Good music is something I have always appreciated ever since I can remember. Many years ago when I was just a kid, I remember we had an HMV Vinyl record player given as an item when mother and father got married. I clearly recall, from time to time, they would play the records of Hindi film music on the turntable. I would be absolutely fascinated by those small sized 33 RPM disks, and also by the bigger standard sized 45 RPM disks. Looking at my parents now, you wouldn't think that they were the kind of young people once upon a time who actively sought to buy records to listen to Hindi music. In those days, ours was the only household as far as I knew which had a vinyl turntable. Otherwise, the cassette-player deck used to be the most common thing.
I don't know how exactly, but with the passage of time, the record player fell into a state of disuse and disrepair, until it gradually vanished from our lives altogether. We cannot stall the march of technology, and in good time like everyone else, I also started consuming music digitally. But even with such a long absence, I could never forget those vinyl days of my childhood. A few years ago, the word was getting around that vinyl record is making a comeback in the retro-cool circles, not only in the west but also in India. It got me really excited, that's for sure. Only one thing had changed from the old days; the vinyl had become prohibitively expensive to afford more than a couple of someone like me. But I wasn't ready to give up. I thought let me get hold of a turntable first, then with a bit of patience and some good fortune, I can increase my collections.
Finally, due to the generous offer of my younger brother, I got my record player. He and my sister have made sure that I am not wanted for vinyl either. These days, there are multiple ways of consuming music. The thing with listening to an LP record is that the quality of sound that you get is pure and completely original and unvarnished, unlike in the digital format where it is embellished with all kinds of instrumentalities. Holding a vinyl with its magnificent sleeve is like possessing a piece of music in a tactile and tangible way. Gently putting the record on the turntable and lowering the stylus on the outer most grooves is nothing short of performing a religious ritual by the faithful if you like. I am happy to report that my neat little pile is slowly but surely growing, and I am so grateful to be reunited with something that is no longer just of nostalgic value but a tangible reality.
I don't know how exactly, but with the passage of time, the record player fell into a state of disuse and disrepair, until it gradually vanished from our lives altogether. We cannot stall the march of technology, and in good time like everyone else, I also started consuming music digitally. But even with such a long absence, I could never forget those vinyl days of my childhood. A few years ago, the word was getting around that vinyl record is making a comeback in the retro-cool circles, not only in the west but also in India. It got me really excited, that's for sure. Only one thing had changed from the old days; the vinyl had become prohibitively expensive to afford more than a couple of someone like me. But I wasn't ready to give up. I thought let me get hold of a turntable first, then with a bit of patience and some good fortune, I can increase my collections.
Finally, due to the generous offer of my younger brother, I got my record player. He and my sister have made sure that I am not wanted for vinyl either. These days, there are multiple ways of consuming music. The thing with listening to an LP record is that the quality of sound that you get is pure and completely original and unvarnished, unlike in the digital format where it is embellished with all kinds of instrumentalities. Holding a vinyl with its magnificent sleeve is like possessing a piece of music in a tactile and tangible way. Gently putting the record on the turntable and lowering the stylus on the outer most grooves is nothing short of performing a religious ritual by the faithful if you like. I am happy to report that my neat little pile is slowly but surely growing, and I am so grateful to be reunited with something that is no longer just of nostalgic value but a tangible reality.
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