The Farr Side: Vinyl, tapes, CDs: Passion for music endures, regardless of format

If it weren't for my love for music and the arts, this column would not exist. Over the years, I’ve shared countless testimonies of its power. Music is a healer and unifier.

I learned how to love a good song from my mom. The radio was on frequently and she played records on an old GE record player that hung on our living room wall. I remember sneaking into my older brother’s record collection to listen to some 45s.

I started collecting vinyl 45s and a few albums, finding some at garage sales.

Cassettes were the big thing during my formative years, so I said goodbye to vinyl for a while. I put the tape recorder next to the radio to record the latest songs (DJs often ruined the process by talking over the intros and outros). It was a passion of mine to listen to weekly countdowns like “American Top 40” with Casey Kasem and watch music related-programs like “Solid Gold,” “American Bandstand” and “Soul Train.” MTV came along and was a dream come true.

My cassette collection grew so large that it monopolized my bedroom. My parents weren’t thrilled, but there were a lot worse obsessions a child could have.

My friends and I were up-to-date with who took home a Grammy or an American Music Award. I rescheduled work hours around such shows, too.

I recall the day I joined Columbia House music club. Can you imagine how I felt knowing I could get 10 cassettes for a penny? If only that were true. Clubs like that relied on music-lovers like me.

Then, that day came when I graduated to the compact disc. Boom! Game-changer! The convenience and sound difference from a cassette was unbelievable. My CD collection took off like a poison ivy rash. I loved everything about them. And, yes, they outpaced my cassette collection quickly. I still buy them to this day, which is the main reason my collection is upwards of 5,000 CDs.

It’s true when I say that music really is a healer. I’ve endured a lot in my 50 years from growing up to surviving a debilitating illness to finding my way and losing my parents. There always has been a song or an album to pull me through. I’m so grateful for that. I’m not sure what I would if not for the music.

Over the past couple of years, my life has made some changes and I’m beginning to embrace me. I’ve found myself again along the way. It’s a cool journey and one that has brought me back to the beginning in some ways. I’ve had the time of life getting reacquainted with vinyl records. It definitely has become a passion finding those albums that made all the difference to me through the years.

I’ve called my excursions “vinyl hunting” and I often post my finds on social media. It’s amazing how people gravitate to the posts and then talk of their memories. It has united many of my friends and has opened new friendships.

My collection of vinyl has grown immensely within the past couple of years. Recently, a friend and I took off vinyl-hunting along the Lake Michigan coastline, stopping at antique shops and record stores. We scored some amazing finds, but, more importantly, we shared a lot of great memories and laughs along the way. See what the power of music can do? It can heal if you let it!

David T. Farr is a Journal Correspondent. Email him at farrboy@hotmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: The Farr Side: Passion for music endures, regardless of format