If you’re caught up in the newest technological rage of music gizmos and you’re wondering whether or not to hang on to your old record player – a walk down memory lane might help you make up your mind.

I have fond memories of my old 45 turntable. It was bright blue, folded up nice and neat into its own box, and had a handle for carrying. One of my favorite 45’s was Donny Osmond’s “Go Away Little Girl” on side A, and “Puppy Love” on side B. That was 1971 and by that time I had accumulated hundreds of 45’s – mostly Beatles and Monkeys tunes.

In 1972 my parents bought a Hi-Fi console that played 33 LP’s. It weighed about 10,000 pounds and came in a wooden cabinet with a lid on the top and built-in speakers. I remember it had an arm lift so you could place the needle on any song without scratching the vinyl; this was a new concept – prior to arm lifts, you had to have very steady hands or risk ruining your record. It had automatic record stacking capability so we could stack a bunch of records and enjoy ‘em for hours.

In 1980 at a Radio Shack in Ventura I bought my very own 33 turntable and walnut-wood encased receiver. It came with speakers the size of semi trucks. Unlike my parents’ single unit, self-containing bulky Hi-Fi, my stereo came in separate units and I was able to position the speakers for optimum sound balance.

Advances in electronics, such as digital recording and compact discs, improved the sound quality immensely. Many distortions in sound reproduction were eliminated. And, equipment got smaller and smaller.

As technology changed, I changed with it. I had a reel-to-reel, an 8-track stereo, a cassette player, CD player, and now an ipod.

But, whenever I hear the crackling of the old vinyl records I am instantly flooded with wonderful memories of a bygone era. Television brought the world into living rooms but it was the old record players and vinyl that inspired imagination, dreams, and now memories.

For me, the big difference between 8-tracks, cassettes, CD’s, and old record players is that I don’t remember when, where, or why I bought all the newer technology. There are no fond memories attached to cassette players. But, I remember our old record players, when we bought them, what they looked like, what the sound was like, and there is no comparison.

The question is, should you keep your old vintage record player and your collection of records in the digital age? My advice is to hold onto your vintage heritage and rejoice and dance to the crackle and skips of your old vinyl LP’s. It was an era to be cherished.

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