I flip through my vinyl records with careful intent. Each one means something completely different to me. I give each their own sympathy as I know they produce different emotional responses. It’s only a night-in and I’m lollygagging on my couch, so I choose Landmark by Hippo Campus. I pick out this specific masterpiece because it takes the listener on a journey. And even more simply put, it’s a reliable album.
The transitions between songs are genius. The intro song perfectly fades into the next, maintaining the same guitar strumming and light vocals, indicating that they were produced as a whole. It’s one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever heard. Since the age of digital implementation in the music industry, it’s far too common to hit shuffle on your music library. This feature should quite frankly be outlawed. Albums are made to be listened to as a whole. Albums are a piece of artwork made by a team of creatives. The songs are placed in a particular order meant to create a story and evoke emotion from the audience.
I open my Crosley record player and turn the bottom knob to the right, which switches it on. I delicately take the vinyl out of its cover. I grab the edges of the disc and, ever so slowly, lower the center to the spindle (the thing in the middle sticking out of the platter). Then I switch the tonearm so it raises.
This next part is something that has to be mindfully taught. I’ll attempt to explain how it works to my non-scientist-brained audience, but feel free to skip this part if you aren’t interested in the nerdy engineering of records… In the most simplistic way, the cartridge and stylus (the part that touches the disc) are attached to the tonearm. When the stylus touches the top of the record and spins around, it picks up vibrations that are sent to the cartridge. These vibrations are converted into electrical signals that are sent to an amplifier, whose main job is to convert the signals into sound. That’s it!
I’m done nerding-out. You get the idea. The science behind why a record player can produce sound is fascinating. It’s a skill to carefully place the stylus at a certain spot just before sound will be picked up. I’m a big advocate for listening to a new album from beginning to end the first time I hear it. If done otherwise, the listener won’t be able to capture what the artist worked so hard to convey through their music.
I watch as it spins round and round. I listen as the sweet sounds take over my mind and bring me to another place. I’m only brought back to reality when the stylus makes its way to the center of the record and all is silent. This type of listening experience immerses you into each song. It’s the most accurate description of what I feel every time a record is playing. Especially with a classic album, this mode of listening is unparalleled.