Vinyl Records

I'm pretty big into buying vinyl records lately. I keep a copy of the record on my iPod for everyday listening, but I don't think anything matches the sound of it. My collection right now is pretty small, but it's growing pretty fast.

About half of my collection comes from my parents, the other half I purchased myself.

Records I purchased:

• Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke
• Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams
• Lady Gaga - Born This Way and Born This Way Remixed
• Ladytron - 604
• Ladytron - Light and Magic
• Ladytron - Witching Hour
• Ladytron - Velocifero
• Ladytron - Gravity the Seducer
• Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
• Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
• Nirvana - Nevermind
• Blondie - Eat to the Beat
• ABBA - Gold
• The Buggles - Age of Plastic

Taken from my parents:

• Bruce Springsteen - Live/1975-85
• Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
• Peter Paul and Mary - In Concert
• Franz Schubert - Symphony no. 8 and Symphony no. 4
• Star Wars soundtrack
• Genesis - Invisible Touch
• Joy to the World - (Christmas Album)
• George Thorogood - Bad to the Bone
• Billy Joel - An Innocent Man
• Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
• CCR - CCR
• Ennio Morricone - Music from For a Few Dollars More, A Fistful of Dollars, and the Good the Bad and the Ugly

What are some necessities I should add to the collection? 50s - 80s music preferably.

This here is my turntable. It's a decent turntable though the software to digitize your music is an absolute fuckup. I have no idea if it's considered a good turntable by others, though. It seems to do its job well enough for me.

edited 21st Feb '13 10:24:57 PM by Completion

How do you convert the vinyl audio into files to put on your iPod? I didn't even know you could do that.

If I were to start buying vinyl, I would buy L Ps that have really cool artwork/packaging, particular gatefold artwork, so I could properly enjoy and possibly display the record. For example, I would get Eat a Peach by The Allman Brothers Band, so I could see the gatefold mural artwork as it was meant to be seen, not crammed into a tiny booklet like on my CD copy. Other ones I might get include Houses of the Holy, Physical Graffiti, The Dark Side of the Moon and Sgt. Pepper.

edited 19th Feb '13 8:37:07 PM by djbj

New records come with download codes for the digital version. For older ones, I just download it from the internet. My record player has a USB that connects to your computer and a program to allow it, but I haven't used it yet.

Cool artwork? Velocifero◊ and Merriweather Post Pavillion◊ are some nice ones. Animal Collective's looks like it's moving in person.

I just bid on Eat to the Beat by Blondie, Gold by ABBA, and Pretty Hate Machine by Nine Inch Mails, an Apollos single (I don't know the song... there was a 30 second sample of it on eBay and it sounded nice. They're a 60s garage group.) Hopefully those'll be added to my collection.

edited 19th Feb '13 9:28:13 PM by Completion

Audacity. RCA cables from your stereo (NOT your turntable itself, unless it has a built-in preamp) to the audio in on your computer’s sound card. You’ll need a stereo RCA female to mini-plug male connector so you can hook it up to your sound card. Your local Radio Shack should carry this item. Make sure it’s stereo to stereo!

Thanks, but I don't even own a record player. I was just curious.

what about music that's still sell on audio tapes?.

I'd imagine that they'd have download codes with them. Unless you're wondering about ripping the audio from the tape to the computer.

It's fairly easy to rip audio from a tape to a computer if you have the proper setup, or even if you don't. Here's an article. Have at it.

I recommend hitting thrift stores and library sales, and looking up if there are any used record stores near your area. You'll probably find a lot of junk in those first two, but there's always a chance of finding a classic you don't have yet or just something you want to take a chance on because the cover is interesting and it's dirt cheap.

Oh, and long list ahoy, since we're sharing. Asterisks are albums taken from my parents' collection:

• ACDC – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
• Anthrax – I’m The Man EP
• The Beatles – Let It Be*
• The Beatles – The White Album*
• Big Black – Songs About Fucking
• Big Brother And The Holding Company – Cheap Thrills
• Black Flag – Damaged
• Blondie – Parallel Lines
• Blue Oyster Cult – Agents Of Fortune
• Boston – Boston
• David Bowie – Heroes
• Kate Bush – Hounds Of Love
• Kate Bush – The Kick Inside
• The Cars – The Cars
• The Cars – Shake It Up
• Joann Castle – Accordion In Hi-Fi note
  Bought sound unheard based on mildly sexy album artwork alone
• Cheap Trick – Dream Police
• Cheap Trick – Heaven Tonight
• Cheap Trick – In Color
• Chubby Checker – For Teen Twisters Only note
  Actually came with my original, thrift-store bought record player. You'd think this might have "The Twist" on it... You'd be wrong
• The Clash – London Calling
• Elvis Costello And The Attractions – Armed Forces
• Elvis Costello And The Attractions – Blood And Chocolate
• Elvis Costello And The Attractions – Get Happy!
• Elvis Costello And The Attractions – Imperial Bedroom
• Elvis Costello – This Year’s Model
• Creedence Clearwater Revival – Chronicle *
• Creedence Clearwater Revival – Green River
• Crowded House – Crowded House
• Julee Cruise – Floating Into The Night
• Dead Kennedys – Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables
• Depeche Mode – Behind The Wheel (45 single)
• Devo – Freedom Of Choice
• Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited
• Electric Light Orchestra – A New World Record
• Fleetwood Mac – Tusk
• Fugazi – Red Medicine
• Fugazi – Seven Songs
• Genesis – The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
• Arlo Guthrie – The Best Of
• George Harrison – All Things Must Pass
• Jellyfish Kiss – Animal Rites note
  Bought sound unheard based on mildly creepy album artwork alone
• Kraftwerk – The Man-Machine
• Kris Kristofferson – Border Lord *
• Kris Kristofferson - Me and Bobby McGee *
• Led Zeppelin – IV (or self-titled, untitled, whatever the hell you wanna call it)
• Magazine – Real Life
• Paul And Linda McCartney – Ram *
• Ministry – Twitch
• The Minutemen – Double Nickels On The Dime note
  The vinyl version has three songs not included anywhere else
• Miracle Legion – The Backyard
• The Moody Blues – Days Of Future Passed
• Neutral Milk Hotel – In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
• The Police – Outlandos D’Amour
• The Prime Movers - Matters Of Time
• Prince – Dirty Mind
• Prince – Purple Rain
• Public Image LTD– Album
• Real Thing Steel Band – The Clayhouse Inn Presents note
  A coca-cola sponsored steel drum band from Bermuda. Probably the weirdest record my parents have - I suspect it was some sort of giveaway
  *
• Robyn Hitchcock And The Egyptians – Globe Of Frogs
• The Rolling Stones – Exile On Main Street
• The Rolling Stones – Flowers *
• The Rolling Stones – Hot Rocks 1964-1971
• The Rolling Stones – Some Girls
• Todd Rundgren – Hermit Of Mink Hollow
• Salem 66 – Salem 66
• Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel – Nail
• Simon And Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water
• Simon And Garfunkel – Sounds Of Silence
• Slint – Spiderland
• Spoon – The Underdog (Demo) / It Took A Rumor To Make Me Wonder Now I’m Convinced That I’m Falling Under (45 Single) note
  the record store was giving these out with copies of the Spoon album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
• Squeeze – Singles 45’s And Under
• Steve Martin – Wild And Crazy Guy
• Talking Heads – Speaking In Tongues
• Van Halen – 1984
• Various – Breakin’: Original Soundtrack
• Various – Ghostbusters: Original Soundtrack
• Various – Urgh! A Music War
• Various – Woodstock
• Wall Of Voodoo – Call Of The West
• Wall Of Voodoo – The Dark Continent
• The Who – Meaty, Beaty, Big And Bouncy
• The Who – Who’s Next
• Yes – Close To The Edge
• Neil Young – Decade
• Frank Zappa – One Size Fits All

edited 20th Feb '13 2:01:52 PM by MikeK

That's a nice collection. My mom has some Simon & Garfunkel. I'm thinking of heading over to her attic and jacking them.

My Kanye West record came in the mail today - 3 L Ps for the whole album which I thought was strange. One side of a whole LP had one song on it. I looked up why and I learned that the heavier the bass, the farther apart the grooves have to be cut. The song was (as I learned) bass heavy. A six minute song filled an entire side of an LP.

edited 20th Feb '13 2:01:26 PM by Completion

I have a bunch of strange things on vinyl. Here's what I can recall off the top of my head:

• Current 93, I Have A Special Plan For This World 12"
• The Decemberists, Sixteen Military Wives 7"
• Lou Reed, Berlin LP
• Psychic TV, Dreams Less Sweet LP with "Thee Full Pack" bonus 12"
• Roxy Music, For Your Pleasure LP
• The Sex Pistols, Never Mind The Bollocks LP
• Swans, Holy Money LP
• Swans, Time Is Money (Bastard) 12"

I've bought:

• Stevie Wonder - Talking Book and Songs in the Key of Life
• Gil Scott-Heron (and Brian Jackson) - Bridges
• The Who - Who's Next
• Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime
• Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F#A# and Yanqui UXO
• Genesis - Selling England by the Pound
• Tangerine Dream - Phaedra and Tangram
• ELP - Love Beach (for $1)
• Broken Social Scene - You Forgot in People

Plan on getting some Kanye, Fugazi, and some jazz. My collection is shaped by what I can afford right now. I'm heard some bad things about Crosley turntables (gift from my friends) so I plan on getting a new turntables when I come into more money.

@Comp: I've put off getting Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy because of the price, but I might grab it soon.

@Mike: Nice Minutemen (no The, though), just picked up Double Nickles.

@JHM: Nice Swans.

edited 20th Feb '13 7:43:38 PM by Erock

My turntable has an extremely short RCA cable (it's like a foot long) so whenever I want to listen to it, it's right out in front of the receiver on the floor. If I bought a RCA extension cord, would I degrade the sound quality? To my knowledge, RCA is an analog signal.

Outside of that, should I upgrade my turntable? This is what I currently have.

edited 20th Feb '13 11:28:44 PM by Completion

I received my grandparents' record collection as a present, so I couldn't begin to list it all. I'm well set for soft rock and jazz flute albums for the rest of my life.

Stuff I'm particularly proud to own:

• The Clash: A bootleg recording of their show at the Palladium, Sept 21, 1979*
  the same show where that famous picture was taken of Paul Simonon smashing his bass guitar
• Starflyer 59: Ghosts of the Future
• Quincy Jones: Big Band Bossa Nova
• Duke Ellington: At Fargo 1940, Live, All Star Road Band, Vol 2
• Daniel Amos: ¡Alarma!, Doppelganger, Vox Humana
• Isao Tomita: Snowflakes Are Dancing, The Firebird

edited 20th Feb '13 11:48:54 PM by MetaFour

My mom still has most of her vinyl from her childhood and teenage years. It's almost all country, with a few outliers like the Eagles and Bill Cosby standup. However, we didn't have a record player for the longest time (Whoa, whoa oh oh…), and when we finally found one, its turntable turned too slow. She got a vinyl-to-MP3 converter for Christmas, but hasn't set it up yet.

I don't know, looks decent. Forgot some of my albums:

• Gang of Four - Entertainment!
• Jethro Tull - Aqualung
• The Velvet Underground - The VU & Nico

I just bid on these records:

• Mamas and the Papas - Greatest Hits
• The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
• Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine
• Ennio Morricone - The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly Soundtrack
• Judas Priest - Sin After Sin

I tried to find some records by The Doors, but they were all too expensive. Hopefully these'll be added to my collection soon.

EDIT: Annnnnd.... the Judas Priest album is mine!

edited 22nd Feb '13 10:39:58 AM by Completion

Okay, my massive vinyl haul is complete and I think I have a start to a nice collection. Here's what I purchased these past two weeks:

• Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
• Nirvana - Nevermind
• Cristina - Sleep It Off, Same
• Blondie - Blondie, Eat to the Beat, Parallel Lines, Autoamerican, Plastic Letters
• Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
• Judas Priest - Sin After Sin, Stained Class
• Eurythmics - Be Yourself Tonight, Sweet Dreams
• Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
• The Killers - Hot Fuss
• Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
• Mamas and the Papas - Greatest Hits
• The Faint - Danse Macabre
• The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
• Alice in Chains - Dirt
• Bjork - Post
• The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
• David Bowie - Space Oddity
• The Slickee Boys - Cybernetic Dreams of Pi
• Gary Numan - Replicas, Pleasure Principle
• Blondie/Franz Ferdinand - 7" single that contains both Blondie's version and Franz Ferdinand's version
• The Good the Bad and the Ugly - Soundtrack
• Abba - Greatest Hits Pt. I
• Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced?

31 records. $350 with a shipping mode of $4 and a mean price of $7.29 (subtracting shipping), so they were all decent prices. Except Hot Fuss and Dark Side of the Moon - $40 (a special deal offered by a seller - majority of prices seem to range of 80 - 150) and $30 respectively.

And with that, my tax return is gone.

edited 28th Feb '13 9:47:46 PM by Completion