Phonographs

[Art Vandelay]

This thread is making me feel old.

It makes me feel like 3D, nostalgic. So many great memories are linked to old vinyl albums. I still remember the first album that was my own, not by my brother's or sister's.

Steve walks warily down the street with the brim pulled way down low...

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[TripletDaddy]

You are old.

I bet you remember puttting a nickel on the turntable's arm to play a warped record. I do.

oh yeah! the nicer turntables had the adjustable counter weight at the end of the arm. I remember trying to tape the record while it was playing, the coin inevitably falls off the stylus and onto the wax, the coin knocks the needle off the record, and the tape was ruined!

[NorthwestUteFan]

I can't believe I'm drawing a blank on the name of that store.

Was that "Progressive Records" (or Randy's?)? The place that always smelled of patchouli and incense? I remember the place, but am not entirely certain of the name. I didn't go there many times before Gray Whale (and CD's) became more popular. I more preferred Mike (the "little person" at Gray Whale) to the employees at Progressive, so that was that.

There was a great place on Colorado Boulevard in Old Town Pasadena where I used to go when I lived there, I think it was called "Penny Lane" or something like that. They had a great selection of rarities. As I recall at one time they had an original copy of the "dead baby doll cover" Beatles album "Yesterday and Today", that later had the picture of the band with the steamer cover pasted over it. An unmoleted version of that original album is easily worth $10k today, and had to be worth a lot of money when I saw it circa 1992.

[RC Vikings]

You are old.

I bet you remember puttting a nickel on the turntable's arm to play a warped record. I do.

I remember putting nickels on it. My sisters had one of those turntables that would fold up with the speakers on the side. When they were gone I would go in and put on their Jackson Five album and play that thing over and over. Later in life I graduated to a Yamaha turntable and felt pretty cool with it.

[Shaka]

Randy's Records sounds familiar. There was also a place called Raunch Records that was decent. Graywhale was probably the most popular.

[creekster]

I remember putting nickels on it. My sisters had one of those turntables that would fold up with the speakers on the side. When they were gone I would go in and put on their Jackson Five album and play that thing over and over. Later in life I graduated to a Yamaha turntable and felt pretty cool with it.

When I was in college my roomates and I all took out student loans one year ands we agreed to get a killer stereo by each of us buying one component. I bought the turntable and spent a load of dough on that baby. It had the strobe light to adjust the table speed, built in counter weights, the whole 9 yards. It was fantastic.

When I returned from my mission i discovered that one of my favorite Steely Dan records had warped very badly (I could never figure out why, as I had stored i correctly). Every time I played it I had to tape a weight to the arm over the needle or the arm would jump up with each revolution.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

My dad, the packrat, took over my uncle's console stereo back in the 80s. It was filled with a ton of singles from the 60s. A lot of Beach Boys, some Beatles and some Frankie Valli. I think they still have this thing somewhere along with all the records.

[happyone]

Talking about old vinyl albums, my father has a bunch of old one sided '78s, including some of Caruso that he inherited from his grandfather. About 20 yrs or so ago, all of us children got together and purchased an antique record player for him to play them on.

They don't get played much, but I could see the knives come out when he is gone in decided who gets the collection.

[NorthwestUteFan]

My own vinly phunography collection is pretty shallow. I think I started buying from BMG with Tears for Fears and REO Speedwagon, so not much is to be appreciated.

My parents, however, have hundreds upon hundreds. For some bizarre reason I used a 78rpm recording of the MoTab circa 1940's (?) in a physics competition in high school. With it I set a school record for Mousetrap Cars, but I sure would enjoy hearing that recording today.

Back to my parents. Both were fairly prolific collectors. Mom has the complete Beatles albums, including most of the singles. Dad has many Deep Purple, Yes, all of Herb Alpert's albums (I still LOVE the Whipped Cream album), The Four Tops, the entire Chicago discogrophy, Boston, a lot of Elvis, etc.

I would love to hear some of these greats again a good system.