We dipped our toes in the waters of vinyl this spring: I was gifted a collection of LPs, and the loan of a portable turntable, to see if we could muster what it would take to replace Spotify et al with a record collection.
The vinyl was as good as it gets: Lisa and L. curated a collection of Dennis Ellsworth’s deaccessioned collection, which had remarkable crossover with albums I played on the radio thirty years ago.
But the vinyl didn’t take: we’ve been lulled into the comfort of “Alexa, play Rosemary Clooney on Spotify,” and going back to needle-dropping wasn’t meant to be.
With hipster street-red eroding, I realized urgent action was required to re-establish, so to return the turntable across town I fashioned a bungie-cord-based system to strap it to the front of my Brompton. After dropping it, I came to the library to have an espresso, just to cement my credentials.
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I would hardly call myself a “hipster” but I did inherit a similar portable turntable when my grandfather passed away almost a decade ago. My record collection began with a bunch of his fiddle records, was aided by the annual U2 fan club gifts going from CD to vinyl around the same time. Over time I’ve now collected some great albums both new and old. It’s meant a resurgence in listening to Roxy Music and Wings. Beyond that, I do enjoy the commitment to listening to a full album father than playlists. I still have an iTunes/Apple music account where I do 90% of my listening. I find this perplexing in that I’m of that generation that missed vinyl the first time and I openly mocked its resurgence at first. 🤷♂️