How old are you and how did you get into vinyl?
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JimmyNeutron
Super Member
I got into vinyl since I was maybe 10 years old, mostly due to the fact that LP's were the ONLY way to listen to quality music. 8 track tapes were fading away, cassettes were the yuppies medium, and all-in-one console systems were more common than molested boys at a Michael Jackson slumber party 
. My sisters had these all-in-ones and a lot of Barbara Streisand, Neil Diamond, Jim Croche, etc records. I would sneak in while they were away and listen to the records. Other than listening to my crappy AM table radio, this was the closest to a real performance that I had heard. My dad noticed my interest in audio gear when he found my collection of Stereo Review magazines that I asked my mom to take a subscription out for me. He bought me my first reciever - a Realistic SRS-22. God I looved that machine. All steel, 22 watts per channel. I still can not find one on eBay!! I found a nice Pioneer cassette in a pawn shop and was able to buy that and dub my sister's records to tape to listen to music on my system. After that, I saved my pennies, hocked a bunch of stuff and searched pawn shops for gear (can you imagine a 10 year old boy shopping at pawn shops for gear?). I found a Yamaha PX-3 turntable at a pawn shop. At that moment my love affair for the pursuit of high fidelity began. I purchaced a Shure VR-V cart, bought records, and my bro gave me a pair of Marantz speakers for my birthday. I was hooked with a desease that would scar me deeper than any crack-head's reused needle! When CD's came in, I succumbed to the "easier and better" allure of that format. Years passed - 25 of them, and my old flame was re-kindled when I unpacked my old records that had been collecting dust in the attic. Neglected and dirty I cleaned them and was enamoured once again by the delicatness of the vinyl, the feel of the grooves on my fingers, and by the thought of the foreplay that always ensued after the record was removed from it's sleeve. It was a ritual that I never had repeated with the coldness of CD's. No tracking adjustments, no counter-weights. The CD generation lacked this obsession and replaced it with a "just skip the foreplay and press my button" style that really never did it for me. I made a decision to go back to my first love, I knew it was always there (first loves never really die, they just wait for you to return). Do I feel like I'm cheating on my CD counterparts? Maybe just a little bit. But I've always been a hands-on kinda guy. I need to give as well as recieve. My records not only show me love, but also allow me to fullfill my needs and return the love. I think we've all made a deciecion that we can live in happy harmony with each other - the records, the CD's, and myself. It's an amazing relationship, this tug between analog and digital.
Whew!!!.....I need to go and take a shower now. I feel like I just got done writing a Joan Collin's romance novel.
:smsex:
. My sisters had these all-in-ones and a lot of Barbara Streisand, Neil Diamond, Jim Croche, etc records. I would sneak in while they were away and listen to the records. Other than listening to my crappy AM table radio, this was the closest to a real performance that I had heard. My dad noticed my interest in audio gear when he found my collection of Stereo Review magazines that I asked my mom to take a subscription out for me. He bought me my first reciever - a Realistic SRS-22. God I looved that machine. All steel, 22 watts per channel. I still can not find one on eBay!! I found a nice Pioneer cassette in a pawn shop and was able to buy that and dub my sister's records to tape to listen to music on my system. After that, I saved my pennies, hocked a bunch of stuff and searched pawn shops for gear (can you imagine a 10 year old boy shopping at pawn shops for gear?). I found a Yamaha PX-3 turntable at a pawn shop. At that moment my love affair for the pursuit of high fidelity began. I purchaced a Shure VR-V cart, bought records, and my bro gave me a pair of Marantz speakers for my birthday. I was hooked with a desease that would scar me deeper than any crack-head's reused needle! When CD's came in, I succumbed to the "easier and better" allure of that format. Years passed - 25 of them, and my old flame was re-kindled when I unpacked my old records that had been collecting dust in the attic. Neglected and dirty I cleaned them and was enamoured once again by the delicatness of the vinyl, the feel of the grooves on my fingers, and by the thought of the foreplay that always ensued after the record was removed from it's sleeve. It was a ritual that I never had repeated with the coldness of CD's. No tracking adjustments, no counter-weights. The CD generation lacked this obsession and replaced it with a "just skip the foreplay and press my button" style that really never did it for me. I made a decision to go back to my first love, I knew it was always there (first loves never really die, they just wait for you to return). Do I feel like I'm cheating on my CD counterparts? Maybe just a little bit. But I've always been a hands-on kinda guy. I need to give as well as recieve. My records not only show me love, but also allow me to fullfill my needs and return the love. I think we've all made a deciecion that we can live in happy harmony with each other - the records, the CD's, and myself. It's an amazing relationship, this tug between analog and digital.Whew!!!.....I need to go and take a shower now. I feel like I just got done writing a Joan Collin's romance novel.
:smsex:
vintage-yungin
i still really like pizza
actually I have been into vinyl ever since I have been into sereo equipment my first record was the styx then a whole lot of records from local swap meet second was rushes permonent waves for $1.50 with boston's first album also for $1.50 at american thrift now I have about 40 records thats about it only rock.
Like many before me, it was the media back in the 60s and 70s. My first LP was "Got Live if You Want It" by the Stones, in mono. It was like $1.88 compared to that new fangled stereo version for like $3.48. Hey, 14 year olds weren't made of money back then; wasn't Mickey D's fifteen cent hamburgers then???
Much of my collection is the original stuff I bought back in the day. I did sell/swap out a bunch back in the middle 70s during a brief infatuation with cassettes in order to finance my extended stay in grad school. Kick myself in the ass regularily over that. But my scrounging now allows me to replace many of the ones I peddled or buy better copies of those oldies; I've got LOTS of "partied out" lps that need a hand. :yes:
Much of my collection is the original stuff I bought back in the day. I did sell/swap out a bunch back in the middle 70s during a brief infatuation with cassettes in order to finance my extended stay in grad school. Kick myself in the ass regularily over that. But my scrounging now allows me to replace many of the ones I peddled or buy better copies of those oldies; I've got LOTS of "partied out" lps that need a hand. :yes:
BKville
Active Member
Well, I have a brother 8 years older, one sister 7 and another sister 5 years older then me.. So there were plenty of 45's and a few albums around.. Plus my father had about 50 albums in this neat record cabinet, he still has both.. And 2 suitcase turntables but one never worked.. Ha..
I'm guessing I was about 5 when I started playing with vinyl and that would be 1971... My best friend, all through school, had sisters and a brother also at the same ages, freakie, but in a different order.. We were always listening to their vinyl..
Then when I was 10, and for the next 3 years, I started delivering papers all over town.. So Saturday we'd walk, 3 mile round trip, to buy a 45's each and hang out the rest of the day playing 45's.. By this this I was given a GE turntable with 2 plastic cabinet speakers and blue plexiglas cover.. I was stylin'.. Hahaha.. My first album was Aerosmith - Aerosmith..
I was about 20 years or so out of vinyl.. High School years were devoted to girls, cars and a job to support both.. Hahaha... Not much interest for the next 10 years or money... Now that I'm disabled I've gotten back into vinyl and my collection has grown to between 500-600.. But it's time to start thinning out the some I don't play.. So I can get more... Hahaha..
I'm guessing I was about 5 when I started playing with vinyl and that would be 1971... My best friend, all through school, had sisters and a brother also at the same ages, freakie, but in a different order.. We were always listening to their vinyl..
Then when I was 10, and for the next 3 years, I started delivering papers all over town.. So Saturday we'd walk, 3 mile round trip, to buy a 45's each and hang out the rest of the day playing 45's.. By this this I was given a GE turntable with 2 plastic cabinet speakers and blue plexiglas cover.. I was stylin'.. Hahaha.. My first album was Aerosmith - Aerosmith..
I was about 20 years or so out of vinyl.. High School years were devoted to girls, cars and a job to support both.. Hahaha... Not much interest for the next 10 years or money... Now that I'm disabled I've gotten back into vinyl and my collection has grown to between 500-600.. But it's time to start thinning out the some I don't play.. So I can get more... Hahaha..
carpinus7
Active Member
My first vinyl purchase was the Beatles 45 'HELP!' back in the mid sixties. Started collecting seriously in the late sixties and never really stopped. Not only has it been a great way to hear all different types of music, I also have met many interesting people who have shared their passion and knowledge for vinyl and music.
I now sell vinyl at record shows and flea markets(natural progression ?) and am amazed at the number of younger people who are buying a good asortment of artists and catagories. I set up a play back system and people are always surprised to hear how good it still sounds and to find out that all the necessarty components are still readily available.
Vinyl never really died, just evolved.
I now sell vinyl at record shows and flea markets(natural progression ?) and am amazed at the number of younger people who are buying a good asortment of artists and catagories. I set up a play back system and people are always surprised to hear how good it still sounds and to find out that all the necessarty components are still readily available.
Vinyl never really died, just evolved.
Wintersmaster
Active Member
BKville said:
I had a paper route also. My best friend and I would go collecting (in those days, the young paperboy had to go to God only knows whose home and ask for money) and after we got about $50.00 we would walk about 3 miles to the mall and spend the rest of the day at Disc Jockey. I'd blow the wad and then scramble the rest of the month trying to find a way to make up the money I blew. Totally irresponsible. I mean, I wouldn't have hired me. But I sure did put together a great collection. My buddy took over the route after I gave it up and started taking on the same behaviour. After he quit the route, he got into switching the $1.99 sale labels onto new albums. I remember he bought me April Wine-Nature Of The Beast and Aerosmith-Double Live Bootleg for my birthday. I told him, "Dude, you shouldn't spend that kinda dough on me. He laughed, said, "I didn't" and produced a receipt for $4.20 for both. That was 1982. Not long after, he got nabbed doing that, rightfully so, and thusly started his path down the straight and narrow. His vinyl collection dwarfs mine to this day and still includes all of his ill-gotten booty.
F
foetusized
Guest
My first LP was Sgt. Peppers, would have been 1980 or so, when I was in junior high. Yellow label Capitol, with insert sheet. Think I still have it -- Foe
I'm part of the 41 year old and over majority here. 
In the mid 70's I had several paper routes and lawn gigs. I walked my lawn gear to my customers in the hood. My customers were mostly older people who couldn't afford to pay me much $6 for cutting the grass and raking up the cuttings. I saved and spent for several summers. My older brother bought a nice Sony TT and I was hooked. The next year I bought my Sansui SR-222 and my love affair with vinyl is still alive. :thmbsp:
In the mid 70's I had several paper routes and lawn gigs. I walked my lawn gear to my customers in the hood. My customers were mostly older people who couldn't afford to pay me much $6 for cutting the grass and raking up the cuttings. I saved and spent for several summers. My older brother bought a nice Sony TT and I was hooked. The next year I bought my Sansui SR-222 and my love affair with vinyl is still alive. :thmbsp:
Rockmonton
Infected with Altecitis
16, just because of the whole sound difference, once i got decent speakers, it was amazing to hear the difference!
I'm a member of the old fart's brigade.
I started collecting records when I was about 15 ( 1958 ) and at that time almost everything was on shellac 78s although some 78s were on vinyl and the LP format was available but not all that common.
In 1961 I joined the RCAF and left home. In 1962 I read a magazine article about serious record collectors and realised that some of the 1000 or so 78s I owned were in demand and decided that this would be a good way to supplement the $125 +/- monthly income I recieved at the time and called my father to ask him to dig out a few of my records.
My parents had moved and he said that he didn't realise that I still wanted them and had taken all those boxes of records to the dump! ! @#$%%&&*((*&*&^%$$#@$%^^%!
At present I have a decent collection consisting of about 1200 LPs and probably 500 CDs.
I started collecting records when I was about 15 ( 1958 ) and at that time almost everything was on shellac 78s although some 78s were on vinyl and the LP format was available but not all that common.
In 1961 I joined the RCAF and left home. In 1962 I read a magazine article about serious record collectors and realised that some of the 1000 or so 78s I owned were in demand and decided that this would be a good way to supplement the $125 +/- monthly income I recieved at the time and called my father to ask him to dig out a few of my records.
My parents had moved and he said that he didn't realise that I still wanted them and had taken all those boxes of records to the dump! ! @#$%%&&*((*&*&^%$$#@$%^^%!
At present I have a decent collection consisting of about 1200 LPs and probably 500 CDs.
jt1stcav
Up and Coming Bottlehead
LPs were still the king in the early '70s when I was a teen, and cassette tapes were the new-fangled source. I'd buy my LPs, play them only once while I recorded them onto tape from my Realistic top-loading recorder, and put away the LPs. I'd play them once in awhile just for the helluvit, but I'd wear out the cassettes!
Sandy G
Retired Member
Yeah, almost as bad as Melanie's "Brand New Key"-"I got a brand new pair o' roller skates, you got a brand new key..I think that we should get together & try to merge, you see....." Shocking !! "I been looking around awhile, you got somethin' I need..." Scandalous !! What is the world coming to ?!?-Sandy G.
Music and books were the most common gifts I received as a child. I got into vinyl because that was the only medium I received music in, and my parents gave me a Capital phonograph. I bought my first component stereo system in 1976, when there was no serious rival to vinyl in terms of sound quality and selection. When compact discs came out, they sounded so poor to my ears, and the players were so expensive, that I didn't see how the format could last. I upgraded to a Linn LP12 and have continued to be a dedicated vinyl listener, though not a vinyl-only listener. I added a cd player several years ago and have greatly enjoyed the music that I could get only in that format, particularly a number of "amateur" artists heard live at local venues who often have cd's of music to sell that simply isn't available anywhere else or on any other format.
jazzwolf
Super Member
I'm 49 Years old and the first record I bought was The Beatles "Twist and Shout" on the old Tollie records label when I was a boy. They were the biggest thing in the planet at that time and I remember going to school and showing the record around (pretty big thing back then!) believe it or not I still have that 45! It is as old and beat up as I am but we're still ticking :yes: . It was played on every abominable record player known to man (notice I didn't say turntable?) Some of those arms on those record players I swear weighed almost 50 pounds.. LOL! The first LP I bought was The Beatles "Something New" and no I don't have that original one anymore as I have bought a few copies since then 
I had a big flood in my old house about 12 years ago and a LOT of records got ruined and destroyed. It has taken me several years but I have almost bought everything back. I jumped on the CD craze when it came out and started neglecting the vinyl, about 5 years ago I went down and pulled up some LP's and played them and it blew my mind. I couldn't understand why I ever neglected them, The LP versions of "Kind of Blue", "Aqualung", "Thick as a Brick" are LIGHT years ahead of the so called remastered CD's. I think that just not listening to a click or pop on the CD gave me the impression that it sounded better but boy was I wrong! I haven't looked back since then and can say that I haven't bought a CD in 5 years but have bought a few hundred LP's since then.
I had a big flood in my old house about 12 years ago and a LOT of records got ruined and destroyed. It has taken me several years but I have almost bought everything back. I jumped on the CD craze when it came out and started neglecting the vinyl, about 5 years ago I went down and pulled up some LP's and played them and it blew my mind. I couldn't understand why I ever neglected them, The LP versions of "Kind of Blue", "Aqualung", "Thick as a Brick" are LIGHT years ahead of the so called remastered CD's. I think that just not listening to a click or pop on the CD gave me the impression that it sounded better but boy was I wrong! I haven't looked back since then and can say that I haven't bought a CD in 5 years but have bought a few hundred LP's since then.
I'm 50, first record I bought that I can remember was Led Zep II. I had two older sisters so I was listening to Hermins hermits, dave clark five, the Fugs and Zappa at an early age. Just took to music always dumping money in a jukebox, take a letter Maria, Hitching A ride, Build me up buttercup,Don't pull your love out on me baby. some of the first I can remember playing. became a record nut been one ever since. Lost many along the way but I now have many more than I thought I would ever have and I still want more. 