Premise and Ground Rules - 2014

I love music.  Period.  There are two rooms in my housed dedicated to it - jammed full of tapes and CDs and vinyl, packed with guitars and amps and drums, laden with artwork and books and the like.

 

I love music.  Period.  I am unable to process the statement, “I don’t like music.”  Furthermore, I am unable to process the statement, “I like music.”  You should love it! 

 

Music helped me get through the hard times.  Music made the good times better.  It has always been there for me, without fail, willing to offer up whatever I needed from it.  Music obliges without judgment or condescension - even if what I want at a particular moment happens to be Mambo Number Five by Lou Bega. 

 

They say smell is the most powerful sense attached to memories.  I must respectfully disagree.  I have soooo many memories associated with a specific piece of music or song – each one its own unique Venn diagram of the five basic emotions. 

 

And that is my new goal with “Revisiting Vinyl.”  I want to talk about my strongest memory associated with a particular artist or album or song.  Sometimes, it will be the first time I heard him / her / it / them.  Others, it might just be my favorite or most vivid encounter with him / her / it / them.

 

So, that’s the game plan.  Here  are the rules:

 

Nothing is off limits.  It can be old or new.  It can be an LP or an EP or a 45.  It can even be a mixture of music and spoken word (comedy LPs and the like).  Compilations and soundtracks are back on the table.  (Now I don’t have to worry about justifying “Purple Rain” if it comes up…)

 

I will continue to use the random number generator for my selections, but I am giving myself some limited veto authority.  So, if I’m just not feeling Lynn Anderson or smooth jazz at the moment, I may reroll the virtual dice and see what happens.  I might also decide if I want to hear 33 1/3 or 45 RPMs beforehand.

 

As before, I may take some detours and tangents, but I will always attempt to relate my strongest personal memory regarding whatever I spin.  I want to share what has made music so intrinsically important in my life because, the truth is, I love music.  Period.