Confession

So, I have a confession.  I haven't always made collecting vinyl a priority.  Growing up

in Ukee, the local stereo shop stocked mostly tapes and cd’s so it was easier to get 

them over records.  Then when I was in university, I went down to the local

record haunts and bought some vinyl now and then but I also bought a hell of a lot of

cd's.  They’re really easy.  Portable and small, these are things you think about when

you are on the go.  I always had a walkman or discman of some sort with me wherever

I went.  Because it really should be about the music right?  Not the medium.  And 

when you are on the go, traveling between school and home, Victoria, Ucluelet and

Vancouver, I figured it was more important to have the music with me.  It was.  Music

means a hell of a lot to me, so making it portable was a priority.

Then, when I settled down and started my career, I still purchased the occasional

album, but I still bought CD's.  They were great in the car.  Nothing finer than cruisin'

around, tunes cranked, enjoying the drive.  The portable factor was still important.

Soon, the whole mp3 thing started and I followed.  I spent many hours digitizing my

CD collection.  Organizing, getting cover art, making sure everything was perfect.  I

amassed umpteen gigs of music, all stored as convenient 1's and 0's.  Oh yeah and

they were even more portable!  Instead of carrying around a few cd's with me I now

could carry an artist's entire catalogue on a machine smaller than a cassette case. 

Crazy really.  I had THOUSANDS of songs at the touch of my fingers, instant access,

everything a music obsessed person like myself would want.

Wrong.

I found that the music became impersonal.  I wasn't getting the same thrill I used to

get when I was buying physical things.  The 1's and 0's became what they really

were.... data.  I would sit in front of the iTunes store, clicking, trying to find something

to buy and I just wasn't getting excited.  CD's felt the same, no thrill, no buzz, just

data that had to be brought home and ripped into my neatly organized collection.  It

became more about the collection.  And that bothered me.

So finally what happened was I started looking at my vinyl collection more and more. 

Pulling the albums out and really looking at them again.  Then a bunch of us at work

got together and started to listen to vinyl.  As a group.  And it was great.  I started

getting that buzz back.  I started going out and buying music.  I would buy vinyl and

bring it home and play it.  Look at the albums, read the liner notes.  It was good to feel

the records, place them on the turntable.  The whole experience felt right.

Now I'm not saying that I'm done with CD's and mp3's.  The convenience still has it's

place.  But right now vinyl seems more real to me.  So that is where I'm headed.

You should give it a try.