My buddy Bharat Bhise and I are massive record collectors and we spend almost every weekend going out record hunting in our hometown, or somewhere further afield. It was actually Bharat who got me in to collecting vinyl, I had always been am music fan but I never really saw the reason why people like Bharat enjoyed listening to music via this format. As time went on and I spoke more to Bharat abut the reasons why he loved vinyl and the benefits of listening to it, he gradually convinced me to start collecting too, and we both now go everywhere with each other when it comes to looking for music. If you love music too, here is why you’ll adore vinyl. 

Treasure Everywhere

So basically what happened in the mid-80s is that CDs came out and everyone got rid of their vinyl, people would take it to charity stores and the like, forever to be forgotten, or so they thought. These records were never destroyed, they found their way into homes and basements, into thrift shops and places like that. Today there are literally millions of vinyl just waiting to be found and this is the joy of collecting records. When you go to a record store or a record fair and get digging into the crates, you will dig through thousands of records which you have probably never heard of then all of a sudden a little golden nugget appears, so much fun! 

The Process

There is a real sense of drama and theater to playing a vinyl and it one of the reasons why I fell in love with this format. The whole ritual of taking the disc out and placing it on the turntable, flipping it over when the side is done and then slotting it back into its sleeve, not to mention watching it spin as it plays, you just get a real sense of joy from doing this. 

Album Listening 

You can of course buy singles but there is much more joy to be found in albums and because it is such an effort to chop and change between artists and albums, you find yourself listening to so many more albums in their entirety, as the artist intended. I love nothing more than waking up on a Sunday morning, getting a couple of jobs done and then selecting 3 or 4 albums for afternoon listening. When you collect records you will find that you listen to more albums completely than your do at the moment. 

That Sound

There is much debate about whether or not vinyl sounds better than digital music, I am no audiophile but I know that there is a clear difference and for me the sound of vinyl is just something magical. From that little bit of whit noise at the beginning to the record itself, the sound really is great. 

You can get a turntable really cheap at the moment, pick one up and give a record a spin, you’ll be hoked right away.