Disc Battles
Are vinyl records really making a comeback? More and more, even here in Bangkok, I hear people talking about collecting records, and raving about the superior audio quality of vinyl versus that of compact discs. I used to have a sizeable record collection when I lived in Florida, but once CDs became the format of choice in the mid 1980s, that’s pretty much all I bought and listened to the rest of that decade and beyond. When I moved to Thailand in 1996, any records I still had were given to friends.
Despite the larger artwork on record covers and the general consensus that vinyl sounds better, I really don’t miss my old records. It was always annoying when records would accumulate scratches so easily, were prone to warping, took up lots of space, and were damn heavy when you boxed them up. I’m no audiophile, so the “superior sound” of vinyl records goes right over my head … or in and out my ears. Some people might wish for a return to the glory days of vinyl, but I’ll stick with CDs, thank you. I don’t doubt that there’s a difference in sound quality, but I don’t notice it enough for it to factor in my own listening habits. For me, the bottom line is the music. It doesn’t matter if I listen to the songs in mono, stereo, or on a cheap unit with a single speaker. I’m more moved by the rhythm, the lyrics, or the emotional impact of the recording rather than sonic resolution or high fidelity dynamics. And don’t even get me started on the subject of downloads. I realize that many people enjoy the convenience of mobile devices nowadays — or are just addicted to those devices — but how could anyone be passionate about collecting sound files? If you can’t touch it or sniff it, why bother?
Keeping the music theme in today’s post, here are the CDs getting the most play at my place lately. As usual, it’s a hearty diet of tunes covering various genres; some new releases, many old gems, and a few compilations and live recordings.
Bobby Womack – The Bravest Man in the Universe
Lou Ragland – I Travel Alone
Robert Forster – I Had a New York Girlfriend
Ian Gomm and Jeb Loy Nichols – Only Time Will Tell
Gene Ammons – Live in Chicago
Kelly Hogan – I Like to Keep Myself in Pain
Stanley Turrentine – Don’t Mess with Mr. T.
The Waterboys – In a Special Place
Redd Kross – Show World
Chuck Prophet – Temple Beautiful
Little Feat – Rooster Rag
John Hiatt – Mystic Pinball
Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros – Rock Art and the X-Ray Style
The Gaslight Anthem – Handwritten
Mark Knopfler – Privateering
Father John Misty – Fear Fun
The Diggers – Mount Everest
The Black Keys – El Camino
Cannonball Adderley Sextet – Dizzy’s Business
The Magnetic Fields – The Charm of the Highway Strip
Shoes – Ignition
Paul Kelly – Deeper Water
Eddie Henderson – Heritage
Joe Walsh – Analog Man
The Neville Brothers – Live on Planet Earth
Jacobites – Robespierre’s Velvet Basement
Baby Face Willette – Face to Face
Duke Ellington – Money Jungle
Steve Goodman – Artistic Haircut
Ike & Tina Turner – Funkier than a Mosquito’s Tweeter
Lee Morgan – Search for the New Land
Ben Folds & Nick Hornby – Lonely Avenue
Mitty Collier – Shades of Mitty Collier: The Chess Singles
The Sound – From the Lion’s Mouth
The Pale Fountains – Pacific Street
Various Artists – Eccentric Soul: A Red, Black & Green Production
The Cramps – Off the Bone
Les McCann & Eddie Harris – Swiss Movement
Belle and Sebastian – Push Barman to Open Old Wounds
Small Faces – Ultimate Collection
Willie Wright – Telling the Truth
Primatons – Don’t Go Away: Collected Works
Eric Dolphy – Out to Lunch
The xx – Coexist
Black Heat – Keep on Runnin’
