Vinyl
When we lived in Iowa, Sarah and I used to go to a little coffee shop called Vinyl Cafe. It was tiny – only a few tables – but they were opinionated about espresso and had delicious breakfast tacos. They also had records, and old turntables.
Until that point in my life, I had kind of looked down my nose at people who purchased media in dead formats. I'm a technologist at heart, and although I wasn't always interested in the latest and greatest like some, it seemed obvious that digital music was an incredible improvement over older formats. It was high fidelity, incredibly portable, and cheap (or free, if you knew where to look).
All those rational arguments aside, I found myself drawn to the records at Vinyl Cafe. They had some really good stuff that I recognized, and somehow the large-format cover art made it so much cooler. One day they had some new (old) turntables in stock, and one caught my eye. Zenith. Solid State. The volume knob was labeled "Loudness." I had to have it.
The rest is history, really. I can't pinpoint what I love about listening to records, but it has something to do with the analog aspect. It's deeply personal, and it doesn't involve so much as a glance at my phone. When we have company, I spend 10 minutes beforehand picking out stuff I think they'll enjoy. It's just... nice, in the same way that candlelight is nice. Comforting.
I'm not a serious collector, but I do love digging through crates of dusty records looking for anything that seems interesting. At $4 or $5 a pop, it's a small price to pay for broadening my musical horizons and maybe finding a gem.
Anyway, here's my small collection. It's a work in progress but I'm proud of it all the same.
Vinyl Moon Volume 056: Hello Real Life Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 057: The Long Run Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 058: Love Stack Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 059: Fluid Perspectives Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 060: Meloncholy Dream Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 061: Before You Melt Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 062: Time Drips Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 063: Camp Nerves Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 064: Odd Party Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 065: Earthly Royale Various
The B-52's The B-52's
Vinyl Moon Volume 055: Play It Cool, Oscillator Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 052: Fluorescent Strangers Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 053: Gilded Nights Various
Do You Wanna Have A Skeleton Dream? Big Blood
Vinyl Moon Volume 050: Volume Fifty Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 051: Four States Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 048: Touch Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 049: Memory Museum Various
Our Endless Numbered Days Iron And Wine
Vinyl Moon Volume 046: Cosmic Blues Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 047: Natural Things Various
Wildewoman Lucius
Good Grief Lucius
Vinyl Moon Volume 045: Imaginary Windows Various
Live! Fela Kuti, Ginger Baker, Africa 70
Warfaring Strangers: Acid Nightmares Various
The Rocky Horror Picture Show The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Reads Kaddish Allen Ginsberg
Vinyl Moon Volume 044: Choose A Side Various
Lotta Sea Lice Courtney Barnett, Kurt Vile
The Order Of Time Valerie June
The Miseducation Of Eunice Waymon Amerigo Gazaway, Nina Simone, Lauryn Hill
Yasiin Gaye: The Departure (Side One) Amerigo Gazaway
Yasiin Gaye: The Return (Side Two) Amerigo Gazaway
The Sunlandic Twins Of Montreal
Fela Kuti vs De La Soul - Fela Soul Amerigo Gazaway
A Common Wonder Amerigo Gazaway
The Other Shore Murder By Death
Legend (The Best Of Bob Marley And The Wailers) Bob Marley & The Wailers
Vinyl Moon Volume 041: Life Is Long Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 042: Day Trip Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 043: Electric Daze Various
Akron/Family Akron/Family
Deltron 3030 Deltron 3030
Awake Tycho
Energy Operation Ivy
Crazy For You Best Coast
Vinyl Moon Volume 040: Gap The Mind Various
Hell-On Neko Case
Emotions And Math Margaret Glaspy
Reckoning R.E.M.
Lifes Rich Pageant R.E.M.
The Joshua Tree U2
Love's A Real Thing (The Funky Fuzzy Sounds Of West Africa) Various
Second Helping Lynyrd Skynyrd
The Queen Is Dead The Smiths
Vinyl Moon Volume 037: Rebirth Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 038: Sticky Fruit Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 039: Face To Face Various
Little Girl Blue Nina Simone
Soul Journey Gillian Welch
Gemini Wild Nothing
August And Everything After Counting Crows
Head Hunters Herbie Hancock
Djangology Django Reinhardt, Quintette Du Hot Club De France
No Easy Way Fellow Travellers
The Bob's Burgers Music Album Bob's Burgers
Polygondwanaland King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard
Vinyl Moon Volume 022: Might Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 024: The Lost Expedition Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 026: Nightshining Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 029: Marrow Siren Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 031: The Nature Of Inner Space Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 033: Static in Motion Various
Vinyl Moon Volume 036: Shapeshifters Various
Nudes Lucius
Truckdriver, Gladiator, Mule Neko Case
The Simple Fear Brooke Annibale
Pinkerton Weezer
Poet's Heart Kate Wolf
In The Aeroplane Over The Sea Neutral Milk Hotel
No Need To Argue The Cranberries
In The Dark With You Greg Brown
The Magnolia Electric Co Songs: Ohia
Rage Against The Machine XX Rage Against The Machine
Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes
Firefly (Original Television Soundtrack) Greg Edmonson
Mr. Finish Line Vulfpeck
Critical Equation Dr. Dog
The Harrow & The Harvest Gillian Welch
Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? The Cranberries
The Monty Python Matching Tie And Handkerchief Monty Python
Dirty Pictures (Part 1) Low Cut Connie
Dirty Pictures (Part 2) Low Cut Connie
Weezer Weezer
Hot Dawg David Grisman
Document R.E.M.
Both Directions At Once: The Lost Album John Coltrane
You're All I Need Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
A Renaissance Christmas Boston Camerata
Ten Years Of Gold Kenny Rogers
John Barleycorn Must Die Traffic
Will The Circle Be Unbroken Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
The Gambler Kenny Rogers
Back To Black Amy Winehouse
Getz / Gilberto Stan Getz, João Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim
The Great New Gene Krupa Quartet Featuring Charlie Ventura The Gene Krupa Quartet, Charlie Ventura
Landing On A Hundred Cody ChesnuTT
All About The Seasons The Children's Hour Chorus And Orchestra
Moondance Van Morrison
Saint Dominic's Preview Van Morrison
Takin' My Time Bonnie Raitt
Veedon Fleece Van Morrison
James Taylor's Greatest Hits James Taylor
Rumours Fleetwood Mac
Van Halen Van Halen
Luxury Liner Emmylou Harris
Quarter Moon In A Ten Cent Town Emmylou Harris
Wavelength Van Morrison
Roses In The Snow Emmylou Harris
Common One Van Morrison
Cimarron Emmylou Harris
Workingman's Dead The Grateful Dead
His Band And The Street Choir Van Morrison
Tupelo Honey Van Morrison
Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Raitt
Blue Kentucky Girl Emmylou Harris
Graceland Paul Simon
American Beauty The Grateful Dead
The Wilderness Is Home Douglas Wood
Autumn George Winston
Winter Into Spring George Winston
Merry Christmas Bing Crosby
The Who By Numbers The Who
Who's Next The Who
(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) Lynyrd Skynyrd
September In The Rain Dinah Washington
I Witness Life Tom T. Hall
The Nutcracker Ballet Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Antal Dorati, The London Symphony Orchestra
24 Of Hank Williams' Greatest Hits Hank Williams
The Wild Heart Stevie Nicks
Sherlock Holmes Tales From Baker Street Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce
Dreamboat Annie Heart
Rivers Of Delight: American Folk Hymns From The Sacred Harp Tradition Word Of Mouth Chorus
Blanket Fort Radio The Crew of the Half Moon
Tapestry Carole King
Hot Rodders Battle Rock And Roll Ruby Short & His Dragsters
The Night Before Christmas Mort Lawrence, The Caroleers
Little Queen Heart
Down Yonder And Other Old-Time Favorites The Country Fiddlers, Wade Ray
A Ceremony Of Carols / Seven English Christmas Carols Benjamin Britten, Die Wiener Sängerknaben, Osian Ellis
A Very Merry Christmas Volume 5 Various
The Fascinating Rhythms Of Their Brazil Los Indios Tabajaras
The Perry Como Christmas Album Perry Como
'Nuff Said! Nina Simone
Neapolitan Mandolins Gino Del Vescovo And His Mandolins
Surrealistic Pillow Jefferson Airplane
The Iowa Waltz Greg Brown
Harvest Neil Young
Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac
Summer Side Of Life Gordon Lightfoot
Neil Young Neil Young
Blue Joni Mitchell
Banjo Songs Of The Blue Ridge And Great Smokies Obray Ramsey
Some Girls The Rolling Stones
Jerry Holland Jerry Holland
Grease (The Original Soundtrack From The Motion Picture) Various
Silently The Snow Falls Steve Tilston, Peter Finger, Seth Austen
Will O' The Wisp Leon Russell
Stop Making Sense Talking Heads
Appalachian Dulcimer Music Edsel Martin
Minnesota Mason Jennings
Appolo Musagetes, Variations On A Theme By Frank Bridge Igor Stravinsky, Benjamin Britten, Czech Chamber Orchestra, Josef Vlach
6- And 12-String Guitar Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke / Peter Lang / John Fahey Leo Kottke, Peter Lang, John Fahey
Innervisions Stevie Wonder
The Cars The Cars
Prime Time Workout Jane Fonda
London Calling The Clash
Good News For People Who Love Bad News Modest Mouse
Off The Wall Michael Jackson
Fire On The Mountain The Charlie Daniels Band
Bad Michael Jackson
The Moon & Antarctica Modest Mouse
Soul Insight The Marcus King Band
Chronicle - The 20 Greatest Hits Creedence Clearwater Revival, John Fogerty
The Marcus King Band The Marcus King Band
A Charlie Brown Christmas Vince Guaraldi Trio
Celtic Harp: The Music Of Turlough O'Carolan Patrick Ball
Nether Lands Dan Fogelberg
Christmas Sing Along The Davidson Singers
The Dark Side Of The Moon Pink Floyd
Alpine Symphony Richard Strauss, Rudolf Kempe, Staatskapelle Dresden
Lonesome Dreams Lord Huron
Pink Moon Nick Drake
Natty Dread Bob Marley & The Wailers
Funky Kingston Toots & The Maytals
War U2
For My Friends Of Song Betty Smith
Give Yourself To Love Kate Wolf
TOBE / At Seattle's Doubletree Inn Overton Berry Ensemble, The Overton Berry Trio
Pianosong Paul Halley
Threads Of Glory- 200 Years Of America In Words And Music Various
Debussy, Nocturnes - Ravel, Rapsodie Espagnole Ernest Ansermet
Peter And The Wolf / The Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra Sergei Prokofiev, Benjamin Britten, Antal Dorati, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sean Connery
Avon Wishes You A Happy Holiday And A Joyous New Year The Longines Symphonette
War Of The Worlds Orson Welles
Greatest Hits Patsy Cline
Time Out The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Captain Kangaroo's "Treasure House" Bob Keeshan
Monk's Dream The Thelonious Monk Quartet
Sounds Of Silence Simon & Garfunkel
John Wesley Harding Bob Dylan
At Folsom Prison Johnny Cash
Santana Santana
Lite Me Up Herbie Hancock
Darkness On The Edge Of Town Bruce Springsteen
New Morning Bob Dylan
Pearl Janis Joplin
Paul Simon Paul Simon
There Goes Rhymin' Simon Paul Simon
Attempted Mustache Loudon Wainwright III
Greatest Hits (& Some That Will Be) Willie Nelson
Bookends Simon & Garfunkel
Cheap Thrills Big Brother & The Holding Company
Nashville Skyline Bob Dylan
Bridge Over Troubled Water Simon & Garfunkel
Santana's Greatest Hits Santana
Blood On The Tracks Bob Dylan
Still Crazy After All These Years Paul Simon
Desire Bob Dylan
The River Bruce Springsteen
Music From The Woody Allen Film "Manhattan" George Gershwin, The New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta, Gary Graffman
The Old Beloved Songs Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Richard P. Condie, Alexander Schreiner, Robert Cundick
The Holly And The Ivy: Christmas Carols By The Mormon Tabernacle Choir Mormon Tabernacle Choir
The Great Songs Of Christmas, Album Eight Various
Glass Houses Billy Joel
Armed Forces Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Pushin' Against A Stone Valerie June
Gypsy Music Markoff And His Romany Strings
Ray Charles Ray Charles
Live At Carnegie Hall Buck Owens And His Buckaroos
Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty Various
10 Songs From Mary Poppins Various
Walt Disney Presents Best Loved Fairy Tales Rica Moore
Rubber Duckie And Other Songs From Sesame Street Various
Play Telstar - The Lonely Bull And Others The Ventures
The Flower Lane Ducktails
Ys Joanna Newsom
Bill Bailey's Bob Darch And His Ragtime Band, Eubie Blake, Charlie Williamson, Joe Jordan, Sally Heiss, Steve Spracklen, Gil Lieberknecht
Frampton Comes Alive! Peter Frampton
Equinox Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66
Outlandos D'Amour The Police
Teaser And The Firecat Cat Stevens
Pete Seeger Pete Seeger
Allons A Lafayette Beausoleil, Canray Fontenot
The Flutes Of The Inca Empire Los Calchakis
24 Original Classics Everly Brothers
Bruised Orange John Prine
Storm Windows John Prine
For Everyman Jackson Browne
4 Way Street Crosby Stills Nash & Young
Déjà Vu Crosby Stills Nash & Young
Led Zeppelin III Led Zeppelin
Untitled Led Zeppelin
John Prine John Prine
Avon Wishes You A Happy Holiday And A Joyous New Year The Longines Symphonette
Blowin' Your Mind! Van Morrison
Something / Anything? Todd Rundgren
Against The Wind Bob Seger And The Silver Bullet Band
Greenhouse Leo Kottke
Rio Duran Duran
Mudlark Leo Kottke
Chopin By Starlight Carmen Dragon, The Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra
Meet The Beatles! The Beatles
Brothers And Sisters The Allman Brothers Band
Searchin' For A Rainbow The Marshall Tucker Band
Carolina Dreams The Marshall Tucker Band
Nocturne Wild Nothing
La Flute Indienne Los Indios
Songs From The Wood Jethro Tull
The King Of Elfland's Daughter Bob Johnson, Peter Knight
