Category: Jam Session
How many of you collect records and what kind (78s, 45s, 33s, cylinders) do you prefer? What about music genres? How many turntables/record players do you have? Do you prefer analogue over digital or do you do it just for fun or value of the records? I have probably over 200 albums. Many of them were given to me in bundles and don't suit my musical taste, so I'll probably be selling them. But about half of them are amazing and varied in genre, from rock, to disco, to soul, to British Invasion to doo-op, to comedy.. I've also got two small cases of 45s and like most of them. Recently, my boyfriend got me a double-lp of mostly 30's rebetika that was just released this year. It's cd version has been out for a few years now, but they decided to put it on vinyl as an extra special treat. I've never seen this happen, and got all excited, so he snatched it up for me. I also have several original 78s from the same genre so am slowly building up that collection as well, though if they ever come close to the amount of my mp3s in the genre, I'll have to buy a new house. lol As for turntables, I've got two externals (not hooked up), a high-fi with built-in speakers and at least two stereos with built-in turntables. But I still don't have a player that could handle 78s and need to remedy this. I also considered starting up a collection of cylinder records too, but those are probably insanely expensive and they're very difficult to maintain, due to their age, and probably to use without sight, given their fast speed. . In any case, for me, there's something about analogue that digital music mostly can't give you. I say that cause if the sounds of the record are left in the recording, it still gives you some of the feel. Still, I love the real thing.. Anyway, what about you guys?
You should talk to Rob a.k.a. Dj Outrage about record collecting. He has over 8000 records, and even several cylinders. I'll tell him about this.
Also, I think it's Sledge's mother that has 30000 records and over 30 cylinders and even something to play the cylinders on.
You called? lol
As a dj, I am kind of obliged to own rediculess ammounts of techno records, the weirder the better, but as far as collecting goes it's mostly jazz/30s 78s, doo wop 45s and psych stuff in general. I own a hmv portable gramophone to play the 78s on, it's probbably my single favourite posession lol hearing jellyroll morton, louis armstrong etc on those things is mind blowingly good. I also love things like erving berlin, noel coward etc. In short, I just love music in general.
I have:
1 record player/record changer that plays 16s, whatever they are, 33s, 45s and 78s, 2 turntables for dj use, a usb turntable to back up the 78s into mp3s, which you can have from me if you want, any of you lol and the gramophone i just mentioned. I have 8000 or so records, well that was last year, and i have more since then, and a few cilinders, but nothing to play them on!
as i mentioned, i'm digitising as much as I can, as hey, i can't be ferrying 8000 records back and forth to and from university and miss them lol
so if you want a particular old artist/genre in general i'll have a look and see what i can do, as I know how thrustrating it is, especially with music pre the digital age.
Wow! That's alot!!! of records. Is your gramophone an electric or an acoustic model? I believe 16s are the books on record from the NLS. Sadly, they actually offered to give me a bunch once, but I had to turn them down. But if they still have any, I'd love to get some and that goes for their tapes too, if they're releasing them to the public. But anyway, you should check out the Antique Phonograph program and Transpacific Sound Paradise both on
http://www.wfmu.org
They've got alot of amazing stuff on there. As for doo-ops, I used to love listening to Don K Reed and The Doo-Op Shop on CBSFM 101.1. But they've changed their format so much that it's ridiculous. They don't play most of the good stuff anymore, and have even started getting into the 80's. It used to be 50's, 60's and 70's only.
I enjoy records. I don't have a whole lot, and I like them mainly for their sentimental value and for the fun of actually taking one out and setting the needle down, as opposed to simply hitting Play on a CD player.
Cds drive me nuts. Mp3s and tapes are fine but I've always hated cds. I've heard that they're less delicate than they used to be but it seems that my records far outlast any cds of mine as far as skipping etc.
alot of the times i find cds are fine but some of the older players seem to die after 5 + years and that there isn't an issue with the cd themselves. But the newer players are so cheap now it doesn't matter. As for digital missing something that analogue gives yeah it definately is especially when ppl thenk that 128kb mp3's sound just like a cd or other equvialent .
I agree that analog sounds much better. It seems that digital quality is more harsh. Maybe I'm just saying taht because I grew up with a jukebox in my basement, because the songs in their original state bring back a lot of good childhood memories. It was a very sad day when we had to get rid of that thing but we still have all the 45's, probably a couple hundred. Mostly they're rock and soul, and we have a good amount of LP's too. Most of them are my dad's, classic country which I just can't get into. As for turn tables, there's a stereo in our basement so we go down there once in a blue moon and break out teh vinyl. To me there's just something magical about hearing those few seconds of static before and after a song, yes I know I'm weird to be talking about this when I'm only 20 years old, but that's how I grew up. Anyway, my mom is actually looking at a turn table for me because where she works at they're selling it and she can get a discount, so that's gonna be sweet! I've never seen a cylinder or a 78, but I'd like to someday just for the sake of curiosity.
Screaming Turtle, I grew up on those clicks and pops of static too! I miss them, but I love hearing it when I put on my record player on occasion. It plays a tiny bit too fast though, and it is hard to find someone who'll repair it. And classic country is my absolute favourite. what kind of artists does he have, if you don't mind my asking?
I think it depends on the music. I think Pink Floyd, Radiohead's OK Computer, the Britpop genre and so on ight sound better on LPs, but I think hip hop, rap etc sounds better on a cd. I just have that from very few listening comparisons and a .flac file does it for me 90% of the time, and a 320 kbps mp3 is pretty good, good enough for my crappy computer speakers and for aeroplanes anyway. The drum cymbals sound weird in any mp3 under 224kbps but aftr that I am quite happy with the quality of mp3s generally.
Now, quite often, DJs and bands add some record popping or crackling for effect, check out "Teardrop" by "Massive Attack", some know it better as the Dr House tune, beautiful use of record static there.
Wow! You had an actual jukebox? Incredible! I wish I had one of those. As for 78s, they feel just like 33s, except that they're thicker, heavier and more fragile. They're also made of a different material, actually a cobination of materials. Cylinders are pure wax and are a bit large and tall. I'd imagine, especially now, that they're also extremely fragile. I once met a man who had drawers full of them, not to mention four acoustic players for all manner of records.
Leaffan, my dad has stuff like Waylon Jennings, Buck Owens, Hank Williams, hmmm I know there are a lot more, but seeing as how their voices drive me crazy and I could never get into them, their names escape me. Country music is honestly the only genre I won't touch with a 10-foot pole. The closest I get to listening to country is Johnny Cash. Wildebrew, I would agree that certain styles of music such as rap wouldn't sound very good on vinyl, but I would suspect it's because they came out after most people stopped using it primarily.
Screaming Turtle, I wish we lived closer so I could sit and listen to records with your Dad. That type of music is something I basically grew up on, and so I really have a deep appreciation for it. I do love many other styles as well.
Tiffany, I have had lots of experience with 78's, as a kid with my aunt's player. I gave them the care they require, but unfortunately even at that I broke a few. I have never seen a cylinder at all. I was surprised though at one point when I saw a record player that had four speeds: 16, 33, 45, and 78.
Yes, the 16s are for the NLS talking books. At least, that's what I've heard. As for rap, three words. Sugar Hill Gang. I'm not into the genre but enjoy them and think they'd sound great on vinyl.
I have an acoustic gramophone, thankfully, hmv modle 101, i think.
Hank williams, buck owens etc is all good with me, too, love old country.
tiff, go to www.shoutcast.com and search doo wop, there's a station called the doo wop express, and it plays rock 'n'roll and 50s pop too, it's wonderful. live365 has doo wop jukebox, which is just doo wop, and it is awsome.
Old country is all right. When I was in South Carolina some of my best memories went with really old country playing off the big speakers, riding the four wheeler like crazy people over our very o{n big chunk of land, late late nights when half the world came over to mom's and they turned up the music and turned us brats loose to do whatever the fuck we pleased, as long as we stayed away from the creek because there were all sorts of snakes and spiders out there. However we didn't listen, and never did get bitten.... Summers down there always amounted to boredom to the point of danger so Gods don't want to know half of what we did.... Oh, wonderful old little kid memories. But old country doesn't sound good in digital, if I hear it in MP3 it's just ick, die, now. anyway....
Sorry for going off topic. And new country is almost pure shit, almost. The occasional good song pops up now and then.
lol That's cool. Memories and records go hand in hand and I love hearing people's experiences.
I buy 12" singles. Digital stores are catching on and releasing EPS with clean/dirty/instrumental/accapella versions, but 12"s (particularly 90s hip hop) still have lots up on the new digital stuff. For one, they have bonus beats and even bonus b-side tracks (which are sometimes crap). Hard 2 Obtain is one particular group with lots of non-album tracks. THis is unfortunate since they only had one awesome album (I doubt they'd be able to pull it off again if they didn't disappear off the face of the earth as the SD50's did the beats and they're into rock now). I also try and collect old kitchy children's records and other disco goodness. THe salvation army down the block is semi-decent (mostly Carpenters and 20 copies of Sgt. Pepper's). I'd like a digging partner greatly. When I'm home I only occasionally subject family members to the dusty salvation army stacks.
dude, I've been trying to collect 70s and 80s hip hop for years, have a couple of hundred 12s of it or there abouts, just love that stuff on vinyl, the more crackles the better. Same with disco. I have a massive collection of disco 45s, awsome to cut/scratch/fuck with.
I'm apprehensive about collecting 45s. I mainly get 12"s. Disco but mostly hip hop or beats/breaks. Some battle records but I'm not big on those. Hip hop records have plenty fo scratchable stuff as it is. 45s are OK but at this point more money than I'd be willing to spend for what you get (2 sides of music, shallow grooves). Like I touched on before I have a few extracerricular records, some of which have short breakdown sections w/ drums and what not but overall I play it safe. 12"s are louder and usually have bonus beats or instrumentals. 7"s usually have "part 2"s which might as well be bonus beats. It's inevitable I'm eventually going to start collecting those.
Hmmm. That's a good point, I tend to get job lots of records from ebay, or hardtofindrecords.com, which i think is now htfr.com. if you look around for packages of disco 45s or pritty much anything, you'll get the odd awsome record in there that you can play with. Thing with 45s and dj ing is, make sure you get good, sterdy center pieces for the ones with holes in the midle, otherwise they'll fall out of the midle and then your fucked, to put it litely.