Vinyl Collecting

As I’ve started to dip my toes into the freezing and deep waters of record collecting, I decided it’d be a good idea to go over and give a little review of my latest couple of pick-ups. But I’d also like to cover a little bit about why I started collecting in the first place and why these plastic discs are making a comeback.

So through the magic of the internet, I’ve managed to pick up two of my favourite hardcore records from this little genre/era- Turning Point’s massively influential It’s Always Darkest… Before the Dawn and Flagman’s Restraint EP. Both come from the early ‘90s and were very influential in the emotive hardcore (or ‘emo’) movement which was beginning to take shape. Both were records that went against the grain and chose to move in a more melodic, emotional direction at a time where hardcore in general was moving towards heavy metal influences, with chugging riffs and cookie-monster vocals starting to become the norm. I’m incredibly happy with the Turning Point record’s presentation, including a nicely printer lyric sheet with a poster on the back. The Flagman EP is nice too although didn’t come with much, although you can’t blame them for being on a record label with a much smaller budget.
            So why exactly is it that collecting records is making such a comeback, given that it’s so much less convenient than practically every other medium of delivering music, save perhaps cassette tapes? From my experience, many can become disillusioned with the digital world, and retreat to the safety of actually being to hold something, to gently place it down on the turntable and put the needle on top- there is something comfortable about being actually able to hold the thing you’re listening to. For many of the older guys; those who may have been around to pick up these records when they released, they seem to hold memories of their halcyon days, waiting weeks and weeks for their mail-order slip to be processed for a record they hadn’t even heard yet. In all honesty, this time I think it’s here to stay.