By Ed Stozek
For the Herald
Thumbing through a collection of vinyl LPs (long playing records) evokes many memories.
During my teen years an old Philips record player in my parent’s living room made it possible to listen to a modest collection of music on LPs and 45 rpm records.
In 1948, Columbia Records unveiled the 33-1/3 rpm LP. Rpm denoted revolutions per minute, an indication of how fast the record was meant to spin on the turntable.
Sized at 12 inches in diameter, 15 to 22 minutes of recorded music was formatted per side. In response to Columbia, RCA Victor came up with the seven-inch 45 rpm record with approximately five minutes of music per side. Major record labels used the 33-1/3 format for LPs and the 45s for single record songs. Record players had a switch to change speeds for each record format.
My parents occasionally drove to Shoal Lake to shop for groceries. My favourite stop included the local radio and television shop to peruse the store’s collection of 45 rpm records. Nickels, dimes and quarters were used to purchase popular titles such as “I Want To Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles.
Since LPs and 45s had different sized centres most people of my generation recall the yellow “spider” adapter used to make the 45s compatible to the spindle utilized for LPs. Since the 45 record only had one song per side it was time to switch to only buying LP records. LPs featured 10 to 12 songs from a favourite solo artist or group and generally cost $3.99.
My classmates and I often discussed the latest popular hit songs and rock bands during our high school years. We brought our favourite 45s or LPs and used the school record player to listen to songs by The Monkees, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and other popular groups.
During my university years, my appreciation of popular recording artists continued. Over 50 years later, several songs from that era still stand the test of time. Recorded in June and July 1970, the double live album, “4 Way Street” by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young featured great harmonies and interesting guitar arrangements in stereo. It became an instant classic offering songs such as “Teach Your Children” and “Ohio.” It was the best of both worlds featuring an acoustic set, as well as a full rock band set.
James Taylor released Sweet Baby James in 1970. “Fire and Rain” soon became my favourite song. It was a challenge to learn its intricate guitar riffs. In 1971, “Horse With No Name” was released by the group America. It was an easy song to learn as it only had two chords. It was also the first song that I performed in public at a function at Brandon University. 1972 heralded Neil Young’s solo album, “Harvest”, with a number one hit song, “Heart of Gold” and another favourite, “Old Man.”
Gordon Lightfoot also proved to be a popular choice of a recording artist. For one of my university courses, the “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” and “Black Day in July” were used for a presentation showing how songs related to historical events.
One of the first household items that my wife Janice and I invested in shortly after we were married included a turntable, amplifier and a pair of sweet-sounding speakers. Other popular formats for playing music included 8-track tapes. Our car had an 8-track player and it always “clicked” to another track during the best part of a song.
The cassette format also became popular. Tapes periodically got tangled up and it was always an adventure to take the case apart to untangle the mess or try to splice a broken part with Scotch tape. Until the advent of digital compact discs in the mid-1980s, we continued to listen to our collection of
LPs played on our stereo system.
LP records are currently making a comeback as the vinyl format provides a warmer, more authentic sound compared to digital recordings.
Nostalgia also plays a part for those who lived through the golden age of vinyl.
Even though records occasionally “skipped” or got a scratch from a well-used stylus, it was always exciting to listen an LP on a stereo system.
