The Truth About Vinyl Records

[Sal1950]

I remember when “selfie” first made it into use.

I thought it was a sexual reference.

 

[Axo1989]

Me too. But we will all be calling them that in ten years. American English goes to the lowest common denominator. I remember when “selfie” first made it into use. I hated it. It’s a self portrait. As a photographer it drives me nuts. Less now though. Of course “movie” is also abhorent. Why not just say we’re going to the “talkie”? I think I need to go listen to some spinnies to calm down.

Haha, it’s almost Orwellian. I was going to make a joke about the US as a source of semantic corruption but held off. I remember laughing out loud when a friend first said ’gifted’ instead of give or gave. They insisted they’d always said that.

*selfie always makes me think of selkies

 

[Robin L]

Me too. But we will all be calling them that in ten years. American English goes to the lowest common denominator. I remember when “selfie” first made it into use. I hated it. It’s a self portrait. As a photographer it drives me nuts. Less now though. Of course “movie” is also abhorent. Why not just say we’re going to the “talkie”? I think I need to go listen to some spinnies to calm down.

That's the lovely thing about the Long Playing vinyl records developed by Peter Goldmark of Columbia records in the late 1940s - they are an endless source of arguments:

 

[Justdafactsmaam]

Oxford Dictionary,

RECORD
"a thing constituting a piece of evidence about the past, especially an account kept in writing or some other permanent form."

Well that settles it.

 

[Axo1989]

Well that settles it.

Vinyl records can’t be evidence. They are lies, all lies.

 

[Robin L]

Vinyl records can’t be evidence. They are lies, all lies.

A fabrication of highly and selectively edited materials, usually distorted beyond all recognition.

 

[MattHooper]

I sincerely doubt that the linguistically abhorrent term "vinyls" appeared prior to the 21st century. I blame it on the kids.

“Vinyls.”

I’m not saying it’s a good reason for bringing back firing squads but…

(Maybe time spent in wooden stocks in the middle of the town square? Pleading forgiveness?)

 

[HammersRocco]

Me too. But we will all be calling them that in ten years. American English goes to the lowest common denominator. I remember when “selfie” first made it into use. I hated it. It’s a self portrait. As a photographer it drives me nuts. Less now though. Of course “movie” is also abhorent. Why not just say we’re going to the “talkie”? I think I need to go listen to some spinnies to calm down.

Personally and IMHO, "selfie" doesn't bother me as much except for the fact that well, now people call ALL mobile phone taken photographs "selfies"- that bothers me - Not the only one though; check the John Oliver riff on it!

 

[Sal1950]

Personally and IMHO, "selfie" doesn't bother me as much except for the fact that well, now people call ALL mobile phone taken photographs "selfies"- that bothers me - Not the only one though; check the John Oliver riff on it!

Like the fact that with everyone having a "smart phone" now, no one owns a proper computer or camera any more either.
So they can only accomplish those tasks in a half ass'd manner.

 

[egellings]

Like the fact that with everyone having a "smart phone" now, no one owns a proper computer or camera any more either.
So they can only accomplish those tasks in a half ass'd manner.

For most people, though, that level of assolocity (pronounced like the word 'velocity') is adequate for most purposes.

 

[Newman]

I only remember myself and everyone I knew calling them records.

That, and 'singles'.

 

[Newman]

I sincerely doubt that the linguistically abhorrent term "vinyls" appeared prior to the 21st century. I blame it on the kids.

Yeah, our parents blamed a lot on us when we were kids too. At least we grew up and didn't repeat their behaviours.

 

[Newman]

“Vinyls.”

I’m not saying it’s a good reason for bringing back firing squads but…

The UK-based Hi-Fi News and Record Review magazine, in its Contents page, names one of the sections VINYL AND RECORD REVIEWS. Parse that!

It seems that their term Record Reviews refers specifically to non-vinyl recordings.

Speaking of pedantry, in that section we see Ken Kessler berating one of the labels for not hyphenating the word hi-fi on a record cover. Oh wait, it was a vinyl cover (as per their terms).

 

[Haskil]

I only remember myself and everyone I knew calling them records.

Besides, we never talked about vinyl records before the end of the 1980s...

Since 1977, I have been a record reviewer for various magazines and newspapers and I have never been a vinyl reviewer... neither me nor my colleagues

 

[Haskil]

There are so many names for them, that trying to be pedantic just looks….pedantic!

Sometimes they were called 33rpm records, sometimes LP records, sometimes microgroove records, and indeed, they were referred to as vinyl records, being an important differentiator from their immediate predecessor, the shellac record.

Vinyl, as a short form for vinyl records, is no less appropriate than LP as a short form for LP records. Hypocrisy?

They even got popularly referred to as albums, despite being typically a single disc, and the word album being specifically intended for packaged bundles of multiple shellac records to cover longer works or compilations. Like a photo album.

So why aren’t people being skewered for calling them albums? That’s actually, by definition, wrong.

In France, in any case, we never called a microgroove record a vinyl before the end of the 1980s when this term appeared... when we were bombarded with the "return of vinyl still used by DJs, in addition, we could possibly have said PVC, but not vinyl because the 33 and 45 rpm records are not made of vinyl, but of PVC loaded with carbon powder... PVC being the abbreviation of polyvinyl chloride... like LP that of Long Playing... and Vinyl alone is the abbreviation of nothing at all.

The term Album was used for LPs with an opening cover, very present in France, and much less in the United States and Great Britain for example.

For multiple LPs (for an opera for example or a complete), we called a box set of records.

I made my pedant doubled with a leather...

 

[Justdafactsmaam]

What we really should be calling them is SIRAAMOTs. Superior Infinite Resolution All Analog Messengers Of Truth. Siraamot is such a catchy new word too.

 

[Newman]

Black Frisbees gained traction in the 90s….

 

[MattHooper]

Black Frisbees gained traction in the 90s….

Did you ever try throwing records as frisbees?

We did that a few times as kids. my God, did they ever fly far. It was astonishing. Like an aerobie before those were invented.
The flying records were dangerous as hell, you didn’t want to find yourself in the path of one of those!

 

[antcollinet]

I only remember myself and everyone I knew calling them records.

LP was common "in ma yoof"

Album was also common - but I think that equally applies to CD

"Did you get the album on CD or LP?"

 

[MattHooper]

LP was common "in ma yoof"

Album was also common - but I think that equally applies to CD

"Did you get the album on CD or LP?"

Yes. I just went through a bunch of old 70s record commercials on YouTube and just referring to them as “albums“ was very common. Or LP. And “ sold at your local record store.”