EDITOR’S NOTE: This article first appeared on this website in June 2024.
Yesterday afternoon, my car’s thermometer read 97 degrees Fahrenheit as I pulled up to the curb fronting a record shop on the main strip of a quaint town in Chicago’s outlying suburbs. Anticipation turned to angst, then anger, as I read rows upon rows of small, white paper signs on sticks forbidding parking from 2:00 to 9:00 PM. The reason? The village was hosting a vintage auto show. I drove for several blocks before the scourge abated, and parked several blocks away. stepping out of my air conditioned cocoon, I slogged back to the store in the sweltering sun. However, soon disgust turned to delight as I spied gleaming and glistening chrome, steel, aluminum, and rubber cherubim lining parking lots and streets. A souped-up Packard coupe, vintage and current Cameros and Corvettes joined 1940s Ford Coupes, Chevy “SS” Super Sport cars, and a growing assortment of spotless cars, many with their hoods up revealing shining engines. A smile replaced my scowl as I snapped a few photos with my iPhone.
“That’s actually pretty cool,” I thought as I entered the air conditioned record store. And then the fun really began.
leafed through boxes of records of all kinds: popular, rock, jazz, blues, 45s, and 12″ single song LPs. I must have spent a good 45 minutes rifling through the stacks. Discovering several albums by jazz organ master ,Jimmy Smith, I asked the owner, who was matting a large poster for sale at the rear of the store, if he could play a few tunes. He obliged, sampling several songs on a streaming service. Minutes later, I was sold, and for $20 cash, I departed with two of Smith’s LPs and another one by Cliff Richard for my wife, Belle.
It’s at this juncture that I must address a vexing dilemma in our marriage and, no doubt, in some other people’s relationships. Some people love listening to albums from beginning to end — or at least several cuts from them before moving on. And besides the warmer analog sound, that’s one of the strengths of vinyl; due to the time it takes to unsheathe a record, platter it, brush the record and stylus, and lower the needle, it forces you to slow down and listen for longer lengths of time. Unfortunately, that’s not a plus for Belle! Since we first courted, she was forever skipping songs on her car’s CD player, radio stations, and–later–on her Sirius XM car radio app. After several false starts with the vinyl album, I dispensed of it and switched over to digital playback. With Roon Labs managing my streamer and Qobuz providing millions of songs, closer-to-instant gratification was doable with a few clicks, and soon she was tapping her toes again. As much as we love them, for those like Belle, digital playback is king.
On the way out, I joined others in “oohs” and “ahs,” snapped some more photos, and headed back to my car. What an unexpected delight! However, at nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit, visions of hot vinyl albums warping in the sun troubled me, so I didn’t linger long.
Looking Ahead
Speaking of vintage cars, I am planning on taking my vintage Micro Seiki BL-91 turntable to my technician this week to be serviced. Built around the 1990s, it’s a good idea to get it looked over by a professional so it plays optimally for years to come. That’s when George Merrill’s Gem Dandy PolyTable Signature Turntable in for review will take over vinyl playback duties. I have heard great things about this deck and am looking forward to hearing it perform in my environs.
Additionally, I am working on several reviews that have been in the works for the last season, including: the Quadratic Audio MC-1 Step Up Transformer, the Korf HS-A02 ceramic headshell, the Bag End I Sub 2-18 active subwoofer, the Dan Clark Stealth headphones, and the GoldRing Ethos SE MC Cartridge. With the hot weather abounding outside, it should be a glorious and productive season this summer!
