“Vinyl. If I’m honest, I’m not entirely sure what I’d be doing now if I hadn’t had the fortune of experiencing music on it. Would I ever have been drawn into music like I have been without vinyl? Would I even be in a band?”
“It’s hard to judge how much of an impact those early vinyl days had on me, particularly as they largely coincided with when I started becoming obsessed with music. But I’ve no doubt that those early vinyl experiences completely drove that obsession.
I grew up listening to my mum and dad’s singles and LPs. Their collection was wide-ranging, from early Beatles singles through to late ’70s albums by Bowie, Roxy Music, and ELO. Their collection would trip my senses. It seemed that vinyl had a particular smell like no other. The artwork or photo, blown up to the size of the sleeve, announced the record’s contents, inviting you on a musical journey.
I would scan the front and back of the sleeve whilst the disc played, discovering a new detail each time. Some of the sleeves would be pristine, like the amazing coloured records in their collection; others would be more worn, like the late ’60s sleeves that I later found out my dad would use as cigarette ashtrays when hanging out with his band! Each record seemed to tell its own story which was something which make these memories so vivid to this day.
I’m not going to sit here and write about how there is no place in this world for the digital download format for music. I personally think that this world is big enough for all different music formats and the MP3 certainly has its place. It allows you to listen to music on the go, on the way to work, college, school or wherever. Music has become more accessible as a result (arguably too accessible) which has plenty of benefits.
But listening to music on vinyl is unique, whether that be the opening crackle as the needle drops, the warmth of the analogue sound, or simply just the fact that you are more like to sit down and listen to a whole album from start to finish and appreciate every single track. More and more people are (re)turning to vinyl again which can only be a good thing. Cos vinyl definitely deserves more than a first date.”
—Spencer Hannabus
“Time Immemorial,” the new single from The 286, is in stores now.
