The Farr Side: Vinyl-hunting for the '80s
I’ve often said that music is a healer. If you’ve been a faithful reader of my column, you will know this to be true. Music always has been an important part of my life and has been my saving grace on countless occasions.
I know I’m not alone when I advocate its power. It has allowed me to escape my thoughts from time to time, good and bad, or happy and sad.
Can you listen to a song and go right back to a moment in your life? Sometimes, a lyric alone can do that. I know, for me, a song can trigger memories, even if it's one I'd like to forget.
For the past two years, I’ve found a renewed love for vinyl records. Pandemic isolation may have played a part, but I collected music long before that — 45s, vinyl LPs, cassettes and CDs. I even progressed with the times and did some digital downloading and created some killer playlists.
I remember taking off on my bicycle to hit up garage sales in the hope of scoring a few gems. I usually did, too. For the most part, those folks were getting rid of their vinyl to make way for the tapes. Later, I was doing the same thing.
Long before I came around, there were records. It was the first way people could own a copy of their favorite music. Thus, came the record collector whose collection could be viewed today as the first playlists. Think about it – if you gathered at someone’s house who was fortunate enough to own a record player, you got to hear their Glenn Miller collection. LOL! Thank you, Elvis!
I was an '80s kid, so my heart always will believe it was the best time for music. Reconnecting with my past has been fun again. It’s cool to obtain copies of my favorite albums from when I was younger. I tell my friends on social media I’m going vinyl-hunting when I need to get out of my head for a little bit.
Like all of us have experienced from time to time, I got my heart broken this summer. We’re all human and it's bound to happen. Our song was “Take My Breath Away” from Berlin from the movie "Top Gun." We both are '80s fanatics, so the song just fit. What was cool was that "Top Gun" came back again this summer and the song seemed to be played a lot more often. The sad part is that it was played a lot more, too.
Like a lot of us, my social media posts showed my sadness. My friends took action and did what friends do – they began to lift me up. Of course, it was music that did so.
Some friends I hadn’t seen since high school were back in town. It was as if the years hadn’t flown by. To my surprise, they brought an album I had been seeking for two years: Simply Red’s “Picture Book.” It turns out I happen to have a couple they were looking for, too. In that conversation, we discovered we each have wish lists. Imagine my surprise when I got a text stating they found a pristine copy of Van Halen’s “OU812.” Yes! Thank you, Jami!
I wasn’t the only one of my friends hurting this summer. Our sorrows reignited a great friendship since kindergarten. We enjoyed a night of 1980s fun attending Boy George & Culture Club. It was just what was needed. During the show, she was scouting record-players online. She had a love for that time in her life, too.
My Labor Day weekend vinyl hunts proved successful. I was able to pick up great albums by Foreigner, Kool & The Gang, Crowded House, U2, Bon Jovi, The Cars, Tone Loc, Pet Shop Boys, Duran Duran among others. Oh, and I might have found for my friend an awesome copy of “Colour By Numbers” from Culture Club, since we saw the group live recently.
David T. Farr is a Journal Correspondent. Email him at farrboy@hotmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: The Farr Side: Vinyl-hunting for the '80s
