Garage Sales

Robert Benson asked:


The demise of the vinyl record has become a statement all to common in the music industry. Vinyl records were supposed to be a dead music format a long time ago, but have persevered through many technological changes in the music industry.

In this day and age of ipods and digital downloads, where people can fit thousands of songs in such a neat little package, how has the vinyl record managed to compete; what is the allure?

Recent research reveals that teens enjoy the physical experience they get with a vinyl record and the interaction between themselves and the record. There is a certain ritual one must rely on to play a vinyl record, and much to the dismay of the digital world, the youth of the world is receptive to this type of interaction.

For some, collecting vinyl records is an obsession, a life long journey to obtain hidden masterpieces locked away in the attics and basements around the globe. For others, just owning a few selected gems from their favorite band or recording artist is enough to satisfy their collecting palate.

Then there is the thrill of the hunt, scouring the online web sites and auctions looking for a rare or collectible record for their collection. For the adventurous, there are the numerous garage sales, rummage sales, flea markets and the like, that dot the countryside in every town in America. There, they can search through the dusty boxes and bins for their the next special addition to their already growing vinyl record collection. There is almost a sense of pride, self-worth, if you will, in finding what you are looking for, if only to be satisfied for a moment, until you realize you must find another rare treasure to add to your collection.

Ever since Alex Steinweiss designed the first album cover for Columbia Records in 1939, album cover art has been highly collectible and is a part of music history. Classic album covers like the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band, Janis Joplin’s Cheap Thrills (designed by Robert Crumb), Led Zeppelins’ Physical Graffiti are iconic. Some bands enlisted the aid of world renowned artists to design the album covers and concepts for their latest releases, including the Rolling Stones, who used Andy Warhol’s idea for their album Sticky Fingers.

For some, collecting vinyl is an investment. Not only a monetary investment but a cultural one as well. Vinyl records are part of pop culture as we know it and certainly part of the rock and roll era. Preserving vinyl records, the art, the music, is a very important part of this phenomenon.

But the one thing that sets vinyl apart from all other musical formats is that vinyl records just sound the best. There is no substitute for the sound reproduction that vinyl brings to music, no digital counterpart. And for that, the vinyl record will continue to survive, if not thrive.



MAJOR

Annie Dubois asked:


Choosing the perfect present for that special occasion often means taking a look at what will mean something to both you and your recipient. With so many choices on today’s market, knowing the right gift to purchase is going to be somewhat difficult. Of course, if you are one of those shoppers that always knows exactly what to purchase, than you are one of the few.

What types of gift ideas are going to allow you the opportunity to make a huge statement without spending a huge price tag? Do you have an endless budget to get the best regardless of the price tag? Here are a few ideas to keep you pondering what to purchase for the special someone this holiday season.

Electronics - Electronics can range from a small handheld gaming device to a whole new computer system. Depending on your budget, you will find electronics are always popular gift items for the young and the young at heart. There are going to be great deals in the electronic department thanks to advances in the technological world we live in today.

Cellular Phones & More - Cell phones are more popular than ever, and children are getting cell phones at alarmingly younger ages. Along with cell phones you can go for iPods and other types of fun for people of any age. You can generally purchase cell phone plans for the whole family allowing you to save money while you monitor the younger callers more carefully.

Art - When it comes to art, people of any age can appreciate the beauty and the personalization. You can purchase posters or replicas of favorite artists, or you can even take up a form of artwork and make your own masterpieces. These are a favorite because they can be around for literally generations. In addition, with the summer and the rummage sales at an all time high this year, you will be able to find some great buys on art of all types and prices.

Clothing - Clothing is always a favorite gift to purchase as well as receive. There are so many options that fit so many budgets that finding that perfect outfit has never been easier. You will find that you can purchase something as simply as a set of socks or something as extravagant as a designer handbag. Whatever you decide to purchase will be a great choice that reflects you and your personality.

Food - Food is another one of those popular gifts that have never gone out of style. The type of food you purchase may have changed, but the general gift of food has remained intact for centuries. Today, salsa is a popular food item when it comes to giving the gift of edibles. This is easy to purchase, easy to ship, and scrumptious to eat. In addition, salsa generally comes in jars that are reusable.

When it comes to great gift ideas, there are options enough to keep you busy for years to come. Mixing it up every now and then will keep them thinking while allowing you to switch things around and make it interesting.



NICHOLAS

Robert Benson asked:


As CD sales sour, the music industry is evolving in a peculiar way. Music lovers’ are turning their attention to the past, reverting back to vinyl records.

For some it is an enjoyable hobby, recapturing a part of their youth. Yet for others, collecting vinyl records is a passion, as they scour the online web sites, record conventions, garage and rummage sales and small resale shops to secure their favorite records and add to their collecting collage of vinyl.

However, if you were to ask them why records are so appealing most will tell you it is the sound of vinyl that is the most enjoyable. They may be tired of the sterile music reproduction of a cd or digitized download. You will hear the term, “vinyl just has a warmer sound” or that they love the experience, an almost ritualistic pattern that is involved in playing a vinyl record.

But I think the best way to describe the sound that vinyl exudes is an analogy I like to use. A vinyl record is like a “fingerprint” of the recorded music. There is a clearness and clarity to the music, and the sound is actually captured and etched into the grooves of the records. Conversely, digital sound is like a copy of that “fingerprint” and something is lost when the music is compressed into 1’s and 0’s, or what I refer to as “binary sound.”

Now, this phenomenon may be satisfactory to some and the CD certainly has its place as a musical format. In our throw away society, CD’s offer convenience and a method to play music that the vinyl record cannot offer. But “binary sound,” to me, is just too clear- you are missing important elements of the recorded sound, sounds that the artist who recorded the music wanted you to hear.

In our digitized world there are compelling arguments for whatever sound reproduction format a person chooses. But you will never take the vinyl lover out of me.



MAURICE

Robert Benson asked:


According to a recent report from eBay, the online auction giant, they sell more than three million vinyl records each year. It is also reported that eBay users buy and sell six vinyl records every minute (or an average of one every ten seconds). It seems the vinyl record, just a few years ago an afterthought as an audio format, is alive and well. So what is all the fuss about?

First and foremost, if you ask any record collector, it is the sound quality they love the most about vinyl. The music isn’t compressed into ones and zeros or “binary sound.” Then of course, there is the element of “collectibility,” people may buy vinyl as an investment, in hope that, over time, the records will appreciate in value.

Furthermore, people collect vinyl because they may want a piece of their past, so nostalgia is also an important element for the record collector. People are also drawn to actually owning a physical product and may enjoy the ritual that is involved in listening to the records. And a new generation has discovered the special allure that vinyl records have, the limited editions, colored vinyl, picture discs, “audiophile” records (a 180-220 gram), the album cover artwork and the sound have all lured youngsters in the hobby of collecting vinyl records.

But, there are more reasons people collect vinyl. Besides the aforementioned elements, it is also big business. The old vinyl records on the auction sites, as well as the hundreds of other vinyl related web sites, are not selling their collectible vinyl for rummage sale prices. In fact, at any given moment, there may be more than six thousand collectible Beatles’ albums for sale on eBay. Some have sold for thousands of dollars and it is reported that the album that is bought and sold the most in vinyl format is the Beatles’ “White Album.” But it is not only the Beatles that sell well and are highly collectible. Artists such as the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, James Brown, Madonna, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Elvis Presley and even newer artists like Nirvana, Radiohead and many more are all highly sought after. There is also a keen interest in “Northern Soul,” Motown records, old blues recordings as well as jazz, punk and indie vinyl records.

Furthermore, recording artists themselves are reported to own vast and eclectic record collections. Just as creating music is their passion, finding rare and collectible vinyl is sometimes just as important. It is reported that John Lennon was an avid collector of all the Beatles’ bootlegs he could find. Peter Buck, of the rock band R.E.M. is an avid collector as well and there is a long list of musicians who get the same thrill as all collectors get when they find a specific vinyl record at an estate sale that may have eluded them for years.

However, it is not just the garage sales, rummage sales, estate sales, record conventions that carry collectible vinyl. The online community has responded as well, and besides the auction sites, there are literally hundreds of web sites that sell vinyl exclusively, in any musical genre that a person may have an interest in.

People also collect vinyl for the album cover art or the 45-rpm record sleeve and some may be more valuable than the vinyl record that they hold. There are many businesses that frame these marvelous pieces of art and audio history for display and preservation.

So just as there has been a resurgence in the sale and visibility of vinyl records, along with this is an increase in the hobby of vinyl record collecting and album cover art. This hobby is as old as the format itself, and a wonderful hobby that will continue to thrill its participants for decades to come.



JARROD