Showing posts with label vinyl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vinyl. Show all posts

Saturday, June 25, 2022

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Rod Stewart- 'Passion'


Tonight in the city
You won't find any pity
Hearts are being twisted
Another lover cheated, cheated
In the bars and the cafes, passion
In the streets and the alleys, passion
A lot of pretending, passion
Everybody searching, passion

I've already told you guys that music played a huge part in everyday life for me as a kid in the 80's. My dad had the most enviable record collection but of course, there was conflict along the way. My mom didn't exactly love his hobby and she blatantly disapproved of a lot of the artists that he brought in the front door. He got away with a lot but it was fairly well known that dad was expected to keep a close eye on what 45's I wanted. The only problem there was that because music is such a subjective thing he just wasn't inclined to tell me no. 

Dad suffered through several spinning's of "Disco Duck" before being happy to watch me move on to ABBA. Dad might have been a classic rock kind of guy but he had no problem encouraging my love of disco, at least until I discovered Pat Benetar and then my taste was all over the place.

I still can remember this one Saturday afternoon when he and I drove to a record store in a strip mall next to a Kmart (back when the blue light special was alive and well). There were several record stores that we would frequent and if you told me that they wouldn't exist a few decades later I would never have believed it. Anyway, the Saturday afternoon deal was always that I could get a 45 or 2 if it was a really good week. I looked and looked, knowing exactly what I wanted, Rod Stewart's "Passion". It was probably 1980 and not exactly appropriate for a 9-year-old. Dad actually said no, probably because he envisioned my mom's reaction if he bought it for me.

The next weekend I had a plan. I had 179 pennies in a sandwich bag because if it was my money he probably wouldn't stop me. I walked up to the counter with "Passion" in one hand and the pennies in the other. The shop owner made me count them out and then he scooped them up and dumped them into his register drawer. I think my dad secretly liked how nervy I was, but warned me that my mom would be pissed & he would likely get blasted too.

I don't remember her words exactly but I do remember him defending me and saying I probably just loved the music (true story) and he wasn't going to stop me if I had the nerve to bust my piggy bank for it. Needless to say, "Passion" got thrown in the garbage but about a week later my dad bought it and magically gave it to me after he was done with it. For years afterward my dad would buy 45's, put them on tape & I'd inherit the vinyl. 

It's 35 years later and yes, not only do I have that 45 but I also have the album that is was on. "Passion" is played fairly often in my house, to this day.

Sunday, April 21, 2019

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Remembering Prince on the Third Anniversary of His Death


This is what it sounds like
When doves cry

From 4-23-16...


What a sad week this has been. I have spent the last 36 hours working, doing radio interviews about Prince's death, the details as we know them now and what his true impact on pop culture was. I have cranked out details and connected with numerous people over this loss, with many asking why his death feels so different. It's a true gut punch for anyone raised in the '80s, isn't it? I suspect that since Prince has been there for the last 35 years it just kind of felt like he always would be somewhere creating music. I think many of us didn't really realize the impact that he had on us until we learned that he was gone.

I was in 7th grade during the summer of Purple Rain and I remember it well. It was that rated R movie that none of us were allowed to see so we absorbed every possible detail from television, MTV and magazine articles. Back in the '80s (you know, when everything wasn't just the click of a mouse away), we cut everything about our favorites out of the newspaper or any magazine that we could find. My friends and I were divided down the middle, either you loved Prince or you loved Michael Jackson- it couldn't be both. I was a Prince girl and built my magazine cut out scrapbook accordingly. And the music truly did directly influence everything back then. If you loved Prince then you represented with your purple on the daily. Most Prince fans loved Madonna equally, especially when they toured together so it was a mix of purple lace hair bows, crosses, and purple jelly bracelets all summer long.

That summer ended up being the very best one of my childhood and the Purple Rain was always part of the soundtrack. My friends and I spent hours at the kitchen table together glued to a boom box waiting for a chance to call into Q-102 (THE station to listen to) to try and win a copy of the soundtrack. None of us won a Prince album but we did score the Boss, Steve Perry, Chaka Khan, and a few others. Music was absolutely everything back then, especially when you were at the mercy of a DJ or MTV to play it for you.

It took me years to really understand that Prince was more than the freaky guy in purple with perfect eyeliner, that he was a musical genius. I had a friend absolutely obsessed with him and he spoon fed me various Prince facts while we worked together. By the time "Batdance" came along I understood what I was really listening to and came to expect nothing short of amazing-ness from him.

In the last 30 years, so many other artists have come and gone as my taste has shifted and changed over the years. I can honestly say that I like a little bit of everything (minus country) but so few bring to the table what Prince has. I mean, how many on Billboard's charts can play 27 instruments?  Yeah, none. How many currently rocking in the top ten will be relevant in 30 years? Maybe 1 or 2 right, maybe? Or maybe none at all.

Today's artists aren't built for the kind of longevity like Prince, David Bowie or even Glenn Frey. They don't bring all of those elements to the table and that has only made the loss of these icons feel that much heavier on our hearts. Prince himself confirmed years ago that there really is a vault filled with his unreleased music. There are albums from Prince & the Revolution and also a few with The New Power Generation. Perhaps part of what makes him so iconic is the fact that he was thinking beyond his life here. He was not only making sure that he wouldn't be forgotten, but he left new music behind so that his presence would be felt in a new way after the fact.

If you manage to catch any of Prince's live performance videos on YouTube before they are pulled down, pay attention to the details. Every single second is choreographed and means something. Amazing how we notice all of the details after the fact, isn't it? Like the fact that there is a purple heart behind Prince on the cover of the Purple Rain album. I never noticed that before this week.

Sunday, May 13, 2018

Currently Booming: It's In the Music

Collect it!

This past Saturday afternoon was spent like so many others before it, in one of my very favorite places on earth. As I left the car and started to walk down a familiar street in what has been dubbed "The Coolest Small Town In America" I felt an excitement bordering on anxiety running through my veins. I can't quite reach the front door fast enough, yet once I'm three steps from the shop I instinctively slow down because I don't want to seem too anxious. I open the door, step inside and immediately calm down. I smell musty old vinyl records, incense burning and I hear the old floorboards shifting beneath my feet. It could be a hot summer day in 2017 or one back in 1987. Time is irrelevant because either way, I'm home.

When I was a little girl way back in 1970-something I would spend plenty of time with my dad while my mom worked nights. He worked for an up-and-coming rock radio station and so much of my time with him revolved around music. Visiting his friends while they were on air. Opening big boxes of brand new albums and previewing them on the spot or running to a newsstand every Friday to grab one of the only copies of Billboard magazine that they would get in each week. Saturday afternoons were spent in a record store- at first the little hole in the wall and then eventually in a bigger chain. The smaller shops were always the best and before I could even read I was flipping through albums and analyzing cover art. Dad would be talking music with his buddies and I would be running stuff by Blue Oyster Cult over to him because I loved the colors of visuals

These trips went on for years until I was way too old and far too cool to be caught dead with a parent. Then I went to the record store by myself to buy a mixture of hair band and freestyle dance music on cassette. Everything from Whitesnake to Expose` was bumping through my Walkman and I never left the house without some sort of music on me. It was my happy place, my escape and my salvation I'll be wrapped into one four minute and thirty-second song after another. Music was my normal and for years it never really occurred to me that it was actually a gift and a language that not everyone else spoke.

As I stand in front of tables full of vinyl, I'm at peace. The kind that my dad must have felt all of those years ago. The kind that you can't talk yourself into, it's either gut level there or it's not. As I pour over bin after bin, all of my real life problems seem to know better than to cut in. I'm left present in the moment and somehow connected to all of the positive things that come from melodies, harmonies and deep lyrics. Things like hope, faith, connection, joy and a reminder to my dark little heart that there is still an enormous amount of good in this world.

My dad taught me how to dig for album gold and how to find comfort in something that is always, without fail, there for each and every one of us. That need to belong and fit in somewhere- it's always in the music. Most importantly, he showed me the natural connections that form while looking for that elusive record. The reality is anyone hanging over a bin of vinyl for more than five minutes will intuitively understand how at least part of my brain works, without us ever having a conversation. So why not have that conversation? Music solidifies things before people even exchange first names.

I know that vinyl has become the cool" thing again and I love the fact that my teenagers are spinning records even more than they are using a streaming service. I just hope that once the trend cools off and Urban Outfitters stops pushing the same record player in 25 colors, the love of vinyl continues with a bunch of beautiful young faces to nurture it.

As a parent you instinctively understand that it's your job to provide for and teach your kids the things that they need to be decent and successful adults. As an older parent that has settled into life, I understand now more than ever that the biggest gifts that I have to give generally don't include a monetary price tag. When I watch my kids flip through albums now I wonder if years from now, they'll really get "it". Have I unknowingly lead them towards a lifetime of emotional understanding just as my father did me? No matter what your heart needs, it's in the music, so you might as well dig in.

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Currently Booming: It's In the Music

Collect it!

This past Saturday afternoon was spent like so many others before it, in one of my very favorite places on earth. As I left the car and started to walk down a familiar street in what has been dubbed "The Coolest Small Town In America" I felt an excitement bordering on anxiety running through my veins. I can't quite reach the front door fast enough, yet once I'm three steps from the shop I instinctively slow down because I don't want to seem too anxious. I open the door, step inside and immediately calm down. I smell musty old vinyl records, incense burning and I hear the old floor boards shifting beneath my feet. It could be a hot summer day in 2017 or one back in 1987. Time is irrelevant because either way, I'm home.

When I was a little girl way back in 1970-something I would spend plenty of time with my dad while my mom worked nights. He worked for an up-and-coming rock radio station and so much of my time with him revolved around music. Visiting his friends while they were on air. Opening big boxes of brand new albums and previewing them on the spot or running to a newsstand every Friday to grab one of the only copies of Billboard magazine that they would get in each week. Saturday afternoons were spent in a record store- at first the little hole in the wall and then eventually in a bigger chain. The smaller shops were always the best and before I could even read I was flipping through albums and analyzing cover art. Dad would be talking music with his buddies and I would be running stuff by Blue Oyster Cult over to him because I loved the colors of visuals

These trips went on for years until I was way too old and far too cool to be caught dead with a parent. Then I went to the record store by myself to buy a mixture of hair band and freestyle dance music on cassette. Everything from Whitesnake to Expose` was bumping through my Walkman and I never left the house without some sort of music on me. It was my happy place, my escape and my salvation I'll wrapped into one four minute and thirty second song after another. Music was my normal and for years it never really occurred to me that it was actually a gift and a language that not everyone else spoke.

As I stand in front of tables full of vinyl, I'm at peace. The kind that my dad must have felt all of those years ago. The kind that you can't talk yourself into, it's either gut level there or it's not. As I pour over bin after bin, all of my real life problems seem to know better than to cut in. I'm left present in the moment and somehow connected to all of the positive things that come from melodies, harmonies and deep lyrics. Things like hope, faith, connection, joy and a reminder to my dark little heart that there is still an enormous amount of good in this world.

My dad taught me how to dig for album gold and how to find comfort in something that is always, without fail, there for each and every one of us. That need to belong and fit in somewhere- it's always in the music. Most importantly, he showed me the natural connections that form while looking for that elusive record. The reality is anyone hanging over a bin of vinyl for more than five minutes will intuitively understand how at least part of my brain works, without us ever having a conversation. So why not have that conversation? Music solidifies things before people even exchange first names.

I know that vinyl has become the cool" thing again and I love the fact that my teenagers are spinning records even more than they are using a streaming service. I just hope that once the trend cools off and Urban Outfitters stops pushing the same record player in 25 colors, the love of vinyl continues with a bunch of beautiful young faces to nurture it.

As a parent you instinctively understand that it's your job to provide for and teach your kids the things that they need to be decent and successful adults. As an older parent that has settled into life, I understand now more than ever that the biggest gifts that I have to give generally don't include a monetary price tag. When I watch my kids flip through albums now I wonder if years from now, they'll really get "it". Have I unknowingly lead them towards a lifetime of emotional understanding just as my father did me? No matter what your heart needs, it's in the music, so you might as well dig in.

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Currently Booming: It's In the Music

Collect it!

This past Saturday afternoon was spent like so many others before it, in one of my very favorite places on earth. As I left the car and started to walk down a familiar street in what has been dubbed "The Coolest Small Town In America" I felt an excitement bordering on anxiety running through my veins. I can't quite reach the front door fast enough, yet once I'm three steps from the shop I instinctively slow down because I don't want to seem too anxious. I open the door, step inside and immediately calm down. I smell musty old vinyl records, incense burning and I hear the old floor boards shifting beneath my feet. It could be a hot summer day in 2017 or one back in 1987. Time is irrelevant because either way, I'm home.

When I was a little girl way back in 1970-something I would spend plenty of time with my dad while my mom worked nights. He worked for an up-and-coming rock radio station and so much of my time with him revolved around music. Visiting his friends while they were on air. Opening big boxes of brand new albums and previewing them on the spot or running to a newsstand every Friday to grab one of the only copies of Billboard magazine that they would get in each week. Saturday afternoons were spent in a record store- at first the little hole in the wall and then eventually in a bigger chain. The smaller shops were always the best and before I could even read I was flipping through albums and analyzing cover art. Dad would be talking music with his buddies and I would be running stuff by Blue Oyster Cult over to him because I loved the colors of visuals

These trips went on for years until I was way too old and far too cool to be caught dead with a parent. Then I went to the record store by myself to buy a mixture of hair band and freestyle dance music on cassette. Everything from Whitesnake to Expose` was bumping through my Walkman and I never left the house without some sort of music on me. It was my happy place, my escape and my salvation I'll wrapped into one four minute and thirty second song after another. Music was my normal and for years it never really occurred to me that it was actually a gift and a language that not everyone else spoke.

As I stand in front of tables full of vinyl, I'm at peace. The kind that my dad must have felt all of those years ago. The kind that you can't talk yourself into, it's either gut level there or it's not. As I pour over bin after bin, all of my real life problems seem to know better than to cut in. I'm left present in the moment and somehow connected to all of the positive things that come from melodies, harmonies and deep lyrics. Things like hope, faith, connection, joy and a reminder to my dark little heart that there is still an enormous amount of good in this world.

My dad taught me how to dig for album gold and how to find comfort in something that is always, without fail, there for each and every one of us. That need to belong and fit in somewhere- it's always in the music. Most importantly, he showed me the natural connections that form while looking for that elusive record. The reality is anyone hanging over a bin of vinyl for more than five minutes will intuitively understand how at least part of my brain works, without us ever having a conversation. So why not have that conversation? Music solidifies things before people even exchange first names.

I know that vinyl has become the cool" thing again and I love the fact that my teenagers are spinning records even more than they are using a streaming service. I just hope that once the trend cools off and Urban Outfitters stops pushing the same record player in 25 colors, the love of vinyl continues with a bunch of beautiful young faces to nurture it.

As a parent you instinctively understand that it's your job to provide for and teach your kids the things that they need to be decent and successful adults. As an older parent that has settled into life, I understand now more than ever that the biggest gifts that I have to give generally don't include a monetary price tag. When I watch my kids flip through albums now I wonder if years from now, they'll really get "it". Have I unknowingly lead them towards a lifetime of emotional understanding just as my father did me? No matter what your heart needs, it's in the music, so you might as well dig in.

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Throwback Thursday: Vinyl Heaven- Madonna's 'True Blue'


No more sadness, I kiss it good-bye
The sun is bursting right out of the sky
I searched the whole world for someone like you
Don't you know, don't you know that it's
True love, oh baby, true love, oh baby
True love, oh baby, true love it's
True,

Dear god, I'm getting really old. Every week I invest in new (old) vinyl to add to my throwback collection and this time around it was Madonna's True Blue.  Then I realized that this album is actually 30 years old! Holy crap. But man does it bring back a lot of great memories for anyone lucky enough to have been a teenager in the 80's. This spawned five amazing singles and much of the album was considered to be an extended love letter to Madonna's then-husband, Sean Penn.

Songs such as "Open Your Heart", "Live to Tell" and "True Blue" sky rocketed up the charts and "Papa Don't Preach" tackled the still somewhat taboo topic of teen pregnancy. True Blue had something for everyone it seemed with each track being radically different from the one before it and the videos were equally impeccable. Here's the full track list, does it bring back interesting memories for you guys as well?

1. Papa Don't Preach
2. Open Your Heart
3. White Hat
4. Live to Tell
5. Where's the Party
6. True Blue
7. La Isla Bonita
8. Jimmy Jimmy
9. Love Makes the World Go Round

So many possible videos to choose from here but I'm going to go with my favorite, "Papa Don't Preach". You can check out Madonna's official YouTube page for more of her video catalog.





Grab your own copy here


Thursday, August 10, 2017

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Rod Stewart- 'Passion'

Rod Stewart...don't ask....I've loved him since I was little. I think it's the hair and the raspy voice.

Tonight in the city
You won't find any pity
Hearts are being twisted
Another lover cheated, cheated
In the bars and the cafes, passion
In the streets and the alleys, passion
A lot of pretending, passion
Everybody searching, passion

I've already told you guys that music played a huge part in everyday life for me as a kid in the 80's. My dad had the most enviable record collection but of course there was conflict along the way. My mom didn't exactly love his hobby and she blatantly disapproved of a lot of the artists that he brought in the front door. He got away with a lot but it was fairly well known that dad was expected to keep a close eye on what 45's I wanted. The only problem there was that, because music is such a subjective thing he just wasn't inclined to tell me no. 

Dad suffered through several spinning's of "Disco Duck" before being happy to watch me move on to ABBA. Dad might have been a classic rock kind of guy but he had no problem encouraging my love of disco, at least until I discovered Pat Benetar and then my taste was all over the place.

I still can remember this one Saturday afternoon when he and I drove to a record store in a strip mall next to a Kmart (back when the blue light special was alive and well). There were several record stores that we would frequent and if you told me that they wouldn't exist a few decades later I would never have believed it. Anyway, the Saturday afternoon deal was always that I could get a 45 or 2 if it was a really good week. I looked and looked, knowing exactly what I wanted, Rod Stewart's "Passion". It was probably 1980 and not exactly appropriate for a 9-year-old. Dad actually said no, probably because he envisioned my mom's reaction if he bought it fr me.

The next weekend I had a plan. I had 179 pennies in a sandwich bag because if it was my money he probably wouldn't stop me. I walked up to the counter with "Passion" in one hand and the pennies in the other. The shop owner made me count them out and then he scooped them up and dumped them into his register drawer. I think my dad secretly liked how nervy I was, but warned me that my mom would be pissed & he would likely get blasted too.

I don't remember her words exactly but I do remember him defending me and saying I probably just loved the music (true story) and he wasn't going to stop me if I had the nerve to bust my piggy bank for it. Needless to say, "Passion" got thrown in the garbage but about a week later my dad bought it and magically gave it to me after he was done with it. For years afterwards my dad would buy 45's, put them on tape & I'd inherit the vinyl. 

It's 35 years later and yes, not only do I have that 45 but I also have the album that is was on. "Passion" is played fairly often in my house, to this day.

Thursday, July 13, 2017

Currently Booming: It's In the Music



This past Saturday afternoon was spent like so many others before it, in one of my very favorite places on earth. As I left the car and started to walk down a familiar street in what has been dubbed "The Coolest Small Town In America" I felt an excitement bordering on anxiety running through my veins. I can't quite reach the front door fast enough, yet once I'm three steps from the shop I instinctively slow down because I don't want to seem too anxious. I open the door, step inside and immediately calm down. I smell musty old vinyl records, incense burning and I hear the old floor boards shifting beneath my feet. It could be a hot summer day in 2017 or one back in 1987. Time is irrelevant because either way, I'm home.

When I was a little girl way back in 1970-something I would spend plenty of time with my dad while my mom worked nights. He worked for an up-and-coming rock radio station and so much of my time with him revolved around music. Visiting his friends while they were on air. Opening big boxes of brand new albums and previewing them on the spot or running to a newsstand every Friday to grab one of the only copies of Billboard magazine that they would get in each week. Saturday afternoons were spent in a record store- at first the little hole in the wall and then eventually in a bigger chain. The smaller shops were always the best and before I could even read I was flipping through albums and analyzing cover art. Dad would be talking music with his buddies and I would be running stuff by Blue Oyster Cult over to him because I loved the colors of visuals

These trips went on for years until I was way too old and far too cool to be caught dead with a parent. Then I went to the record store by myself to buy a mixture of hair band and freestyle dance music on cassette. Everything from Whitesnake to Expose` was bumping through my Walkman and I never left the house without some sort of music on me. It was my happy place, my escape and my salvation I'll wrapped into one four minute and thirty second song after another. Music was my normal and for years it never really occurred to me that it was actually a gift and a language that not everyone else spoke.

As I stand in front of tables full of vinyl, I'm at peace. The kind that my dad must have felt all of those years ago. The kind that you can't talk yourself into, it's either gut level there or it's not. As I pour over bin after bin, all of my real life problems seem to know better than to cut in. I'm left present in the moment and somehow connected to all of the positive things that come from melodies, harmonies and deep lyrics. Things like hope, faith, connection, joy and a reminder to my dark little heart that there is still an enormous amount of good in this world.

My dad taught me how to dig for album gold and how to find comfort in something that is always, without fail, there for each and every one of us. That need to belong and fit in somewhere- it's always in the music. Most importantly, he showed me the natural connections that form while looking for that elusive record. The reality is anyone hanging over a bin of vinyl for more than five minutes will intuitively understand how at least part of my brain works, without us ever having a conversation. So why not have that conversation? Music solidifies things before people even exchange first names.

I know that vinyl has become the cool" thing again and I love the fact that my teenagers are spinning records even more than they are using a streaming service. I just hope that once the trend cools off and Urban Outfitters stops pushing the same record player in 25 colors, the love of vinyl continues with a bunch of beautiful young faces to nurture it.

As a parent you instinctively understand that it's your job to provide for and teach your kids the things that they need to be decent and successful adults. As an older parent that has settled into life, I understand now more than ever that the biggest gifts that I have to give generally don't include a monetary price tag. When I watch my kids flip through albums now I wonder if years from now, they'll really get "it". Have I unknowingly lead them towards a lifetime of emotional understanding just as my father did me? No matter what your heart needs, it's in the music, so you might as well dig in.


Saturday, April 22, 2017

Currently Booming: Today Is Record Store Day!


It's Record Store Day! That means plenty of exclusive releases on vinyl for you (and me) to enjoy. Click HERE to check out the full list and to also find a record store near you!

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Rod Stewart- 'Passion'


Tonight in the city
You won't find any pity
Hearts are being twisted
Another lover cheated, cheated
In the bars and the cafes, passion
In the streets and the alleys, passion
A lot of pretending, passion
Everybody searching, passion

I've already told you guys that music played a huge part in everyday life for me as a kid in the 80's. My dad had the most enviable record collection but of course there was conflict along the way. My mom didn't exactly love his hobby and she blatantly disapproved of a lot of the artists that he brought in the front door. He got away with a lot but it was fairly well known that dad was expected to keep a close eye on what 45's I wanted. The only problem there was that, because music is such a subjective thing he just wasn't inclined to tell me no. 

Dad suffered through several spinning's of "Disco Duck" before being happy to watch me move on to ABBA. Dad might have been a classic rock kind of guy but he had no problem encouraging my love of disco, at least until I discovered Pat Benetar and then my taste was all over the place.

I still can remember this one Saturday afternoon when he and I drove to a record store in a strip mall next to a Kmart (back when the blue light special was alive and well). There were several record stores that we would frequent and if you told me that they wouldn't exist a few decades later I would never have believed it. Anyway, the Saturday afternoon deal was always that I could get a 45 or 2 if it was a really good week. I looked and looked, knowing exactly what I wanted, Rod Stewart's "Passion". It was probably 1980 and not exactly appropriate for a 9-year-old. Dad actually said no, probably because he envisioned my mom's reaction if he bought it fr me.

The next weekend I had a plan. I had 179 pennies in a sandwich bag because if it was my money he probably wouldn't stop me. I walked up to the counter with "Passion" in one hand and the pennies in the other. The shop owner made me count them out and then he scooped them up and dumped them into his register drawer. I think my dad secretly liked how nervy I was, but warned me that my mom would be pissed & he would likely get blasted too.

I don't remember her words exactly but I do remember him defending me and saying I probably just loved the music (true story) and he wasn't going to stop me if I had the nerve to bust my piggy bank for it. Needless to say, "Passion" got thrown in the garbage but about a week later my dad bought it and magically gave it to me after he was done with it. For years afterwards my dad would buy 45's, put them on tape & I'd inherit the vinyl. 

It's 35 years later and yes, not only do I have that 45 but I also have the album that is was on. "Passion" is played fairly often in my house, to this day.


Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Currently Booming: Will Columbia House Relaunch Vinyl Service in 2016?

(Photo: Pinterest)

Great news for all of you vinyl lovers out there- 2016 means another vinyl subscription service and it's an old familiar name. Columbia House was a powerhouse music service through out the 80's and 90's and it's back to serve up music again next year. Believe it or not, the company actually only filed for bankruptcy just a few short months ago (who knew it was even still around!) and after being bought out, Columbia House is ready to relaunch itself. 

"You can see a yearning and an interest to try a new format. For a category that is meaningful and growing rapidly, you don't see a whole lot of choice. It's not that digitization is going away. I think there is a sense among a lot of people of looking to get back to the broader experience of engaging with media." says Columbia House owner, John Lippman.

Obviously, digital options lead the way and streaming is usually the way to go because in this day and age none of us like having to wait to hear a particular song. But vinyl really has enjoyed a nifty revival and if you're like me then you've been reminded of just how wonderful those albums really are. Have you started to collect records and if so, do you see yourself circling back to Columbia House?

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Throwback Thursday: Vinyl Heaven- Madonna's 'True Blue'


No more sadness, I kiss it good-bye
The sun is bursting right out of the sky
I searched the whole world for someone like you
Don't you know, don't you know that it's
True love, oh baby, true love, oh baby
True love, oh baby, true love it's
True,

Dear god, I'm getting really old. Every week I invest in new (old) vinyl to add to my throwback collection and this time around it was Madonna's True Blue.  Then I realized that this album is actually 29 years old! Holy crap. But man does it bring back a lot of great memories for anyone lucky enough to have been a teenager in the 80's. This spawned five amazing singles and much of the album was considered to be an extended love letter to Madonna's then-husband, Sean Penn.

Songs such as "Open Your Heart", "Live to Tell" and "True Blue" sky rocketed up the charts and "Papa Don't Preach" tackled the still somewhat taboo topic of teen pregnancy. True Blue had something for everyone it seemed with each track being radically different from the one before it and the videos were equally impeccable. Here's the full track list, does it bring back interesting memories for you guys as well?

1. Papa Don't Preach
2. Open Your Heart
3. White Hat
4. Live to Tell
5. Where's the Party
6. True Blue
7. La Isla Bonita
8. Jimmy Jimmy
9. Love Makes the World Go Round

So many possible videos to choose from here but I'm going to go with my favorite, "Papa Don't Preach". You can check out Madonna's official YouTube page for more of her video catalog.

Grab your own copy here

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Currently Booming: Columbia House Relaunching as Vinyl Subscription Service

(Photo: Pinterest)

Great news for all of you vinyl lovers out there- 2016 means another vinyl subscription service and it's an old familiar name. Columbia House was a powerhouse music service through out the 80's and 90's and it's back to serve up music again next year. Believe it or not, the company actually only filed for bankruptcy just a few short months ago (who knew it was even still around!) and after being bought out, Columbia House is ready to relaunch itself. 

"You can see a yearning and an interest to try a new format. For a category that is meaningful and growing rapidly, you don't see a whole lot of choice. It's not that digitization is going away. I think there is a sense among a lot of people of looking to get back to the broader experience of engaging with media." says Columbia House owner, John Lippman.

Obviously, digital options lead the way and streaming is usually the way to go because in this day and age none of us like having to wait to hear a particular song. But vinyl really has enjoyed a nifty revival and if you're like me then you've been reminded of just how wonderful those albums really are. Have you started to collect records and if so, do you see yourself circling back to Columbia House?