The vinyl revival and progressive rock...

[vmartell]

I am curious - has it help the genre? I do seem to remember a "Prog Special Issue" from Mojo Magazine ( way before Prog Magazine existed) - I think it combined Pink Floyd's history with a prog overview - it must have been... hmm.. 2005? might be wrong, but my point is that in the intro to the issue there is a photograph of John Frusciante playing ELP on a Garrard 301 turntable, as part of a vintage system, and singing the praises of prog... Does that mean that the prog community never stopped appreciating vinyl?

For my experience, due to my age and the fact that I started collecting records as a child (around 8 years old) it means that I started on LPs then lived thru the change to CD... So I did have some practical vinyl experience, from the original vinyl era...

I kind of remember the sound, yes, I had a vague memory of it sounding very good on my Marantz + Pioneer PL-400... but also remember being very impressed by CDs... and not hesitating to make the move... and stayed on CD until recently... being employed on an internet startup put me in contact with the element driving the vinyl revival... yes, the millennials... and yes, some of them were playing records on record-chewing Crossleys... but also some were very knowledgeable about better quality reproduction and kind of piqued my curiosity... 2 years later... I am fully back - yes, getting the most of LPs is a pain.. specially the cleaning... and I also forgot how much space they took!


However... the pleasure of finding a good copy of Yessongs, with the triple gatefold and the big art... not only memories... but also, the impact of the Roger Dean cover art... not the same in CD booklet size...

Currently playing VDGG's Pawn Hearts, on vinyl, of course... again the impact of opening the gatefold and seeing the band giving the roman salute to PH... again not the same at CD booklet size...

Then, there is the sound! - well, I don't want to start an Analog vs. digital war by saying is better than digital - but it does sound different and I like it.... so pretty happy with it..

What are your thoughts and experiences?

Thnx!

v

[Brian]

Love the sound of vinyl and prog.

[ronmac]

I'm all for the ongoing survival of vinyl. But, I think the so-called "revival" is overstated. Yes, the millennials are a big part of the force behind it. But, is it really much more than a novelty to them?

[rcarlberg]

I don't want to start an Analog vs. digital war by saying is better than digital - but it does sound different and I like it....

If you like the sound of vinyl there is no argument. Just so long as you admit that vinyl has "a sound."

[chalkpie]

Then, there is the sound! - well, I don't want to start an Analog vs. digital war by saying is better than digital -

Thnx!

v

Good luck with that!

[vmartell]

If you like the sound of vinyl there is no argument. Just so long as you admit that vinyl has "a sound."

hehe - regarding if it has help the prog movement/genre/whatever it is - one thing is clear - it helps all those old bands make money from selling records... I mean... not sure if considered prog ( Prog magazine seems to do so) but recently at Amoeba records, I saw ELO's new pressings prominently displayed... I came back after that and there was less available... so unless they are being stolen, at least they are moving some product....

Of course, as Garth Brooks said ( <---- JOKE ) the used market won't benefit the bands... but I do hope that the new bands also benefit from the revival - for me, I have gotten the last 2 Haken and Opeth (the prog ones!) releases on vinyl AND CD - again, the general consensus is that in general the bands even if big they are pretty much only selling vinyl...

v

[vmartell]

Good luck with that!

Beginning to think should not have mentioned "the sound"...

[Facelift]

Some original vinyls sound better because there was never a well-done CD release.

A number of CDs fall into the category of: excellent-sounding 70s vinyl, first generation CD wasn't great, remaster/s used techniques that have been disavowed (loudness, no-noise, etc.).

I'm not a proponent of the idea that all original press vinyls sound better than all subsequent CDs.

[rcarlberg]

The extent to which the vinyl revival has benefitted the prog revival depends entirely on how much overlap there is between vinyl buyers and prog buyers. I have no idea what the demographics are there.

[regenerativemusic]

Just found out two weeks ago that the turntable I had was indeed working with this one little mixer pre-amp channel and so I have really been enjoying it. I had a bunch of vinyl but have been accumulating more. It's a different experience, especially with the classical and anomalous/obscure things, because there is a lot of text information on a classical album, and the other stuff is usually things I would not discover elsewhere. With Vinyl, you are locked in to really exploring a work more I find than surfing the web, looking for things or listening that way. I'm pretty amazed at the sonic difference as well, as obviously there is no compression going on. There seems to be something to the digital vs. analog controversy as well.

[Score2112]

Agree, got back into vinyl about a year ago (also grew up with it) and really enjoy it....and yes, most of my collection consists of prog albums.

My only music purchases these days are vinyl (supplemented by a streaming service).

[moecurlythanu]

I'm all for the ongoing survival of vinyl. But, I think the so-called "revival" is overstated. Yes, the millennials are a big part of the force behind it. But, is it really much more than a novelty to them?

It depends on your perspective. If you're a vinyl aficionado, it's a "revival." If you favor digital, it's "overstated." As is usually the case, the truth probably lies somewhere in between.

[Firth]

Some original vinyls sound better because there was never a well-done CD release.

A number of CDs fall into the category of: excellent-sounding 70s vinyl, first generation CD wasn't great, remaster/s used techniques that have been disavowed (loudness, no-noise, etc.).

I'm not a proponent of the idea that all original press vinyls sound better than all subsequent CDs.

And there are sound systems, primarily speakers and cartridge, that have coloration ideal for those listeners of vinyl.

[Nador]

If there isn't a causal connection there sure is a mighty coincidence at work. The industry (the record companies) convinced everyone that vinyl was obsolete just like earlier the industry (the record critics) had convinced lots of people that prog was obsolete. Guess what? The industry in both cases was wrong, which younger people discover buying Fragile and Trespass for $1 a pop at used record stores.

[JKL2000]

I ditched almost all my vinyl ages ago, and haven't had a turntable in 15 or more years. Lately I've been finding it annoying when emails like Burning Shed updates include vinyl because I have to weed through and ignore the vinyl releases.

[vmartell]

And there are sound systems, primarily speakers and cartridge, that have coloration ideal for those listeners of vinyl.

was trying to keep the convo out of analog vs. digital OR technical stuff - but the gear part is interesting... my gear is

Pioneer PLX-1000 - marketed as a DJ table, but it is really a hi-fi/audiophile turntable and great one at that - best price performance ratio
Ortofon 2M blue - great cart - balanced, not overly heavy on the bass
Schiit Audio system - Ragnarok and Mani
Speakers - Focal Chorus 816
HiFiMan 400i (headphones)

monoprice cables ( because expensive cables are bullshit)

Extremly happy with it - care to share yours?

v

[progmatist]

Here's a little trivia: In the late 80s, early 90s, the first artist to NOT release an album on vinyl was Phil Collins. So Phil Collins ruined vinyl.

[gpeccary]

Have always loved the vinyl experience, sadly absent in the cd/digital age. Nothing more exciting then thumbing through the racks, seeing a cool cover, pulling the album, flipping it over for the credits, buying, bringing it home.....I've continued playing and buying vinyl straight through.
The argument about which is better, digital or analogue, if an $8000 Macintosh turntable really DOES sound better than my Denon...well, it boils down to how good your ears are?! With the state of mine, would I really know the difference? Probably not.
But its still fun! And F.U.N. is what its all about!

[insidious meme]

I've recently just bought a turntable.. for the vinyl I've been sitting on that hasn't been played since 2000. I've heard vinyl on great set ups, so time to start spinning again.

For me there isn't a "vinyl vs digital" debate. It's what I have access to at the time.

[Harbottle]

Here's a little trivia: In the late 80s, early 90s, the first artist to NOT release an album on vinyl was Phil Collins. So Phil Collins ruined vinyl.

I'm going to write a science fiction novel in which someone goes back in time to kill Phil Collins just after the release of Wind and Wuthering. This creates a utopian future free of all the things Phil Collins has ruined.

[vmartell]

Have always loved the vinyl experience, sadly absent in the cd/digital age. Nothing more exciting then thumbing through the racks, seeing a cool cover, pulling the album, flipping it over for the credits, buying, bringing it home.....I've continued playing and buying vinyl straight through.
The argument about which is better, digital or analogue, if an $8000 Macintosh turntable really DOES sound better than my Denon...well, it boils down to how good your ears are?! With the state of mine, would I really know the difference? Probably not.
But its still fun! And F.U.N. is what its all about!

Indeed ! I shared my gear in a previous post - no extravagant stuff - there are *CARTRIDGES* (let alone turntables) that cost orders of magnitude more than my whole system... I am not sure my ears would notice a difference with anything more expensive/better than I have

To come back to the main topic - Pink Floyd's "The Endless River", vinyl version was the most pre-ordered album of its year beating one direction and others... now, is this somehow helping the smaller (or smallest) bands? I do hope so - another example - read somewhere that for the Synth Pop band Chvrches, streaming and download revenues is negligible - two things make up the bulk of their income - biggest percentage, of course, live concerts and merchandise... next biggest? Vinyl sales...

v

[rcarlberg]

I'm pretty amazed at the sonic difference as well, as obviously there is no compression going on.

Not so fast, cowboy. LPs can still have compression, and lots of it. But the Loudness Wars were fought after the introduction of CDs, because CDs could ride the zero dB rail without distortion, unlike LPs. So your compressed-to-hell recordings are more likely to be CDs.

For me there isn't a "vinyl vs digital" debate. It's what I have access to at the time.

Exactly. It's all about the music.

[zumacraig]

I want CDs or download card AND the gatefold. Why hasn't this happened yet?

[zumacraig]

It depends on your perspective. If you're a vinyl aficionado, it's a "revival." If you favor digital, it's "overstated." As is usually the case, the truth probably lies somewhere in between.

Actually, current vinyl sales are are almost zero compared to the height in '79. Now they make up 14% of all music sales. Sales dwindling by huge numbers each year.

[zumacraig]

Not so fast, cowboy. LPs can still have compression, and lots of it. But the Loudness Wars were fought after the introduction of CDs, because CDs could ride the zero dB rail without distortion, unlike LPs. So your compressed-to-hell recordings are more likely to be CDs. Exactly. It's all about the music.

Loud won...especially with pro metal. Recent Dream Theater CDs are almost unlistenable. Now, if Steven Wilson mastered them...