…Wherein Uncle Corey Attacks Vinyl
Well, not really, but you’ll see what I mean …
Like any good Pavement fan, I was very excited to find out from Stranger Jay yesterday that Pavement’s 1996 masterpiece – and my favorite Pavement album - Brighten the Corners is going to be remastered and re-released on Nov. 18. (Unlike any good Pavement fan, I just found out yesterday.) Matador Records is making the album available now, and if you buy early, you get some – to borrow a phrase from John McCain – “goodies” like access to a stream of the album now and a free live album from the Brighten the Corners era, that never got released. Cool! The problem?
The live album is vinyl.
Now, I know I’m on the wrong side of this issue, and am likely in the vast minority of Pavement fans who feel this way, but: What gives? I have no affection toward vinyl. The “warm, rich” sound, the crackle, the unwieldy large discs? Does nothing for me. I grew up on vinyl, happily switched to tapes for sheer logistical reasons, then moved to CDs because they didn’t explode into a tangled mess of fragile celluloid and am now in a happy relationship with MP3s. In all their compressed, tinny glory.
The reason? Sheer logistics, folks. CDs sound awesome, but the record companies overcharge for them and they require massive players that don’t come with e-mail or Internet access. Plus, I can’t bring myself to buy earphones that would actually make a difference.
Anyway, it’s a bit obnoxious that Matador is offering the live album only in vinyl. How about a set of MP3s to go along with it? No cost, happy customers. I’m still going to buy it, but what in the world am I going to do with the massive, black plate they send to me?
If Vague Panther promises to mix it with something cool, I may give it up. Otherwise, l may try spinning it on my finger and playing it with a safety pin. Look, I know I’m wrong. I’m sorry. Hurl invective in the comments.
MP3s:
Pavement – “Transport Is Arranged”Pavement – “Shady Lane”
Pavement – “Date With Ikea”
The whole format issue depresses me. Why? Well, in college when I had time, a trip to the record/cd store was my favorite thing to do. I still do it now, most Sundays at Amoeba, but it’s starting to not be enough. I can’t keep up - I find myself turning to iTunes and the internet for instant gratification. Now, as you all know I hate iTunes because it’s destroying the album, but as a way of just getting music it is the fastest. My problem is that I’m just really disorganized and I tend to lose my digital library, and at times, even forget that I bought something to check it out later. And also, it’s a pain in the ass to then transfer to my iPod (which of course can’t hold ALL my music) and also to burn cds to listen to in the car. I know I whine a lot, but someone help. I’m having a breakdown. Unlabeled/burnt cds, illellegal unlabeled mp3s and random vinyl is strewn everywhere in my apartment… ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I don’t even know if what I wrote makes sense. Damn you Pavement.
This is not Pavement’s fault. … It’s weird because I’m pretty disorganized in general, but my digital music collection is immaculately organized. I even go against iTunes built in organizational scheme in favor of my own, which organizes them all by album.
CDs – they end up sitting somewhere in a pile, scratched and unusable.
CDs: ones I’ve already heard are filed alphabetically and chronologically. To help me decide which one I want to hear I somehow find a way of generating a random number which decides which shelf I choose from. One’s I haven’t already heard (about 80 of them, and growing) are on a separate shelf, filed (right to left) in the order in which I bought them.
I put new CDs onto my iPod 3 at a time, old ones just when I feel like it.
MP3s: I currently have about a Gigabyte’s worth of downloads on my iPod that I haven’t listened to. I will listen to these before I put anymore downloads on there. The rest of my downloads (7 solid days of listening time) is on my PC, waiting on iTunes for when I finally put some of it on my iPod. In the meantime I listen to this collection on shuffle whenever I sit at my PC. At the rate I download (I only download bootlegs and stuff I can’t buy), I will still never catch up.
I’m a geek, but at least all this stuff is organised.
What’s sadder than the Pavement live disc coming out on vinyl?
A Pavement fan that doesn’t have a turntable.
This is a band that cut their teeth on low cost, locally released, 7″ vinyl. Forget the fidelity argument (which I also think is valid), this is simply a way of saying “the real fans get the treat”.
What’s more, they use enough analog synths and distortion that the analog format choice is even more clear. Sure, mp3s or cds are more convenient, but sometimes it’s not all about convenience…
I know. I told you I’m on the wrong side of this. I grew up on vinyl, records are fun … they just do nothing for me. Very much like Wes Anderson movies.
There are many things to think of dealing with vinyl records.