“My first memories of vinyl were when I was a kid living in Oahu, HI, and my older cousin busted out an AC/DC Back In Black record. He would drop the needle at random spots and I’d guess which song was playing off the album. We’d also have air guitar contests and I’d always win; this was a good 8 years before I started actually playing guitar so I guess it was in my blood!”
“From there it was Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Captain Fantastic, Kiss’ Destroyer and Alive!, Black Sabbath’s Heaven And Hell and Paranoid. I loved the artwork on these albums, and would stare at it while playing the records. There were a slew of 45s I wore out: The Village People’s “YMCA,” Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration,” Kiss’ “I was Made For Loving You,” and then there was my grandfather’s amazing collection of Cuban music that I loved. Even now, whenever I hear traditional Cuban music, I’m transported back in time to when we’d build puzzles and listen to his records.
The thing I love most about vinyl is the packaging and the artwork. It helps convey the tone and feel of what the artist is going for musically, or it can be a visual experience of what an album is about. Its part of a band’s branding. When I first bought an album I would read the lyrics off the liner notes while singing along to the music, and there were also credits (remember those?) so I’d know exactly who played on the records and who mixed and produced the tracks.
The old jazz albums would have forwards on them, like a book, providing great context for the listener. I think that credits are the most important thing missing from today’s digital downloads and streams. I’m a musician, but I’m also a producer, and the lack of focus on these details on iTunes, Spotify, and other DSPs is disappointing. With vinyl’s resurgence, artists can now include the credits, backstories, and lyrics once again. This is great!
When we released our current single, “Honeybee,” we knew it deserved to be on vinyl. Not only did this bring back lots of memories of playing 45s as a kid, but it also forced us to really think about the artwork and presentation of the piece. We put a lot of thought into the artwork, and there are multiple layers of significance to each of the illustrations. Both sides of the jacket have their own art piece that represents what the song is about, and of course we made sure to include some credits on the small label on the vinyl itself.
While it takes longer to manufacture, I think vinyl is the best way to release physical copies of music today. We’ve sold copies of our single to fans that don’t even have a record player yet just because they like the artwork and the feel of the medium itself—it would be an honor for our record to be someone’s first vinyl experience.”
—Robb Torres
Robbery Inc.’s single “Honeybee” b/w “Skin” is in stores now—on 7″ vinyl.
