What is the true value of LPs to the collector?

krazygrrl

krazygrrl

Well-Known Member
Here is something odd...

I know that there are many here that love to listen to their vinyl LPs, but is listing to the music contained on the medium (regardless of the quality of the reproduction) the primary reason, or is it the cover art? Or a combination of both?

I personally do not own any LPs, but I love the cover art. The band, Asia, had some truly magnificent covers. The Beatles: Sgt. Peppers.... Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon... LPs may be collectible, with considerable value, to some simply for that reason alone. I have seen a listening room once that was decorated by several large collages made from these covers. It was amazing... :D

The cover art, is what is missing in my opinion... With MP3, you get none, and with CDs you get a tiny speck. Perhaps it is wise to start a LP collection, specifically for the art. :music:
 
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I have been told to buy LP's if the covers are perfect. I have seen only covers sell ( no record) in stores. I don't think its for the cover art specifically but more to put a clean record to a clean cover to complete a collection.

I have a good many albums with rough covers that I would like better ones but not enough to buy the covers.

I think re-sellers and flippers do this to get top dollar, just my 2 cents :)
 
What I love about Lp's is they have the total package going on. Big, readable artwork, sound quality and my involvement with the system in playing them.
 
For me vinyl has always been mainly about sound quality, even back when I had a beginner's turntable setup (to put it mildly). I like the covers too, but unlike other people I enjoy CD art just as much.

In short, I collect records to listen to the music, and continue to collect them so I have a large library of albums to suit all moods.

harley90 said:
I have seen only covers sell ( no record) in stores.
Click to expand...

Many years ago I went to a record store in Pittsburgh where they did that. I brought up a 7" to show the guy that there was no record in the sleeve, and he explained that some people collect covers in better condition for their collections. I can understand why they do that, but it did surprise me a bit at first, and the 7" sleeve in question was $7.99 by itself. But I'd still be surprised if anyone says that - for them - vinyl is all about the covers and little else
 
For me the whole "collectible" thing is as Grumpy states. For one thing, I prefer the ritual. I love cleaning, dropping the stylus and sitting down and reading the cover, liner notes and sleeves. I can get totally immersed in an LP. To me it is interactive. I feel closer to the music with an LP. CD's just seem so steril. There is no relationship. MP3's are far worse.
 
I think the true value of an LP collection is the value of your time it takes to collect them. There's also the sentimental vaule for collection that you've had for a long time.

I keep my two collections seperate, my
20th century collection- LPs I bought new in the last millennia
21st century collection- used LPs from GW & thifts aquire within the last year or so.
 
I am a music lover: all formats are desirable to me, and I learned to enjoy the advantages of each one. As Dave, I also collect LPs for the music contained in them.
 
krazygrrl said:
Here is something odd...

I know that there are many here that love to listen to their vinyl LPs, but listing to the music contained on the medium (regardless of the reproduction) the primary reason, or is it the cover art?

I personally do not own any LPs, but I love the cover art. The band, Asia, had some truly magnificent covers. The Beatles: Sgt. Peppers.... Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon... LPs may be collectible, with considerable value, to some simply for that reason alone. I have seen a listening room once that was decorated by several large collages made from these covers. It was amazing... :D

The cover art, is what is missing in my opinion... With MP3, you get none, and with CDs you get a tiny speck. Perhaps it is wise to start a LP collection, specifically for the art. :music:
Click to expand...


With some of the responses to this thread I had to read your OP a couple times. I agree with the interactiveness and acoustics of LP's, but I will sometimes buy albums with attractive or cool cover art (even if it's a band I know that I'll never listen to) for wall display only.
 
krazygrrl said:
Here is something odd...

I know that there are many here that love to listen to their vinyl LPs, but listing to the music contained on the medium (regardless of the reproduction) the primary reason, or is it the cover art?:
Click to expand...

Hello krazygrrl: A lot of my LPs are bought for the music. I have purchased quite a few just for the cover art. Many times I have liked the music on the LP also. Many of the ones that I bought for the cover art will wind up in an LP frame as I wan't to do a whole wall in some sort of order. :D
 
Its always about the music. Always will be. I been collecting, buying vinyl for decades before CDs were even a thought so how could it be about the covr art, for me anyway.
 
Like some have stated before me, I love the ritual of playing a record. The cleaning and care, laying a record on the table and the pure super geeky pleasure of the needle hitting the platter and falling into the groove. It is such a wonderfully simple device at it's core. You could play a record with a paper cone and a steel needle.(As long as you didn't like the record :) ) Yet we keep striving to make it just a hair better. And some how, we keep getting better sound out of the same groove with a simple cleaning or a cart/stylus upgrade or maybe something as 'simple' as a better shelf. How incredibly rewarding is that?

I love the pursuit for better sound. The detail I hear in a record is better verses any other medium I listen to. I'm the first to admit, it may well be because I'm actually 'listening' to the record. I own well over a thousand CD's. I love MP3s. They have their place in my world as background music while doing 90% of my daily tasks. But when it comes down to sitting and becoming immersed in the music, needle in the groove is the way to go.

I do enjoy cover art but I'm the guy pulling albums out of junky sleeves to see if there is a small chance that the record itself is still minty. Vinyl over cover art every time.
 
For me, it's all about the music, doesn't really matter which medium as long as it sounds good to my head. Large cover art is good, I can view it and read the words, Cds not so much...the magnifying glass comes out. Besides, I can go always go the computer and get the info I need, if necessary.

As others have said, there are the time honoured rituals of records...the careful removal of the album from it's sleeve, and all that follows from there. I guess it's more of a hands on thing.
 
krazygrrl said:
Here is something odd...

...but is listing to the music contained on the medium (regardless of the quality of the reproduction) the primary reason, or is it the cover art? Or a combination of both?
Click to expand...
I rarely buy albums just because of the cover art. I would like to start a sub collection, but I don't want to consume my valuable space. The sub collection would be the gawd awful gospel records from the '70's. The covers are just amazing.

Album covers to make great art. I bought special frames and decorated my home theater with soundtrack covers.

I started buying 45's when I was 4 years old and LP's when I was 8, over 50 years ago. I continue to buy used records because I can get great music for pennies.
 
I'm a veteran DJ of 25 years. Does that say enough? :D

It was the medium I started out with and I just never seemed to go for or want anything else. When DJ's started moving to CD's I stayed with vinyl, when they moved to digital mp3 files and then to Serato, I still stayed with vinyl.....I dunno, I think it's just the way it feels to me and how I look at vinyl. When the battle era of DJ's began in the late 80's we actually looked at two turntables and a mixer as an instrument. Eventually the craft turned into what we now call Turntablism. Coming from all this, I guess you can say that I look at the turntable as an instrument to play music. The ritual of playing a record to me is like a trumpet player or a sax player prepping his instrument for some glorious music. Also I want to add that when a DJ like myself holds a piece of vinyl in his hands it just feels....um....how can I say this.....it just feels "RIGHT" :yes:
 
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It's about the music for me and the joy of spinning records. I'm older so for most of my life I grew up with records starting with the 45s of Johnny Horton and Tennessee Ernie Ford and singers of that era. I'll collect different pressings of the same album too. Mono and stereo. A while back I got on a kick of collecting the Beatles UK mono first pressings and that ain't cheap but worth it to me.
 
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