ION INDIE MAGAZINE April 2017, Volume 35 | Page 62

I Miss Vinyl Albums …

By The Fairy Rock Mother Kiki Plesha • www . facebook . com / TheFairyRockMotherKikiPlesha
I miss everything about vinyl albums .
The buying and unwrapping of an album was synonymous with a religious experience of sorts . You would tear open the cellophane casing , then hold it reverently by the sides and slowly tilted it ever-so-slightly , reveling in the disc ’ s satiny sheen . Such rapture ! Excuse me , I think I need a cigarette …
HOW I would play albums was an evolution of sorts . In the early years , I would debut my acquisitions on a rickety little record player that came in a box with a handle and clasps on it that opened like a suitcase . On its cover , it featured wholesome looking kids in bobby socks and saddle shoes , jitterbugging away with notes sprouting out of their heads like a musical LSD trip . Later , I inherited my grandparents ’ old stereo cabinet … remember those ? They were a substantial piece of furniture . Some of the fancier models even included a television and AM / FM radio . Come to think of it , all they needed were a small fridge , a toaster oven , and water cooler , and you would never have to move . Oh , and cup holders … got to have cup holders .
Back to the album itself … now that you ’ ve paid homage to the disc deity--and after the clouds parted and a holy light encased it ( complete with angels singing ) --you gingerly placed it on the turntable . Those who are also of a “ certain age ” who are reading this musical march down memory lane , know that the arm with the “ stereophonic ” needle in it sometimes required a penny to be placed on the top of it , in order to weigh it down to make better “ contact ” - -to avoid the maddening incidences of skipping records . Yeah , it was a real high-tech set up . Another necessary element was the plastic insert / adapter for 45 ’ s . And as 45 ’ s were not treated with the pomp and circumstance of albums ( their wrappings were