Wednesday, March 9, 2011

It's the VINYL Countdown...

I saw a newspaper article the other day about a man who was trying to sort through all of his late mother's belongings that he inherited. Among other things, there were hundreds of old vinyl records. That got me thinking about my dark place under the stairs that is currently housing all of our own 45's and 78's. We are loathe to throw them out and it seems like a lot of work and money to have them converted to CDs. Besides, is it just me or do MP3 music sound very thin and tinny? From time to time, we have tried to get CD versions of some of our LP's, but others sit in the old egg crates that were carried in from our move more than a decade ago.

I must be "old" now because I'm so attached to my vinyl. We used to have an old turntable that skipped quite frequently and sometimes I'd have to blow lightly on the the needle head to get it to the next groove. Hmm...groove to the music. I get it now! I remember when the cool DJ's used to scratch LP's like crazy to create that signature "zip zip" sound. A lot of 80's and 90's music had that sound effect. I think that dance mixes of many songs still encorporate it.

A few years ago, I finally found the LP of the "Summer Lovers" movie soundtrack. I had been looking for it for many, many years. However, I realised very quickly that I had no way to listen to it and it was not available on CD. So I put it away in a safe place and left it for awhile. That Christmas, my lovely husband secretly had the album put on a CD for me. I will always remember listening to it in our tiny rental car as it chugged along the bumpy roads of Santorini.

What if I was to donate or throw out all my vinyl albums? Sure, it's good to purge what I'm not using. But like the old yearbooks and textbooks, I just can't do it. Not yet anyway...

Old school sounds the old school way...

BOB DYLAN Blonde on Blonde 2XLP SEALED REISSUE 180gr

Hey! I found another one!
SOUNDTRACK summer lovers LP vinyl 1 23695 VG++ 1982

new red retro record player turntable vinyl lp

Thursday, December 2, 2010

VIVA, LAS VEGAS!

Next year my other half and I will hit a milestone wedding anniversary. For years I’ve wanted to celebrate this one in Las Vegas where we can renew our vows by an Elvis impersonator “man of the cloth” at the Graceland Chapel. Honestly, this exists and awaits you in the city of sin!

It’s funny that when I think of Elvis Presley, I instantly visualize the persona rather than his music. I personally prefer “thin Elvis” when he did the beach movies with Ann Margret. But nobody does “thin Elvis”. Most impersonators prefer the flashy and hefty one with the sparkly costumes, big hair and sideburns. Some might say that he is bigger now than when he was alive. Graceland has become a sort of mecca for the devoted. People want to curl their lips, eat peanut butter and banana sandwiches and swing their hips in that signature way.

What is it about this southern man whose light continues to burn so bright even today? I think that in the years to come, the only other performer who could hold a candle to his fame posthumously is Michael Jackson. I can already see it happening. I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand the unstoppable mania in the same way I shake my head at women my mother’s age who still swoon over Tom Jones, Wayne Newton and the late Liberace.

Don’t get me wrong! The minute I enter Vegas, I’ll be heading straight for the box office to order my Wayne Newton tickets along with any featuring Cirque du Soleil. What can I say? I’m cheesy that way.

Thank you, thank you very much!

Calling all Elvis fans - here are some items available now...