“Listening to vinyl is very inspirational for me. There’s something about looking through my collection or someone else’s and finding the right album or song for the moment.”
“A lot can be learned about yourself from listening to music this way. Sifting through records, finding the one, studying the album cover and learning the liner notes are something that’s truly exclusive to vinyl. Then once you’ve put the needle down, you’re fully invested, listening to music and being very intentional about it. I find myself paying more attention to the music when I listen on vinyl.
My parents had a pretty awesome record collection that they gave to me full of Motown 45s, Beatles LPs, and some ’60s psychedelic rock. They actually had a crazy amount of records and lost most of them in a flood when I was young.
The first album that I purchased myself was Ryan Adams and The Cardinals Easy Tiger. I bought it in Atlanta at a shop called Wax n’ Facts. It was one of the first times I had ever seen a colored vinyl record and I love Ryan Adams so I had to get it. Translucent orange vinyl with a fold out poster in a plastic see-through pouch, it was a cool album just for those reasons, not to mention the great songs on that record.
Following my first purchase, record collecting became an obsession. I’m constantly looking in shops in whatever city the band might be in. The other band members love vinyl too so it’s a lot of fun to share that passion with your closest friends. Vinyl brings people together to talk about music. When you listen on an iPod or in your car by yourself, you’re isolated. It normally becomes background noise to whatever you’re doing (i.e. working out, homework, driving, etc.) With vinyl, I usually listen with others and talk about the records and all the musicians involved. There’s mysteriousness with vinyl and that ignites conversation. Even listening alone I find myself more mesmerized by the music.
My favorite album artwork changes frequently but right now it is Physical Graffiti with all the die-cut windows and their faces in the windows on the inner sleeve. The artwork creates a symbolic meaning that the viewer can interpret on his or her own. Some of my favorite bands are very clever with their album artwork; it is the first impression of the album. Sometimes I purchase an album based off of the artwork. My favorite albums change quite often; it’s kind of crazy. Currently, my top five favorite albums would have to be Jimi Hendrix Experience mono Are You Experienced?, Jimmy Page’s remaster of Led Zeppelin I, The Stooges Funhouse, The Beatles Let It Be, The Temptations Live!.
Vinyl inspired us (The Howling Tongues) to create a completely analog album. The end result sounds incredible and all of our favorite albums were done that way. Our goal was to track and mix it to tape without the use of any computers. By pressing vinyl, a listener can get the full analog experience, which is a rarity nowadays. Our favorite shop in our hometown carries some of our vinyl. Rand and Win have an incredible record store in Roswell, GA called Mojo Vinyl. Every piece of vinyl in that store is great, carrying the best stuff around and the fact they carry some of our music is very humbling.
Record hunting is all about finding something that’s different, that triggers some kind of emotion inside of you. I will always love vinyl and the musical connection I have with it.”
—Nick Magliochetti, guitars
Enter to win The Howling Tongues’ self titled debut LP on gorgeous yellow gold vinyl by naming in the comments below your personal favorite record store and why—easy as that. We’ll choose one winner with a North American mailing address a week from today, 6/30!
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The Howling Tongues Tour Dates:
Jul 20 – New Castle, IN, Rock of Arts Festival
Aug 29 – Atlanta, GA, NASCAR Nationwide Atlanta Race
Aug 30 – Atlanta, GA, NASCAR Sprint Cup
Sep 12 – Concord, NC, NHRA Carolina Nationals
Sep 13 – Concord, NC, NHRA Carolina Nationals
Sep 20 – Loudon, NH, NASCAR UNOH 175 CW Truck Race
Sep 21 – Loudon, NH, NASCAR OSRAM Sylvania 300
Oct 10 – Concord, NC, NASCAR Nationwide Series Race
Oct 11 – Concord, NC, NASCAR Bank of America 500
Oct 31 – Fort Worth, TX, NASCAR Winstar World Casino 350
Nov 01 – Fort Worth, TX, NASCAR Sprint Cup Qualifying
Nov 02 – Fort Worth, TX, NASCAR AAA Texas 500
