By NOEL MURPHY
SHELLAC and vinyl have housed the groove of popular music since Edison’s day but a respite over the past two decades made it look like the 12-inch long-playing disc was consigned to history.
Not so – LPs are back with a will.
And not just the dated ’60s, ’70s and ’80s rock classics gleaned from parents’ collections or snaffled from second-hand bins and garage sales.
The world’s most popular recording stars are now issuing vinyl LPs, with CDs and MP3 downloads thrown in for good measure – contemporary artists like Alana Del Ray and Jack White alongside re-mastered works by older artists like Pink Floyd and David Bowie.
LPs are in demand again for several reasons, according to Matt Penney, former frontman of punk outfit Heads Kicked Off and proprietor of Geelong CBD record outlet Real Music .
“Mainly it’s for better sound clarity and definition that you don’t get on digital – and better tactile experience,” he said.
“Vinyls are heavier now, 180 grams and typically twice as thick, allowing deeper grooves to retrieve more and a higher quality sound.
“There’s so much more for your money – you feel like you’re getting a real product.”
With the resurgence of vinyl records has come a matching interest in stereo systems – turntables, amplifiers and speakers, often custom-made jobs.
“The whole hi-fi thing is coming back,” Mr Penney said.
“I often help people find hi-fi systems, too. I also make various bits and pieces.”
Ironically, for a generation of young people LPs aren’t a nostalgia trip, they’re solid state-of-the-art.
“Kids who were only being born when CDs were replacing records are finding the whole thing new and exciting,” Mr Penney said.
