It's Just Not The Same

While at the “Police” concert the other night I was doing my normal looking at all the other people there. Directly behind me were a couple girls, maybe 18 or 19 years old. There was a song being played called “Can’t Stand Losing You” and at one point in the song is the verse, “I see you sent my letters back, and my LP records and they’re all scratched.” Well, that got me wondering, do these girls behind me even know what an LP is? Even if they do, do they have any idea how important they were to people in my age group?

The first album I ever bought, with my own money, was “Alice Cooper” “Billion Dollar Babies”. I was 12 years old and in sixth grade. Don’t get me wrong; I grew up in a household full of music. I remember as a kid of eight or nine and even younger having albums in the house by singers like Dionne Warwick singing Burt Bacharach and Hal David songs. We always had a number of Motown albums and singles in the house too. The “Cooper” album was the first I ever bought all on my own. It was all mine.

As I got older my taste in music became, what I like to call, more refined and my collection became much more exclusive. I, of course, bought my share of “Beatles” and other albums that others had but I would have no problem buying records that none of my friends had ever heard of. I remember buying the album “Flat As A Pancake” by “Head East when I was 14 just because of the song, “Never Been Any Reason”. I took great pride in the knowledge that I didn’t know anyone that had the record.

My record collection became very important to me. My Mother used to give David and I $5.00 every Friday and I would take mine and go to Korvette’s, a local department store, because they sold albums for $3.99. I had a job at 14 and would always spend a good portion of my check adding to my collection.

When I got my license to drive I remember going to a place called “Peaches” to peruse their massive aisles full of records from all over the world. You were pretty cool when you picked up an import of “The Beatles” and, trust me, I had my share. My friends and I would go to different record stores all the time. It was important to us.

I really got into reading the liner notes. I loved it when the lyrics were included. Little trivia for you. Did you know that the first album to ever have the lyrics included was “Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band”? You do now. I used to pay so much attention to who played what instrument and always looked to see if they were on any other albums I owned. I would read the album cover thoroughly at the store to see who the players were and I would sometimes buy a record based on who the players were even if I’d never heard the song. I became quite arrogant when it came to my musical tastes.

When I moved to California in 1980 I discovered what, for a record collector, could have been mistaken for heaven on earth. “Tower Records”. There was one right across the street from the Sports Arena and it was open till midnight. It had everything I could ever want. California was far ahead of Michigan when it came to musical tastes. I would find all kinds of new bands like “Squeeze” and “The English Beat”. Groups that I still listen to today. I really got into Phil Collins’s first two solo albums and still consider them to be among my favorite records.

With the mid eighties came the cd and everything changed. They just don’t seem as personal. Albums were mine, cd’s are more, I don’t know, not mine. Listening to music isn’t the event it used to be. You can listen to music anywhere now. Back then you had to take the time to listen to it. Like I said, it’s just not as personal.

Anyway, back to the girls at the concert. I highly doubt they’ve ever had an album. They can never have the memory of the popping sound of an LP. That sound that seemed like a campfire when the needle hit the record. The scratch in the middle of your favorite song. Yeah, it was messed up but it was your scratch. I just don’t know if you can appreciate cd’s as much as your “LP records” that are all scratched.