Audio Blog: A Young Enthusiast's Vinyl Experiment

thetawave2

Well after a busy semester, I'm publishing my blog again. Lots planned for this summer, so stay tuned! And please, lemme know what you think. I appreciate constructive criticism just as much as praise, and I'm trying to improve my writing style.

http://paugustinos.blogspot.com/2012/05/xvi-foray-into-vinyl.html


So here I sit in my basement with my dad, reading an issue of ?The Absolute Sound? as he tackles some work he brought home from a business trip. He hums along to his old Bloody Tourists record as he squints at some document or another. I can?t help but smile as I think about how those same eyes lit up when he came downstairs and I told him what I was listening to. When he joined me to hang out and listen together, I was already almost through side 2; he asked if I wouldn?t terribly mind flipping the record back over. Of course I obliged!

We brought this record home along with several others after raiding our grandmothers? houses on a family visit. My mom had asked my uncle where her Pioneer PL-A45D turntable had gone, knowing my brothers and I would get a kick out of playing some old vinyls, and he dug the old thing out of storage for us. Over the following few weeks, I did some research and ordered a replacement belt and an inexpensive Pyle phono stage. My uncle promised me the stylus and cartridge were in ship shape, but I still had a bit of work to do restoring the turntable. With lots of Goo Gone and just as much elbow grease, I scraped, buffed, and rubbed off the sticky residue of the original belt from the platter and the plinth underneath. After wondering why records weren?t playing at the right speed, I called my uncle and he advised me to take a look at the platter bearing. Sure enough, it was seized up. Once I cleaned it and added some valve oil left over from my trumpet-playing days, the platter was spinning freely again. I took some time to learn about tracking and anti-skating force adjustments on Youtube, and began exploring my parents? record collections.

Some albums sounded pretty worn but others gave me a pleasant surprise. All in all, I did gain an appreciation for the character of vinyl. Clearly, it?s not just nostalgia that makes people continue using this supposedly ?outdated? technology. There?s something inherently pleasant about the music coming off these old records.

Even on old equipment, old vinyl, and a cheap phono stage, I was quite impressed with some of the recordings. As I write this, the vocals of Bloody Tourists sound clear and honest and natural, contrasting sharply with the often overproduced sound that some modern music suffers from. Peter Frampton did come ?Alive!? and imaged very well; I had no trouble visualizing him singing and playing his guitar in ?Baby, I Love Your Way.? I could hardly keep myself from singing along to ?Do You Feel Like I Do,? like my mom had earlier. Yesterday, we enjoyed some music together and she told me how excited she was when the album was released, and how torn she was when a vacation in Greece meant she wouldn?t be able to listen to her new music for much of the summer.

My dad was impressed, too, maybe even more than I was. Despite its condition, he heard familiar voices, chords, songs in a whole new way on his ?well loved? copy (to put it nicely) of Elton John?s ?Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy.? I smiled and told him it was a feeling I?ve come to know well since I started this hi-fi journey. It made me deeply happy to know that for both of my parents, I had resurrected the music they had enjoyed when they were my age in a whole new way.

tonyb

Now that....I dig. Good find there. Wish more parents and kids could get together and listen regardless of the format.

thsmith

Special time and memories

cnh

Very nice. These "blogs" you speak of just remind me of what we used to call journals or diaries that were more private, and less public. That's, of course, just a matter of taste.

Some of the most memorable hours I spent with my father after I grew up and left the house to start out on my own, were the times I'd return to visit and we'd break out a low end BSR TT and play his rather extensive collection of Classic Guitar and Flamenco LPs (that I now have with me in my home). We'd head down to the finished basement, fire up the TT and sit there, pretty much in blissful silence. As he grew older, he'd nod off here and there. But it was really an "amazing" time; one that you'll remember for the rest of your life.

Enjoy him while he's still with you! And may that be a long long time!

cnh

thetawave2

tonyb wrote: »

Now that....I dig. Good find there. Wish more parents and kids could get together and listen regardless of the format.

My parents and I have always enjoyed music together. Whether it was my dad exposing me to Bruce Springsteen and the Rolling Stones on his car stereo or my mom bugging me to practice piano, music has been a significant part of my life. Thanks for the read!

cnh wrote: »

Very nice. These "blogs" you speak of just remind me of what we used to call journals or diaries that were more private, and less public. That's, of course, just a matter of taste.

Some of the most memorable hours I spent with my father after I grew up and left the house to start out on my own, were the times I'd return to visit and we'd break out a low end BSR TT and play his rather extensive collection of Classic Guitar and Flamenco LPs (that I now have with me in my home). We'd head down to the finished basement, fire up the TT and sit there, pretty much in blissful silence. As he grew older, he'd nod off here and there. But it was really an "amazing" time; one that you'll remember for the rest of your life.

Enjoy him while he's still with you! And may that be a long long time!

cnh

That is an accurate observation, I think. Part of that is kind of the style I'm going for. I was inspired to write by Stephen Mejias of Stereophile. I really liked his candid, personal style in his column "The Entry Level," and that definitely influenced my writing. Another part was just the nature of this particular entry. As I get more experienced, I think I'll get used to writing a little more formally, be better versed in real comparisons, have different sorts of stories, et c. But then again, part of the reason I write these entries is as a sort of journal so I think that flavor might be here to stay.

I am definitely enjoying my time with him. Being away at school for much of the year makes me treasure the time we have together even more now.

Thanks for reading and thanks for the feedback. And thanks for sharing your story with me, too

thetawave2

Oh and sorry for the question marks, everyone. Those are supposed to be quotation marks or apostrophes.... Not sure what makes them turn out that way when I paste it in.

schwarcw

Very nice write up! I look forward to reading more from your audio journal this Summer.

Best regards,

SCompRacer

Great story! Is that Bloody Tourists, 10cc's sixth studio album? If so, the Bloody Tourists album cover was one of seven done for 10cc by Hipgnosis. Hipgnosis was a British art design group that did over 275 notable album covers for various bands. That was back in the day before digital photos and their manipulation. Here is a shot of six of the seven covers.

thetawave2

schwarcw wrote: »

Very nice write up! I look forward to reading more from your audio journal this Summer.

Thanks very much, Carl!

SCompRacer wrote: »

Is that Bloody Tourists, 10cc's sixth studio album?

Yes, it is! I've made that a bit more clear in my writeup... thanks for pointing it out. I appreciated the information on it, too! I did like the album art for "Bloody Tourists" and I'll have to look up Hipgnosis and see some of their other work. I'm sure it'll lead me to more great music too.

And thanks for checking out my blog

SCompRacer

The reason I asked is there was (and maybe still is) a band called Bloody Tourists.

There are web sites that show Hipgnosis covers. I also have the book, but it does not show all the covers they did. A friend of mine and fellow Hipgnosis cover lover keep a spread sheet we add to when we find one. Storm Thorgerson was one of the founders of Hipgnosis. He did some covers after they dissolved that some folks list as Hipgnosis art which inflates the numbers.

You'll find Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and The Alan Parsons Project among their clients.



Keep up the good work!

schwarcw

Rich, change your location to your Forum address to read "The Album Art King". You are amazing in so many ways pal!

SCompRacer

Thanks for the kind words Carl! I'm just simple minded and like album art. Pictures and some words, can't go wrong.:cheesygrin:

doctorcilantro

For some reason, I am yearning for a restored Garrard or Lenco these days....

but first I need to finish rebuilding my hifi!

SCompRacer

Hey Jon! Good to see you posting. Hope all is well with you. Lenco's are starting to climb in price. Crazy. They were initially a less expensive alternative to the pricey Garrard idlers and properly done up will take any arm or cartridge you can afford to stick on them. I bought my desirable 60Hz metal idler wheel beater Lenco for $75 ~ three years ago; hard to find them for that anymore. It sure sounds good with that linear tracking air bearing arm I got from you. The list of tables folks have sold off after they got a Lenco is impressive.

doctorcilantro

Good to be back!

And...awesome post Thetawave2! Sorry, I was exhausted and under the weather last night, but your thread did spark a re-interest in vinyl for me!

thetawave2

doctorcilantro wrote: »

your thread did spark a re-interest in vinyl for me!

Happy to hear it! Thanks for the read and I hope you feel better soon