs and have a ton of them, but most are from the 90s and 2000s. If you were to put a CD version of Are You Experienced? by Hendrix next to the original vinyl and asked me to pick, I'd take the vinyl for sure. In the end though I just love listening to music as long as it sounds good.
