Vinyl Is King

I love the LP. Before yesterday it had been quite some time since I was able to peruse at a real, 100-percent dedicated, all-vinyl record store. This was all I asked for this Father's Day. The store was Dave's Records in Chicago's Lincoln Park. It had been so long since I hit that store it was called 2nd Hand Tunes and had a different owner the last time I walked through the door. Well, the place looked (and smelled... you know that used record store air) exactly the same as it did upon my first visit in 1989.

There was only one change, and it was a pleasant one at that. I, of course, know vinyl has made a bit of a comeback the last couple of years, but Dave's illustrates the LP is alive and well. I'm going to guess of Dave's 40,000-record stock, at least 10 percent of it consisted of new releases or brand-new reissues. This made my day (well, at least as much as my holiday lunch at Frances' Deli a few doors down).

I picked up several cheapo '80s records and 12" singles, but I also bought two relatively new records, The Lodger's first record from a couple of years ago, 'Grown-Ups', and Robyn Hitchcock's 2009 release, 'Goodnight Oslo'. Now, I had already downloaded a few songs from 'Goodnight Oslo' this spring, and I dug these tunes enough to want to buy it. That, my friend, is the power of the blog. Without those mp3s, I would never buy the record. That, however, is a love letter for another day. Today's entry is about what I got with that record.

With many indie-label LP purchases, you get a card with a special code to download the record in a digital format as well. This is why, I believe, vinyl will not only stay alive, it will thrive. The download even included two extra songs that weren't on the physical album! As an added bonus, Yep Roc (Hitchcock's label), allowed me to download a sampler of several other Yep Roc artists free of charge. Yes, the indies get it. Why wouldn't you buy the rich-sounding LP when they throw in the kitchen sink? Now I will pass it on. Here is a song from 'Goodnight Oslo' you might also know from Hitchcock's appearance in the Jonathan Demme film 'Rachel Getting Married'. If you like it as much as I do, support the artist and buy the record in the format of your choice.

Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 - Up to Our Nex (mp3)