high land, hard rain

My awesome parents gave me an "after Christmas gift" this year. I got all I wanted for Christmas so I was mystified when they told me I had a surprise waiting back in San Mateo. It was a USB vinyl converter to MP3. I've wanted one of these since I heard they existed, but felt a little guilty about spending shiny gold rocks on one. I love my vinyl records. All 50 of them.

Maybe not quite 50.

Still and all, I was thrilled and finally fired it up today. Right now as I sit here typing I am ripping a copy of "high land, hard rain" by aztec camera into digital format. I am in full nostalgia mode. Not just from the music and the rain storm outside but remembering how it was I used to make mix tapes around 1982-87. I had an old record player of my mom's that got a lot of use. It was "portable" inasmuch as it had a handle and hinged speakers that folded up like cabinet doors and could be hooked together. It weighed about 50 pounds and I crushed my instep a time or two from moving it around my room. It finally took up residence next to my desk on the floor.

It played vinyl. That was all. No output jacks for taping. My dad was an early adopter of the Sony Walkman, so I had one of those. (The size of a brick, would drag your pants down about 4 inches when hooked to your belt. Battery lasted for three tapes.) So I needed to make tapes of my records.

I got a hold of a tape recorder and a mike. I wish I had taken a picture of this setup back in the day, but it seemed perfectly normal to me. I would tape a note on my door: "No noise, do not disturb." Then I would carefully set the microphone down on the floor by the turntable. I put my fingers on play and record on the tape recorder. I then carefully turned the lever on the turntable that would start the needle going in. Push play and record on the tape recorder. And then take a deep breath. And hold it. Backing. Away. Very. Quietly.

This was my sound rig for at least 5 years. I even taped mix tapes this way. I don't think I bought a real stereo until 1987. I remember how revolutionary that seemed. Not only taping my records while going about the room making noise but taping tape to tape. Then I could use my recordings off the radio to augment my tapes (the Quake, fm 99 "Rock of the '80's".)

I switched to buying cassettes and then finally CDs only adding a record or so every year. In a fit of embarrassment I got rid of all my Duran Duran records (including 12 inch rarities that it kills me to think about throwing away now) and the Smiths records. I'm not sure why the Smiths got the boot, except at one point I got into a heavy Mojo Nixon/Dead Milkmen/Dickies rotation, and for some reason I guess I thought rock musicians could read my mind.


I was hoping to craft a post that came to more than "Wow, technology really makes things easier now!" but I'm not seeing the angle at the moment. I guess I could just say that this record pleases me just as much as it did back in 1985 when I finally bought it and it's just as fun even knowing that just an hour of work on my computer will bring it to my ipod Touch. I could have bought it on iTunes, but this is better. I even get a little burst of adrenaline watching the needle on the record so I can click "next track" in time.

Speaking of Mojo Nixon, here's my special edition colored vinyl picture disc of "Get Out of My Way!" Burn Down the Malls coming up next boys and girls...

MPK