While shopping in December for the holidays, did any one notice the mass amount of record players that were on sale?

I mean, they weren’t just in the display cases at specialty music stores like FYE, or just in big shopping chains like Wal-Mart and Target, these things were selling at clothing stores like Belk’s and JC Penny’s and by vinyl-crazed hipsters who set up lemonade-style tents and sold the hardware right out of their front yards (okay, that’s not true, but my parents did shop in a ‘vinyl-tent’ owned by a 40-year-old man who amassed a gigantic record collection when they vacationed in Jacksonville, Fla.).

During the Christmas shopping season of 2008, these throwback music players were barely on the radar, but in 2009, vinyls were everywhere.

I was a recipient of a record player this Christmas and I couldn’t have been happier. It was a wooden Crosley with other listening capabilities that included: a CD player, cassette player, radio and an auxiliary hookup so I can play my iPod. It was perfect and it still is perfect.

One of the greatest gifts a music enthusiast could receive.

But here’s the problem. Born in 1987, I skipped right over the vinyl/8-track generation, and nestled comfortably between the cassette’s heyday and the CD’s uprising, so, I knew little about vinyl’s, and even less on how to use them.

As joyous as I was when I received this record player and about 30 vinyls, I looked at my parents and said, “Okay, so thanks a bunch, but, uh, how do I do this?”

Learning the art of playing a record is a simple 1 to 2 minute instruction:

1 – Place record on turnstile.

2 – Flip the ‘on’ switch.

3 – Gently place the needle on the record’s outer rim.

4 – Enjoy music.

Okay, more like a 30-second instruction.

Still, there are certain bits of knowledge that are important to know when you become the owner of a record player. What to look for when you’re browsing a used record store, what exactly ‘mint condition’ means, what the 180-gram seal of approval means on brand new records and just your basic cleaning methods to keep your collection as crisp and as healthy as possible. Yes, I am promoting a healthy vinyl-human relationship.

Let’s tackle numero uno, what is meant by ‘mint’ condition?

According to Parker Publishing’s Record Collector guide, here are the criteria it must meet:

“The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.”

The first day I came back to Athens from my Christmas vacation I was ecstatic because I couldn’t wait to go shopping for some new music. Athens is the perfect town to look for records to add to the collection, especially since my hometown has not one record store in its entire 22.9 square mile vicinity.

I browsed over the ‘new’ and ‘used’ sections in Wuxtry and School Kids and found several re-issues (like T-Rex’s Electric Warrior ) that had a black sticker on the cover that read 180-gram in glistening gold script. I was clueless as to what this meant, but it looked nice, and the sticker’s presentation was impressive, so naturally, I bought the next record I liked with the 180-gram seal of approval (which was a re-issue of The Velvet Underground’s self-titled release).

I took the album that houses one of my favorite Underground songs, “Pale Blue Eyes” and peeled back the plastic wrapping, golden sticker included, and chunked it in the trash. When I pulled out the sleeve, I noticed a difference between the day’s purchase and the older vinyls I had stacked underneath my wooden record table, the 180-gram was heavier and thicker than the others.

Though the width of the album is one of the factors that make the album “180 gram”, I still didn’t know ‘why’ the record was thicker, or what purpose it served.

According to HomeTheaterShack.com I found out that

A. 120-140 Grams is considered a “normal” LP

B. 180 Grams is considered audiophile, which is the format that most new and re-releases are distributed in.\

C. The thickness of the record helps keep to it from warping over time

D. Other benefits include stereo imaging, less noise and wider bandwidth

E. This is the only downside I’ve read: 180 Grams use no recycled plastic, which makes the sound quality a lot less “noisy” than records made with recycled material.  So, basically, if you want a clearer listen, you can’t go ‘Green’.

While I was at Wuxtry Records, I stumbled across one of my favorite Bob Dylan albums Blonde on Blonde. How original of me, I know. But of all records to buy, that one seemed key to a superb record collection. I was a bit stunned by the price. It was a reissue and it was $29.

I was really torn between splurging and purchasing the album right there, but I didn’t know whether I could buy the LP somewhere else for less (I just bought Nancy Sinatra’s Boots for $5, needless to say, I was in the bargain mood).

I resisted the urge and flipped open the laptop when I got home. I searched “Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde Vinyl” on Google, and I found new copies of the record for as low as $8.99 on Amazon to used copies all the way in the $100 range on Ebay.

So here’s another lesson learned: If you want to save money, investigate and don’t buy the originals.  That’s pretty much a lesson for any shopping venture.

I was also a bit clueless on how to properly clean my vinyls, but for a step-by-step guide on how to do this check out instructables.com.

Looks like I’m a hardcore record collecting, oldies/Motown listening, dusty 7” bin cruising music hoarder now, and I think I’ve almost gotten down the lingo. If you’re a newbie like me, welcome to the world of how music was meant to be listened to.  The only problem I have now is restraint: So. . . Many . . . Records . . . Must . . . Buy . . . All . . .

- Jessica Cole

Currently Listening to “Willow Weep for Me” by Dexter Gordon