Before I even get into the very specific details of being this type of junkie, let me explain what a vinyl junkie is before you jump to conclusions and think I’m on drugs. So a vinyl junkie is someone who collects and swoons over records and vinyl versions of an artist’s albums. I am somewhat new to the world of vinyl and record players but I’ve collected a lot since getting my first record player.
When I first got my record player (I got it for Christmas, shoutout to my Aunt and Uncle) I sat there in awe for about five minutes just thinking about this awesome piece of history. Even though it is a new record player, it is still associated with awesome music. Just to name a few artists and bands that dominated the vinyl game: Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and The Rolling Stones. My uncle always says that what’s popular today is the past. I couldn’t agree more with that statement. Some of the music we have today (And I’m completely targeting that Whip Nae Nae song) is not the best. So we, or at least I, tend to turn to old music to hear something more wholesome and just down right badass. I have a lot of records ranging from The 1975 to the Ramones and CCR (That’s Creedence Clearwater Revival, headed by the one and only John Fogerty). Bands like CCR, The Who and The Rolling Stones are the ones who gave us the music we hear in movies, parties, and are still played avidly on the radio. They are the bands who you hear all the time without knowing who actually sings the song. They are the bands that you hear so much that you ask your parents, “who sings that song in that movie?” for at least 4 days after watching said movie.
I listen to my record player almost every day because the music always cheers me up after a long stressful day of sitting in class staring at clouds going by. Right now my favorite vinyl to listen to is the Legen - wait for it - dary band known as Pink Floyd. These are the geniuses who wrote “Another Brick in the Wall,” “Money,” and “Time." I sit in my room and just straight fangirl over these awesome bands that commanded crowds of a few hundred thousand people in their day. Most girls today are fangirling over the new Justin Bieber album, where as I am trying not to cry listening to “Layla” by Eric Clapton (also another one of the greats). These bands and artists broke records, and yes I’m referring to the loudest song ever recorded, which is “Baba O’Reilly” by The Who (Also commonly known as ‘The teenage wasteland song’). The music teaches me a lot about what the U.S. was like during that time and what the problems were of that time. So not only is the music good, but it’s educational.
Record players and vinyl paved the way for modern music. Whether they have affected you as much as they have affected me or not, it is something that I think will stay relevant for a very long time. Let’s give a round of applause to those artists and bands that graced our ears with such melodious tunes through the timeless record player. So let us follow in Will Ferrel's footsteps and always give more cowbell. Always.
