The Alchemist, May 18, 2010, Volume 3, Number 124
Vol. 3, No. 124
Records Revival
In case you didn’t know, vinyl (aka records) have never really gone away. They just hung out in the background for a while, letting other formats of music media come and go. Now, in the time of the most versatile music format so far, the portable music player, records are making a strong comeback.
“By and large the quality of vinyl is much better now,” said Doug DiCarolis, owner of Happy Trails.
Many new records these days are on 180 Gram vinyl, different from the cheaper, mass-market records of old only by weight, thickness and amount of vinyl used in the creation of the record. One new aesthetic change is the release of different albums on colored vinyl – white, orange, red or multi-colored, and even albums like the Sublime releases with the cover image on the vinyl itself.
Audiophiles often argue that vinyl just sounds better, and with 180 Gram vinyl the sound quality lasts because the heavier vinyl stands up better to the wear of normal listening.
“Vinyl does sound better,” DiCarolis added.
The industry affirmed this belief, or their faith in audiophiles, with the release of the USB turntable (aka record player) for copying your vinyl and turning it into a digital recording. The average USB turntable looked quite bland at first, but the USB attribute has since worked it’s way into many home theater turntable systems.
In Corvallis, there are now two places to purchase a turntable. First is Audiofiles, on 9th Street with four choices for turntables ranging from $150 – $900. Each model reflects a classic turntable design, work with either belt or direct drives, and one model converts records directly into MP3 form. Starting in early May, Gracewinds Music, 2008 Alchy Award winner for Best Music Shop, is the second place in Corvallis where you can buy a turntable. They carry two models from Gemini, a belt drive model for $129.95 and a direct drive for $149.95. Both models are very modern-looking, and the belt drive comes with a USB plug.
“I listen to vinyl at home, so when I saw it was coming back we had to,” said Nate Wagner of Gracewinds, on bringing in the turntables, “The main reason we wanted to do this – it helps out local business. The more he can sell vinyl the more turntables we put out.”
“It’s sorely needed. I’ve had many customers come to me interested in turntables,” DiCarolis of Happy Trails explained, “If half the people that tell me they wanted a turntable go over there, they will be inundated.”
More people with turntables is good news for record collectors, as it means more and more records coming through Happy Trails, the best place in town to buy new vinyl. Actually it’s the only shop other than Fred Meyer, where you can choose from a small selection of new and re-released vinyl.
“Each week we bring in new vinyl, a minimum of twenty a week,” DiCarolis said, “In the last two days we brought in around forty records alone.”
These records are a mix of new music and re-issues. One of the boons about many of the new releases, for example “Everywhere At Once,” by Lyrics Born, is the inclusion of a code for a free download of a digital copy of the album. Some other new releases on vinyl include a copy on CD. Re-issues are more likely to have extras like posters. One example is Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” that comes with three posters, one more than the original version; the new run of Jimi Hendrix re-issues have extra booklets inside. The one unfortunate side to most re-issues is that many do not fully reproduce the original packaging – most original Parliament albums have pop-ups, fold-outs, comic books and what not, but not so in today’s re-issues.
If you’re trying to find that cool original cover, say like one in the picture, or if you’re just looking for cheaper music, you can always go with old vinyl. Happy Trails has a room full of old records upstairs, most for just $1, though some go as high as $5. Those records are guaranteed to play. Cheap old records without that guarantee are plentiful in Corvallis; there’s always a box somewhere near the back in The Arc, The Cat’s Meow, and the OSU Folk Thrift Store. Garage sales also make for a fun treasure hunt. The best place to take a chance on old vinyl is Goodwill. There vinyl knowledge is very lacking, so if you see a $20 Led Zeppelin album in the glass case you must beware that it may be so scratched you’ll never hope to get a song out of it. At the same time, you may find a gem in perfect condition for $2 when it should go for $30 or more.
Accessories like needles are going to be available at the store where you bought your turntable, or online. You’ll have to make a trip to a record store in Portland to pick up sleeves for those gorgeous covers, or there are many to choose from online.
Most of all remember, just because you can’t carry a record-player around in your pocket is no reason not to have one. Vinyl is a fun and exciting avenue of music to explore, and the turntables to play them on are only getting more affordable and easier to find.
~ Robin Canfield
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