“Ahh, sweet vinyl memories. I was very, very young, about four, when I started messing around with LPs. I remember the feel of the covers, spending hours just gazing in awe. Since I became a music nerd as a youngster, I can say besides remembering the feel and the smell of those first vinyl, even say I remember the TASTE of vinyl!”
“Both my parents were cool when it came to music. They were into buying records, going to concerts, and talking music. There was constantly music in our home including vinyl and cassettes with bands that were releasing great stuff around that time (this is late ’70s and early ’80s). Notably London Calling by The Clash, Time by ELO, and Dire Straits (Private Investigations) were some of my most vivid first memories. Hearing these albums still hits me hard and all kinds of flashbacks take me back through time. However, the pivotal albums for me around that time came to be Pink Floyd’s Animals and The Wall.
The Wall and Animals not a fit for a child? Emotionally murderous dramatic music and concepts about the deepest and most hard-hitting subjects, made a daycare nanny that was having me around this time very worried and nervous. I remember my parents and the nanny having discussions about whether I was being harmed by listening to ‘adult’ music.
It’s clear in any case that music that you explore and pick up in your early years will never ever again be as bright and memorable. Both of those records were numbing me totally off into a secret new world. Headphones on, naturally, and off I went. The Wall was the first LP I bought with my own money (after the parents’ cassette had been damaged). I’ve re-bought these records on numerous occasions over the years but I can’t still stand hearing them any other format than vinyl. I’ve yet to find a CD or digital version with that same mix (or mastering) as the original LPs. Fun fact is I actually thought Pink Floyd had one lead singer since it’s never noted on the sleeves. It shocked me later to learn. Very Pre-internet Days.
The artwork is of course another aspect of the glory of vinyl. Looking at all my favorite records it’s clear to see the thought and love put into it. Not only the cover, but the whole packaging and art concept. Holding and gazing at a vinyl sleeve, where you can sense it was made with as much affection and love as the music itself, is to me a central part of the album experience.
The concept of the classic vinyl A and B side split has definitely shaped my way of sequencing the albums that I’m involved in producing. With our new album Wizards on the Beach it was clear from the start it was to be sequenced as a classic LP album. Five songs per side and dramaturgically built with the momentum of listening from Side A to Side B. We purposely are releasing the album on vinyl and digital only. Excluding the CD format altogether feels in fact, very liberating.
I just talked to the pressing plant who are manufacturing the Wizards on the Beach vinyl, and somewhere there for a minute, I turned once again back to that little drooling vinyl-loving kid when I heard my own voice saying ‘140g classic black pure virgin vinyl, premium 320gsm heavy card sleeve, 12″ x 12″ lyricsheet…'”
—Ola Frick
Moonbabies’ Wizards on the Beach arrives in stores April 28.
On vinyl.
