I Don't Miss The Hiss
CDs MP3s and digital downloads may be as sexy as the highway code, but for all the cosy fireside crackle of analogue and super size artwork of album covers, there's a fistful of things I don't miss about the old fangled ways of listening...
Systems
Housing a Hi-Fi the size of a paraffin heater.
Picking up phantom ham radio broadcasters through the speakers.
Know alls picking holes in your personal filing system 'you've got *** next too ***? - That's not right!'
Tapes
The mind melting madness of actual man hours invested in compiling a single 90 minute tape, or the trickery and tactics of trying to wrench in that last track without clipping it or leaving a large gap.
The ghostly notes of backwards backing vocals seeping through from the other side.
The mangled reels and reef knot ribbons in the tape head - dear God please not the car stereo.
Those 'been done left in the sun' wobbles.
RSI from rewinding with pencil.
Vinyl
Knowing the hops, skips and jumps as initmatley as the lyrics.
That random dusty needle glide (hey hey hey what's a happening!)
Blu Tack and copper coinage (never silver) employed as a weighting device.
Set dressing the 'scene' with romantic mood music, only for the mood go into meltdown at the inevitable album turn over( or the passion killing clunk and figdet of auto reverse tape decks.)
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I'm afraid I can't agree
It was the effort that went into a 90 minute compilation that made it a great and unique thing. I've still got several tapes made for me that I cherish. And one could do wonders with a pause button; I once segued from Fleetwood Mac's 'Long Grey Mare' into Gary Moore's version with as smooth a link as if I'd been in a prefessional studio. I'm still impressed now.
Vinyl....I am still completely thrown...
When my iPod fails to skip at the right moment on the intro to "The Queen is Dead"...
Instead of only hearing "take me back to dear old blighty" skipped straight into Mike Joyce's thundering drums, I now get the full 50's poem. And I don't like it! It just doesn't sound right somehow.
I thought that was only my
I thought that was only my own copy! Mind, I am still considering the mass removal of all Morrissey-related material from my own iPod for reasons we're not allowed to mention here.
MP3 edit
Download MP3 Direct Cut and edit the track so that it skips just as you remember.
Cassettes
I'll always have a soft spot for the old C90. When I was too young to afford lots of albums my bedroom had teetering piles of them stacked everywhere full of all my mate's records and CDs - file sharing isn't really anything new, it's just more hi tech nowadays.
And despite the quality aspect they have had a much larger cultural impact than is often recognised. The walkman was the first time you could take your music with you and if it wasn't for them then iPods wouldn't exist. The ability to record onto a C90 was very democratising. No longer did we have to wait for imports or rereleases, we could distribute and share the music we wanted to. I've still got all the mixtapes made for me by mates and girlfreinds and despite the fact that I don't have anything to play them on anymore they hold a lot more sentimental value than any hastily burned CDr could.
You had girlfriends who did mixtapes for YOU?
Wow.
Respect.
Yeah...
But admittedly they weren't very good. Lots of Lenny Kravitz and Dodgy usually as I recall.
Tapes Are Brill
I used to do countless compilation tapes for an old girlfriend; infact I think I preferred doing the tapes more than I did seeing her! She did re pay the favour but it was a poor compilation. I still have all my tapes and play them when I borrow my dad's car, which has a tape player. Still tape off the radio too!
Don't Get Me Wrong...
I loved all of it at the time, including those special cassettes compiled for holidays, parties etc..., but after years of click and point playlists and comp'ing. The back breaking labour of love required seems as alien as dial up modems and using Ceefax for news updates...