When my friends Matt and Carlyn got a record player and wouldn’t be quiet about the joy they were experiencing with their records and then offered me a used record player that needed a bit of repairing, how could I resist!?
I bought my first record of my collection in December when I dropped off the Technics Quartz Direct Drive Automatic Turntable System SL-1600MK2 at The Retro Store in Inglewood: R.E.M.’s Life’s Rich Pageant (one of my favourite albums of all time).
Since then, and after installing the record player making the cables look neat in our tiny home, I have added steadily and perhaps too quickly to my collection.
My thought is that I will curate a collection by having my favourite 100 albums pre-2018 and then limit myself to 10 new albums per year. I’ve culled a few $2 albums that I bought for fun, but I’ve managed to track down some real gems. I admit that I’m appalled at the price of new vinyl when it’s over $30. Like U2’s new release which I would totally purchase, except that it’s almost $60!
My collection is 64 discs dense at the moment. I love the physicality of pulling the wax out, laying down the needle. I love the big art and elaborate inserts. I love that the new albums come with digital download codes. I love the idea of limiting my access to tunes – makes the ones I have that much more precious.