A Record Comeback

story and photography by Stephen Gilson Jr.

The Beatles, Metallica and The Smiths are making a comeback—on vinyl.

Vinyl—a medium your grandparents used in their teen years to listen to their favorite jams—is not retro or an outdated form for consuming music. In fact, records have made a huge comeback in the last decade, and hobbyists say this is the only way to listen to music in its purest form. “You really want to hear the music,” Shana Edmund, Eastvale resident and vinyl lover explained. “I believe that vinyl is truly about artistry and musicianship. Hearing the piano or saxophone in the background, or hearing the horns and all of that is the special part about it.”

This premium listening experience does come with a cost and is not as simple as plugging and playing. Some who grew up in the 1970s remember using inferior equipment that scratched expensive vinyl records on the first pass. However, those days are over, as new technology has advanced in a way to make the hobby much more user-friendly.

The modern vinyl record was originally created in 1948 when Columbia Records unveiled the first LP: a recording of the New York Philharmonic performing Mendelsohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor. While previous phonograph records were made of shellac and played at 78 revolutions per minute, the new PVC vinyl disc played at 331/3 rpm. It also increased the playing time from five minutes to 22 minutes per side. The plastic found within the disc itself allowed for much more accurate and clear playback. It also allowed for the record to be made from a much tougher material, extending its shelf life.

However, the initial buzz the form created quickly faded due to new technology, as we naturally love new technology. Plus, there was difficulty using the records themselves. Vinyl records require good equipment—high quality turntables, which at the time were very expensive. There were always consumer constraints. Players were expensive and out of reach for some due to the economic circumstances that surrounded America during the Great Depression. But, after the depression, vinyl records became popular to use again, especially driven by FM radio music stations. Then, with the introduction of the cassette and the brand new eight-track portable player in the 1970s, the vinyl record again took a backseat to the more affordable and convenient options.

While vinyl records have been phased in and out for the last five decades, many listeners both young and old have plenty of core memories of their childhood and adulthood listening to music on this medium. I, myself, could remember getting my first record for Christmas in 2022. At the time, I did not own a turntable, but my passion for in-depth listening would grow rapidly as a result of owning one. You see, I had a deep appreciation for music. Growing up, my dad would blast old-school hip hop and rock music in his 2012 Hyundai Sonata, equipped with aftermarket door speakers, tweeters and a huge 12-inch subwoofer. My sisters had collected records from their favorite artists, such as One Direction and Post Malone, and I wanted to start my own collection that fit my music taste. My dad, Stephen Sr, ended up giving me “Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers,” released in 2022 from L.A. hip-hop superstar Kendrick Lamar. He would also give me “Illmatic,” by New York rap legend Nas, which was ranked the 24th best hip-hop album of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in the summer of 2022.

The crisp hi-hats, sharp lyrics and booming bass would rock my room for hours while I listened to the records. No detail was missed in my listening sessions, and my collection has only continued to grow to this day. While my experience listening to vinyl records happened relatively later in my life, other music aficionados grew up listening to this format style. I can confidently say they will never forget their favorite moments. “My dad actually got me into records growing up,” Edmund later reminisces. “You know those old milk crates–he had crates and crates just full of vinyls. My favorite memory ever would be my dad playing a Marvin Gaye album while he was cooking me breakfast, and I was actually in a high-chair at the time. I can just see it [the record] spinning in the back of my head now.”

Other listeners have a much more technical background when it comes to why they spin records. “Back in the day, I just collected [records] to sample beats to basically take drum patterns down,” Ontario native and hip-hop enthusiast Tray Beroit remembers. Beroit owned a vast collection of vinyl records in his younger days. But, his collection would later be stolen in an act of thievery. This tough circumstance drew Beroit away from the hobby for years, until just recently when he decided to pick up the discs again. Now, he wants to leave his love of music behind as a legacy. “I collect now just to have them on hand and pass them down to my son. I want them to be generational.”

One vinyl enthusiast, Renita Clark visiting family from Maryland, used to be a disc jockey in her late teens, and remembers physically scratching records to create the iconic disc scratches we all know and love. “My aunt convinced me to become a DJ. She used to collect 45s, and ever since I fell in love.

For Rhino Records Store Manager Taylor Kingsbury, his love of head-thrashing metal music drew him to the hobby and eventually into the profession of slanging amazing records. “I’ve been buying vinyl for probably 25 years, all about as long as I’ve been working in the store,” Kingsbury explains. “At first I would just collect all of my favorite metal records, but as time went on, my collection has gone a million different directions.” Kingsbury, a University of La Verne alumnus, bears witness to the sudden shifts in popularity between different media, like cassettes and CDs. “As CDs became more dominant, not everything was being pressed on vinyl,” Kingsbury details. “The White Stripes were very vinyl-forward, and they started pressing their music on vinyl. Now, we’ve seen it more with pop artists and hip-hop. At the time, it was a big deal for them to put their stuff out on record.”

Personally, I own my listening moments. Vinyl has provided me with comfort through some of the tougher moments of my life while being a welcome addition to some of the more joyful moments I have had the pleasure of experiencing. Vinyl is my good luck charm. I have  my Dodgers hat on right now, and Makaveli’s “To Live and Die in L.A.” is loud and filling the space in my room. Looking back, it must have worked, because the Dodgers won game five of their World Series games in a dominant showing against the powerhouse New York Yankees. Of course, Makaveli was playing loud and vibrant on my record player while World Series MVP Freddie Freeman continued his stellar storybook postseason performance.

While it is a cumbersome and often tedious way of enjoying my favorite tunes, vinyl records have reaffirmed my deep-seated love for music and artistry, and have taught me valuable lessons I may not have learned without taking a step back from the daily grind we call life and hitting play on my record player. I learned that every record scratch and needle skip that I first learned to hate is actually a privilege that I often take for granted.

Many people around the world are not as fortunate as I am to be able to listen to music in such a personal and powerful way. And owning a record player has taught me that life is too short to not consume music the way I want to consume it. So, I consume it in the best way I possibly can. As the great G-Funk artist Nate Dogg once said, “Without my music, where would I be?”

Creating a budget-friendly listening station

Ready to join the vinyl club? Here are some pointers to guide you in creating your very own listening station:

The most important item incoming enthusiasts need to start their station is a record player. Many modern players have a built-in amplifier with speakers. However, the speakers built into the device can actually cause needle-jumping and vibrate the record itself. I would personally recommend the record player that I currently own, which is perfect for beginners: the Audio-Technica AT-LP60X. Ranging anywhere from $100-$150, this player is great for the average beginner. One big advantage of this player is its automatic function, with the user being able to simply hit a button to start playback. The Audio-Technica AT-LP60X also has the ability to play standard 33 ⅓ RPM records and 45 RPM records. While new users may be tempted to buy the bluetooth version of this player, I would recommend avoiding it, since the player itself is an analog form of consumption, and analog audio does not translate as well through wireless connection as it would through a wired connection. However, avoid suitcase players if possible, since these built-in speaker players are notorious for ruining records.

The next recommendation is to purchase a quality set of wired headphones or speakers. This is entirely personal preference. If you enjoy a more intimate experience or do not want to drive people in your home or surroundings mad with the sweet sounds of your record player, I would recommend a set of headphones from brands like Sennheiser or Bang and Olufsen—or any brand of your choosing that fits within your budget. If you enjoy the loud nature of analog music consumption or want to listen while cleaning your room or home, invest in a good set of speakers. Any speakers will work, but investing in higher quality equipment will reap amazing rewards when you decide to treat yourself to a listening session.

The final recommendation is the records themselves. Anything works here. Whatever your favorite genre or album is, that is going to be the best record for you to listen to. Do not forget that most records are double-sided, so be sure to check the label at the center of the record for track information. I would also recommend quality sleeves to maintain the pristine quality of the album covers, and a vinyl-specific shelf to store all of your favorite records. A good vinyl-cleaning kit is a must have, to remove dust and debris that gets lodged in the grooves of your records.

All of these are general recommendations, but do what you can with your budget, because any vinyl consumption is better than no vinyl consumption. Remember to also be disciplined when taking care of your records: clean your records and needles for the optimal listening experience. Happy listening.