Monday, February 29, 2016

Technical Change and Commitment

I sometimes entertain myself by reading the liner notes on old vinyl records. This isn't liner notes, but I found this stuff on the cover of "Another Side of Bob Dylan," (1964).

Front:
Stereo "360 Sound." Playable on mono equipment. For best results use stereo needle.
Back:
This Columbia GUARANTEED HIGH FIDELITY recording is scientifically designed to play with the highest quality of reproduction on the phonograph of your choice, new or old. If you are the owner of a new stereophonic system, this record will play with even more brilliant true-to-life fidelity. In short, you can purchase this record with no fear of its becoming obsolete in the future.

5 comments:

  1. Speaking of technical progress and commitment, on the Damned's first LP Damned Damned Damned one could read:

    "Made to be played loud at low volume"

    This record is recommended to both neo-Fisherians as well as heterodox economnists.

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  2. That is really funny.
    But, you may not have noticed, but vinyl is coming back. The other day I went to our local Barnes & Noble, and what did I see? A full stack of vinyl records (new ones, not used), right there by the entrance. With a sign saying "More upstairs!" (by the music section).
    There was an article in the Wall Street Journal several weeks ago about vinyl making a comeback.
    Maybe not that obsolete after all... :-)

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    Replies
    1. Exactly. I was looking at the cover of "Another Side of Bob Dylan," as I'd just finished listening to it on my "new stereophonic system," a Rega turntable sending a signal through a Moon pre-amp to a Moon amplifier and Dynaudio speakers. Here's my favorite record store:

      http://www.euclidrecords.com/

      But most people don't listen to music like this.

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    2. Ha, so glad I kept my vinyl collection of 150+ records despite buying many of them on CD also. For some reason, the sound seems deeper, despite the occasional skip due to a scratch.

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