Get Your Small Wavy Groove On

“Vinyl is the real deal. I’ve always felt like, until you buy the vinyl record, you don’t really own the album. And it’s not just me or a little pet thing or some kind of retro romantic thing from the past. It is still alive.”

— Jack White

It is rumored that even Steve Jobs preferred listening to vinyl over a digital mp3 on an ipod. I can certainly understand why. Vinyl is imperfect. Its like the difference between a digital picture and a photo produced from film. Vinyl records are always shy of that "perfect" sound and yet contain a richness and depth not found in digital downloads. A well pressed record is a thing of beauty and an amazing art!

I recall the days of being completely immersed in the listening experience of a vinyl record...pulling the black beauty from its sleeve, wiping it carefully with a plush velvet pad before setting it on the turn table with Side A facing up, lifting the needle ever so carefully and placing it gently over the beginning of the album before lowering the lever to hear that hiss of the first rotation before the music began.

The music would start and I would sit back with the album cover, causally studying the amazing illustrated artwork indicative of the album's theme. I would listen to the entire album without skipping around or jumping tracks. Every play of the album was unique with different pops and crackles, evoking different emotions. Some days I would dance. Some days I would close my eyes and just listen. Always I would smile.