“I remember the first time I listened to a record on vinyl. I mean really listened. I had heard records before (duh) but I really experienced the inaugural listen in college.
“My roommate got a record player from his parents for Christmas our Junior year. He put it in the kitchen by the microwave. Anyway, the important thing is that they also gave him Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper’s, and the Return of the Jedi soundtrack.
We listened to the back half of Abbey Road for an entire evening together. It was magical. It was crackly. You had to put a needle on it. It was inherently groovy. I remember the way “Golden Slumbers” sounded so different from my click-wheel iPod. So warm. More the way it was supposed to be. But it was also a delightful reason for us to just sit and listen to our favorite album together.
A month later he was running low on cash and wanted to return it, but all sales were vinyl. He eventually sold it and our good times were over. But I will take that memory and analog it in my brain forever.”
—Johnny Stimson
Dallas-born singer-songwriter Johnny Stimson released his latest single “So. Good.” this January.
