Exploring the collection: Vinyl
It’s always fascinating to see trends come back into popularity. Bell-bottoms, for example, seem to be back in for the second time since their inception, as are hand-made sweaters, high-waisted jeans (a personal favorite), and bright 80’s and 90’s patterns.
Something else that has come back into fashion is listening to vinyl. While there are some who never stopped listening to records, who have touted their superior sound quality from the beginning, it can’t be doubted that their popularity has become more widespread over the last few years. Whereas for many years the bulk of records had to be bought second-hand, now popular contemporary artists are releasing new music in this format! Additionally, a surprising 70% of the current market is made up of millennials and in 2022, record sales beat out CD sales for the first time in 35 years.
Many may not realize, but the Dauphin County Library System has a record collection you can borrow! Because of space limitations, the collection of vinyl DCLS offers is housed only at the McCormick Riverfront Library, but they can be requested and sent to the library of your choosing for pickup. There is a fabulous mix of classic and contemporary, and even some movie soundtracks in the mix.
As with other library collections, I prefer to try a few out before recommending it. While I personally don’t own a record player, my parents do, so in addition to getting to try out some library materials I haven’t before, it also necessarily became a group experience with some of my family. I suspect that because of the size and required player for records, that’s probably not an uncommon outcome, and definitely adds another fun element to this format of music.
I chose one of the older selections we have, the Ramones, as well as Journey’s Greatest Hits (a classic), and Taylor Swift’s 1989, so that I would have a bit of a mix. I’d heard most of the songs on these previously, though I wasn’t as familiar with the Ramones, and it was interesting to compare the way they sound on vinyl to how I’d listened to them before.
The sound is warm and smooth (sentiments I’d read and heard before but didn’t quite understand until I listened for it), and while obviously it’s not the same as live music, it does feel a layer closer to it than CD’s or digital files. Maybe that has to do with the intentionality you have to have while listening, because of the physical reality records present. Nine times out of ten when I listen to music, I’m driving. For these records, I had to be stationary and at least partially focused on the music rather than just having it on in the background, because it needed to be flipped or switched out for the next album every few songs.
There’s also something about records, especially of older music, that gives me a hazy kind of nostalgia; it feels a little bit like I’m sharing the experience of those artists’ music in this format with anyone across the decades who also sat down to listen to it. Even with Taylor Swift, whose music I did hear when it debuted, listening to it in this format lent a slightly different experience to it.
Anyway, this was certainly an enjoyable collection to check out! If you are a vinyl aficionado, or think it might be fun to try, the library’s record collection is a great resource. There is a variety of titles across genres and decades, some you might know and others that will be completely new to you. Some examples of the library’s collection include:
Piano and a Microphone 1983- Prince
By the way, I forgive you – Brandy Carlisle
The Ultimate Collection – Black Sabbath
As previously noted, this collection’s permanent residence is the Mccormick Riverfront Library, but items can be sent to other branches by request. Happy listening!