I remember driving with a friend for over two hours to pick up the new C.D. of Robert Johnson when that was hype. Over $80 early 90's. When we got back my tech-talk friend played it and I couldn't hear the low E string. Not only could I play along with this missing part on his acoustic, but he could hear it on my vinyl L.P's, and they are remasters of original cellulose. You get tiny you sound tiny. Tiny artwork. Around here, grabbing an old Board of Education tape recorder is considered a scoop. Those big stereo tape machines with two mikes always sound great. If everyone put C.D. and vinyl and wide tapes side by side you would hear the depth difference. Ever see what's hauled into cinemas for real public entertainment?
At least back then everyone stood a chance with the same tech. But now, loading a C.D. is nukeUler science, and companies multiple E.Q. product to sound best on their various players and their broadcasters, making any chance of home recordings making it more negligible than ever, except for your wonderful opportunities for free uploading. I bummed out a lot of C.D. enthusiasts for years getting excited myself, saying let's make a C.D. when no user could. The public was held hosting hostage for years.
If I can add to the mild controversy here, how much of your home high-tech would have been illegal for you to own years ago, being C.I.A. secrets? Audio-video brainwashing, playback psychology, electronic invasion, user interfacing, variable identities: why is this such a good thing as your lifestyle? How has this lifestyle affected your economy? And as a musician, could you survive with online food recipes, C.D's of farm tours and watching cooks on T.V. instead of real food? Not only is it still Support Live Music, now it's Support Live Life. And as a famous global computer prophet said in the 60's, in the future you'll find out you have to pay for losing a war you didn't see, watching the news on T.V.
Personally, I still use my double cassette deck radio to grab tunes off air or off T.V. and make copies for band members. And I'm bad, taping over unpopular product sold cheaper than blanks, like The Best of Rimsky Korsikov by The Danish Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladamir Horowitz with The Deutsche Grammophone Symphony, The Twenty Top Sixties Hits of Motown, A Collection of Jazz Standards by The Original Artists, The Best of Bach on The Hawaiian Wanalotapipea Festival Organ by Cornola Dolcemo, and my own band tapes I don't like anymore.
Vinyl required care and maintenance to sound clean, not as much effort as learning to sing and play the music yourself. Ever hear L.P. noise from radio stations storing thousands? Why did the public's diamond needle quality deteriorate so badly? Not sound engineering, this social engineering.
I cannot but quote every word you say about vinyl albums. I'm such a nostalgic person, you know, and sometimes I miss those times in which I entered a music store and was soon surrounded by a sea of vinyl records. From those far and lucky times, I've kept a few vinyl albums, however, mainly because, actually, I own a turntable no more... which is a crying shame, but when, several years ago, mine broke, I had no money to it get it repaired, and so... But, in order to never forget the vinyl era, I kept Horner's Name Of The Rose score (which I'm very keen on keeping since, from a personal viewpoint, means much to me), a coupla Madonna's albums (I think Like A Virgin and The First Album), and a few more.
