Vinyl Record Lovers Newsletter
Issue 021, July 28, 2013

Hi,

Vinyl Record Lovers brings you the latest additions to one man's passion and experiences from "collecting vinyl records."

If you like this e-zine , please do a friend and me a big favor and "pay it forward."

If a friend did forward this to you and if you like what you read, please subscribe by visiting...

Vinyl Record Lovers

Issue #021, July 28, 2013

Welcome to my Vinyl Record Lovers Newsletter and thank you for subscribing. I do appreciate the time you take to read my newsletter.

In this Issue:

---Google has left the building!

---Sayings of the 50s.

---Is the Drive-in movie theater doomed?

---Vinyl LP album repair secrets.

---Betcha didn't know.

---What's next for all-about-vinylrecords?

Google discontinues popular RSS Reader.

On July 1, Google Reader disappeardd from the face of the Web. Fortunately, Google gave people plenty of time to switch to another RSS reader. The most popular, by far, is Feedly (http://www.feedly.com).

So I am replacing the Google button on my RSS Box with a Feedly button. Now all you Feedly users can quickly add this site to your list of sites to follow.

Remember your parents saying these to you in the 50s?

I found an article a few months ago and I did remember my parents saying many of these when I was growing up in the fifties. I have decided to break these down into maybe two or three monthly Newsletters.

Those of you who actually grew up in the fifties will appreciate "Sayings in the 50s" and those who did not just might wonder why older folks ever left the 50s.

These statements were quite common during the 1950s. How many of today’s sayings will ring as true 50 years from now?

Hope you enjoy "Sayings we heard in the 50s" Part 1.

1. I’ll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it’s going to be impossible to buy a week’s groceries for $20.

2. Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won’t be long when $3,000 will only buy a used one.

3. If cigarettes keep going up in price, I’m going to quit. A quarter a pack is ridiculous.

4. Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging a dime just to mail a letter?

5. The Government is wanting to get its hands on everything. Pretty soon it’s going to be impossible to run a family business or a farm.

6. If they raise the minimum wage to $1, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store.

7. When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would someday cost 50 cents a gallon. Guess we’d be better off leaving the car in the garage.

8. Kids today are impossible. Those duck tail hair cuts make it impossible to stay groomed. Next thing you know boys will be wearing their hair as long as the girls.

9. Also, their music drives me wild. This “Rock Around The Clock” thing is nothing but racket.

10. I’m afraid to send my kids to the movies any more. Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying “damn” in “Gone With The Wind,” it seems every movie has a “hell” or “damn” in it.

11. Also, it won’t be long until couples are sleeping in the same bed in the movies. What is this world coming to?

12. Marilyn Monroe is now showing her bra and panties, so apparently there are no standards anymore.

Be sure to get the August Newsletter for Part 2 of "Sayings from the 50s."

Remembering those great family Drive-in theaters.

In reference to my June newsletter about drive-in Theaters, I received several nice comments from readers anxious to hear about my drive-in memories from the past and my take on the future for Drive-ins. Drive-in movies are fading because of the new Digital Transfer required, probably by the end of 2013.

The cost to update is between 70,000 and 100,000 dollars and many, especially the mom and pop drive-in theaters, may close due to the expense.

I am considering writing a page to include the Drive-in movie theater. I don't see any sites dedicated to drive-in theaters except the sites with stats showing where they are and how long they been there or if they are closed.

Those sites have excellent stats, but I believe I could write real stuff about those cool drive-ins, like the one in Ohio the owners built on their property and borrowed the "Field of Dreams" idea from the movie. They planted grass instead of crops and the drive-in is now surrounded by corn fields.

And where else can you get homemade pizza delivered to your automobile by attaching a flashing car flag to your window? What a neat idea from this cool Ohio drive-in.

I remember the playgrounds, the speakers hanging on the window and the star filled sky. A Drive-In theater is a big part of our history, like those old fashion full service gas stations, old fashion diners and covered bridges. Where have they all gone?

It was a time when food was fatty, cars were big and had style, movies were fun, and people liked it that way. Drive-in movie theaters are probably the only places where you can see a so-so or bad movie and still have a good time.

Back in 1958 there were over 4,000 Drive-ins in the country. Today there are only 357 in operation as of March 2013 according to the United Drive-in Theatre Owners Association.

The top three states with open Drive-ins are Ohio and New York with 29 each and my friend Bill, originally from Chester, PA will be happy to know that Pennsylvania leads the nation with 30, although the 202 Drive-in located near Bill's home town of Chester is no longer among them.

My cool lady friend Pat S. from Somerset, Ky tells me the 27 Twin Drive-in is still going strong. She said you have to start arriving between 6:30-7:00 to get in and there's always a line on the highway. It's a popular drive-in and I'm happy it's still open. I'm going to check and see if the 27 Twin Drive-in is transferring to digital in order to stay open. I'll post an update.

Do you remember the first time you went to a regular theater to watch a movie? I don't. But I remember the first time I saw Marlyn Monroe was 1953 at the Ramona drive-in theater in Hamilton, Ohio sitting in the back seat of Dad's 1940 Ford. At 9 years old I didn't know at the time how much fun it would be steaming up windows at the drive-in as a teenager.

From where we lived at the time I could actually see the Ramona drive-in from my bedroom window on Noyes ave. It was visible between two rows of houses and over the railroad tracks. Couldn't hear the move but you could see it, until a long winded freight train stopped and blocked your view.

The Ramona Drive-in opened May 26, 1950 and I am trying to gather facts on the closing date but I do know it was demolished to make way for a K-mart store.

And my all time favorite drive-in is also located in Hamilton, Ohio. The Holiday drive-in opened in 1948 and is still going strong 7 nights a week. They have already completed the transfer to digital for the future. The drive-in is a unique piece of American culture that's been disappearing for a number of years.

I have articles and stats for a Drive-in movie page I may add to this site in the future, so keep watching and add this site to your RSS reader and get updates automatically.

How I repair my old LP vinyl albums

A few months ago a reader from Malaysia contacted me and asked how I repaired my vinyl LP albums as he had a gatefold album that was splitting. A gatefold is simply a vinyl LP that folds open and either contains a double album or maybe a single LP with a giant fold out poster type picture.

I have a Buddy Holly double LP, Ricky Nelson double LP and an "American Graffitti" double LP. All three have two records. I also have a Tanya Tucker gatefold LP with one LP record and a giant fold out poster of Tanya that will fog your glasses if you stare too long:)

Here is what I told Gagarin, the young man from Malaysia.

First, NEVER use tape. I shout that out because you will regret any tape fix. I have attempted to reglue seams that have come apart but there is no way to fix a worn out jacket.

My first technique is to hunt down a replacement jacket in good condition but I try to make sure that it is of the same stock as the original. Some reissue albums use cheap materials and most of the time are easy to spot.

My favorite source is Estate sales by far. Even though estate sales try to overprice everything most have no idea what vinyl record albums are worth unless the owner puts a price on each album and that almost never happens.

I purchased 11 albums two weeks ago at an estate sale and paid $.25 cents for each album. Two of them were in mint condition and most of the others were albums I already have but for the price I now have a backup.

I go to "expensive neighborhood" garage sales. Why?...because many times older folks live there and they take care of their stuff. Two years ago I stopped at one of these garage sales and the folks living there had several hundred albums dating back to the 1940's. I was there for nearly an hour.

I found a storage crate with 25 albums (50s & 60s) marked at $1.00 each. I asked how much for the whole crate and the gentleman said, "You buy the whole crate I'll take $15.00." Several of those albums I've seen advertised on eBay for fifteen and twenty bucks and I just paid $.60 each. So it is easier for me to just find a replacement album cover.

I'm sure others have better methods, I just like my way of repairing vinyl LP's. Find a replacement.

Betcha didn't know.

Roy Orbison's million selling, #2 hit, "Only The Lonely" was rejected by both Elvis Presley and The Everly Brothers. I didn't know that either.

As a child, Brian Wilson's mother told him that dogs could pick up vibrations from people, so that a dog would bark at "bad vibrations." In 1966, Wilson turned that idea into The Beach Boys' number one hit "Good Vibrations". Check out this cool video of Brian and his current band on my home page. I alternate home page videos about every ten days.

In 1969, a group calling themselves The Chicago Transit Authority releases their self-titled debut double album. The band was later sued by the real Chicago Transit Authority and was forced to shorten their name to Chicago. Remember this talented group from the 70s. They are also another great 70s group that are not in the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame.

What's next for all-about-vinylrecords.com?

A great oldie by a very talented duo and how the song related to my first date with two girls I had never met before. You may not find my story interesting but I think you'll remember this great oldie by a very talented duo. Stay tuned....

Don't miss out on My favorite vinyl record Blog:

If you're into Vinyl Records and want good quality content, be sure to visit Collecting Vinyl Records.com. My friend Robert Benson puts a lot into his blog. You will not be disappointed.

Do you have some favorites?

If you have any favorite vinyl record topics you'd like to see on this site, Please Click here and enter your information in the contact form.

I'll respond withing 24 hours.

Have a great month.

Regards,