After 64 years, Cutler’s Record Shop in New Haven, CT is closing. It follows many other little stores that sold vinyl, and CDs. The internet and digital downloads have changed the way we search and purchase music. It is easier, quicker, and in some cases, cheaper. Since I am not an owner of an ipod, I can’t pass judgment on the masses that have moved towards this way of listening to music. What I can say for myself and many others is…..we still love vinyl records.
In my teens and twenties, music was my vice. I spent countless hours in small, local, record shops flipping through bins of albums in search of something new. No genre was off limits. Rock, jazz, folk, classical, country, instrumental, you name it, I took a look. One store in particular knew that I was going to buy something when I walked through the door. I was left alone because they knew I had eclectic tastes. Gone are these stores where people stood shoulder to shoulder looking for a new release, or an old treasure. It was a social experience as well as a retail one.
I bought vinyl records long after CDs came into the picture, believing that the little plastic disc would not last. Why would we give up its larger predecessor? The cover was a significant part of the package. The drawings, paintings, or photos were an art form in itself. The inner sleeve had the words to many songs printed large enough that you could follow or sing along. The notes allowed the listener to learn the names of musicians and backup singers who supported the main artist. The producers ,recording studios, and location of the were the album was created also added to the history.
I never thought that CDs lived up to their hype. I have sensitive hearing and can’t hear the claimed improvement in sound quality. Albums have that airy sound that makes you feel like you are in the room with the performers. The bass, the treble, the instruments, the voices all sound different. You sit through the side A and then side B. Want to hear something over again? Lift the needle and move it back to that little space between the tracks. I did that too many times to count.
The saddest part of how we purchase music now is how much we DON’T hear. When people walk around with everything piped into their ears, no one else is exposed to something that may not know. Also individual tracks are being downloaded without the benefit of hearing the totality of what an artist put together for the project. I know there are plugin devices so that music can be heard in the open, but how many young people are hearing it this way?
Recently I was in a thrift shop selling albums for 50 cents. A woman next to me had accumulated a huge stack for purchase. We talked about how much we appreciated the covers. We also appreciated the scope of music that was more prominent in bygone years. We grew up hearing Broadway tunes, big band music, classical, and jazz from our parents. We grew up with modern music but can recognize West Side Story, The King and I, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Pavarotti, and many others. Some new artists are now making a vinyl copy of their recordings available for sale. It is interesting to see its return. These performers might just be telling us to stop, take some time, and listen. Hear the new, revisit the past, and enjoy the sound.
Simple Sensibilities 