“Records! I was lucky to have parents who were into music. I had my own record player and LPs. Free to Be… You and Me, Sesame Street, Electric Company, Beatles. Then me and my buddy raided his sisters collection and found B52’s, Devo, Ramones, even Pork Dukes and Dead Kennedys! We now knew something was up, something more interesting than what we were hearing on the radio.”
“Then came the amazing USA network underground music program Night Flight. Now even we suburb dwellers were being exposed to punk rock and new wave. But where do we get this stuff?! Next stop is the record store where you are looking for clues as to making your next big discovery, usually based on a record label’s reputation, a cool record cover, and blind faith. Then there are flea markets and the deep dark recesses of the used sections of these stores. That’s where the magic happens. It’s a needle in a haystack and the quest for a certain rare record can go on for years, taking the seeker on an adventure of accidental discovery that can be so rewarding.
I was super lucky to be in a touring band as we would hit record stores almost every day looking for stuff to feed our heads. Sebadoh collectively put a LOT of money back into the music economy this way!
In my years of trying to locate (among other things!) Beefheart and Silver Apples LPs in flea markets and record stores all over the country, I found so many weird and low-tech spoken word, comedy, instructional, polka, country, gospel, etc. Stuff that you buy based on instinct and record cover, and end up with something that is really fun to play for people and you can be pretty sure it will be their first exposure. Fun to turn people onto weird/wonderful sounds!
The last 15 years or so my connection with vinyl was severed when I couldn’t bring my collection with me when I moved to New York. It’s all still waiting for me in Kentucky. I simply cannot wait until I can get my hands on them again. Digital is fine, it can and does sound good, but there is a whole lot more depth to albums—it’s an adventure that forces you out into the world to hunt and gather.
And it is a different way to listen. The art of ordering songs and perfecting segues between songs is becoming a lost art. Putting on an album side gave the artist an opportunity to create a mood for 10-15 minutes. Attention spans are changing. I miss those nuances. That’s the cost of the convenience of digital. You are simply clicking around in a semi-tangible database. Convenient and powerful, but inorganic and potentially detached.
I finished recording an album months ago and have been waiting for its release since—watching the parts come together, planning promotion, and playing the songs live with my band. When my copies of the vinyl arrived, I put the box in the corner and could not open it for two days. When I finally did, I held it up in front of me and felt so much pride. As much as I have come to accept digital, for me as a musician there is nothing like ‘being on a record.'”
—Jason Loewenstein
Jason Loewenstein’s Spooky Action is in store now via Joyful Noise Recordings—on vinyl.
