OT Anyone still listen to actual records (vinyl)?

[Alex C]

Whenever I'm home from college, I love to listen to my dad's huge collection of records.  He's got tons of great stuff; Hotel California, The Commodores, James Taylor, Ray Stevens    , ELO, Billy Joel's Greatest Hits (I love "Piano Man"), and my favorite, Van Morrison's Moondance.  My dad would play these all the time when I was growing up, and they're sort of ingrained in my memory of my youth.  There's something so beautiful about laying the needle down, the quiet hiss, and the authenticity of the sounds that really appeals to me.  The sound seems rawer, more pure to me, and I love it.  And there's something very real about these sounds, something I don't find when I download a song, or even listen to a CD.
Does anyone else still listen to records, or have a record player that still works?  

Alex

[MarkB]

I still do occasionally - because I have a lot of stuff that's on vinyl only - much of it out of print, or 12" or EPs.

I don't buy into the audiophile bunk about it sounding 'better' or 'warmer'.. but it certainly sounds good still.

Of course - I have a lot of the early punk stuff on vinyl.. and that was so poorly recorded, it sounds wonderfully awful
"-)

[jimbob]

As of Nov 15 of last year i worked t Sony inc. part division and i couldnt tell you how many people called for parts to fix thier old record player or needing needles/stylus. Tons! I would have never believed it. Especially the prices we chargedthem were about as unbelievable$$$$

[troubledtom]

i do ...................

[Tim Escobedo]

I still listen to them.

They still sound fine by me. Don't get me wrong, I'd just as soon have them all on CD, but the ones I have still work fine. My system isn't good enough to convince me vinyl sounds better, but is good enough to hear every scratch and spec of dust. :wink:  Besides, there are two big used record stores within a mile of my house that offer a great selection for as little as a buck apiece.

This xmas, I found my 9 year old daughter a record player, and I gave her $5. We rode our bikes to the shop, where she got five records to listen to. New stuff to her. Cheap. Lots of fun.

[Samuel]

There's still a very large musical community (hardcore & punk) producing vinyl. For many releases its the exclusive format, believe it or don't.

[nightingale]

i try to but most of my new stuff on vinyl.. most independent labels still press vinyl.. actually "nightingale" is reocroding a 7" split with another denver band..
hth

[Jason Stout]

I do. Some records can be had cheep.

[Marcos - Munky]

I still listen to vinyl, and spend lots of money in they. I spent R$350 ($120 in dollars) in my small collection, I have some rarities here. I have George Benson, Jeff Beck, Willie Nelson, Alice in Chains, Mad Season, Brujeria, ACDC, Black Sabbath and some more things. The most new (in years) that I have is a split of a brazilian death metal band Imperious Malevolence, that is well knowed in Europe. When I was a kid, my father listened vinyls, and he have a cool collection that I listen today. I'm still looking for new vinyls, I don't find lots of stuff here. I'm looking for a Jerry Cantrell vinyl, but I think will be hard to find one here.

[Hal]

i have some stuff.  Mostly older jazz stuff that I've never heard of, that are my dads.  He also has the rolling stones album, the one with the zipper :-D.

I deff. don't think it sounds better than a CD.  In fact, my system sounds like crap!  I was only using it to amp rear 15" speakers for more bass on my CD player, but.....now I'm using it for the record player too.  Turn the trebs up a bit and its "normal," but lots of hissing and stuff that you just don't get  on CDs.  Pisses me off.  I'm such a digital boy.

[DaveTV]

I haven't bought a vinyl record in a while but I still have my old collection. I was even fortunate enough to acquire a very nice turntable from an old co-worker a few years ago. He was this crazy German audiophile (think Dieter from Sprockets) who decided he wanted phase out his LP collection to make more room for CDs. All of his equipment was pretty high-end stuff, and I gladly took his turntable, a Thorens that he'd bought in Germany and brought with him (he had the transformer replaced for US voltage).

He also had this amazing collection of German free jazz on vinyl, but I think he ended up selling most of it on Ebay to folks who new what it was. I remember it sounding like a bunch of crazy saxophone noise except that it had been amazingly well-recorded.

Unfortunately, my collection doesn't do the Thorens much justice...mostly 80's punk and alternative stuff. The Minutemen never sounded better.

[troubledtom]

I still listen to them.

They still sound fine by me. Don't get me wrong, I'd just as soon have them all on CD, but the ones I have still work fine. My system isn't good enough to convince me vinyl sounds better, but is good enough to hear every scratch and spec of dust. :wink:  Besides, there are two big used record stores within a mile of my house that offer a great selection for as little as a buck apiece.

This xmas, I found my 9 year old daughter a record player, and I gave her $5. We rode our bikes to the shop, where she got five records to listen to. New stuff to her. Cheap. Lots of fun.

hell yah,
    that's one of the coolist post i've read in a long time.  my 16yr old daughter loves the vinyl i have.
    peace,
         - tom

[runmikeyrun]

hell yeah!!

Nothing like Led Zeppelin I cranked up on my stereo, rips my @#$%in head off every time.

I own a lot of stuff, from Iron Butterfly and Fresh Cream to Converge (modern crazy metal), local punk 7" to Black Sabbath.  One of my favorites is Maiden's Somewhere in Time album, gosh it's great on vinyl.

A few of my other favorites i've actually put to cd but it's just not the same.

[Alex C]

That's great that you guys still listen to 'em, and seem to enjoy it so much.  I wish I had been around when that was the norm, so I could talk about it with fondness and refer to "the good old days."  My first recording was a cassette tape.  I'm not too fond of those.     Good responses, guys!


Alex

[mattv]

I do. I hadn't bought anything in awhile, but I just picked up an old Herbie Han%^&* album last weekend.  

[Nasse]

Not very often, but *never* have planned to get rid of my vinyls. Yesterday night visited a neighbour´s home, we fixed his recco player (just an easy job) and he played me few vinyl records, old Johnny Cash Sun recordings reprint, a Shadows from late 70´s disco fever time, and some other hit collection from the past. I borrowed one record, a cheapo guitar all instrumental collection (in SuperStereo) from middle europe and 1980, smells cheese.

[Lobster Magnet]

I try to buy only vinyl. Sounds better, and the big artwork is great.

[Xlrator]

Yeah, I listen to some of my dad's vinyl. I was listening to West, Bruce and Laing's "Why Doncha". Gonna have the band cover that one. Beckology, Edgar Winter, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Mothers Of Invention "Live At The Fillmore", and Phlorescent Leech and Eddie.

I collect a lot of 8-tracks and have about 4 8-track players. I got the Yardbirds, Bob Seger, Boston, Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, all that cool shit that a heavy metal fan looks back to and respects!

And I killed almost all my brain cells to Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon 8-track all through high school! (in my '78 Nova in '93) In my head I can still hear it fade out and change tracks in "Time" when he sings "...no one told you when to run, You missed the starting gun..."

Damn, thanks for the time trip!!!!!

[bwanasonic]

No Scratch DJs here I guess. I have close to 600 vinyl albums, but I rarely listen to them anymore. I have a lot of 50s R&B/Gospel/ Soul/ Blues, etc. that sounds really nice on vinyl. Much gutsier, fuller and yes *warmer*.  I was recently tempted to by a copy of the new Shins album on vinyl to hear the difference between the CD version. Maybe if I moved my turtable over to my computer area I would listen to more vinyl. Hmm, that's an idea...

Kerry M

PS. If you you want see and hear turntables and vinyl put to incredible use by some incredibly skilled people, check out the film *Scratch*. It features DJ Qbert, Mix Master Mike, Cut Chemist etc, and is really good overview of *turntablism*.

[fernmeister]

i'm looking to drop about £1k on a new turntable.  sick of CDs and don't even talk to me about downloads, mp3 or minidisc.