THURSDAY, AUGUST 12TH

THE MUSIC GOES ROUND & ROUND!

    While most people are listening to their
favorite songs on IPods or Smart phones
these days there was a time when the music
really did go round and round.
    Today is "Vinyl Record Day." It was
created by the Vinyl Record Day Company,
a non-profit organization dedicated to
preserving vinyl music, its culture, art, and
sound.
     Back in my Disk Jockey days virtually
all the music you heard coming through
your radio came from records, vinyl disks,
played on record players, turntables, in our
radio studios.
     Even then music was changing. Records
that spun at 33 and a third rpm were being
displaced by the 45's which most rock
artists used to promote their hits.
    I still have a small collection of the old
record albums as well as 45's, including
some Disk Jockey copies!
    It's kind of surprising they survived
after being played over and over back in
the day, Not to mention our system of
"slip cueing" the records. We'd start
playing the record off the air until we
heard the first notes in our headsets. Then
we'd physically stop the record, pull it
back half a turn (while the turntable
continued to turn) then go on the air,
and let go of the record so the song would
start exactly when we wanted it to!
     A lot of people listened in those
days. I got an idea just how many one
day when I blocked the door to the
control room at WBRX in Berwick and
played "Summertime Blues" about 35
times before the Chief Engineer
managed to break in and take my copies
away!
     Vinyl Record Day brings back some
great memories for me! My fun days in
radio before I switched over to the news
beat! Music was better than murders!
     I'm told, by those who should know,
that vinyl is making a comeback!
     I hope that's true and that all your
News is good!