“When I was growing up in the 80s, my parents had a record player. My Dad was a radio DJ in college, and had several crates of classic rock albums from the 60s and 70s. Dylan, The Stones, The Beach Boys, Hendrix, Steely Dan, The Beatles, even an original pressing of the White Album. That record wasn’t in the best condition to begin with, but unfortunately once I discovered it, I played it until the grooves wore out.”
“The first piece of vinyl that I purchased was U2 War for 25 cents from my neighbor’s garage sale. When I was old enough to drive, my friends and I would take regular road trips to the Princeton Record Exchange in Princeton NJ, or to Bleecker Bob’s in the Village. It was always so exciting looking through stacks of records until you found some hidden gem among the piles. I remember finding an original pressing of Led Zeppelin I during one successful search.
U2 has always been my favorite band, and over the years I’ve amassed a great collection of U2 records. Their early singles, in yellow, orange, and white colored vinyl, are some of my favorite pieces. I have the first pressing of their first 45, before they were signed to Island Records. But my favorite of all is “Angel of Harlem” on red vinyl from Australia. There are rumored to be less than 500 that were ever pressed.
I think as music formats have changed over the past 30 years, each new medium makes the previous one obsolete. Except for vinyl. There’s still something special about holding that physical piece of art in your hands.
The artwork looks better, the analog music sounds warmer, old vinyl even has a distinct smell. The experience of actively listening to a record at home on your turntable is a completely different experience than listening to your iPod on a crowded train, and much more rewarding.”
—Spencer Miles
Space Fight makes their live US debut on September 12 at Pianos in NYC.
