Vinyl Social

Having a website about vinyl records, I occasionally attract folks from the audiophile crowd. Of course, this is great. When it comes to musical formats, audiophiles know where it's at (vinyl, duh!). Of course, there also seem to be a big group of audiophiles who don't seem to care that much about music. They just like the way it sounds on certain pieces of gear--not necessarily how much it resonates within you.

This is crap. Why listen to music then? Why not just listen to yourself talk? I mean, if I was a millionaire, you know I'd have a nice setup with McIntosh amps and JM Lab speakers, and a comfy seat set right up in the sweet spot, but this gear in no way effects how I feel about the music. I admit that having gear that can get LOUD without distortion helps a bit...loud music certainly does stir the soul, but whether you're listening on a $75 shelf system, or an iPod with headphones, or some krazy $50,000 rig, the music doesn't change.

Audiophiles love to debate about how all kinds of specifications (that are measured with precision instruments in labs) are SOOOOPER important to how the music sounds and how this piece of gear does this, or this piece of gear does that, and I'll admit (I like gadgets too), it's kinda cool, but the music isn't so much different based on what it's played through.

Where music is really going to affect you and nourish your soul--it's all psychological. It's all within you. If you connect with a piece of music, it doesn't matter what it's played through. What's going to make you feel good is everything that happens after the music leaves the speakers and enters your ears.

I'm a music lover, how about you?

Without African Americans, there is no American music. Some of the most raw, energetic, complex, and groundbreaking music that has ever been played was played by African Americans from the US. Everything we listen to today, in some way or another, was influenced by their musical vision and innovation.

Here are 18 musical innovations that we can thank these amazing musicans for.

The Banjo:

Invented by enslaved Africans in Appalachia, the banjo may not be a hugely popular musical instrument today, but it has proven to be an essential component of many types of American roots music. Roots music is a broad term that refers to music that was developed in the US, and is said to have spawned most forms of American music, including country, folk, jazz, blues, and to a certain extent, rock music too.

Blues:

Evolving from slave-era work songs and spirituals, the blues were invented in African American communities in the deep south. Blues is a very open style of music that can be played in many different ways. Over time, various styles emerged in different locations, and these regional variations would eventually form the basis of what would become Jazz, R&B, and Rock and Roll. Blues is the most important innovation in American music, and it has been massively influential to musicians all around the world, most notably, English musicians in the 1960's such as Cream, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones.

Jazz:

Originating in the New Orleans area at the beginning of the 20th century, jazz is arguably the most profound American musical innovation, with just as much significance as European classical music. Jazz has of course evolved within itself many times over, with every evolution spawning even more musical innovations and innovators. While it's true that jazz was influenced in a way by European classical music, it has also remained very distinct. Jazz is the medium that spawned several other forms of African American music, and each era of jazz left a significant mark on the development of American popular music. Let's look at the various eras of jazz music and their effects.

Ragtime:

First heard at the very end of the 19th century, Ragtime music was a style of music innovated by freed slaves who worked in vaudeville. It was popularized by classically-trained pianist Scott Joplin. Ragtime music formed the basis for what would soon be called jazz.

Dixieland:

Invented in New Orleans at the beginning of the 20th century, what later became known as "Dixieland" jazz was a musical style played in bars and brothels in the Storyville area of New Orleans. Using musical instruments from European classical music, and influenced by the Blues, Ragtime, and various Latin and Caribbean music traditions, Dixieland jazz was the beginning of it all. One of the most famous musicians to come from this tradition was one of the most beloved entertainers of the 20th century, Louis Armstrong.

Swing:

Swing music started gaining momentum in the 1920's with the musical innovations of people like Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Featuring large bands that played dance music, swing became the most popular American music from this time through the 40's. In addition, the swing era brought a more broad, and white audience to jazz, and many white musicians were beginning to play jazz music. People such as Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Artie Shaw introduced swing music to this wider audience, and opened the doors for people like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

Bebop:

Bebop is an innovation within jazz that initially was exclusively played by black musicians. Bebop is credited for taking jazz away from popular music, and into more creative and innovative territory. Bebop is generally played very fast, and was not intended for dancing. It has even been claimed that bebop music was played so fast and with such virtuosity that white musicians could not play it. Some of the greatest jazz musicians who ever lived came from the bebop movement. Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gilespie, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, and Max Roach were masters of their instruments and legendary musical innovators.

Modal Jazz:

Before Modal Jazz, most jazz improvization was based on chord progressions. Modal jazz was based on modes (or scales), and shifted the emphasis of the music from harmonies to melodies. The most famous piece to come from the modal jazz movement was Miles Davis' groundbreaking "Kind of Blue". Many of the musicians that worked with Davis on Kind of Blue and other sessions, including John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly, Bill Evans, Jimmy Cobb, and Paul Chambers were also influential on Modal Jazz. Herbie Hancock was another major player who released several albums in the 1960's that followed the Modal Jazz style.

Free Jazz:

In the late 1950's musicians such as Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus, and Cecil Taylor were playing a style of jazz that was rooted in bebop, but drew on on various forms of international music. In addition, this type of jazz relied less on the "rules" of tempo, timing, melody, and harmony. To some, the music was hard to listen to, and to others, it was a breath of fresh air. Free Jazz was very controversial, although an important piece in the evolution of Jazz. In the mid 1960's, John Coltrane also began playing free jazz and led younger musicians such as Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders, and Sun Ra into the avant garde. Although not nearly as "free" as his later work, Coltrane's 1964 album A Love Supreme is one of the most profound musical achievements ever recorded.

Jazz Fusion:

Mix the musical innovations of Jimi Hendrix, James Brown and Sly Stone with people like Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, and you have the birth of fusion--an electric version of jazz that drew heavily from rock, soul and R&B music. Innovated by Miles Davis on "In a Silent Way" and "Bitches Brew", fusion became a powerful force in the Jazz world in the 1970's. Groups such as Weather Report, Tony Williams Lifetime, Return to Forever, and The Mahavishnu Orchestra took the jazz, r&b, and rock world by storm with this eclectic blend of all three. Herbie Hancock's classic fusion album "Headhunters" is one of the greatest works from the fusion era.

R&B:

Initially, R&B was more of a marketing term rather than a useful definition of a style of music. R&B was used to describe music (initially, at least) that was by African American musicians for an African American audience. The term came into existence during the Rock & Roll era, and it was a combination of jazz, blues, and gospel music--similar to rock & roll. In fact, some may claim that rock & roll and R&B music were the same thing, they just had different intended audiences.

Rock and Roll:

What became known as rock & roll music evolved from the blues, jazz, country, gospel and folk music. The earliest forms of Rock & Roll came from the late 1930's and early 1940's. People such as Big Joe Turner and Sister Rosetta Tharpe were probably the first to lay the groundwork for what would become rock & roll. The mid 1950's is when rock & roll really began to gain attention. People like Bo Diddley, Little Richard and Chuck Berry were some of the most important figures in the early development of Rock  & Roll, although the credit is usually given to Bill Haley and Elvis Presley.

Doo Wop:

Rooted in African American vocal groups of the 30's and 40's, plus influenced by the blues and gospel, doo wop was one of the most popular forms of rock & roll/r&b in the 1950's and early 60's. The standout characteristic of doo wop music is vocal harmony. One of the most popular doo wop songs, and the one credited with the rise in popularity of doo wop was Frankie Lymon's "Why Do Fools Fall in Love"? Other famous groups were the Monotones and the Diamonds. During it's heyday, this particular style of music was very popular amongst the youth of America. Towards the end of the doo wop era, many musicians of Italian descent started to produce their own version.

Soul Music:

Soul music began showing up in the 1950's as a combination of R&B, Doo Wop, and Gospel. This new style of music was yet another important innovation in American music. People such as Ray Charles, James Brown, and Otis Redding were some of the most famous performers to come from the soul movement. Soul, like many other styles of music had regional variants (Motown soul from Detroit, Memphis Soul, Chicago Soul), and has continued to evolve since its inception. The 1970's were a very important time for soul as it moved towards a more socially conscious message. Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield were some of the more visible figures in this movement, and the great James Brown laid it out beautifully with the classic "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud".

Jimi Hendrix's Guitar Style:

Jimi Hendrix came from the blues, re-invented the guitar, and ended up being one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Ask any rock guitar player about Jimi Hendrix, and you'll hear nothing but love. Contemporary rock music, while not dominated by African American musicians, owes its entire basis to Jimi Hendrix's style. At the forefront of the psychedelic movement of the late 1960's, Jimi Hendrix was the catalyst for Funk, Jazz Fusion, contemporary rock, and even heavy metal. Nobody played guitar like Hendrix, and after Hendrix, the guitar was never the same.

Funk:

With people like Sly Stone, James Brown, and George Clinton came the birth of funk. Influenced directly by Soul, Psychedelic rock and Jazz, Funk was a new style of music that was based on these other genres, yet much more danceable. Funk was well-known for its high-energy, and over the top performances. Funk went on to be influential to disco music, and spawned a world-wide funk craze where musicians of all kinds wanted to create their own unique version of this energetic and electric music.

Rap:

In the late 1970's, after the Funk and Disco eras, a new cultural movement emerged from The Bronx in New York. This culture became known as the hip hop movement. DJing, MCing, beatboxing and breakdancing were all innovations that came from the hip hop movement. DJ Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa are often credited as the pioneers of the hip hop movement, and the music that came from that movement, which many people refer to as rap. Artists such as Grandmaster Flash and the Sugar Hill Gang were also important figures in the development of hip hop music. Since the early days of hip-hop, rap music has gone on to become some of the most popular music among young people, both white and black, and has spawned countless variations in the United States and across the world.

1980's Pop:

In the 1980's, a new sort of pop music was spawned from 1970's soul and funk, plus a sprinkling of jazz, electronic, and rock to form music generally referred to as pop. Many of the performers who innovated this new kind of pop had also been a part of earlier soul and funk music. The biggest name to come from this era was Michael Jackson, although many others achieved massive commercial success during the 80's, including Prince, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, and Whitney Houston. 1980's pop gave birth to the greatest selling album of all time (Michael Jackson's Thriller).

Contemporary R&B:

Following the 1980's pop era, several new styles of R&B began to emerge. All-male groups such as Boyz 2 Men, Blackstreet, and Jodeci dominated the airwaves and MTV during the early 90's, and several all-female groups such as SWV, TLC, and also became popular around the same time. Several one-woman acts such as Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, and Lauryn Hill combined elements of soul and old-school R&B, along with more contemporary hip hop music into a new style of music that is still hugely popular to this day. Even over the past few years, some of the biggest musical acts in history perform this style of music: R. Kelly, Usher, Chris Brown, just to name a few.

Conclusion

As we can see, most of the musical innovations in popular American music are the products of African American musicians. In addition, their music has been profoundly influential on musicians all over the world.

Every time music hits your ears, take a moment to think about where it came from, feel it, and show some love.

-PEACE-

Early Hiphop: The Inception

The place: Bronx, NY. The year: 1973. Gang wars were in full swing, crime was rampant, and a man named Kevin Donovan, member of the Black Spades gang, made somewhat of a mecca to the nation of Africa.

Months later, Donovan returned to the Bronx a.k.a. 'Little Vietnam' as Afrika Bambaataa and began organizing his former gang the Black Spades into a movement called the Zulu Nation. The impact of this group would turn the gang-ridden streets of the Bronx River Houses into a unified neighborhood bleeding of culture.

As with many scientific breakthroughs, the Hip hop 'scratch' was created on accident. It happened when Theodore Livingston, a.k.a. Grand Wizard Theodore, was found blasting music on his record player by his mother. As she stood in the doorway reprimanding him, Theodore held the record with one hand, preventing it from spinning.

That was when he took notice of a strange and new sound - a rhythmic sound similar to a drum set. After his mother left, Grand Wizard Theodore experimented with it before introducing the scratch at a community party later that week.

In the early years, Hip hop was largely competition based. DJs would go so far as to cover the labels of their records to prevent others from seeing what they were using.

The repetitiveness of the single, foundational beat in any given Hip hop song can be credited to DJ Kool Herc. His contribution to Hip hop was to take the most interesting or danceable section of a song and loop it in order to give the breakdancers a chance to perform.

This idea very well might have been inspired by who is deemed the "Godfather of Hiphop", James Brown. Records such as "The Funky Drummer" and "Papa's Gotta Brand New Bag" have given inspiration for the energy that a lot of the early Hip hop fed off of.

DJing began to gain national exposure with the featuring of Grand Master DXT on Herbie Hancock's "Rockit" performance. This crossover of genres added a new dimension to the Jazz music.

In 1980 the Sugar Hill Gang released the first ever all-rap record under the title "Rappers Delight." Before it, rappers (or MCs) had been the ones to take the backseat to DJs; speaking over the microphone only to tell party-goers that their cars were illegally parked or their mothers were telling them to come home.

After it, Hip hop would become a worldwide enterprise.

The Golden Era

D.I.T.C. (Lord Finesse, Diamond D, Showbiz specifically), The Beatminerz as well as DJ Premier and Pete Rock can be credited with being some of the most influential beatdiggers / producers of the early to mid nineties, also known as the golden age of Hiphop.

Songs like "T.R.O.Y" by Pete Rock and CL Smooth and "Above the Clouds" by Gangstarr and have set the bar for the quality of a Hip hop beat. These songs have a sound quality that is absent from much of the albums today... the way the drums sound so real that in listening it almost feels as though you are at a live concert... the manner in which the samples have a crisp and undeniable tonal quality.

Another notable record is the 1997 released album "Endtroducing" by DJ Shadow. The album's make up is the majority record samples, but interestingly enough many of the songs have been used in movies and television shows. Since it's release, many DJs have attempted to do similar stand-alone instrumental albums, most notably RJD2's Deadringer and Prefuse 73's Vocal Studies and Uprock Narratives.

It should also be noted that there are even more distinctions between beat diggers. While one beatmaker might only use first edition releases of a record, another might go so far as to sample from a CD when unable to find a particular piece of vinyl. Many purists think of this as cheating, and consider it as a detriment to the culture of Hip hop.

Present Day Hip hop

The late 90s saw a drastic change for Hip hop as the music changed from being largely sample based to synthesizers and keyboards. This change came due to a number or copyright lawsuits from the artists and their record labels that were being sampled.

The denial of sample usage began in 1991, when record executives became savvy to the fact that they could gain residual income from rappers using their music. After this, no one would be able to slay the giant of copyright infringement without a relatively big wallet.

Rap groups such as Public Enemy and Gangstarr were severely hurt by the new laws. When comparing their first album "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" to "Fear of a Black Planet", a definite change can be heard, specifically in the number of sampled parts used in the song.

One lawsuit that did manage to lend some credibility to sampling came with the Beastie Boys being sued by James Newton for their use of his song "Choir" on their track "Pass the Mic." The judge ruled that the Beastie Boys had obtained sufficient rights to the six-second flute stab in question prior to its usage, and all charges were dismissed.

Artists such as Puff Daddy (now known as Diddy) paved the way for an even greater commercialization of Hip hop music. And while much of the music has strayed from it's Hip hop culture, many artists still do a decent job of remaining true it. Below is a listing of essentials from the last decade for any fan of Hip hop records.

RJD2 -Deadringer
Jay Z -Blueprint
Dr. Dre - 2001
Madvillain - Madvillainy
Kanye West - College Dropout
Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein
El-P - Fantastic Damage
Dead Prez - Let's Get Free
Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele
Raekwon - Only Built for Cuban Linx II
Common - Like Water for Chocolate

These records prove that beat digging and sampling are not dead, and never will be. The amount of red tape that must be cut might be greater, it's true, but it is necessary in order for Hip hop to return to the art form that it once was.

In 1964, three architectural students in London set aside a band they had been playing in called Sigma 6 to form the Screaming Abdabs. Actually, the Screaming Abdabs was one name they were using for their band that played primarily American R&B covers. Other names they were using were the Tea Set, the Architectural Abdabs and the Megadeaths. Sigma 6 rhythm guitar player Roger Waters moved over to the bass, and the band recruited guitar player Bob Klose to play lead guitar. Roger "Syd" Barrett, a close friend of Waters', had been in London for 2 years studying art and he was asked to play guitar and sing for the group. With Rick Wright on keyboards and Nick Mason on drums, the Tea Set was ready to go.

The band started out by learning a handful of R&B songs, and found that they needed more material to fill out their set. Syd wrote "King Bee" which was a direct rip-off of the cover songs the band was playing, and the band recorded a rough demo of the song with Bob Klose on lead guitar. Soon after the recording was done, Klose decided that the band was going nowhere, and he set out to complete his university studies. Syd Barrett promptly changed the name of the band to contain the names of two rather obscure American blues artists he had been recently listening to; Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. The name of the band became the Pink Floyd Sound.

In 1965, the Pink Floyd Sound started to play the clubs in and around London. Mason and Waters were desperate to avoid what they considered a dreary career in architecture, and Wright was still not sold on whether the music the band was playing appealed to his jazz background.  None of this solved the main problem pressing the band; which was that they still did not know enough music to play an entire night. Syd decided that instead of playing the standard blues solos during solo breaks in songs, he would take out his cigarette lighter and make strange sounds on his guitar accompanied by his delay effect. American R&B hits that were normally 3 minutes long started to become 10 minute epics. This appealed to Rick Wright because he finally had a chance to experiment with his keyboard gear and take the song chord progressions to places they had never gone before. The three architectural students and the brilliant young artist were creating a whole new kind of music.

Night after night, the Pink Floyd Sound would play these strange versions of the very same songs other London bands were playing, but there was a buzz starting to form about the band. In 1966 the Floyd started to experiment with pulsating lights to accompany their unique sound, and they eventually managed to incorporate projectors that would heat up glass slides of acid and create colorful lighting effects on stage. It was this presentation that Peter Jenner and Andrew King saw that convinced them to manage the Pink Floyd Sound. They bought the band all new equipment, signed them to a management deal, and began creating an underground musical experience like no one had ever seen or heard.

The Pink Floyd Sound's set was starting to incorporate songs Syd Barrett had been writing including a song called "Interstellar Overdrive." It featured the band's improvisational talents circling around a single hypnotic riff that was continually repeated until it disappeared into a sea of strange sounds. When performed live on stage, the light show coupled with this new sound started to attract a larger and larger audience.

One of the songs Syd had written was the catchy pop song "Arnold Layne." It was originally recorded in early 1967 and produced by Joe Boyd. With their pop song in hand and their reputation as musical pioneers preceding them, they shortened their name to Pink Floyd and signed a record deal with EMI in 1967.

Floyd recorded their first album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in 1967 under producer Norman Smith. The sessions became a drain on the band and the producer. Smith did not know what to make of Barrett's music. Some songs were just jams that rambled on for 15 or 20 minutes, while others were punchy little pop songs that had strange endings tacked on to them.

While recording Piper, Pink Floyd received two visits. One was from Beatle John Lennon who was recording Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in another Abbey Road studio, and the other was Barrett's childhood friend--guitarist David Gilmour. Gilmour noticed that the recording process was wearing on Syd, and that the rigors of having a hit single in "Arnold Layne" and recording the album were not what Syd had bargained for.

Prior to the release of Piper, the band released their second hit single titled "See Emily Play". Pink Floyd's prowess as a pop act could no longer be denied, however, the release of their album confused music fans. The underground psychedelic fans understood the album as they had been hearing that sound for two years, but the rest of the world was expecting an album of pop songs, and this was not it.

At shows fans would scream out the titles of Floyd's two pop hits, but the band refused to play them. Barrett started to sink deeper and deeper into depression, and his behavior was made further erratic by drugs. In  November of 1967, the band asked David Gilmour to come along and help out by playing and singing Syd's parts. Syd would normally just stand there while Gilmour kept the sound moving along. In January of 1968, Gilmour was announced as the fifth member of Floyd, and by April 1968 Syd was out; leaving Gilmour as the band's guitarist and vocalist.

With the more musically inclined Gilmour on board, the band started to get away from wandering jams and bring more structure to their psychedelic sound. By the time they released the album Meddle in 1971, the band had stripped themselves of their psychedelic roots and was now establishing yet another new genre of music - progressive rock. With epic masterpieces such as "Echoes", Pink Floyd became known as a band that required your complete attention to absorb the total message of the music.

The influence and importance of Pink Floyd cannot be understated. They were responsible for the rise of psychedelic music in London, they revolutionized stage production, and they created the genre of progressive rock that led to such bands as Rush and King Crimson. Pink Floyd's history is an important chapter in the history of rock music, and their contributions to live music as well as innovations in recorded music production are responsible for much of what we hear today.

Pink Floyd albums are not only valuable time capsules that hold an important place in rock history, they are also monuments to state-of-the-art recording methods that only Floyd could accomplish.  Pink Floyd recorded 14 studio albums and 3 live albums. They are all timeless classics, but here is a list of the top 10 Pink Floyd albums of all time.

10.) The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

This classic 1967 album seems to become more popular with each release. When it was first released, the American version had "See Emily Play" on it but the British version did not. It reached to number 6 on the British music charts and peaked at position 131 on the Billboard Magazine charts. Producer Norman Smith was an old-school producer who thought he was getting a new version of the Beatles. He soon came to realize that he had a whole different kind of animal on his hands. Floyd pushed the envelope of what should be on a studio album by grabbing anything in the studio that would make noise and putting it up to a microphone. They would slow the tape down, speed it up and do all kinds of tricks that the Beatles never tried. In the end the final product is one of the groundbreaking albums in rock history. It has sold approximately 3 million copies worldwide.

9.) The Division Bell

In a way this 1994 album is a somber one for Floyd fans as it represents the last studio effort the band ever released. It was the second release without any input from Roger Waters, and it was a true group effort between the remaining members of the Floyd. Gilmour, Mason and Wright wrote the majority of the album together and it shows in the results. There is nothing groundbreaking production-wise here, this is just good Pink Floyd music and a solid way for a legendary band to finish their history. The album peaked at number 1 on both the British and Billboard Magazine music charts. To date it has sold approximately 10 million copies worldwide.

8.) A Saucerful of Secrets

The most awkward and uncomfortable Pink Floyd album ever made. Syd Barrett has lingering guitar parts in the songs "A Saucerful of Secrets" and "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" that are left side-by-side with Gilmour's parts. Syd's final song "Jugband Blues" is a creepy goodbye that was actually written in early 1967 when Syd was still coherent. It is Floyd fumbling around for a sound they would not find for a few more albums, and it is one of the most obvious transition albums any band has ever released. The album only appeared on the British music charts but it peaked at number 9. To date it has sold approximately 3 million copies worldwide.

7.) Atom Heart Mother

Atom Heart Mother is the unknown Floyd album that every fan should own. Roger Waters described the title track "Atom Heart Mother Suite" as a " soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exist." Of course Roger and the rest of the band also refer to the album as less than desirable, but it stands as a great Floyd record. It is the album where Floyd started to explore the limits of their music and the possibilities of studio production. The title track contains a full brass band, a choir chanting gibberish and some of the strongest grooves on any Floyd record. Other songs such as "If" and "Fat Old Sun" would become Floyd classics. The album was released in 1970 and peaked at number 1 on the British charts and number 55 on the Billboard Magazine charts. To date is has sold approximately 4 million copies worldwide.

6.) Ummagumma

Named after a British slang word for sex, this 1969 release was vitally important to the establishment of the Pink Floyd sound as we came to know it. Each member was allowed to write their own songs. This album shows the beginnings of Roger's lyrical prowess and David's musical genius. Nick Mason and Rick Wright's contributions are interesting but forgettable. The live disc establishes such songs as "Astronomy Domine" as Floyd concert staples for decades to come. The album peaked at number 5 on the British charts and number 74 on the Billboard Magazine charts. To date it has sold approximately 5 million copies worldwide.

5.) Animals

Roger's angst was in full force with this 1977 release as he spat at the music industry, the media and literally spat at a fan during the tour for this record. Each song on Animals is an epic classic that shows how Floyd uses music to set a mood. The album peaked at number 2 in England and at number 3 on the Billboard Magazine charts. It has sold approximately 15 million copies worldwide.

4.) Wish You Were Here

Long regarded by Floyd fans and Floyd themselves as the greatest musical achievement the band had ever created. This 1975 dedication to Syd Barrett is a heart-felt homage to a great songwriter lost to drugs and success. The title track and all of the parts to "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" are still played by Roger Waters and David Gilmour at live concerts. In case you missed it, "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" has SYD right in the title. The album peaked at number 1 on the British and Billboard Magazine charts. It has sold approximately 20 million copies worldwide to date.

3.) Meddle

The album when Pink Floyd started to become Pink Floyd. Meddle contains such classics as "One of These Days," "Fearless," and the defining piece "Echoes." Released in 1971, this album showed a Pink Floyd that had finally found their writing muse and all of the pieces had fallen into place. Roger was writing the lyrics and the entire band was contributing to the music. David Gilmour's guitar work starts to encircle the music and give it form, and Rick Wright created bright tapestries with his keyboards. The album peaked at number 3 in Britian and number 70 on the Billboard Magazine charts. To date it has sold approximately 7 million copies worldwide.

2.) The Wall

There is no more divisive album among Pink Floyd fans than The Wall. Long-time fans consider The Wall a Roger Waters solo album with nothing to offer to the Pink Floyd legacy, while classic rock radio fans often vote the album as one of the best of all time. The Wall is a production masterpiece with a complicated but understandable story line. Visual images created by Roger's lyrics and Gerald Scarfe's animation make this an unforgettable album. The depressing story line and music can make the listener feel drained when it is over, but it must be listened to in its entirety.  The album peaked at number 3 on the British charts but reached number 1 on the Billboard Charts. To date The Wall ranks as one of the highest selling double albums of all time with approximately 25 million copies sold worldwide.

1.) Dark Side of the Moon

The production perfection achieved with Dark Side of the Moon still stands up in the age of digital recordings. The care put into the creation of the album by the band and by engineer Alan Parsons make this one of the greatest albums of all time. The music reaches out and touches a vast audience by asking the questions that separate people from each other, and begs to know why we must feel alienated. The vocal work is in perfect harmony with the music. The sound effects are world famous from the ticking clocks that open the song "Time" to Roger's tape loop of sounds that open up "Money." This album is still used by stereo sales people to show the capabilities of a stereo system, and it is one of the few albums ever made that sounds better on vinyl than it does on CD. It peaked at number 2 on the British charts but it sat atop the Billboard Charts at number 1. It stayed on the Billboard Charts for 14 years. To date it has sold in excess of 37 million copies worldwide.

Sometimes brand new vinyl records have a minor, but annoying problem: the hole in the center is too small. When you put your brand new record on your turntable, sometimes the record doesn't just plop down on the platter. You have to force the record down because the hole in the record is just a bit snug.

Of course, that's all well and good, but what about when you want to lift the record off the turntable? Lifting the record causes it to bend, which over time could affect the sound quality and possibly damage the record.

So, what to do?

I got an email from a reader who was having this problem, and at first, he was considering using a drill to make the hole larger. I told him that it may work, but you should be careful when you're doing it. If the hole ends up being off-center, or too big, the record may not play back perfectly. I don't know exactly what could happen, but you may get some weird distortion, or one channel louder than the other, or even skipping. You could damage your stylus or record over time too. Of course, there are all worst-case scenarios. If you were careful, you could probably fix the problem with a drill. Ultimately, my advice was to force the record over the spindle, and in time it will enlarge to the right size.

Of course, the reader didn't like the idea because he was worried about the record bending, which may damage the record over time. He ultimately found a solution, and emailed it back to me: Use a pair of scissors. First, push the blade of the scissors into the hole (gently) until it won't go any farther, but don't force it. Next, rotate the scissor blade to remove a thin sliver of vinyl. One rotation should be fine. Finally, plop the record back on the turntable and see how it fits.

My reader assured me that this works well (although I have not tried it before, so be careful, and don't blame me if it messes up your record), so the next time you get a record with a small hole, try the scissor technique!

I recently was in touch with the fine folks over at Secret Stash Records. They are a small, independent label that specializes in releasing little-known gems, and upon visiting their site, I was immediately interested in what they had to offer.

Imagine: Porno music from the 70's, funk from a failed 70's blaxploitation movie, and a Reggae interpretation of Miles Davis' masterpiece, Kind of Blue.

I expressed my interest in their offerings, and they arranged to send me some copies of those three records. Before I received the LPs, I sent a quick interview off to their VP of sales to get a better idea of what Secret Stash is all about. Here is what I found out:

Secret Stash Interview:

Q: How did the idea for Secret Stash records come about?

I spent the last five years selling CDs to accounts like Best Buy and Wal Mart as a sales and marketing consultant for various labels.  All of my clients were affiliated with large distributors of some sort, so just about everything we did was funneled through a third party.  I became fed up with the negativity that seems to drive that world.  Everyone from the accounts themselves to the distributors and even my clients were always very negative.  I must say, it’s hard to blame them for it though.  Each year they watch their business deteriorate at a shockingly fast rate.  Because the retail environment is so bad for compact discs, it would be really hard to have any level of success with obscure or extremely niche releases.  But, as a vinyl junkie, I began to notice that people shop for vinyl in an entirely different way than people buying CDs.  I realized that weird and rare releases could actually thrive in the vinyl world.  So far, it seems to be working, too!

Q: What sort of music does Secret Stash market?

Funk, soul, jazz, and world

Q: How did you find the music that you ultimately released under your label?

I have some friends in Nashville that are a great resource for this stuff…. But a magician never gives away his secrets.  Actually though, our upcoming release, Soviet Funk, Vol 1 just fell right into our laps.  The guy who owns the content saw what we’d been able to do with previously unreleased material and contacted us.

Q: Anything new coming out soon?

2/2/10 Soviet Funk, Vol 1 will be out.  We are very excited, not only because this is the coolest thing we’ve worked on yet, but also because this will be our first title to include a free downloadable version.  Check it out here: www.youtube.com/secretstashrecords

Q: What sort of music would you like to see on your label in the future?

We are having so much working with this soviet catalog.  It’d be really fun to find more rare gems from around the globe.  I’ve been in negotiations on some amazing black gospel music from the 60s as well.  Keep your fingers crossed on that one!

Q: Why are you so committed to the vinyl format?

Well, there are all the answers you’d expect… It sounds better, it’s more collectable, we love the full package experience, etc.  All of those are true by the way.  However, it really was the best business model for us.  There is so much stuff out there yet to be reissued on vinyl that we figured it was the best way to get our hands on some great content.  Also, it goes back to your first question.  It has a lot t do with the shape of compact disc business.  It’s not good and it’s only going to get worse.  We aren’t opposed to other formats, this is just what works for us.  Again, we are very excited to start offering download cards with our titles so that non-vinyl consumers can still enjoy our records.

Q: How did you first become interested in vinyl?

One of my fondest memories of childhood is my parents blasting Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall, obviously on vinyl.  It seemed like the whole house would shake from this amazing stereo they had.  My Mom would dance up a storm.  After I graduated college I picked up a turntable so I could spin a few records that had somehow found their way into my closet.  Then, one day my Mom gave me that copy of Off The Wall.  I had a CD reissue of it, but listening to it on vinyl again just set something off inside me.  An interesting side note: the day Michael Jackson passed away I took that LP and the copy of Thriller she had given me, framed them, and brought them over to her.  The same two records she gave away years ago because they’d been replaced by her CDs are now two of her most prized possessions.

Q: Anything else you'd like to share with us? (Shameless promotion = OK!)
I already slipped in the shameless plugs for our upcoming release, Soviet Funk, Volume 1.  See, it’s actually shameless because I already mentioned Soviet Funk, Volume 1 before you told me it was okay to shamelessly promote something.  Once you tell me it’s okay to talk about Soviet Funk, Volume 1 and the promo video for it (www.youtube.com/secretstashrecords) then it’s really not that shameless.  But me sir, I truly am shameless.  Seriously, be sure to check out Soviet Funk, Volume 1.

As I was saying earlier, I had a chance to review most of the Secret Stash catalogue (Minus the Soviet Funk album), and after giving the following three albums a good listen, I have determined that Secret Stash is on to something good. Check it out...

Reggae Interpretation of Kind of Blue:

Here's the story: In the early 1980's a group of reggae musicians gathered in a New York City studio, and under the direction of NYU music professor Jeremy Taylor, re-imagined Miles Davis' landmark Kind of Blue album. Unfortunately, just weeks after the recording session, Jeremy Taylor died, and the recording was never officially released. Fast forward to 2009, and the album is finally released on Secret Stash records.

It's pressed on blue vinyl (nice), which definitely feels heavier than a typical pressing. They don't market it as a heavy vinyl pressing, but it's nice to see that they spent some $$ to press this album right. The cover art is reminiscent of the original Kind of Blue cover, and symbolizes what you'll hear on the album: It's Kind of Blue for sure, but it's different.

So, how is it? I loved this album! It's faithful to the original, although some of the songs are shorter and less improvised. Of course, the style is more reggae, but still retains the jazzy mood of Kind of Blue. It's more modern, and has a bit more of a tropical and festive feel, but it's still very chill. This is a good one to throw on when you're just chillin out. It's also great for people who like to work with music on in the background.

I admit that I didn't know what to expect before putting the album on, but I can say that this album will delight anybody who enjoys reggae, jazz, and the original Kind of Blue album. Enjoy!

Links:

Kind of Blue Reggae Interpretation at Secret Stash Records

Porno Groove: The Sound of 70's Adult Films

The 1970's are considered the "golden age" of adult entertainment because at that time, budgets for some porno movies were on par with what was being released in Hollywood. These big budgets allowed for excellent quality sets, cinematography, costumes, and most importantly (errr, sorta) music. The music on Porno Groove is exactly that: music from 1970's porn; more specifically, adult movies released by Fantasy Productions. The story goes that Fantasy Productions had produced a massive catalog of content, some never before seen. When the founder and CEO of Fantasy Productions died in 1985, much of the intellectual property was tied up in various legal battles. Eventually, the son of the founder regained control of the entire Fantasy Productions catalog, and discovered a massive amount of unreleased music.

Enter Secret Stash Records, and the Porno Groove album is released. Similar to the Reggae Interpretation of Kind of Blue, it is pressed on heavier than average vinyl, this time on hot pink vinyl. The cover features artwork from some of the Fantasy Productions movies, which of course features attractive 1970's-era ladies.

So, how is it? Another excellent score for Secret Stash! This album is pure funk, with a little rock and jazz mixed in. It is definitely the stereotypical 70's porno music (although I did not hear much of the typical wah-wah sound that is synonymous with 70's porno music), but if you didn't know much better, you'd think this was a straight funk/rock album. I must admit, I really like this album. I feel a bit strange saying that since the music was originally intended for porn, but what the hell? Good music is good music! One thing is for sure, this music will take you back.

So, what's the final verdict? If you're feeling nostalgic for a 1970's vibe, give this record a spin. If you like funk, you'd probably enjoy it too. Of course, if you like old school 70's porn, now is your chance to get the music part...in hi-fi!

Links:

Porno Groove: The Sound of 70's Adult Films at Secret Stash Records

Mad Dog's Hustle Original Motion Picture Soundtrack:

Mad Dog's Hustle is a failed 1970's blaxploitation movie that was produced by the people behind Fantasy Productions (see above). The story of this album goes that Fantasy Productions was looking to produce a more mainstream movie (and earn a mainstream audience), and Mad Dog's Hustle is what came from those efforts. Unfortunately, the movie had many financial problems during production, and was never released to a wide enough audience (6 theaters for 3 weeks in 1974) to achieve the notoriety that was hoped for. Fortunately, the Fantasy Productions people had a great ear for music, and Secret Stash was able to release the soundtrack. It's pressed on heavy white vinyl, and the cover art is pure blaxploitation: A sexy lady in a halter top with an afro, and a bad looking bald dude with a big gun. Nice.

So, how is it? Well, if you love that gritty 70's era blaxploitation funk (think SuperFly), you'll love this album. It has a very hard-edged urban, yet soulful sound. The music helps visualize the social problems that ran rampant in the inner-cities, especially New York, during the 1970's. This album is a funky, yet emotional ride through the world of a man living on the rough edges of a society that doesn't respect or support him. Of course, it wouldn't be blaxploitation without such a premise. Despite the film's failure, the themes are very well represented in the music. This album is a bit more heavy, more emotional than the other Secret Stash albums, but I think has a bit more of a message. Overall, this album makes you think, much like the classic soundtrack for SuperFly, and is worth listening to.

In conclusion, I'd recommend this album. It may not be as light and fun as the other two Secret Stash albums, but the quality of the music is excellent. It's funky, soulful, and visualizes the hard life of living in poverty in the inner-city. If this kind of music interests you, you gotta check it out!

Links:

Mad Dog's Hustle Original Motion Picture Soundtrack at Secret Stash Records

In conclusion, the fine folks over at Secret Stash Records are doing something really cool, and if you're in to funk, soul or jazz, you should head over there now and check out what they have to offer. You may have never heard of what they release, but I am sure that you'll like what you find.

Enjoy the music!

Lately, I have been captivated by a music with lush textures, relaxed melodies, and a fantastic sense of place. This music comes from a very unique part of the world with a vibrant musical history and amazing natural beauty. The Place is Brazil, and the music is Bossa Nova.

The name "Bossa Nova" roughly means "New Trend" in Portuguese. It came about in the later 1950's in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil among the vibrant intellectual and artistic communities there during that time. Bossa Nova is influenced by both Samba music and Cool Jazz, and uses several instruments such as classical guitar, piano, and strings to create lush musical textures. The guitar is often used for rhythm, and the string arrangements have a very distinctive sound to them.

One important similarity between Bossa Nova and American Jazz is that both genres are based on the musical traditions of African people. While both genres developed their own styles, in their own part of the world, with their own people, it is fascinating to listen to American Jazz and Bossa Nova, and experience some of the similarities. Naturally, when Jazz musicians like Stan Getz traveled to Brazil and experienced this music, they wanted to work with some of these Brazilian musicians (Joao Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim) and make new music together. The result of these musical partnerships are famously recorded on such albums as Getz/Gilberto and Jazz Samba.

Bossa Nova History and Key players

The two people most famous for the development of the Bossa Nova style in Brazil are Joao Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Joao Gilberto is a guitarist, singer and songwriter, and much of his music uses this very stripped-down sound consisting of only guitars and vocals. Antonio Carlos Jobim is a pianist and composer, and has written some of the most famous Bossa Nova songs in history. While both Gilberto and Jobim were very active in creating the Bossa Nova style, they reached international fame when Stan Getz collaborated with them both to create the Getz/Gilberto albums. Featuring the famous "The Girl From Ipanema", these albums created a worldwide sensation, and immediately put Bossa Nova on the map.

While Joao Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Stan Getz are the three most well-known musicians that were part of the Bossa Nova scene, there were many other musicians who helped shape what Bossa Nova is and what it became.

Vinicius de Moraes was also an important figure in the development of Bossa Nova, as he worked with Jobim on the production of a play; Moraes wrote the words, Jobim wrote the music. Soon after, Elizete Cardoso was asked to sing on the album Canção do Amor Demais by Jobim and Moraes, which was one of the first Bossa Nova albums. This album also featured Joao Gilberto.

Another important figure in Bossa Nova was Joao Gilberto's wife of the time, Astrud Gilberto whose vocals became famous on the Getz/Gilberto album song The Girl From Ipanema.

American Charlie Byrd collaborated with Stan Getz on the classic record Jazz Samba. This album was the beginning of the Bossa Nova craze in North America.

Lots of other musicians have been important to the Bossa Nova scene, both Brazilian and American. Even American legends like Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald got in to the Bossa Nova scene.

The Bossa Nova Sound

Bossa Nova has a very distinctive sound, and uses instruments in a very distinctive way. It is very jazzy (for lack of a better term), but is also very distinct from jazz.

The main instruments are the classical guitar, piano, strings, and many times various winds and brass. Percussion is not always present, but it is common enough. The guitar tends to be played in a rhythmic style, while the piano tends to be more melodic. Strings provide a sort of a very nice ambience to the sound. You do tend to hear flutes and saxophones too. The most stripped-down Bossa Nova tends to be just a single guitar and vocals.

The Bossa Nova Vibe

All of the instruments are combined in such a way that is very ambient. This kind of music also seems to conjure up beautiful and glamorous images in my mind when I listen to it. It's also pretty relaxing, but definitely not boring or elevator music-y, like some people think.

When you hear it for the first time, it sounds somewhat familiar...like you you've seen it in movies from the 70's. There will always be a party scene, and the music will be Bossa Nova.

The music also gives you a very visual sense. When I listen to the music, I feel like I can almost visualize Brazil, and understand the people and vibe of the place. I've never been there, nor do I speak a word of Portuguese, but now I really want to go there!

Overall, this music has been very exciting to explore. If you like jazz, and want some nice mellow music, Bossa Nova is pretty awesome stuff. Even if you don't really listen to that kind of music, you should at least give it a try.

Hi everybody, I just wanted to post very quickly that I will be adding a review function to Vinyl Revinyl very soon! This will allow you to chime in about some of the albums for sale here, and help people explore new albums that they'll probably like. Stay tuned!

OK, for those of you who are new here, and don't know much about me, I am not from the era of vinyl records. I was born in 1980, and sure, at that time, vinyl was the preferred playback medium, but I never really had much interest in listening to music until I was about 7 or 8. Of course, due to the fragility and temperamental nature of vinyl, my parents bought cassette players for me. On top of that, while my parents did have a turntable and plenty of records, they never really encouraged me to use it. So, I started with cassettes, then moved to CDs. Of course, once MP3s started showing up, I got interested in those as well.

Anyway, somewhere in the late 1990's, my mom decided that she wanted to be able to listen to some of the music she had on records in her car. She tasked me with ripping her LPs into digital, then burning them on CDs. So, I unhooked her turntable from the stereo, brought it into my room, and hooked it up to my computer. I did some research on the internets, and found out what I had to do to get a good, clean sound from the turntable, and record it at the highest quality possible. So, after all of this was done, I grabbed a record, plopped it down on the turntable, and started it up.

This is the moment that I got interested in vinyl.

Up to this point, I had read all sorts of stuff that said CDs were the best sounding medium available. However, I had also read stuff that said vinyl has a richer, warmer tone than CDs. I had spent a lot of time upgrading my computer sound system, plus my car stereo system, and I had spent hundreds of hours listening to both, so I think I had a good idea of what digital music sounds like. I also figured that with my gear, I would be able to pick up on some of the subtle differences. I didn't really know what to expect when the needle came down upon the record, but I did know that the sound would be different.

And hey! What a surprise, the vinyl did sound different, although I admit I didn't have a CD version of the record to truly compare it. I knew it immediately when I heard it, this music sounded more live, and less harsh. After that, I was completely convinced that vinyl does sound better than anything digital. Of course, times have changed, and there are better digital formats, but there still has yet to be a better digital format that is as accessible and ubiquitous as CDs.

Anyway, fast forward a few years, and I finally got my first turntable. Some dude I used to work with gave me his old turntable. My first mission was to go out any buy some records, so I headed over to San Jose/Santa Cruz area record shop Streetlight Records. I picked up some Miles Davis, and Creedence. At this point, I don't think I had heard any vinyl since the LP ripping experience before. Once I put the records on, immediately I recognized that sweet, lush sound all over again. Too bad I messed up the stylus on that turntable, then noticed that it made loud thumping noises, and I had to get rid of it.

Fortunately, things picked up for me a bit financially, so I bought my first turntable. I haven't looked back, and I have enthusiastically built my vinyl collection--even buying records that I have on CD or have purchased through iTunes. Of course, this enthusiasm for the format also led to the creation of this website.

So, there you have it. How I got interested in vinyl. How did your love for vinyl come about?

Hi everyone, I recently interviewed a representative from Furnace MFG, a company that manufactures vinyl records (among other things)...We talk a bit about the market for vinyl, the manufacturing process, vinyl technologies, and the future of vinyl records. Enjoy!

Many of the vinyl enthusiasts of the world have speculated, and have been reading in the media that vinyl seems to be coming back. Is this true in your case?

We are absolutely seeing this trend.  As a manufacturer of vinyl records, we often times are made aware of projects many months before they hit the retail stores.  Through the course of 2009, we’ve seen increasing orders from clients.  In the past, clients might order vinyl runs of 2,000 or 3,000 pieces and we’re now seeing that most of our orders for major titles are averaging 5,000-10,000 pieces.  Smaller labels and bands continue to press between 1,000 and 3,000 records per order but we’re seeing more and more of those types of clients as well.

How much growth have you seen in the vinyl industry over the past year? Past two years?

Furnace’s volume has doubled in 2009 over 2008 and we have no doubt, looking at release schedules by our most loyal customers, that this volume will remain on an upward trend.

Looking forward, we’re forecasting a minimum 50% growth rate for 2010 as the sales of vinyl records continue to double year over year (like they are expected to do this year compared to last year).

Of all the vinyl you press, what seems to be the most popular? What seems to be the least popular?

Our most popular record that we press is a 180 gram audiophile quality record pressed through our partner, the Pallas Group out of Germany.  The Pallas Group is known as one of the best vinyl pressing facilities in the world and Furnace MFG has an exclusive distribution and manufacturing relationship with them for North America.

Although we have the ability to do colored vinyl, picture discs 7”s and 10”s these are generally only for small or special projects and not the bulk of our business.

What percentage of new vinyl pressings feature new music as opposed to reissues of music released in the past?

Because of our market leadership in audiophile quality vinyl, much of what we have been doing in the past has focused on re-issues (or older titles that were never released on vinyl initially).  However, we’ve been seeing an expansion of our clients requests to include new releases as well.  Frontline titles typically tend to be pressed on lower weights (120 or 140g) and the bands and labels place less of a premium on the audiophile quality and more of a premium on lowest cost. We’re able to offer both.

Is it just the major record companies that are pressing more vinyl, or are you seeing increased demand from smaller labels and independent artists as well?

The last six months has seen an increase in the number of independent artists who are releasing their albums on vinyl. With margins disappearing on CDs and downloads, artists are doing a lot more touring to make a living.  Vinyl is a perfect merch item for them because most of their fans do not have access to physical product anymore with stores closing or narrowing focus.  Vinyl sales at live shows have been exploding because of that reason.  Also, vinyl is not easily replaced with a download or streaming radio. The collectible aspect of vinyl is attractive to labels that have seen their physical product diminished to the used racks and eBay like channels.

As the convenience of digital audio formats (MP3, iTunes) continues to attract new listeners, what is the biggest challenge for retailers to convince consumers to buy vinyl?

The biggest question that consumers have is whether vinyl records will continue to be a supported format by music labels.  They are quite right to worry that they will invest money to buy a nice record player, the fad will end, and music labels will stop issuing records like they did in the early 80s.  While this is a valid fear, we believe that record labels are just starting to realize the potential for vinyl records.  With the rapid deterioration in CD sales, and the large increase in digital downloads, the main revenue sources for record labels is under great threat.  Vinyl records will never sell at volumes that CDs sell at.  However, since the per piece profit is so much higher, labels are finally starting to realize that vinyl records represent a revenue growth opportunity in a declining market.  Artists have always been fans of vinyl records for the purity of their sound and the ability to connect with their fans.  Many of today’s record buyers are not reliving their past – they are young, influential music lovers that are discovering the joy of vinyl records for the first time.  As more and more music labels realize the untapped profit potential in vinyl records, the trend will only grow.

The other big question that consumers have about vinyl records is whether the quality has improved at all from what they remember 20 years ago.  In the past, records were made of cheap recycled PVC and were pressed on thin vinyl.  Today’s records are made of a much higher quality PVC and rarely is a record pressed at less than 120g.  The heavier weights provide more durability and longevity to records and today’s mastering and cutting equipment, coupled with our outstanding galvanic process, makes a record sound better than it ever has been able to in the past.  This is one area where record labels need to make sure they put out a good quality product.  Nothing will kill the growth in vinyl quicker than record labels cutting corners and selecting plants based solely on price.  If a new consumer of vinyl records gets a terrible sounding record in their first exposure, it’s going to be impossible to convince them to continue to invest in vinyl records.  Our approach here has been, and will continue to be, to put the best sounding records possible.  That’s why all our records are pressed in Europe by craftsman who’ve been working in this business for 30+ years.  Record pressing is an art that takes a lifetime to master.

As far as retailers go, stores who have been selling vinyl are in it for life and they are the best salespersons for the format.  The real question is whether online stores and big box stores will adapt to allow themselves to be successful. Insound, Mofi and other vinyl specialty online shops do a great job because they know how to properly handle, pick, pack and ship a vinyl record. But when you receive a vinyl record from Amazon and it’s laying flat on the bottom of a big box with no cardboard protecting it, its no wonder why they may get out of the vinyl game because their damage rate must be sky high.  I was in a Best Buy recently checking out their vinyl selection (they are now carrying up to 200 titles in each of their stores) and because the employees don’t know how to display or care for the format, all of the jackets are destroyed and looks like garbage.  These two scenarios can be avoided and both types of supply chains can be successful but it’s going to take someone that knows what they are doing to correct the obvious roadblocks in their way to long term success selling vinyl.

Do vinyl records really sound better than CDs? Is there any kind of scientific proof?

To this question, we would say that much like beauty is in the eye of the beholder, sound is in the ear of the listener.  There is no debate that converting music to digital format results in some compression loss.  Whether that degradation is noticeable or not is where the subjectivity comes into play.  Many people would agree that vinyl records sound “richer” than CDs due to the fact that no compression is necessary for an analog format – and we would agree too with that.

There is no doubt that digital music provides advantages that vinyl records do not – namely storage and portability.  But there will always be room for both formats depending on need and desire.  It’s common for all new vinyl records to include a copy of the CD for this very reason.

Personally, I know there is a difference in quality when proper steps are taken.  Being a musician that has released both CDs and Vinyl, the vinyl has always sounded better. Part of it is that we recorded in analog and kept the entire process analog to the cut.  In those cases, you will never get better mass reproduction than vinyl playback. But if the recording is digital and already compressed, vinyl is just another format. Vinylphiles will say even a digital recording still sounds better on vinyl. I would agree with them on this point.

I have noticed that some full length albums are available in 45 RPM format. Do you think this trend will catch on, or will the 33 RPM format continue to be the norm?

That is a niche for high end music lovers.  There is more room for the groove to breath when something is cut on 45 so the sound quality has the chance to be much better.  I think there will always be a niche for this because there will always be 1000 people in the world that are going to want to listen to John Coltrane’s “Ballads” on the best vinyl format available.  2x12” 45 gives them the best opportunity assuming the mastering, cut and pressing is up to snuff.

Could you explain the process for manufacturing vinyl records?
Here’s a simplified step by step process:

-Cutting – the recording is transferred or cut to either a platter of lacquer or copper (the latter is called Direct Metal Mastering or DMM).
-If a lacquer is cut, it is metalized and a father plate is created. This is a negative)
-A reverse of the father is created called the mother.  When cutting to copper (DMM), this is already a positive plate or Mother plate. Mother plates can played on special turntables and are what we listen to remove any ticks, pops or noise prior to making pressing plates
-Mother Plates are used to spawn pressing plates.  The pressing plates are used on the presses and are what the vinyl is pressed between to create a record.  Depending on the type of cut and the thickness of the pressing, we replace stampers every 500-1500 records to ensure the best possible quality of pressed record.
-Using the pressing plates, we set up a machine to press Test Pressings.  This is normally a run of 5-25 records that we listen to for quality and then send to the client for their final approval.
-While the Test Pressing is out for approval, we will print and pre-bake the paper labels that appear on both sides of the record. Baking is required so the paper is cured before it goes on the press.  If this process is not done correctly, labels will crack, bubble or blister due to heat and pressure from the pressing process.
-As soon as the Test Pressings are approved, we put the plates back on the press and start pressing records. PVC pellets are put into an extruder which creates a biscuit of hot PVC sandwiched by the a and b side labels.  Two stampers (one for each side of the record) are placed onto a press and with tons of pressure at high temperature, the press closes on the biscuit and actually forms the records with the grooves.  The records are then finished by trimming excess PVC and then put into the inner sleeve as it comes off the press.  A heavy metal plate is put on top of every 4th or 5th record to ensure the stack is flat as it goes into the curing room where they will cool down for 48 hours prior to assembly.

What determines the quality of a pressing? How can a consumer know which vinyl is good quality, and which is poor quality?

It’s all about the sound quality. If you have two plants and give them lacquers cut from the finest cutting studio in the world and give them the finest PVC material in the world – you will often times get two completely different products. The galvanic process and the pressing formulas at our two facilities are the secret weapon to creating some of the best records in the world. If a plant does not put the care and expense into creating superior metal parts, you will hear it in the vinyl. If a plant treats each record the same and doesn’t factor in the cut and the other 9,000 things you need to consider when pressing vinyl records, you can have problems there as well. You also will get non-fill, poor tracking, etc when inexperienced people are running the equipment. Both of our plants have been around for decades and the experience on the floor is not something you can buy or learn overnight.

Most of the records that are marketed as Audiophile releases are pressed on heavyweight vinyl. 180g records, for example, are less prone to warp or dish.  When pressed correctly, you will get a superior product from a heavyweight record.

Inevitably, better digital audio formats will come along that sound better than CDs, and possibly even DVD Audio or SACDs. Will vinyl records still be able to compete with these modern technologies?

Vinyl records will always have a core group of consumers that love them for the experience of listening to music that no other format can provide.  Listening to a record takes a proactive set of actions and is often times the end goal.  Listening to a CD or digital music can be more of an afterthought or a background activity to doing something else.  The large format of vinyl jackets also provides artists a unique way to express themselves in addition to the music itself.  For this reason, we believe that vinyl records will always be complementary to new technologies that might arise.

Tell us a little about what your company does.

Furnace MFG has been in business since 1996 and is a recognized leader in CD and DVD duplication, replication, and vinyl record manufacturing and packaging.  Leveraging our two exclusive relationships in Europe, we are able to bring to the domestic market high quality vinyl records with world class assembly and finishing options.  We have carved out a niche to work on complicated packaging and finishing for special projects and continue to increase our market share by providing a high quality product for a fair price.

Our CD/DVD/Flash Drive reproduction continues to grow with many major music, corporate, and educational clients.  We can fulfill any customers order – whether they are looking for 10 or 10,000,000 copies made.

You can visit Furnace MFG's website at: http://www.furnacecd.com/

I could explain this with all of my wit and excellent prose, but why? Enjoy the videos!

Part 1:

Part 2: