Scan barcode
A review by aasplund
Vinyl Freak: Love Letters to a Dying Medium by John Corbett
3.0
And I thought I was a music freak.
John Corbett's Vinyl Freak: Love Letters to a Dying Medium is a collection of columns that Corbett wrote in the early 2000's about his vinyl collection and some of the strange records he had found over the years. Corbett also relates his history with records and some personal experiences he's had with them.
This book was both incredibly rewarding and incredibly difficult. Most of the book is full of Corbett's columns and his thoughts on various rare records. Most of the records were bizarre jazz recordings that Corbett was surprised by or confused by. It's a fun way to see how music has changed over time and to hear big names in the music industry. However, a lot of these records were unheard of and didn't hold any interest for me or ring any bells. Parts of the book dragged on as I read column after column of "Here's a cool jazz recording I found!" and then "Here's another cool jazz recording I found!" and "Here's a bunch of jazz musicians you've never heard of who appear on this cool recording!" I would have devoured these columns if I was given one each week, but all in a row, it was a bit overwhelming for me. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Corbett obviously knows what he's talking about and I feel like I learned quite a bit about vinyl collecting, jazz recordings, and music obsession from him.
Honestly, this book made me feel a strange mix of motivation and inadequacy. I consider myself something of a music snob - while I realize I have a lot of learning to do, I was always the friend who listened to "weird" and obscure music and who could be counted on to recommend interesting new sounds to those around me. Corbett's book opened a whole new world of music to me - and made me realize how limited online music streaming can be for the avid music fan. I learned this as I tried to look up several records Corbett mentioned on Google Play. They weren't there. If I was lucky, the artist in question would have a couple songs on Google Play. But most of the time, there was no record of the album and artist I was looking for and I'd be left to wonder how I would ever hear the interesting sounds that Corbett's writing made me crave. While my feelings of being a failure as a music snob hit in the beginning, they gradually subsided and I found myself feeling more excited by the idea that there's always new music to learn. Take John Corbett, who, after years of working in record shops and researching artists and searching out new music, is still finding new tunes. For me, this was a hopeful ending and I look forward to researching some of the recommended artists a bit more - especially Sun Ra.
I recommend this for music listeners and record collectors. I also recommend it to anyone with a deep knowledge of or interest in strange jazz records - you'll find plenty of music recommendations here.
John Corbett's Vinyl Freak: Love Letters to a Dying Medium is a collection of columns that Corbett wrote in the early 2000's about his vinyl collection and some of the strange records he had found over the years. Corbett also relates his history with records and some personal experiences he's had with them.
This book was both incredibly rewarding and incredibly difficult. Most of the book is full of Corbett's columns and his thoughts on various rare records. Most of the records were bizarre jazz recordings that Corbett was surprised by or confused by. It's a fun way to see how music has changed over time and to hear big names in the music industry. However, a lot of these records were unheard of and didn't hold any interest for me or ring any bells. Parts of the book dragged on as I read column after column of "Here's a cool jazz recording I found!" and then "Here's another cool jazz recording I found!" and "Here's a bunch of jazz musicians you've never heard of who appear on this cool recording!" I would have devoured these columns if I was given one each week, but all in a row, it was a bit overwhelming for me. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Corbett obviously knows what he's talking about and I feel like I learned quite a bit about vinyl collecting, jazz recordings, and music obsession from him.
Honestly, this book made me feel a strange mix of motivation and inadequacy. I consider myself something of a music snob - while I realize I have a lot of learning to do, I was always the friend who listened to "weird" and obscure music and who could be counted on to recommend interesting new sounds to those around me. Corbett's book opened a whole new world of music to me - and made me realize how limited online music streaming can be for the avid music fan. I learned this as I tried to look up several records Corbett mentioned on Google Play. They weren't there. If I was lucky, the artist in question would have a couple songs on Google Play. But most of the time, there was no record of the album and artist I was looking for and I'd be left to wonder how I would ever hear the interesting sounds that Corbett's writing made me crave. While my feelings of being a failure as a music snob hit in the beginning, they gradually subsided and I found myself feeling more excited by the idea that there's always new music to learn. Take John Corbett, who, after years of working in record shops and researching artists and searching out new music, is still finding new tunes. For me, this was a hopeful ending and I look forward to researching some of the recommended artists a bit more - especially Sun Ra.
I recommend this for music listeners and record collectors. I also recommend it to anyone with a deep knowledge of or interest in strange jazz records - you'll find plenty of music recommendations here.