Just let the record play...

Recently, I've been thinking a lot about the way we listen to music today. I love all of the technology that allows us to enjoy music in so many formats, on the go, uploading, downloading, playlists, sharing with friends, the list goes on. Still, sometimes I romanticise the good old days - making up mix tapes and buying an album to listen to - all the way through. Also, some months ago, my mother handed me her vinyl record collection in a big old box. We talked about some of the treasures we discovered on the Drifters or Seekers? post over at Acoustic Wave - News. At the time, I didn't own a record player - I'd never owned one in my 30+ years on this earth - but those old records were just begging to be played again. Thanks to inheriting this collection and my current fascination with listening to music the old-fashioned way, I was gifted a record player for my birthday...my very first! It arrived this morning. So, I took that original Ray Charles 45' from its sleeve and for the first time I put on a record. I listened to the crackle of static as he opened 'Georgia On My Mind', I listened to a mint condition original of Joni Mitchell's 1971 'Blue' and Simon & Garfunkel's 'Bookends' in their entirety, and I discovered the warmth of Bob Dylan's 'Like A Rolling Stone' spinning under the needle, as it was intended. I read recently that as the world speeds up, it's good to slow down. Music on vinyl is one of those precious gifts that has helped me to do that.

"if you slow down, you just might make out
the sound of the world, it
spins and it grounds you"
- James Lowe