As anybody who makes a regular trek to real groovy will agree, the resurgence of vinyl seems set to continue. This was most evident when the upstairs layout of Real Groovy was changed to give the vinyl bins centre stage, as well as the numerous tables with box upon box of 45s. What is often seen as a foreign and archaic object is now truly back in the limelight. If you haven’t already figured, I’m a vinyl fan, but would openly set myself against true collectors and vinyl junkies. Yes I do flick through the LPs before I even think about looking for any CDs I may want, and yes I do look on trademe occasionally for LPs. But the motivation is definitely not obsessive.
So why spend more on something that you could easily purchase cheaper in CD form or download for even less? Fair to say that I don’t see much point in buying new releases on vinyl, but I do when listening to bands of the vinyl era. To put it simply, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Velvet Underground, The Kinks, all sound better in vinyl. Pops and crackles included. The physical presence of an LP and thrill of finding an out of print record are all part of the appeal as well. In Auckland I would argue that there isn’t a great deal of accessible vinyl record shops with much more to be found online. And where you do find them in shops they are significantly more expensive. For example, Real Groovy stocks a brand new copy of Physical Graffiti in higher quality vinyl for just under $100, whereas a brand new CD would be around the $30 mark. You could even get the digipak issues where the CD case looks like a gatefold record.
In a recent trip to the US I saw new release CDs and vinyl selling for around the same price, this may have contributed to its resurgence overseas yet for many it remains far too expensive and inaccessible in NZ. The underlying fact remains, that if you do consider buying your first record or two, make sure you have some time and money on your hands. Because when the stylus drops, you will be hooked.
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