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Classic Rock on Vinyl
Post By: Alan
Jimmy Page
Some of the most popular pages on my site are classic rock related. Every day, almost 20% of my site visitors go to my Beatles page. I also get a lot of traffic to the Pink Floyd page and to the Rolling Stones page. Surprising to me, very few people visit the Led Zeppelin page, although it still does get some traffic. It’s clear to me: Many people who are fond of vinyl are also fond of classic rock.
Why the appeal? Why do classic rock lovers adore vinyl so much?
Well, first of all, classic rock on vinyl totally kicks ass. Just last weekend, I was enjoying a nice day at home with my turntable, and decided to throw on some Doobie Brothers. The opening guitar riff to China Grove immediately got me in the rock mood. The slight reverb on the guitar part sounded so good to my ears. It was loud, crisp, and amazing live sounding. When the band kicks in, it sounds almost like being at a concert. When I flipped the album over and played “Jesus is Just Alright”, the intro harmonized vocals sounded really amazing. They just sounded so live and colorful, and warm.
Another example, I remember a time when I was listening to Led Zeppelin’s classic IV, and I remember the iconic guitar solo sounding so amazing. I also remember the part when it really starts to rock out, and the lyrics are like “And there’s a wind on down the road”, the guitars sounded so powerful and BIG. I never heard ‘Zep’ like that–even in my car with a high-end system blasting it. Seriously folks, get some classic rock on vinyl, and crank it up. You will be amazed at the sound.
Another reason why classic rock is so good on vinyl is because when the music now known as classic rock was actually being recorded and performed, it was only available on vinyl. Back in the 60’s and 70’s, everybody was listening to classic rock, and it was always being listened to at home on vinyl. You’d have some friends over, and you’d all be hanging out listening to an album. You’d take the time to listen attentively and carefully, and talk about it too. You may even have a guitar and play along. This type of scenario invited more interaction with the music, more sharing of it with friends, and most of all, more enjoyment of the music being played.
These days, everyone has their own music on their own iPod, and no one wants to talk about music because everyone has their preferences and is close minded about what good music is. The truth is that all music is good, and what makes it better is sharing it with people you enjoy being around. Of course, I’m not going to talk too much smack about the iPod: I have one, and I love it…But when I’m home, It’s all about the turntable.
Anyway, back to the point: Classic rock sounds best on vinyl (like everything else), and enjoying a classic rock album on the turntable is going to take you back to those good ol’ days of music. I say grab a few LPs of some of your favorite artists at a used record store, grab a few friends, and spend an afternoon sharing some good tunes with some good friends around the turntable. Enjoy the music!
*Feel free to substitute your music of choice. It always sounds better on vinyl.
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