Stella asked to be included in the Christmas decorating and I have complied.
I might be adding a wee bit more today. But just a bit.
Yesterday was about running errands. Boring, but necessary. Because I freelance and am home a great deal of the time, I find myself moving slowly in the morning only to look up at the clock and see that it’s almost noon, which means there are only 4 more hours of daylight left. It always shocks me.
I ran into Barnes & Noble yesterday to look for a book which they, of course, did not have. While I was there I looked through the vinyl albums and CDs. Nothing I wanted in stock. I felt a wave of nostalgia and yearning for the days when I could visit a record store and spend hours looking through albums. I would search for something and invariably find it. In the course of the search, I would discover new artists. I’d chat with the expert sales staff. I’d talk to other music lovers.
It’s all gone now.
Now I’m forced to find a vintage vinyl shop with limited stock somewhere or order online, which is not the same as thumbing through albums or CDs, reading the liner notes, holding the album in my hands, accumulating a pile of albums to take up to the cash register, knowing that a great new-to-me listening experience lies ahead. Every time I see that scene in Hannah and Her Sisters in which Woody Allen comes upon Dianne Wiest in Tower Records and they look through the albums together, I get so sad for something that has been lost, never to be found again.
Don and I had a big conversation yesterday about this, fueled by my reaction to the dearth of stock at B & N. This led to mourning for a way of life, for expert staff that knew everything about music and artists, for the opportunity to discover music, not streaming it, but holding it in your hands, reading the liner notes, looking at the artwork, placing the album on the turntable. We talked about how many hours we spent reading liner notes when we were young, bedroom door closed, stereo on, lazing on our beds, drinking in the sounds.
There was a great record shop in Ann Arbor when I was still living in Michigan called Liberty Music Shop – it was there for 50 years. My friend Joe actually worked there while he was getting his Master’s Degree from the University of Michigan (resulting in a stellar collection of albums). The staff knew everything about their stock and if they didn’t have it, they’d find it for you. They had actual listening rooms where you could listen to an album you were thinking about buying before you plunked down your hard-earned money. The stock was heavily classical, but there were plenty of other genres as well. No one minded if you spent hours there or wanted to sample an album before you bought it. I loved going there. I also loved going to Dearborn Music, in my hometown, which was my go-to source for records. Or Rose Records, when I visited Chicago. Even the basement of my college bookstore had more vinyl than B & N has now. And, when Tower Records came along, I went there. Now, there’s really nothing.
Don talked about Folk Arts Rare Records in San Diego (very near to our house) where the owner, Lou Curtiss, had an encyclopedic knowledge of all sorts of music, especially Folk and Americana, but really – everything. Lou died this past summer, may he rest in peace. His knowledge was so vast that the Smithsonian and Library of Congress digitized his vast collection. At one point, Don was going to direct a period play that took place in England in the twenties and he walked into the shop, told Lou about the play, and within 30 minutes, he had everything he needed for his score. Where do we find that sort of expertise nowadays?
I mean, really, we’re left with B & N as our source of recordings? Or sampling 30 seconds of a song on Amazon and basing our choice on that?
I’m encouraged by the resurgence of vinyl but I don’t think it will ever get back to the way it was in terms of sales and stores and everything I loved about shopping for music. The same with CDs. And because there are very few facilities pressing vinyl, the cost is much higher than it used to be.
As you know, my collection of hundreds of LPs was ruined in storage – too many years of having no place to put them led to warping and mustiness. I mourn those records on a daily basis and am ever-so-slowly trying to find copies in used record stores to add to our current collection. So many times I hear a song in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and I shout out to Don: “I had that album!” And I want to find it again.
Luckily, we do have a few vintage record shops in our area. But I want to see more new vinyl records issued. I want to see shops that specialize in records and CDs. I want to pull the plastic wrap off of a new LP and read the liner notes. By the way, Anastasia is coming out on vinyl in the next few weeks. Rest assured, I will be buying a copy.
Yes, we have lots of technological advances. But at what cost?
Thoughts on a Tuesday.
Happy Tuesday,
We always go to record stores when we vacation. When we were in Denver last year, we went to Twist & Shout. One of the finest record stores that we have visited with so many new albums in addition to old.
Tower Records was just about to go out of business when we went to the one in Paris. Two floors of amazing music in an old building on the Champs d’Elysee that had a grand stair case going up to the 2nd floor. Wonderful experience.
I don’t know if we’ll get to Denver, but I’ll sure keep this shop in mind if we do, Julie.
I was in Ann Arbor often as I graduated from U of M. I do recall the listening to the records before I bought them. We still have a fine record player enclose in a cabinet as well as some records. B+N is now gone from the area closer to the graduate library .I do miss the old book B=N store very much. There were free concerts, fine coffee and places to sit and with friends to talk and people watch. It was close to a used book store and the theature would run fine movies.I think the theature is still there. I can understand why you miss the records and such and I am pleased that you are saving what you can. Yet, time passes. My grandkids are adults and love their computers and iPhones and do not suffer socially.
My generation was dancing to so many fine records when i was a teen. Yet, I would prefer to have had their communication advantages that widens their world and that has widened mine.
Why does it have to be one or the other? Do iPhones and computers rule out record stores? Why can’t we have it all?
My sister has all my mom’s country music LPs. The old ones like Hank Williams, Jean Shepherd, Loretta Lynn even LP s by Teresa Brewer and Patti Page. I have some not many (classical) I was rebelling against country music in my youth. I didn’t want anything to do with it. LOL Now I think of my mom when I hear the ones that she listened to. Because we moved a lot, we had to let a lot of things goes. I am disappointed that the CDs are not as available as they were.
Yes, I know. I have some of my parents’ albums and they’re still in pretty good shape. They remind me of them in the best possible way!
Wow, Claudia, you almost read my mind! I have tons of vinyl that belonged to my late husband. Some are stored in my attached garage, which doesn’t have huge temperature changes and is aired out regularly, and no exhaust fumes, since we don’t park the cars in there. (Typical “new” construction without adequate storage, so the cars live on the driveway.) some are in the office closet. I’m slowly taking them out. I do have to get my turntable fixed.
Tower Records was his absolute favorite. He’d walk down the hill from his parents’ flat to the one in North Beach, SF, every weekend for the years he lived there. And as an adult, he’d haunt Rasputin’s and Amoeba Records. Every time we go on a road trip or on vacation further away, I’d map out my craft and fabric stores (on a paper map) and used record stores for him.
My daughter is looking for Queen on vinyl. She saw Bohemian Rhapsody with me and fell in love with their music. It’s been over three weeks and she still plays the CDs of Queen’s greatest hits Vol 1 and 2 constantly in her car.
Love Queen. I hope she finds them on vinyl!
I’d just read your “Things I Miss” on record stores, Claudia and the thought definitely bears repeating. I miss them too. I find lots of great records in one of our thrift shops here, for 50 cents each. We just got Errol Gardner’s Concert by the Sea, and The Music Man Broadway score, bot in decent shape. Some thrift shops wouldn’t take vinyl so this one ended up with a great selection.
Vinyl is definitely having a resurgence. According to The Revenge of Analog, people are buying up the old equipment that escaped being scrapped, and they can’t press records fast enough.
In the same book, a record store owner mentioned that at least once a week he has to show a young customer how to use the record on a turntable. Funny the knowledge we take for granted.
I wish I hadn’t got rid of my old turntable, receiver, speakers, etc. What was I thinking?
Amazing that kids don’t know how to use a turntable but I guess it makes sense!
Oh, I remember going to Rose Records!! Such fun. It was overwhelming all of the music at our fingertips when we walked through the door. We still have about 50 of our LPs in pretty fair shape. We bought a new car this year and I was shocked to find out I couldn’t play CDs! My husband and kids laughed at me, but I really didn’t find it funny. Yes, I know there are other ways to stream your music, but what in the world was wrong with inserting a CD?? Are we just supposed to throw them all away? I have a CD player, and I DO play them in the house quite regularly.
I understand what you mean about how the day slips away. And when we only have about 8 or 9 hours of daylight, it is just crazy.
OK, I’m sorry, but I have to brag on my daughter…. she has been asked to do listening sessions throughout the state the next 2 weeks for the Governor Elect’s Transition Team!! No matter how hard Walker and his cronies are trying to make it for the new administration, they are determined to hear what the people actually want and care about. Proud mama!!!!!
Have a good Tuesday afternoon, Claudia!
I used to buy a lot of soundtracks and original broadway cast albums at Rose.
Yes, why can’t a car have a CD player as well? Not everyone streams music all the time.
Congratulations on your daughter’s great accomplishment! Hurrah!
Wonderful piece on record shops! I miss them, too. I do indeed remember Rose Records in Chicago, but my go-to place was in the town I lived in at the time: Record City in Skokie, IL. At that time, cassettes were the new thing, so I had a ton of them from Record City. In fact, when Brian and I were dating, we went into RC and he bought me not one, but THREE cassettes. I was over the moon. I thought he was so generous and wonderful. (He was – and still is!)
Timely post about technology, too. We just “inherited” a Smart TV from Brian’s sister (she never used it; long story) and were trying to set it up today. It was frustrating and a pain in the tush. We were saying how much easier it was “back in the day” (and we were laughing at ourselves for saying that) to just plug in a TV and turn it on – and voila – you had TV! No programming, no remembering passwords to every account, no having to key in information from a remote, no having to subscribe to anything.
I understand! We have a smart tv and like it, but I admit there are times I want to scream at either it or the remote!
Don and I often comment that we sound like our parents did!
I always feel a little conflicted when nostalgia hits and I think about the ‘cost’ of change. I mean, are our own experiences – the ones dependent on technology or anything else that’s either obsolete or less available now – truly more meaningful or valuable than the experiences of those who now have different options? I had records when I was very little, but cassette tapes were my musical reference point for my formative years – and I thought they were SO much better than records. And then when CDs came out, wow, the sound quality! Amazing! I haven’t really adapted to on demand music (maintaining playlists are such a pain), but my son completely skipped all of that and now defines his musical life by YouTube, Spotify, and playing actual music on real instruments. He bonds with friends over music in completely different ways than I did, but they absolutely do bond over it. We sit sometimes and he scrolls through YouTube or Spotify and plays songs for me. It’s a totally different experience but no less meaningful.
And even when it comes to books and bookstores – my weakness – I hesitate to say that buying online or buying e-books is necessarily bad. It’s not as meaningful to me, but it’s also not the first time in history- even relatively recent history- that methods of storytelling have changed. We lost bards and oral traditions with the advent of mass printing, for one thing, and I’m sure that as those traditions faded it was considered a grievous loss to many. But what would I do without my books? I wouldn’t give them up to go back to waiting on bards for new stories.
I don’t know. It’s a thought-provoking thing.
I don’t think buying online is bad – I do it. But I try to do it rarely as independent bookstores need us to buy there in order to thrive. I don’t want the world of books and records and music to be an entirely online entity.
I liked CDs a lot – still do – but I’ve come to realize that the sound quality was better (for me) with vinyl. The sound is more ‘live,’ more real. I know that kids bond through music and the streaming of music, but they’ve missed out on listening to an album at a time, reading liner notes, learning about the artist in a way they simply can’t when they’re streaming. Recording anything like a “concept” album becomes futile. People pick and choose their tracks and rarely listen to an entire recording.
And a very important note. My husband has recorded CDs. His music has been streamed. Recording artists across the board get very little money from streamed music. It’s really a crime. So every time something is streamed, rather than purchased as an LP or a CD, the recording artists lose money. It’s something to think of. Many artists can no longer earn any money from their recordings and can only earn money from touring. Something is very, very wrong about that. And, though I’m an Apple fan, it’s Steve Jobs we have to blame for that.
I have a 2004 Volvo and can still play cassettes!! I have a few I made & hung on to, just because I thought I’d repeat the selection of tunes, but was thrilled to be able to use them again.
Don can play cassettes in our 2001 Honda CR-V (in fact, he looks for them in thrift shops) and I can play CDs in my 2012 Honda Accord!
Thanks for this post. I used to love buying vinyl…we don’t any longer. But we saved the best from our collection, and that of my parents. We need a turntable though…I don’t know what happened to ours. A casualty of kids I’m sure. Nowadays, we use cd’s when we are traveling…but, it’s not the same. There’s a ritual that used to go with playing a record album….that I miss.
When you talked about Barnes and Noble, I remembered all the times I used to take my boys to Borders. We all used to love to go there…you know, when it was mostly a bookstore? The boys used to all head into different departments, looking for their favorite books. We hardly ever came away empty handed.
So many things have changed…and not always for the best. In reading the comments, Chris said her new car doesn’t have a CD player? What is the world coming to? ;)
I love that – you’re right, there is a ritual involved.
I loved Borders, as well. I used to go to the original Borders (before it became a chain) in Ann Arbor. Loved that store.
I understand what you are saying. When I was little my father took my twin sister and Ito a record store every Saturday. We would buy our Mickey Mouse Club records and later as we got older our Rock n’ Roll 45 s. Later on we would purchase 33 s , show tunes and records of our favorite performers. Now there is no place to browse and purchase records.
Marilyn
No. And it makes me very sad.
You have really struck a nerve in us all, Claudia! Love my LPs, CDs, and books as well. Wish I had the space to display them for easy access.
Ann Arbor sounds wonderful.
I miss Tower Records, too. Amoeba and Rasputin are good, but not the same as Tower — all those people with the knowledge like a reference librarian. The one in San Diego was great! Borders had wonderful stock, but we all know what happened to them. B/N came late to the West Coast (early 90s) and are doing ok, but the stores near me don’t carry a lot of stock in LPs and CDs. When Borders died, I started going to Target for my CDs. Now, I hate to admit it, many times I buy from Amazon since they include streaming with the hardcopy purchase.
Thanks for mentioning about L. Curtiss. Sorry to know he is gone from Planet Earth, but happy for the reminder of him and experiences with him. Back in the day when I needed some of his resources, I had to make an appointment to visit him at his house. There wasn’t a store then. He had some very unusual recordings and was in the process of making more. Very informative. If there was something he had for me, he would tape it off and I picked it up later. I must have paid him for it, but my recollection was that it wasn’t very much and he shared a lot with me. I miss that time period — ah, youth!
Thank you for waking up this part of my brain again.
Best, mg
PS. Nice to see Stella.
I’m going to pass your story about Lou Curtiss along to Don, Martha. He’ll love hearing it. Thank you!
Here is a cute little story about a record player for you…My ex boyfriend and I were at an auction once previewing things before it started…we were looking at an old floor model stereo system with record player and radio…A young man of maybe 11-12 or so years old came by and was listening to us talking about it and he asked us “what is this?…We looked at each other and smiled and proceeded to give him a mini lesson about stereos!…I hope that we gave him enough interest that he decided to buy himself one and some records to try it out!
I hope he bought one, Nancy. Isn’t it amazing that things that we used and took for granted are completely unknown to the younger generation?