How seriously should we take the resurgence in popularity of vinyl records?
By Jon Liebman
July 16, 2018
In a recent blog, I talked about the rise of bass players stepping up from the background and releasing their own solo albums, functioning as leader of the band. While observing the increase of this phenomenon, I also noticed the prevalence of new releases coming out on vinyl, sometimes exclusively.
In this week’s “For Bass Players Only” interview with Chance Wilder Onody, the young, mega-talented composer, producer, arranger and bass doubler, Chance was talking about his latest solo release, which will also be available in the “vinyl” option.
I fondly recall those periods in my life in which vinyl records satisfied such an important need. As kids, we had a record player in the basement, while my parents had the “Hi-Fi” in the living room. Then, as teens, the turntable became an indispensable component of the bedroom stereo system. And of course there was the artwork on each LP’s sleeve. And the liner notes! Everything was so nice and big, easy to see and read.
But that was a long time ago. Didn’t vinyl records start getting phased out with the advent of the CD back in the ‘80s? Can people really appreciate that so-called “warmer sound” enough that they’re willing to provide all the extra care vinyl records require? Back in the day, everybody knew at least one “purist,” who had that special record-cleaning solution that had to be applied “just right” before (or was it after?) a record was played.
What are the implications of modern day vinyl for musicians in general, and bass players in particular? I remember so clearly, learning bass grooves – and plenty of other stuff – from records, by lifting up the tone arm, endeavoring so carefully to lower it again in exactly the right spot. I don’t think music transcribers today have anything to worry about as far as that method goes, nor do I believe iTunes is in any imminent danger of being swallowed up by a surge in vinyl’s popularity.
But will it be incumbent upon musicians to include a vinyl option for all of our new releases? Chance is not the only bass player releasing new music on vinyl. Jeff Berlin’s highly touted “Joe Frazier – Round 3” and dUg Pinnick’s new Hendrix tribute album are but two examples of new bass albums available on vinyl. And it’s not just new music. Paul McCartney recently announced 2018 vinyl reissues of four catalog titles. Moreover, the classic Jaco Pastorius solo album is, once again, available on vinyl (I wonder if it’s any different than the copy I’ve had for nearly 40 years).
Time will tell if this resurgence of vinyl is the new order, or just a passing phase. In the meantime, check out my interview with Chance here, as well as my most recent interviews with Jeff Berlin and dUg Pinnick, and the exclusive FBPO Paul McCartney interview. I also have a 2014 interview with Tony Levin, who was quite pleased about the vinyl availability of his self-proclaimed “retro” album he recorded with his brother, Pete.
The long-term future of vinyl records remains to be seen. In the meantime, though, we’ve got a whole “new” meaning to the word groove!
