Friday, August 10, 2007

My love for VINYL is an affliction not even Dr. Phil can cure. Collecting 45s and LPs has been a hobby of mine since the late 1960s. Part of my collection is courtesy of my brother, Tom.

I owe a debt of gratitude to jb from "The Hits Just Keep On Comin'" for contacting me to join his blogswarm party. My response was a resounding, “YES!” and gave me a reason to more closely examine records I hadn’t looked at in years. I made some surprising discoveries that I am anxious to share.

My initial 33-1/3 was “The Super Record of Super Heroes Played by The Super Dupers.” I bought it with birthday money and it featured versions of theme songs from The Green Hornet, Batman and Robin, and The Mickey Mouse March. In the notes on the back of the LP cover, it stated that the album was “recorded on 3-track Ampex tape recorders” and “frequency response is from 20 to 20,000 cycles per second.” Talk about Old School! I guess the trusty 'ol Wollensack was out of commission. :)

One of my first 45s was “Big Yellow Taxi” by The Neighborhood. Although it gets little airplay today, even on oldies stations, it is by far the best version of Joni Mitchell’s hit song released simultaneously in 1970 and is front-and-center on this show.

Another 45 (and album) I’m proud to own, but didn’t feature in this show is Morris Albert’s 1975 hit Feelings.” It reminds me of the girl who got away and inspired me to write a song about my love for her. I even sang it to her! Years later when we had the opportunity to be together, the timing just didn't work out for either of us. I'm happy to say we’re still good friends.

This is only a brief glimpse at the vinyl treasure trove of 45s I have collected over the years. During future shows, I'll be sure to feature more of my long-lost oldies. These tunes bring back some great memories.

Celebrate Vinyl Record Day...take a 45 for a spin!