The Art of Collecting LP's

Growing up, my parents had thousands upon thousands of albums. Although it instilled a love of music in me from a very young age, I didn't quite understand why they would continually collect albums when they were being replaced by bigger and better technology such as cassettes and cd's. Growing older, getting away from home, becoming an avid music lover, and watching cassettes make way for cd's which have made way to the computer download era, I finally understand the appeal of albums.

Yes, they take up far more room, and they are harder to find, but there are three reasons why albums will continue to rock my world long after cd's have made home at garage sales and thrift stores.

The first reason is that the sound quality is better. Ask anyone who is an avid collecter of all types of music, and if you have the correct system hookup for a record player you will get a much richer and fuller sound.

Reason number 2: When you buy an album you get all sorts of fun extras. When you get a cd you get a little fold-out booklet with lyrics and a few pictures. I recently bought an album at a show in Victoria, BC, and in addition to getting larger scale album artwork, I got an original poster and an additional printout of the song list. Brilliant.

The 3rd and final reason: there is a certain nostalgia behind owning albums. Having a giant piece of vinyl that hadn't changed much in decades reminds us of "simpler times." With the rising trend in vintage clothing, 60s counter-culture, it is only a matter of time that collecting LP's will also become a frontrunner on the trend forefront.

Of course, the rise in technology is largely a reason why collecting LP's has gotten so much easier. With record players that convert albums to your computer, you can justify buying albums instead of cd's. With online auction sites like Ebay, you can get new albums from bands you love even in places like Kalispell, MT (which hasn't sold a new LP since 1982 I'm guessing).

Overall, starting an LP collection will not only create a lasting collection you can pass on to your children (even though they won't appreciate it as much), but it will secure your place as one of the cool counter-culture kids. I secretly have a dream of having a small studio apartment with white walls, wood floors, a mattress in the corner and stacks of albums and books. Of course, right now I'd be listening to four albums on repeat because that's all I own.