A Vinyl Confession

Am I getting older or is the supermarket playing great music? - seen on a T-shirt.

I bought the new "Little Big Town" CD today and I was disappointed. The music is great, it was the buying experience that left me a bit deflated. I purchased the CD on eMusic, a legal internet downloading service. I saw a picture of the CD cover on my computer screen with a list of the songs, clicked a button and about a minute later the entire project popped up in iTunes and started to play. I'll admit it is convenient to learn that new music is available and own it in mere seconds, but some of the magic has been lost in translation.

I can still remember my first experience as a music buyer. The project was "Vinyl Confessions" by the group Kansas. It was not a CD, or even a cassette, it was a record! Remember those? I can see me standing in the store aisle, holding the shiny, cellophane wrapped package. I read every word on the front and back cover while deliberating if this was worth my hard earned money. I took the plunge and waited for my mom to finished her shopping and head to the cash register. The anticipation was intense. First to wait in the checkout line, then the long car ride home holding my new treasure, as of yet unheard. The wrapping came off quickly in my bedroom and I slid the black disk into my hands. ("always hold 'em by the edge, son.") The light reflected off the grooves as I lowered the needle onto the spinning surface. The first piano notes rang out and I read along with the lyrics printed on the record sleeve. I read the names of songwriters, musicians, and thank you recipients as the music played on. It was a magical moment. I was immersed in a brand new world, words and sounds combined in a way I'd never heard before. To me, that's what music is all about.

Today I have the songs, but no lyrics, no credits, and no thank yous. No extra pictures of the band and singers. Nothing to hold in my hands. No anticipation and nothing special to take me to that other world. I miss that world. That was the place I discovered that words and notes can paint a landscape in the mind. That's where I charted the course I'm still traveling today.

Maybe I'm just getting old and sentimental. Maybe that magical world of music still exists for the young. I hope so. I keep listening for a new song from a young writer to resonate with that memory in my mind, to know that they have been to that place and brought back a souvenir for me. Nothing yet, but I'm still watching.

In the meantime, I'll keep writing from my memories there. Maybe I'll get close enough to rekindle that fire in someone else. If so, I've done my part.