You may not have noticed but vinyl records have made a comeback. Yes, that is right- those 12†albums which used to be a feature of every student bedsit and teenager’s bedroom are now highly collectable articles, some of which are selling for hundreds of £s. What is more new vinyl records are being manufactured and purchased by younger people. I first became aware of the vinyl phenomena when Harbour Records opened in Emsworth. In Havant, we also have Pauls Vinyl in North Street. Chichester has the long established Helter Skelter Records and Time Machine records. Towns such as Brighton and Guildford now boast of new record shops selling copious amounts of vinyl to collectors of all ages.
The 12†vinyl long player (or album) was first launched in the USA in the early 1950s and many LPs of that era tend to be film or musical soundtracks. The LP really took off in the popular music explosion of the 1960’s and by the early 1970’s had become the format of choice for rock bands, many of whom did not release 7†singles. The cassette tape came along in the late 1960’s and was also popular as it could be played in a car and on the move in a “Walkman†(portable cassette player.) In 1982 the Compact Disc was launched and by the early 1990s it had swept away other formats and became the choice for most music lovers. The CD was hard to damage (unlike vinyl), did not wear out or become chewed up (like cassettes), played for nearly 80 minutes and all main record labels were releasing their back catalogues on CD. What was there not to like about the CD? – it had excellent sound quality, portability and was fairly indestructible. The invention of the MP3 file which enabled music to be digitally downloaded and played on an IPod and later on a smart phone seemed to herald a new age where the CD might eventually follow the cassette, 8 track cartridge and LP down the road to obsolescence.
However the LP, which had never really gone away, suddenly staged a revival in the last few years. I asked Phil Church of Harbour Records for his take on the popularity of the LP. He put it down to better sound quality, the tactile nature of LP records and nostalgia for the golden age of rock music – mainly the 1970s. Certainly, vintage record shops tend to concentrate on selling “Classic rock†with a wide selection of artists such as Beatles, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, etc. Many of us may have boxes of once loved LPs gathering dust in the attic. It may be worthwhile bringing them down but age is not the only measure of value. It is all about collectability and condition. Phil told me that many people come into his shop with LPs convinced that they are worth a lot of money. Unfortunately many of these records sold by the million and unless it is a rare pressing or in perfect condition (both sleeve and record) unlikely to be worth much. Collectors want rock music so that old Val Doonican record is unlikely to be worth anything. However most classic rock albums of the 1960’s/1970s will sell for £10 -£15 in vintage record shops with a few selling for hundreds of pounds.
Hi Fi manufacturers have also realised that vinyl is here to stay. In a recent Hi Fi magazine I bought there were listing for 24 turntables in the price range £200 -£6275! If your budget is not up to than then it is possible to buy a new record deck for as little as £50. Many people like to collect music in different formats and it is not a case of people throwing out their CDs and buying vinyl (the reverse of which happened in the 1990s) but merely mixing and matching formats. There is certainly something about an LP record that makes you want to pick it up and admire the artwork and read the sleeve notes. As a collector of CDs I find it very frustrating having to find a magnifying glass if I wish to read the sleeve notes of a CD
Many classic albums of the 1960’s and 1970’s are as well known for their art work as for their musical content. Everyone can recognise the Beatles Sergeant Pepper album with it Peter Blake designed collage cover. Pink Floyds Dark Side of the Moon album with its prism refracting a multicoloured spectrum of light is a real seventies icon. Somehow the CD is just too small to ever be a work of art.
The failure of the digital download to wipe out other formats may be due to its ephemeral nature. It is well suited for today’s instant manufactured pop music which can be deleted when a particular boy band or X factor winner ceases to be popular. However the real music lover buys music that they will play for the rest of their lives and will want to keep referring back to the original album. I have to admit that I still play music that I first listened to over 40 years ago and can still find something new in it each time I listen.
Do visit our local vinyl record shops in Havant and Emsworth. They are both run by people who are very knowledgeable about music and like to talk about record collecting. If you do have a collection of old vinyl records why not consider getting a turntable and reliving those great sounds form the past. If you already have the music on CD then our record shops may be able to buy some of the better records – otherwise consider donating them to the various charity shops in the Borough, most of which now sell LPs.