Vinyls in the Loft Anyone?

Phew its a warm one today, hottest day of the year if the weather forecasters have got it right. Been in the garden for a bit but need a break from the heat so I thought I'd put on some music.

In the last couple of years I've started listening to vinyl records again. My album collection used to be in the loft as I had no record deck and I'd find myself thumbing through the fantastic artwork whenever I was up there looking for Xmas decorations or suitcases or whatever. Then after some thought I decided to buy a deck. I found a Technics on ebay for £40 and the deal was done.

Wishbone Ash - Argus

I dragged all the albums down, linked it up and away I went. The usual crackles and pops didn't make any difference to my enjoyment, in fact they brought back happy memories if anything, but I did find I was liking the sound and had forgotten how good vinyl can be, especially the warmth in the bass end. I compared the sound to some CD's I had of the same album and then to MP3's and in my opinion a good unmarked, unscratched vinyl wins everytime, especially over MP3's. And if you want to get technical, the first pressings are even better as they are closer sounding to the Original Master tapes.

I know this could seem a bit sad of me or even snobbish but if you listen to music a lot its great to have the alternative. Of course I listen to stuff on my PC or iTunes but it's good to have a vinyl night every now and again, usually a Friday evening when there's time to chill.

Another great benefit I find is, you listen to the whole album, warts and all,  as the artist intended. With digital formats its too easy to skip tracks or part listen to a song and move on to the next track or even the next artist. With vinyl you put Side A on from start to finish, flip it over and listen to the other side.

I'm not saying every music fan should go out and buy a record deck like I did, but I know vinyl sales have gone up substantially in the last few years and if you still have a record collection like I did, why not spend a few quid on buying a "Record Player". You might find its the best 40 or 50 quid you've spent in a long time.

Finally - Markets, Charity Shops and Car Boots are great - Classic Albums for a quid, now you can't go wrong with that can you?

Back to the sunshine I reckon!!!