Tracks Back on Wax

I took this photo in the Barnes and Noble bookstore at the Neshaminy Mall in April.  Although that display held the only vinly records I saw there, it was enough to show that vinyl is back, at least to me.  Sitting among the classic records from the 60s,70s and 80s was Adele’s record, seen in the bottom left.  Adele was born in 1988, so if she ever saw a vinyl record, it was probably in her parent’s collection, likely sitting in a closet attracting dust.  Also note that Dr. Dre’s The Chronic sits in that display bin as well.  That album dropped in 1993, several years after the last vinyl record was purchased at a mainstream record store.

This wasn’t entirely new to me, as I had been hearing about this revival for a while.  Vinyl had been creeping back onto radio, and in some cases never entirely went away.  But now there seem to be more and more segments devoted to vinly, as well as articles about increasing interest and sales wherever vinyl records could be found.  When I walked into the Barnes and Noble back in April, what I saw in this display bin confirmed what I was hearing and I made sure to snap this picture as photographic proof.

I don’t know if this will mean anything in the long run.  I don’t think that vinyl will replace the more technically advanced forms of recording that have long since taken over and made the vinyl record obsolete (with the exception of party djs and collectors).  But it has now found a niche, if not a permanent place.  Or at least that is what it seems like, unless this all turns out to be a fad.