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Cleaning Records

     So, you've have your stash of records, you have your stereo put together, let's play some tunes. Not so fast, aren't you forgetting something? Take a look at that record, you know, the one that looks like some kid wiped his boogers all over the A side? Your records must be cleaned, end of story. Dust, smudges, all of that stuff affects playback, as well as longevity of the medium. The oils from your fingers degrade the vinyl, so clean them, and only handle them from the edges, or with one finger on the edge, and the other in the center from now on. Even new records should be cleaned, as the presses sometimes leave vinyl scraps and particles on the surface. Once they are cleaned and handled properly, they may never have to be cleaned again, other than a wipe-down for dust, because that stuff gets everywhere. Record cleaner should be a simple solution of distilled water and alcohol (not the drinking kind). Never use solvents and cleaners like Windex, ammonia breaks down
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Equipment

     I will keep the section on equipment brief if I can, otherwise we will be here all day, and I am by no means an expert. Equipment boils down to budget constraints, and simple research. There is a plethora of tutorials and guides to this sort of thing which can be found with a simple Google search, so I will just be covering some basics.       First thing's first, you see that multimedia player up at Walmart, or Best Buy, etc? It looks so pretty doesn't it, so vintage? Looks useful too doesn't it? It has everything, turntable, CD player, cassette player, AM/FM radio, USB, smartphone dock, microwave oven, so great...NO-WAH!!! Don't buy it, ask to see a manager and tell them to send it back to whatever hell it came from, offer to do it for them, demand justice, go full Karen on these things. Simply put, this type of machine (if you can call it that, it is made from as few cheap parts as the manufacturer can get away with, and covered in glued sawdust), will murder you
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Buying Records

    We could go on all day about the quality of records, Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs pressings, hot stampers (this is where people pay an insane amount of money for a common record just because it was something like the fifth one out of the press). I like to look at these things simply, so I am going to try my best to ensure that you the reader do as well when this is over. To me there is a broad spectrum, starting with hot stampers and MoFi records (expect to weep for your lost wages with some of these), and ending with Ronco compilations and ripoff, soundalike records (they're crap, avoid at all costs, cheap vinyl, a thousand songs crammed on a single record, not good).  The rules of the vinyl game are simple: Buy good pressings, and stay within your budget. Keep it vintage if possible, or a good reissue sourced from the original analog (where applicable). Don't worry too much about jacket condition, unless you are obsessed with perfection (I'm that guy, don't become m
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A Brief Introduction to Vinyl

    Vinyl records are one of the oldest formats for playing recorded music. For many, it is still the superior way to experience music. While this sentiment has been debated for years, the real reason to collect and play them is because it is simply a cool format. Playing records is an experience, a communing with the music on a much more personal level. In fact, for many the only other way to get this close to perfect harmony with music is to hear it in a live setting.       I have been listening to music on vinyl since the early 80's as a child. The first record I ever played was Songs of the Humpback Whale, for a school project. The first record I ever owned was the Star Wars storybook record. The first record I ever bought with my own money was Best of Bee Gees Volume 1, bought for 50 cents at a rummage sale (later broken by a falling whiskey bottle when I was 16). Now, through multiple collections (some stolen, some sold away and partially bought back), I own a music library n
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