Foraging for Vinyl Gems and a Truly Private Record

It's nearly a week since my last post and I would like to be able to say that something significant has happened in the past week. I'm afraid there hasn't, apart from the transition from January to February.
Group has been very poorly attended this week and I worry that if we are successful in our funding bid, we will have insufficient numbers to justify the money we have requested. We are really going to have to look at increasing our numbers somehow though I'm aware there are members of the Group who are uncomfortable with new people joining. I can understand this. It has taken them time to build the trust and confidence to feel able to discuss anything they wish in a secure environment. When new people join the group, there is a tendency for members to become reserved and reticent to discuss things openly.
There is a lack of energy generally at the moment. Group meetings have been quite downbeat and moods have been lower than normal. I too have felt this and it is becoming increasingly difficult to raise any enthusiasm for tasks. My writing is the only thing that really keeps me afloat, besides my music of course which can certainly influence mood. I feels almost as if the January 'blues' are a little late this year. Weather may be a factor. Whilst we had the snow, there was something interesting happening. We now seem to be in a bit of a lull but there is severe weather forecast for next week which threatens a return of the snowy conditions of last month. I suspect in a week or two, I will feel different.
I wouldn't normally be here on a Saturday afternoon. I'm normally to be found at my dear friends Roy and Jan. I'm suffering again with my back today having strained it sifting through some records in a second hand shop this morning. It has the effect of lowering my mood so I've taken the precaution of staying at home this afternoon and have sent my apologies via email.
My rummage through the second hand shops this morning unearthed a number of vinyl gems among them a twin LP set of Bob Newhart and a 'Joe Loss Plays Glen Miller' LP. Others were of popular music from the 70's and early 80's. In one of the shops, there were so many records there simply wasn't the time to go through them all and frankly I would have crippled myself if I had attempted to. Instead, I left some boxes and shelves for the following week having taken note of a Tijuana Brass box set featuring Herb Alpert destined to join my collection in week's time. So all in all, a very successful morning.

I'm making good use of my typewriter. I have decided to begin keeping a 'paper' diary. I've never really been very fond of writing and I have always preferred to type. Since I have a nice 'new' Imperial 80 typewriter, I have decided to use it for the purpose of typing my diary. The reason for doing so is so that I can leave something physical for whoever is interested when the time eventually comes. I know my blog and other digital musings and ditties will drift around Cyberspace for the rest of time but it is nice to have something that is really 'private' and that no one else will see until the day it is discovered. In this digital age, it really is difficult and almost impossible to label something as 'private', but I know that with my paper diary, I can, and that is hugely reassuring.

A secret analogue user

Well it seems now that we are a totally digital household. Radio, music and TV - it's all delivered digitally in crystal clear sound and vision. Everything is so convenient as a result. We watch what we want to when we want to, we listen to the music we like and tune in to radio stations from all over the UK, and the World. OK, 'digital' has its advantages but I do long for good old analogue. I don't want to let go. It's not that I was dragged kicking and screaming into the digital age. I tok to it quite well. I knew it was coming and knew of the benefits it would provide. For my parents, the transition has been long and hard. I do understand the calls for things to remain as they were. What was wrong with analogue? The truth is, nothing. It worked and has served us well. But more is better it seems. We have a plethora of TV channels but I still find myself watching the same things. The availibility of radio stations from all over the UK has provided me with 24 hour phone-ins and music of a thousand genres. LBC 'London's Biggest Conversation' is possibly my favourite station. I remember it from when I was very young. Back then it was just an FM station broadcasting to London and Kent. My nan and grandad listened to it and it would play constantly on the transistor radio they had in their kitchen. BBC Radio 5 is good at night. Again lively phone-ins provide bedtime entertainment and these too can be quite lively, sometimes harling back to the days of James Whale.
But I still find myself longing for cassettes and vinyl. I love seeing a physical tape working and a vinyl record spinning on a record deck. I love the crackle and hiss, and I miss it. MP3 has a cold crispness to it. Yes the quality is excellent, but it's missing something, almost as if it isn't alive.
It seems though that we are stuck with digital. It'll never go away, just get faster, clearer and more available. But all the while analogue remains available to us, albeit pushed aside and confined to the darkest recesses of lofts and cupboards all over the land, we should enjoy it while we can. I fell I didn't really have a chance to say goodbye properly to the analogue TV signal. It deserved much more than just a switch being thrown somewhere in Yorkshire. It had served us well and will be remembered with fondness.
So in this new digital age, where everything is clear and sharp, I'm quite happy being a 'secret analogue user'.

Wonderful vinyl

It's true that MP3's have made music more accessible and portable. I use this format all the time. Most of my music is now in MP3 format and I have a vast collection of radio drama and audio books. I use these to help me sleep and I use a WIFI MP3 player to access my collection from the comfort of my bed each night. Today, I rediscovered something - vinyl. I found my record deck, buried under some books and other assorted junk. I dusted it and put on a record. It was one of the many Top of the Pops records I have - released on the Pickwick label and very popular during the 70's and early 80's. They 'recreated' the hits of the day - actually quite well. As the first track began to play, I was reminded of how warm and soft the tones are from vinyl. I'll never be able to recreate the sound of my Nan's radiogram, but this was close. Although most of my records are in pretty good condition, there was still the occasional noice made by the odd dust particle - but this was right, it sounded more perfect, if you see what I mean. The pop and crackle are all part of the experience. Vinyl isn't perfect. I don't think it ever professed to be perfect. But it does sound right. In comparison, my MP3's sound harsh and too sharp. They are convenient and that's all.
I love hunting for these vinyl discs of audible pleasure. High street charity shops are ideal places to find them, often tucked away in the corner or under shelves in an old cardboard box. Amongst the Max Bygraves and sing-along Christmas albums, there will occasionally be lurking the odd gem - a Disney original or soundtrack to some blockbuster film. From time to time, it's also possible to stumble across a Betjeman or Tony Hancock radio show. These are moments of excitement - the thrill of the hunt - knowing you've found something quite exceptional. I love these moments. And for this pleasure, you are seldom asked for more than 25 or 50p. I would happily pay more and often do if I find something exceptional. Some vinyl is worth it.
To me, vinyl is very much alive. It never actually went away. It was simply languishing in pokey little shops and attics waiting to be found once more. Only this time, it is loved and cherished like never before... certainly by me.