IN THE aftermath of the Second World War, when countries all over the world were trying to recover from death and destruction, an invention was revealed that was to revolutionise music.
On that day, 70 years ago, it’s very possible that even its inventors did not envisage the far-reaching effects of what they were about to unveil in New York when Columbia Records showed off the first long playing disc.
Now having reached its 70th anniversary and despite the last rites being read on many occasions, the LP is not only still here but is actually enjoying a resurgence as music lovers around the globe discover the innovative art work, sleeve notes and rich, warm sounds it offers.
WHO IS BUYING THEM?
IT’S not just nostalgic, older fans. Music shops in Scotland say that now young people are flocking to their stores to buy LPs.
“There was a period when our customer base had grown old with us and we had no-one under the age of 25 but now with the resurgence and with vinyl becoming fashionable we are selling young people their first LP,” said Dep Downie, co-owner of Monorail in Glasgow.
“They seem to like them because they are something tangible but it’s really strange as you see people whose parents did not even have records as they are from the CD generation.”
His view that people want to have a break from the incorporeal world of the internet is echoed by Rose Norton of Coda Music in Edinburgh.
“Younger people like LPs because they are something that is real, something physical and the sound of them is slightly different. It’s a richer sound,” she says.
SO WILL THEY DOMINATE?
NEITHER Downie or Norton think that LPs are about to replace downloading or streaming songs from the internet but say they offer advantages that modern ways of listening to music can’t match.
“An LP is a complete body of work by a band or artist at that period in their career,” pointed out Downie.
“It does not have to be a concept album but it still has a flow and you don’t listen to it the same way you listen to tracks you download or stream. People have been just listening to tunes and not listening to a good record that has a start, middle and end.
“The beautiful thing about an LP is that people listen from start to finish and hear the piece as a body of work. That’s really important as bands spend a lot of time sequencing a record to make sure it works – the tracks don’t just fall into place.
“I love the sleeve notes too with the history, where it was recorded and who is in the band – all these things you miss if you download or stream.”
WHAT ELSE APPEALS?
THE artwork of an LP is another attractive aspect.
“It tells a story as much as the record and some of these sleeves are just real works of art,” said Downie. “If you see some great artwork you might take a chance on a record when you might have no idea of what it’s like but buy it because the sleeve has blown you away. Once you’ve invested in a record you will want to give it time. Sometimes it takes three or four listens to get it – you have to live with them a bit but some of my favourite records reward you with each listen.”
Norton agrees that an LP encourages people to listen to the whole album rather than picking out tracks for streaming or downloading. “You get the whole gist of what the artist is aiming for as he or she will spend a lot of time and effort choosing the order of the songs,” she said.
WHAT ABOUT DOWNLOADING?
‘IF people just buy two songs to download they are not listening to the album the way the artist intends,” said Norton. “LPs do flow, and on your first listen there might be one or two tracks you are not so keen on but once you listen again and you hear all the tracks each time then you often change your mind – whereas if you download a song and don’t like it then you probably won’t listen to it again.
“When you think of the Beatles’ White album, for example, on the first listen you might think some tracks are really peculiar then after several listens you understand the whole concept of the album. Sgt Pepper is like that too – it takes several listens.”
For some LP lovers the appeal will never die. “I still get a thrill of opening a box and pulling out the records,” says Downie. “If I ever don’t get the thrill that will be when it’s time for me to stop.”
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