RYVOLI, The TVD First Date

“I think the reason I even started listening to music in the first place was because of the vinyl cover artwork for Chicago IX: Greatest Hits.”

“This is actually one of my first memories as a kid, discovering their artistic masterpiece in my dad’s library of records. I was absolutely mesmerized by this big group of guys and a dog who were hanging from some sort of suspended rickety platform, painting bright, bold letters on a wall. Blank canvas, colors, and danger…what more could a kid want? Then you flip the cover over—the guys are gone, they’ve finished their iconic band name, and there’s paint dripping everywhere! I was hooked. The very first song I ever heard on vinyl was “25 Or 6 to 4.”

My own personal collection started with an album that was passed down to me from my mother who had originally received it from her dad. During the 1960s and ’70s, Firestone would sell you a Christmas album for $1 along with your new set of tires or rotation. My reserved grandpa, I imagine on a whim, must have picked up Firestone Presents Your Christmas Favorites, Volume 3 while buying his snow tires. Let me say, since I was five or six, it does not feel like Christmas unless I’ve heard this record at least ten times.

I begged my husband for a record player a few years ago. It was December and I had this vinyl that brought all the feels and nostalgia of the season but was left with no way to play it. My parents had moved and taken the record player with them. He succumbed and bought us a Fluance RT81 that he had seen on Ellen’s 12 days of Giveaways. Best Christmas Ever.

There is nothing like holding a record in your hands, pouring over the artwork and lyrics, tangibly connecting with what you’re hearing. A friend of mine started a monthly record swap here in Lexington, KY and I don’t ever want to miss out on one of those magical nights. We each bring a vinyl to trade and take turns telling the group why it stands out to us. One of the best ways to fall in love with something is to see it through someone else’s eyes. My eclectic taste and love of music is even richer now because of this group of friends who connect with vinyl in the familiar ways that I do. Currently spinning Hiss Golden Messenger’s Haw that I traded for Penny & Sparrow’s album Let a Lover Drown You.

So now all I want for Christmas (this year) is a monthly vinyl subscription to Magnolia Record Club. Thanks Santa.”
—Jenn Whiteman