The Classic Vinyl Record

I bought a pair of Grado SR125i headphones from Amazon last week.They just came today and my first impression is that they really open up the sound. That my not sound very technical, but the music sounds expansive, wide, open, big. Details are very clear. I can hear more reverb and effects than I could before. Granted I have been using the Apple Ear Buds most of the time.

I haven’t listened to any vinyl yet, I have moved and haven’t set up my turntable. But through my Mac Mini the Grado headphones sound excellent. Some of the reviews on Amazon say to use them for about 24 hours of music listening to break them in. However, there is an argument about whether headphones can even be broken in, or if it’s just your brain getting used to the sound of a new pair.

Another reason I got them is because I listen to music at work through my headphones a couple of hours a day (depending on meeting schedules). The new Apple Buds are much better than the old ones, but still aren’t the best. I wanted something quality that didn’t go inside my ear. One thing about these new phones is that they are somewhat heavy with the massive cord. It is very think. I have never seen headphone cable that think. It’s more like an instrument cable.

I checked out the reviews and tried to go higher end without breaking the bank. The Grado SR125i is what I decided on. If you would like a pair or want to upgrade your cans, check out Amazon’s selection, but always read the reviews.

When I get my turntable hooked up, and ‘break in’ the headphones I will let you know what I think of the music then. Once of the first albums I will be listening to will be Atom Heart Mother by Pink Floyd.

What kind of headphones or speakers do you use to listen to your vinyl? Let me know in the comments.

I have talked about how to clean your vinyl records before. However, I saw this post recently on Instructables.com on how to make your own Block and Bar record cleaner. Check out the link for the full version.

Basically, the guy took some Removable Putty and wraps it around a tapered dowel. Then he takes a block of wood and moves the dowel with putty around the records. He took great pictures which really show the dirt being taken out of the record grooves.

I am going to try this. He has pretty good directions on how to make this yourself. Here are a few pictures.

What do you think? Have you used anything like this? What is your favorite way to clean your vinyl collection?

I have talked about a couple of USB turntables before, and in particular the ION USB Turntable, but I have said that I don’t necessarily want to convert my vinyl and never listen to it again. It’s great to convert vinyl albums to MP3, but I still want my vinyl records.

Recently I moved into an office and decided that I wanted to have my records with me there rather than at home. However, I had no way to listen to them without buying one of these USB turntables. I already have a Technics table, and didn’t feel the need to buy another one.

After some research I found the Behringer PP400 Phono Preamp. This allowed me to plugin RCA into the preamp, then RCA to 1/8 inch cable right into my laptop. It also included a grounding plug for my Technics turntable.

There was a problem though. I still couldn’t hear anything on my Macbook. I did more research and found that I had to download a small program that would allow sound to pass through from the line in to the output. The older versions of OS X allowed you to do that, but not the one I was using. It’s called Line In from Rogue Amoeba.

Was it the greatest sound I ever heard? No. But when I needed my vinyl fix it did the job. I had a decent set of speakers with a sub-woofer on my desk and the records sounded good, although a little thin. In an office though, you don’t need, nor would I have been allowed to have a massive awesome sounding stereo.

I would definitely recommend this option if you are in a place where you can bring in your turntable and vinyl collection without bothering anyone.

I have been using Spotify for a few months now, and I have to say that I love it. I don’t normally talk about services or programs, but I love this. I am not being paid in any way to say this.

I have barely touched iTunes since I got Spotify. There is so much music out there that I have never heard, and it makes it easy to find. Using the Related Artists tab, I have found more bands that I love than I ever knew existed.

The best thing about it is that there are bands that I can’t find anywhere else, they may have only made one album, or they just were not necessarily the greatest band, but I still want to hear them. I have found many of them on Spotify.

There are two paid levels, but I am just on the free one. With the top one you can stream music to your mobile device.

I know that this is a vinyl album blog, but you can’t take your vinyl with you. This you can. And it is much better quality than your average 128K MP3. The best thing is that once you find a new band (or old band you never heard of), you can then find the album on vinyl, and you’ll know that you like it already.

If you use Spotify now, what are some of the playlists you’ve made? Have you published them?

The title seems a bit redundant, but it is the self-title debut album of Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

Released in 1970, Emerson, Lake and Palmer was the first album from ELP. It is basically a solo album for all three members as only the first song was a combined effort. Extended solos and songs, complex time signatures and many classical influences make this album a definitive piece of progressive rock. However, many people do not like ELP. They think they are pretentious and overblown and boring. I say those people are welcome to their opinion, but that since much of ELP’s music is actual classical pieces or heavily influenced by classical music, then people who don’t like them probably have no appreciation for classical music either.

I have talked about ELP – Brain Salad Surgery before, which I think is one of their best albums.

I think Keith Emerson is an amazing pianist and composer. Plus the Hammond organ he uses is fantastic. I love that dirty Hammond sound. The best example of this sound is on Knife Edge, one of my favorite Emerson, Lake and Palmer songs.

Track Listing:

Side One:

1. The Barbarian
2. Take  a Pebble
3. Knife Edge

Side Two:

1. The Three Fates: (i) Clotho (ii) Lachesis (iii) Atropos
2. Tank
3. Lucky Man

Emerson, Lake and Palmer went to #18 on the Billboard charts, while “Lucky Man” went to #48 on the Billboard top 100.

You can buy Emerson, Lake and Palmer at Musicstack or at Amazon.

I have talked a lot about why records sound better, and about some of my favorite albums, but I have never talked about how to clean and care for your vinyl albums(UPDATE: I have talked about it, check out how to Make Your Own Block and Bar Record Cleaner). The main reason most people don’t like the sound of vinyl is because they have only listened to dirty records. Dirt and dust get in the grooves and that’s what causes the pops and clicks that are associated with vinyl records.

The above picture is from an electron microscope from the University of Rochester. It shows the dirt and grim that collect on the grooves of records. You don’t want this.

The best way to clean a vinyl record is to buy a record cleaning machine. The Moth MKII is a good one to use, as it is a vacuum powered cleaner.

You can find the Moth record cleaner at Juno.co.uk. Using a record cleaner is the best and most effective way to clean a vinyl album. However, it is a bit expensive for the casual listener. So there are more options for those not willing to spend the money, however, the quality of cleaning goes down from here.

The next option is to use a solution and brush to remove the junk from the records. You can use homemade solutions, such as water and a tiny bit of gentle dish soap (with no moisturizer); or you can use 90% isopropyl alcohol, NOT rubbing alcohol. You can usually find some cleaner at your local record shop too. Use this with a clean dry  fabric preferably a cloth diaper. Rub the record with the grooves a few times in both directions to get the junk out. Make sure that the record is completely dry before you play it. Also make sure that you do not get the label wet.

While doing all of this, handle the record by the edges, and don’t touch the grooves with your fingers. Touching the records wrong is one of the biggest reasons why they get dirty.

Another important item to have is the proper sleeve for your records. Whenever I buy old records, especially if they are at a flea market or something, they are usually missing the inner sleeve. Or they have one made of paper. Paper degrades over time and leaves dust in the grooves. You can get a pack of 50 inner sleeves for about $15-$18. These will not degrade and also help in reducing static.

I also use an anti static cleaning brush every time I play a record. This doesn’t take the place of a good cleaning, but it helps keep off surface dust and can keep cleaned records cleaner a lot longer.

I love the sound of vinyl, but I don’t love the pops and crackles that come with dirty records. I have read comments of people on the internet say that they like the cracks and pops, and I think that many of them have no idea what a good, clean vinyl record should sound like.

I have already talked about the Journey album Escape, so here is Frontiers, which was the next album released by Journey after Escape in 1983. Frontiers was Journey’s second biggest selling album.

I am not a big fan of American Idol. I am one of those people who watch the auditions just to see how bad people can be. However, if you watch American Idol, you know Randy Jackson, and may be surprised to learn that he played bass on two tracks for this album.

Frontiers was a big hit for Journey, and spawned 4 Top 40 songs.

• Separate Ways at #8
• Faithfully at #12
• After the Fall at #23
• Send Her My Love at #23

These 4 songs helped the album reach #2 on the Billboard chart, and to sell more than 6 million albums.

One of the reasons I like Frontiers, is that there is a lot more keyboard playing on it. Well, I also like it less for that same reason. I am a keyboardist, so I enjoy it when rock bands use more, but at the same time, bands that start using more keyboards than guitars soon stop being rock bands. The reason for more keyboards is that Jonathan Cain helped write a lot more music, and had a lot more influence than on previous albums.

Journey – Frontiers Track Listing

Side 1

1. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) MP3

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2. Send Her My Love
3. Chain Reaction
4. After The Fall
5. Faithfully

Side 2

1. Edge of the Blade
2. Troubled Child
3. Back Talk
4. Frontiers
5. Rubicon

I included Separate Ways MP3 even though it’s probably way overplayed on the radio. It’s a good rock song, even with the keyboards, and it’s still a good example of Journey.

If you want to buy this album, you can find Journey – Frontiers album at Musicstack. You can also buy this album on Amazon.

I have always been a moderate fan of Rush. I say moderate, because regular Rush fans (usually drummers) tend to be extremely passionate about them.

Rush is one of those bands that dabbled in progressive music, but never fully became progressive, especially in their later years. This album, though, is considered to be an essential masterpiece of progressive music by ProgArchives.com.

Moving Pictures was one of Rush’s biggest successes, because (in my opinion) they started to drift from prog to more commercial and radio friendly music. In spite of this, Moving Pictures is still a great album. The album went quadruple platinum in January of 1995. It also went to #3 on the Billboard Pop Album charts.

Rush – Moving Pictures Track Listing

Side  One:

1. Tom Sawyer
2. Red Barchetta
3. YYZ
4. Limelight

Side Two:

1. The Camera Eye
2. Witch Hunt
3. Vital Signs

I know it may be cliche, but here is Tom Sawyer for your listening pleasure (you need Flash for this):

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Rush – Tom Sawyer MP3

If you want to own Moving Pictures by Rush on vinyl, check out Musicstack. You can also find it at Amazon.

In 1986, Graceland by Paul Simon was one of the biggest albums released. It hit #3 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the UK charts. It also got a Grammy for Album of the year, and one for Graceland as song of the year.

After not having much success, Paul Simon came out with Graceland, which he had recorded in South Africa using Black South African musicians (during apartheid). Because of this, there is a lot of local influence in the record, especially since Ladysmith Black Mambazo was a featured group on a few of the songs.

Also on the album were Linda Ronstadt, The Everly Brothers, Los Lobos (who later sued Simon for taking credit for the song “All Around the World or The Myth of Fingerprints” which they claim they wrote) and Ghanaian drummer Okyerema Asante.

I think this album is so good because it’s not just one style, Simon took artists of different styles and blended them together that you have to love. It might sound strange when you look at some of the other music I’ve talked about on here, but I do like Simon and Garfunkel, and I love this album.

One of my favorite songs is “You Can Call Me Al”, the music is great, but the video with Chevy Chase is even better.

Graceland Track Listing

Side 1

1. The Boy in the Bubble
2. Graceland
3. I Know What I Know
4. Gumboots
5. Diamonds of the Soles of Her Shoes

Side 2

1. You Can Call Me Al
2. Under African Skies
3. Homeless
4. Crazy Love Vol. II
5. That Was Your Mother
6. All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints

Bonus on the CD reissue

1. Homeless (Demo)
2. Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes (Alternate Version)
3. All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints (Early Version)

You can buy Paul Simon – Graceland at Musicstack or at Vinyl on Amazon, or on CD, DVD or MP3 on Amazon.

Merry Christmas from the Classic Vinyl Record.

This Christmas tree was made from old vinyl records and is located at Galen Hall Corp. in South Heidelberg Township, Reading PA.

It’s time to pull out all of the old Christmas vinyl, such as this Johnny Mathis Christmas album, and give it a listen.