I fell in love with records at an early age and despite living in the world of compact discs and shortly afterwards digital music, there was just something about records which I just adored. When I was 12 I met my good friend Menos Hiras and he invited me over to his house, his dad was an avid collector of records and Menos and I bonded over our shared love of them. Twenty years later Menos and I still go crate digging together and if I’m being honest, much of our friendship is based on our shared love of vinyl, we have even traveled the world seeking out rare finds! Record collecting has started to grow once again, and here is why any music fan should get started.
Ridiculousness of it All
I can remember a while back a friend of ours was asking Menos and I why we enjoyed playing records so much, he described the ridiculousness of taking the disc out, placing it on the player, flipping it over to change sides, cleaning it when we took it off and having to change records to hear different artists. It was the moment when our friend said that it was ridiculous that we realized, it is ridiculous and that is why we absolutely love. In fact the truth is that it’s not ridiculous, all of those steps to listen to vinyl is part of the drama and the theater of it all.
Albums
Since the arrival of digital music something has been lost that we may never get back, listening to albums in their entirety. I have always loved listening to an album as it was intended, as a piece of art to enjoy. However now that we have so many options at our fingertips many people simply listen to songs, and not the album. Whilst you could do this with vinyl, there is something far more special about placing it on the record player, sitting back and listening to the whole thing.
The History
Whilst I do buy new albums from time to time, part of the reason why I love digging through creates of used records and finding something I love is because each one has its own story. Someone bought that when it came out back in the 60s or 70s, they listened to it and enjoyed it, played with friends and now I have the chance to give the disc another chapter, another home and that history is something really special, the shared love of music.
Treasure to be Found
When you go shopping for records you just never know what you are going to find and for me that is the biggest thrill of all, trying to find that hidden treasure. Unlike some I don’t collect for financial purposes or to try and make money, just to listen to great albums via this medium. There is no greater feeling than finding a vinyl you’ve been looking for after raking through crates and crates of vinyl.
If you love music, give it a try!
