Putting an old spin on new music

HEIDI GAISER

The vinyl record was a nerve-wracking form for music listening.

Being a responsible record-listener required time, patience and self-control - you had to handle the albums carefully by the edge; you had to clean off records with a special fluid before playing; you needed a steady hand to place the needle on the record; you couldn't bump the turntable or you'd send the needle skipping and screeching across the album; then you had to repeat the process when you turned it over to listen to the five songs on the other side.

Putting a record away required placing them in their sleeves, then into the jackets so that the sleeve opening faced the top of the cover; and then they had to be alphabetized and stored in a cool, dark, dry place. (No wait, that's for spices.)

Listening to music on vinyl was certainly a process and though CDs are not perfect, they have made life easier in their needle-free, no-side, continuous-playing way.

My youngest son has chosen to disregard this march toward progress. For Christmas he asked for and received a copy of the newest White Stripes release, "Icky Thump," on vinyl.

He already has the CD. The song list is the same. The cover art is the same.

But he wanted it for its collection value and was convinced it would sound better on the turntable, that this particular compilation of songs was made to be played on vinyl.

It turns out he wasn't wrong - the songs have more depth on the record and the White Stripes did throw in a few differences on the vinyl version to make for more interesting listening.

(Coincidentally, in England, the single "Icky Thump" was the vinyl best seller in the first half of 2007 and sales of records by new artists have increased tremendously there.)

I warned my son, though, that he would have to be careful with the needle on our home turntable, as surely the 20-year-old cartridge wouldn't be so easy to replace, given that I don't know anyone who has purchased a turntable recently along with their iPhone and GPS system and PlayStation3.

Then I looked at the catalog from Acoustic Sounds Inc. that came with the record, and my fears that these things are unavailable were completely unfounded. The fact that I might need to sell a vehicle and take out a second mortgage to have an excellent sound-quality experience is beside the point.

I know it is not meant for the home listener who pulls out the old Devo recordings from time to time, but it's still hard to believe there is a turntable that sells for $40,000.

The average turntable runs closer to a few thousand dollars and the catalog advocates Music Hall brand turntables at "budget prices," running from $699 to $1,999.

Of course, these do not come with the cartridge. There is one listed for $15,000, but there are many options for less than $1,000.

It's all a bit of a contrast to my first turntable, one of those Close and Play models with a needle that produced such a tinny sound it was probably ripping into the vinyl itself with each go-round.

Of course just about any hobby can cost staggering amounts of money once you delve into the high end, so I hope the record bug doesn't hit my son too hard.

If he wants another record or two, fine. But the $1,800 LP demagnetizer in the catalog - "demagnetizing an LP definitely removed a high-frequency glaze and seemed to enrich the midband" - just isn't fitting into the budget of someone who remembers listening to records by The Archies cut off of the backs of cereal boxes.

Reporter Heidi Gaiser may be reached at 758-4431 or by e-mail at hgaiser@dailyinterlake.com