If Your Memory Serves You Well

Back in the days before the advent of CDs we all rushed out to buy the latest vinyl record. The following weekend inevitably led to a party where that particular record was played all night long. This practise was all very well for a few parties until either A) everyone got sick to death of hearing the same record for hours on end at the aforementioned parties or, B) the endless playing led to the record in question developing scratches....scratches that resembled nails being scratched down a blackboard,

It was these factors that put me completely off the likes of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin. Fortunately it didn't alter my love of Free, more specifically "Alright Now." Whenever I heard those opening chords and; Paul Rogers ad-libbing prior to the first verse, I would leave the party. Actually, leaving a party early was a trait of mine, particularly when my drinking became out of control. I was very conscious of being 'untidy' in public.

With the recent 're-introduction' of record players, retailers and people of my vintage (43) and older are singing the praises of this 're-innovation.' I'm not one of them!

Proponents offer the feeble excuse that vinyl 'sounds better.' How they come to this conclusion is beyond me and I'm yet to be given concrete evidence. I've listened to countless records and compared them with the same on CD. The difference that I could detect was the lack of minor scratches on CDs. I went one step further and listened to the same albums on vinyl and on CD using headphones. My advice....stick to CDs on that front.

The release of the remastered Beatles material spurned my curiosity. I can only sum up what I heard in one word....wrong. "Get Back" just doesn't sound right with a beefed-up drum sound, nor does the numerous replacements of certain guitar and vocal tracks. The Beatles were of their time. Their music is timeless and to go messing about with it in 2010 just doesn't make sense to me.

Stepping back a few years my younger brother gave me "Let It Be-Naked" by The Beatles. It was on CD. It took my breath away, even on first listening. There was no 'Spectorism' and so forth. To me it sounded like the lads were sitting in my lounge room playing. To hear each guitar part, bass line, vocal harmony, drum highlight blew me away. It truly is an album that displays to the world why The Beatles were The Beatles.

In summation, this writer will not be falling for the 'return to vinyl' gimmick because I'm certain that is all it is.

It also begs the question....how on earth can an independent musician/band feasibly release a vinyl record?

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