Veronica Bianqui, The TVD First Date

“’Just listen to his scream,’ my mom said as she placed down the vinyl record of John Lennon’s “Well, Well, Well” from Plastic Ono Band.“

“I remember the sound of the crackle and the slightly too-bright timbre of the track. It wasn’t the best of record players, and that particular record was kind of worn out, and so the bass end was not too present. But, man, did that track hit me. It was grunge before grunge. It was raw, it was melodic, and it’s probably one of the first songs in my life that I experienced on record first before hearing it on any other medium.

I really don’t know how I got into records. I guess growing up with baby boomer parents, they’ve just always been around. I started to dive into my mother’s collection probably in my early teens. You know the drill, when you ‘borrow’ … indefinitely. Many of those first records that I borrowed, I still have today. A lot of Beatles.

I interned in the Mastering department at Capitol Records, where I used to leave my desk duties during downtime, and go downstairs to watch Ron McMaster cut record masters. Yes, that’s his real name! I would watch in fascination as grooves would begin to appear on fresh lacquer and take notes while McMaster would explain to me what he was doing. I was surprised when he said he had never had anyone take such interest in what he was doing.

I loved learning different facts about cutting records and realizing how much of both an art and a science it is. I learned that adding more bass onto a record takes up more real estate. In this way, cutting masters is a delicate balance of satisfying the artists sonic desires with having good ears and making best use of available space.

I love the whole experience of listening to a record. It’s soothing and calming. But it can also be abrasive. I once bought a copy of Iggy Pop’s Raw Power because I had never heard it and knew that it is a must-hear classic. It also famously has different mixes released, but I didn’t know this at the time. I can’t remember which version I got, but it was awful. I thought there was something wrong with the record. But that’s the beauty of vinyl. Each experience is unique with every listen.

Still to this day, I love my (my mom’s) Plastic Ono Band band record, even though it’s a bit too sonically bright. No one else hears the album in the way I do, and that makes it special.

Long live vinyl!”
—Veronica Bianqui