Monday, December 1, 2008

Fer the love of Vinyl

Sigh . . . Feeling dem fooking Monday Blues & has got me reminiscing bout them care free student days. When all me had to do to perk me fooking spirits up was to head out to the nearest record emporiums & grab a slice or two of fresh vinyl.

Hey, me isn't against the download revolution, the frequency which me posts download links here should attest to that. It just isn't the same somehow. Previously, going on a record-hunting trip was something to look forward to, flicking thru the racks with all dem 12" & brightly coloured sleeves was just a joy to behold. And when you've picked yer LPs, EPs or maxi-singles, you head on home to yer already-warmed up amplifier & turntable. You peel off the shrink wrapping & stick on the vinyl on the turntable & carefully place the stylus on the opening groove. You sit back as the opening crackle, pop & hiss gives way to warm, melodious sounds that you could only experience via vinyl.

Me guess this is the closest you'll get a bloke like me to wax lyrical about the joys of shopping! Sorry fer this dripping-in-fooking-nostalgia posting but you know when you hear the old timers say, "they just don't make em like they used to". Know what, they're fooking right . . .

ps: Do share yer fond memories of record shopping here - fave shops, vinyl-care tips & what do you miss bout old time music storage formats (anyone remember dem fooking gigantic 8-track catridges?) etc.

32 comments:

JonW said...

Mate, I think I know why there's still no sharing on this post yet.

Age gap.

Unknown said...

AD: I don't buy music and probs never did buy me a Vinyl either hahah but the oldies left over from my late uncle's days - still gives me nostalgia but then auntie is refering to music from the 50/60s not quite what you probs were picking up in your student days ...

Although getting someone to fix that turn-table or find the needles is like an adventure of its own in this modern digital world.

anfield devotee said...

JonW: eh, dude, me is old but not thaaaaaaat old la fooker. Besides, you ain't no spring chicken yerself . . .

akuani: Any hidden treasures in yer Uncle's collection? ie Beatles, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Buffalo Spingfield etc? ME will buy em off you . . .

Unknown said...

I think it goes way back from what you asking about ... lotsa Jim Reeves, Paul Anka even the soundtrack from Green Beret - ever watched that movie?

but you'd have to fight me to death to get me to part with them ... somethings even money won't make me part with em :))

anfield devotee said...

akuani: of course me understands. But don't let yer collection rot la. Clean em, store em properly & play dem regularly (me can point the way towards an affordable tunrtable if you need one).

Unknown said...

AD: yes that sounds like a plan ... will talk some more with you on that option ...

currently wrestling it off my other uncle who stakes claim on it just to irk me right proper!

An Ops Vinyl has to be embarked upon hehehehe might need Riddzy's snake pal for the diversion kih kih kih ...

mozisArudebhoy said...

chief,

chanced upon something interesting, to taserzappp the slabby flabby monday drone into a 50-50 chance of pure electroshockabillia - courtesy of a certain Kop-end-proselytizing, anfield worshipping,
"dalglieshisgod" mantra chanting, part demi-LFC-smeagolic priest / part semi-LFC-gollumnite-demon cum bit-torrent pirate extraordinaire. the dude dwells in cave in a cave with the words "this is anfield" framed over his bed with a smile on the face after every win - who (the last "who" i assure you) also by a strange twist of fate happens to be my brother.mwahhahahhaa

speaking of which:
1) http://www.rudraonline.org/

2)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedic_metal#Vedic_metal

i think yu probably oridhi heard about this fellas,but in case yu haven't this is it. only thing disdaindful AND disgusting is, they had to be unfortunately sporean (south of heaven???)

catch ya later mon. just punchin' in.

appreciatively,
moz.
p.s. me/premo know that feeling chief, that rush of flipping through records - vinyl or otherwise. hours and hours on end *sigh* was it waste of time?

Jorji said...

i love the smell of the cd sleeves..
reading whatever they wrote on the slevee sambil baring2 dengar lagu dari cd yg dibeli.

Puas.

now,all donlod and read wiki about the band or masuk website terus.

tak sama feel dia.

senorita.. said...

i had a chance to listen to vinyl playing once at my fren's place a few months ago. beatles was on and yes,it's different. different feel,guess it's the different format the songs were being recorded,digital n all.

anfield devotee said...

j or ji: correct. But even with CDs me was already lamenting the diff with records. Not the same. With LPs & their extra large sleeves & artwork, you feel like yer jolding something tangible.

senorita: There's something very organic about listening to analogue recordings, especially when coupled with tube amps & the right pair of speakers. The result can be so moving as to move you to tears. Exaggerating? Nope. Try listening to Dark Side of The Moon on CD & vinyl. Somehow, the record still sounds superior.

Anba said...

Balaji:-
the only pop and hiss that i remember is breaking and scratching my daddy's LP...dun worry bro..all of em tamil devotional and cinema songs LP
But back in 96 me still remember a Motorhead no remorse LP with leather case selling for rm40...in Melody ipoh...me didnt buy coz saw no point in it...dunno which lucky dude bought it

anfield devotee said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
anfield devotee said...

No point, Anba?!!!? Nooooooo . . . (echoing into a bottomless abyss)

Bernard said...

Vinyl? To paraphrase DK "Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death"...

Kopite78 said...

AD: Totaly agree with you. Those were the days in Liverpool. up late in the day and then heading down to the city and down the lane to Scene of the Crime for some amazing bargains on some classics as well as some experimental LPs, then to the off licence and another pitstop before heading back for a night of chilling and listening.

Oh how I long for the days of Flat 9, Princess Road, Toxteth. Not a care in the world apart from the fact that we were once too late to buy our essentials.

Tinesh said...

:S tape cassette baby then CD adoloscent and now a blu-ray adult.

Lol

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

some years back my friend was kind enough to pay me a visit and brought along a gift in a form of a vinyl. remember punkrock heroes The Bollocks? yea them. for some weird reason their first outing was even produced in vinyl. i was told it was meant for china market. you can check with Joe Kidd if this was the case.

so anyway since i dont have the player, i made a deal with kamil othman (remember this great rock Deejay?), he can have the vinyl but make sure to get it dubbed in casette format. back then CD was a luxury.

talking about the deejay, i believe his collection is very impressive.

Anba said...

Balaji:-
those were my jahiliyah days...isk isk..now me kicking myself in the head...for missing the point...not only that the shop also had metallica's motorbreath LP bro...
even until today...thats my biggest regrets didnt buy that...FOOkin Shit...

Kerp:- You know Dj Kamil Othman...isk isk...was a big fan of his show when the show came out in 95...
brings back good memories...

Unknown said...

Hmmm...vinyl.

I remember when I was a pimply 10 year old listening to the likes of ABBA, MJ and a whole slew of 80's pop/RnB/Country courtesy of introduction thru the family. Then one fine day an uncle of mine set up this monster Pioneer soundsystem he had just savedhis carefully saved money on and slipped in what appeared to be a black shiny frisbee.

Cue a hissing sound followed by what was then to me an unholy marriage of feral drumming, primal bass and guitars and THAT voice. It was an evil sounding abyss you could not resist being sucked into. It was my call to arms.

It was the first time I had heard Black Sabbath. And I was hooked. I pored through every inlay, lyric and imagery the band had printed on it's album cover.

And it was something I continued to do well into my early adult years with cassettes as a devoted fan of heavy metal and punk. Going to the dank musty smelling mat rock shops in Kotaraya JB and buying your first Napalm Death album. Ripping open the packaging, listening to it endlessly on yer walkman while just totally absorbing the concept to artwork of the band's album.

Vinyl was more than just warm, live-quality music. It gave birth to the concept of the album. The story behind the music, the culture behind the lyrics, the personalities behind the people. All that is lost now on the digital generation. And probably should be encased in resin as a remnant of a bygone era for all I care.

anfield devotee said...

Bernard: Not everything is about creature comforts la. As a Mini owner yerself, am sure you knows exactly what me is talking about.

Kopite78: Reminiscing alone tak guna. When was the last time you warmed up yer Rega & let fooking rip at bowel-loosening volumes?

Tinesh: You mean you've never had the pleasure of lisening to vinyl?

Kerp: Yes, me knows Kammil da Frank Zappa freak. Always a good laugh chatting to him.
Why oh why did you trade yer LP away? WTF? Couldn't you just get someone to dub it fer you while you keep the record? Must be worth something now since it was a one-country only release. What a waste . . .

Anba: Yes, wasted opportunities to have a few VALUABLE collector's items. The Motorbreath release by Metallica on CD (which me has) alone is worth quite a few quid, nevermind the vinyl version.

Premo: Agreed. Vinyl was the perfect format to enjoy "albums". The whole packaging & the fact that you had to part with hard earned cash fer it meant so much more. Although the digital revolution means music is far more accessible & cost-friendly, me is wondering whether the younger punters actually care as much about the music or the artist. But vinyl is not dead just yet. There is still quite a few of us keeping the stylus turning!

mozisArudebhoy said...

chief,

all this vinyl is me making me butt itchy and anal scratchy to the max, it's true wht is being mentioned by yerself/premo/other vinyl loving posse...that sound, susah mau replicate. payah giler. kalu ade pon, its probably gonna sound limpy.

re: "recordspotting"
during my first job, i had this close buddy, a strange character. to a certain extent, stranger than me. half indian, half malay, full time vegetarian, common avid love of porn (we were 21)into non-steroid based weight pumping who had a penchant for straight-edge HC punk (namely minor threat) and above all a uber DK fan. anyway this dude has passed on now.

thing is this, on saturday, after half-day work, he used to come over, and we'd literally walk dude. all the way from kompleks sentosa in ipoh/batu road to pertama to "sample" the panjang-akustik-conman label offerings, then head on down to campbell before heading on home. if we were still buzzing from the good hunt, we'd even take a long stroll down all the way to the posh just opened tower records around the imbi/sultan ismail cross junction(this idiot has never heard of bas mini, plus he says i needed the exercise)last bus 10.30 near old metrojaya jln silang. if we missed then its the 11.30 or 12.30 last last bus from pudu.

and it was just that la bro, most of them time we might end up with nothing original. pisspoor dubbed copies. sometimes almost nothing, just hours or end of checking out stuff. regardless of their affiliations the just opened tower records was heavenly bliss for some of us, because the fooks has headphones to sample...ahhhhhhh..pure heaven.

anyway. just something to add to yur reminiscing. thanks.

btw - do you know anywhere they still sell records and what's the average price like chief for an imported copy?

cheers, appreciatively,
moz.

anfield devotee said...

Moz: Yup, most of us had partners in crime when it came to these exploits.

You can find a very active record collectors market @ Amcorp mall's Sunday bazaar. So much so that a plethora of hi-fi shops have also sprouted up there & stock quality record players & spares (eg new entry level Rega - RM980).

However, the price of vinyl is on the up. Saw a mint copy of Anthrax's State of Euphoria going fer RM150 & megadeth's debut a whopping RM180. Imagine, used copies of Led Zep Lps all command RM100-plus. Remarked to me wifey luckily me bought all those LPs at decent prices many many moons ago.

mozisArudebhoy said...

ok chief, thanks a lot. much obliged.

pretty pricey huh, will see how and save it for the rare smiths lps i can find :)))

Ridzzy said...

Hey fook!

I have my late uncles old vinyl collection in boxes stashed somewhere. will dig it up again and let you know what classics he has.. expect some uriah heep, little richards, fleetwood mac, allman bros among others in there. You game to purchase ah? Im thinking of setting up stall in Amcorp but if you're interested, priority always to friends.. ;)

anfield devotee said...

ridzzy: Cheers mate. Pls dig em up & we'll have a look see.

If it is quite a large collection, it might be worth yer while to go get a reasonably proced record player to enjoy dem classics.

Tinesh said...

Once or twice ny i think. My uncle had this collection of Elvis songs and stuff. So at a party he played it. But I cant rmb much of it cuz i was like 10

senorita.. said...

i shud go buy lots of LPs here and ship 'em all to Malaysia eh....

mozisArudebhoy said...

senorita: sounds like a swell idea. i'll hold you to that, how do i get in touch? :))

anfield devotee said...

senorita: Oh yes, please.

senorita.. said...

can u pls tell me specifically what title and artist? i'll go n check whether the price is worth it..? i'm still free these days till Fri, then i'm going travelling till 16th. so yeah.. lemme know! =)

senorita.. said...

and oh, karenique@gmail.com

=)

but i know it costs a bomb to ship stuffs to/from NZ-Msia

anfield devotee said...

senorita: Ok, tq!