It Always Happens First on Records

A few weeks ago I finally purchased a better turntable that will do my humble record collection justice, and it's been great rediscovering some gems and digging through crates at Used Kids and Lost Weekend to find new ones.

I came across the yellowed sleeve (above) inside an original 1969 Johnny Cash At San Quentin LP. It's Columbia Records' list of all the advantages of vinyl, which, 40 years later, is a hot topic again. All the major media outlets have been running stories lately about the comeback of vinyl, rife with quotes from audiophiles about the warmth of the medium, the big artwork, the tangible aspect of music, etc. Vinyl is the perfect counterpoint to the digital music revolution. Personally, I'm glad we have both. I love my iPod and my records for completely different (and probably obvious) reasons.

Anyway, some of Columbia's promotional claims fall right in line with what vinyl promoters have been espousing lately.

• Check out the "art" argument: "Record albums are never out of place. Because of the aesthetic appeal of the jacket design, they're beautifully at home in any living room or library." True. You can display records; you can't display eMusic downloads.
  

• And the "sound" argument: "Countless refinements and developments have been made to perfect the long-playing record's technical excellence and insure (sic) the best in sound reproduction and quality available in recorded form." Yep, there's still something about vinyl that sounds nicer than a digital file.
  

Some of the claims are humorously dated, though:

• "The Best for Less: Records give you top quality for less money than any other recorded form." It's the exact opposite now. Vinyl--at least new vinyl--is pricey compared to digital.
  

• "...because they're flat and not bulky, you can store hundreds in a minimum of space and still see every title." Pretty hilarious to describe an LP as "not bulky.
  

• "With records, it's easy to pick out the songs you want to play." I wouldn't say it's easy.

But I think the sleeve heading still holds true today: Records give you more of what you want. Especially when they come packaged with those digital downloads...