…for the first time in decades. My son (mid-30s) said that he owns a turntable now and is looking to build a classic rock vinyl collection, so I found a record store – in Berkeley, CA, where I went to college, so doubly-nostalgic.
The physical act of standing in front of a bin of vinyl LP’s, and going flip-flip-flip-remove and inspect, replace, flip-flip-flip…something that I spent countless hours doing in my youth in the 60’s, but that I haven’t done in something like 40 years.
Also nostalgic, was seeing examples of LP’s from the German classical music label Deutsche Gramophon. All of us newly-minted sophisticates in Berkeley were building collections of classical music, and DG was the label of choice, with that classy-looking yellow logo, and often a picture of Herbert von Karajan on the sleeve.
Browsing in a record store used to be one of my favorite leisure activities. I do miss it; browsing online just is not the same. Bandcamp is the best modern analog I’ve found but you aren’t usually going to find major-label US or European artists there. If you’re just looking for music, tho, it totally fucking rocks.
Most of my off school hours between the ages of 11 and 13 were spent flipping through the bins at Licorice Pizza. I never missed a chance to check out the Roxy Music albums. I had no idea what they sounded like, but I sure liked the covers.
And – as distinct from, say, a library or a video rental store (RIP) – a lengthy session of browsing at the record store wrenched your neck in a totally different way.
I practically lived in and loved the used record stores at Ohio State. Magnolia Thunder Pussy and the Singing Dog rocked! Finding the perfect obsure album at a redduced price ruled.