Vinyl Record Lovers Newsletter

Sending a message in the fifties was quite a bit different in high school than it is today.

You had to secretly and physically move this note from point A to point B in the classroom without the teacher being aware of the mission at hand.

To discourage this practice notes captured by teachers were read out loud providing some entertaining moments for the class.  Some teachers would have you come to the front of the class and read the note yourself.  This was drama class at its best.

Today's teens simply punch a few buttons on their cell phone and the message is sent to someone anywhere in the world in a matter of seconds. A simple process today....but a whole lot more fun passing notes in those early non-techie years.

When we were young there were always some women we dreamed about. They excited our imaginations, inspired us and certainly entertained us. For me, Connie Francis was that lady.

Connie Francis was the first artist to regularly record in other languages. In the 1960s her songs were so successful in other countries she was voted the #1 singer in ten countries, and she is still not in the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame!

Of all the singers I listened to when I was young, Connie Francis was the most beautiful singer with the most beautiful voice.  So with these famous lyrics I must confess to you dear lady, "I Will Always Love You." Have a wonderful birthday, Connie.  Read more...

It was 1979 and I was a big Dolly Parton fan. Who could look away when Dolly walked out on stage with those two big beautiful "eyes" and that great smile looking back at you....OK, what were you thinking?

The Dolly Parton song  "You're The Only One" brings back many vinyl record memories of the summer of '79, but none more special than the many nights I spent alone with Dolly and she sang these words to me.

You're the only one you're the only one...
Take me back to where we started from...
And let's make it now like we made it then...
This old heart ain't gonna break your heart again...

Let me tell you the story as you listen and watch Dolly nearly 40 years ago singing her fifth consecutive song to reach #1. Read more...

When Elvis filmed his 1968 "Comback" TV Special, Martina McBride was not quite 2 years old.

Forty years later the country singer steps back in time and walks out of the audience to join Elvis in one of the most remarkable Elvis Presley videos I have watched.

Follow along with the producer as he and Martina detail how all this was accomplished.

The Elvis Presley Blue Christmas page is always in the top 3 of most viewed pages every month at vinyl record memories, in both winter and summer months. Elvis still remains that popular world wide more than forty years after his death.

Yes ladies, we get to have Elvis right here with us for another Christmas. This is a real treat if you have not seen Martina with Elvis. Read more...

Many factors determine what a vintage vinyl record will sound like. One factor is the quality of the stampers, the grooved metal plates used to press a lump of hot vinyl into a record album.

Tom Port, Better-Records owner, insists that his discs are special, and unlike many record dealers, he doesn't peddle the usual vinyl loaded with groove dust, and pitted with scratches.  I mentioned last month that Tom traffics strictly in "hot stampers," the very best of the best, and I wondered how he viewed those who collect vinyl records for profit.

Tom says...If you stop to think about it, Hot Stampers are actually the opposite of collectible. This is due in large part to the fact that they have practically no established or verifiable value. Their value is in fact purely subjective; they exist only to provide listening pleasure to their owner. Nothing else has any real bearing on their worth.

Tom continues; I can understand why a record collector would be confused by this notion of subjective and limited value. Collecting records is mostly about buying, selling and owning various kinds of records. It's not primarily about playing or even listening to music; this seems to be quite a less important aspect of the hobby. (I've actually met record collectors who didn't even own a turntable!)

Tom makes a valid point; We get letters from time to time chiding us for charging what seems like rather large amounts of money for records that admittedly do not have much in the way of Collector Value, the implication being that collectible records are of course worth the high prices they command in the marketplace.

Hot Stampers, however, are somehow different. Clearly they cannot be worth the outrageously high prices we're asking.

It is our opinion that the writers of these letters have made a rather glaringly erroneous assumption: That the records we sell are not subject to the same market forces as others would be. I believe Tom makes a fair point. Find out for yourself and visit the source for this article, Better-Records.com. 

The '70s decade continues with some notable sounds and events from the year 1971.

"Hot Pants" are the fashion rage of the summer, Cigarette advertising is banned on television, and of course who could forget this statement from Inspector Harry Callahan, played by Clint Eastwood in the 1971 movie "Dirty Harry." 

"You Got to ask yourself one question:
Do I Feel lucky? Well, do ya, Punk?"

1971 - Top Songs

•  "Have You Seen Her" by The Chi-Lites (pop #3, R&B #1) A song rarely played on the radio today is a fan favorite from October 1971. The song's pain and regret is a tribute to Eugene Record's conversational lead vocal and the group's sweet, supportive backup.


• Theme From Shaft - Issac Hayes (10/71 Pop #1, R&B #2) One of the most distinctive pieces of movie music in history manages to be both funky and elegant. Its relentless rhythm and rich instrumental groove, combine to create a classic.

• Do You Know What I Mean - Lee Michaels (7/71, pop #6) A sly account of a man whose long-neglected girlfriend is stepping out with his best friend. The spunky shuffle arrangement brightens the tale of the man's deserved fate.

1971 Events to Remember.

• Jim Morrison (The Doors) dies - though for years many believed he just "dropped out." (7/3/71)
  
• Patton wins Best Picture Oscar. (4/15/71) One of my favorites.
  
• Astronaut Alan Shepard plays golf on the moon, knocking one ball nearly half a mile. (2/71)
• Millions of smiley-face buttons invade the country. (12/15/71)