Without necessarily putting down this well-intended piece for millenials who are getting into collecting those vinlys, oh go on… here are some top tips for record collecting from Wired:
It’s better to start off with a small collection of albums you play over and over again than to have a large collection of vinyl you listen to once a year
Are you mad? Once a year is practically heavy rotation round here. Of course those Bob Dylan bootleg series volumes 1 – 256 are all ESSENTIAL.
Posting your vinyl on TikTok can be the start of online friendships with other collectors, DJs, and music lovers.
No it won’t. Anything more than a youtube upload with an image of the label is just showing off and no-one likes that.
So I feel duty bound to ask the Massive to extend and enchance this article with your Top Tips for those new to vinyl…
Staff at HMV are generally polite, helpful and communicative. If you’re unsure what an album sounds like, don’t hesitate to ask them to take off the shrink wrapping and they will let you take it over the decks and play it yourself.
The Coldplay Scale is a reference index all independent record shop staff use. If you’re in say, Rough Trade East, and are faced with a tricky choice between Mertzbow and Scraping Foetus.. then do ask the staff ‘Is this heavier or lighter than Coldplay?’
…also ask ‘Is it good for chillin’ out?’
Nobody except creepy old guys cares about sound quality, it’s all about the looks. So colored vinyl every time, and splatter is even better – ‘cos what could be more cool than looking like you’ve chundered on it? – and picture discs are the best – no need for a sleeve.
NEVER alphabetise using first names. Tom Jones comes before Kanye West.
Did Kim tell you that? 🤭
🙂
There’s a Bootleg series 256?
Fer-huck, I haven’t even got 255 yet! So little time, so many box sets I only ever listen to once!
1. Ask yourself… “What is the cheapest available format?”
2. Buy that.
This was the same question to ask in the dire 1980s.
Why would anyone, let alone a beginner, want a copy of, say, “Something Else by the Kinks” for £22 (current price on Amazon) without bonus tracks and sleeve notes, when the 1998 CD can be had for £3 with all the myriad As and Bs from 67 and 68 and sleeve notes?
Think: “Buyer’s market.”
I know what you mean, and I’m a CD man myself, but I think the interest in vinyl from younger folks comes from the wish to own the music in a desirable physical format. The cheapest format, after all is Spotify, and that is probably their main medium. But they want something to hold. Apart from anything else, you can’t post a Spotify playlist on Instagram.
Don’t worry.
Even if you aren’t “financially comfortable”, vinyl collecting is still an affordable option for you.
Providing you like Paul Young, Phil Collins, Boney M….
And what do your play your vinly on? Here is a guide to the lingo for the different age groups
Under 30 – “Vinly player”
Ages 30-50 – “Turntable”
Ages 50-60 – “Record player”
Ages 70-80 – “”Gramophone” or “Radiogram”
Ages 80+ – “Wind-up gramophone”
A lot of civilians over 70 refer to anything like that as a hifi.
Never buy a used record in a store that lacks adequate lighting.
Absolutely. My advice to anyone NEW to vinyl:
1) Sell your record player
2) Sell your records, you should make at least what you paid for them plus you will have used the download code so you can hear the music when and where you want to
3) If you want a physical format buy the CD, it’s cheaper and the sound is just as good
4) The one piece of Wired’s advice I do agree with, Buy Only What You’ll Enjoy, who knew?
3) not necessarily and the artwork is horrible
CD is still my favourite format but around 60 percent of my vinyl is stuff that I couldn’t get on cd or specialist boxsets. For example I have all of the Eels albums on CD but couldn’t resist getting the complete set in a box on Vinyl.
There is no reason for doing this that actually makes sense but since when was music collecting based on sense?
My comment was only aimed at people new to vinyl. The rest of us have an excuse.
If you have money left at the end of the month, you’re not vinlying hard enough. Also, don’t worry about your children mixing with your precious collection, you can always sell a couple to afford more vinly.
In news from the son-in-law’s record shop, there’s a middle-aged man in a hat with rabbit ears, who comes in often for a chat. He’s very knowledgeable, apparently. But he never buys anything unless his mum is there too, which is less often. Anyone we know?
Bungalow Bill?
Mixing with your vinyl? One of them got flattened during a particularly energetic round of hide-and-seek?