Metallica after a seventy (OK, eight) year hiatus has a new album coming out on Friday. They've released three songs from the album and I'm pleased by what I hear- a little bit of punk, a lot of the Metallica sound. It is literally music to my ears. It is nice to hear everyone on social media talking about the same things they've been discussing for 25 years now again- "Oh, they sold out with the Black Album". "It's OK, but it's no <insert one of the three first album names here>; I've missed the drivel.
I've owned literally thousands of albums in my life across multiple media. When I sold my CD collection last year I believe it numbered around 850 discs. As I've mentioned a few times, I have around 400 records sitting behind me as I type this right now. What is
There are four Metallica albums that are the exception to that last statement. I wonder if it is because, well, they've become events since they happen rather infrequently?
I remember going to Target and buying ...And Justice For All on vinyl for a friend's birthday. Before I saw him to give it to him, his parents bought it for him on cassette. Instead of returning it, I opened that sucker and put it on, reading the liner notes word for word over and over. I still have that album that I bought back in '87 or '88.
That same friend got paid shortly after The Black Album came out and we drove to the mall to go to Musicland so he could buy a copy. The display was a wall of black, and that cover just looked so intriguing. I sheepishly asked my flush with cash buddy if he'd buy me a copy and I'd pay him back and he didn't hesitate to ring one up for me. Looking back, I'm hoping I actually did get him back on that one...if not, sorry Rob. We basically ran to his car, ripped the tape open and threw it in. Quick squirrel moment- I heard Enter Sandman the other day and I totally don't remember it sounding as good as it did. If I could go back in time, I'd save all my money for good speakers. My 16 year old self would thank me for it I think.
When Death Magnetic came out, I left work at 9:45 so I could be at Best Buy at 10. I was pissed because I worked so close that I could only listen to the first song and a half before I got back and had to go to a meeting.
When I got really into vinyl, I searched for an original pressing of Kill 'em All. If not original, it had to be one of the first runs. It's easy to tell this because the old ones have Am I Evil? on them whereas the new ones do not. I found one on eBay that was in pristine condition, was one of the original pressings, and was being heavily bid upon. My wife and I stayed up until like 1 AM on a Tuesday waiting until the last seconds to bid on it- she could have cared less about the album but got caught up in the bidding excitement. With like 2 seconds left, I doubled down at $75.00 and won the auction. It was as cool as it was purported to be when I got it, but I am scared to play it. It is instead framed on my wall here in my office. I need to get a second copy some day.
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| Some ring wear on the cover, but the vinyl itself is just beautiful |
Fast forward to today. And now I have a dilemma.
What exactly do I buy on Friday? (And when exactly did new music day change from Tuesday to Friday? Damn kids! Get off my lawn!...) There are choices here, people.
Digital download- the here and now of music distribution. Its fast, its easy, my fat ass doesn't have to get up from my chair. It is portable; I can listen to it anywhere. It is what all the hip and cool cats are doing. It sounds good, and with a good set of headphones can sound excellent.
It is also cold, mechanic, dull. There is nothing to touch, to smell, to feel. It is bits and bytes 1s and 0s. This is a big deal to me. I love reading the liner notes, looking at the pictures, peeling the plastic off of an album.
Vinyl- Also known as the Once and Future King. The media of choice for decades, it was sullied and decried for the 90s and the first half of the 00's, but now has made a slow and steady comeback. It sounds better if you have the system for it, worse if you don't. You can touch it, feel it, smell the paper that the inserts are printed on.
It also means that I can listen to it on a record player. Or a different record player. It is big and bulky. And if I'm going to go vinyl, well, of course I have to go with the deluxe colored vinyl, which means an album I can get for like ten bucks is gonna cost me more like sixty.
CD- I don't know why, but I am more surprised that they continue to make CDs than I am that they make vinyl. To me, a CD is the true retro choice. Like vinyl, you can enjoy the tactile sensations of opening the package. Like digital, you get compressed digitized sound that is excellent. You can download it to your computer and create MP3's, providing portability...wait a minute...do I have a computer with a CD-Rom drive anymore....? Oh, yep I have an old laptop that has one...so yeah, I can download it and have a digital copy.
It also means that I'd buy a CD. A CD! In 2016. The kid at Best Buy will barely be able to stifle his condescending chuckle as he checks me out.
These are the thoughts that have been playing in the back of my head since Monday. I think about a time in the early to mid-90's when I'd have to decide whether what I was buying was "CD-worthy". Tapes at the time went for about $10, and CDs for about $15. So to spend the extra $5 basically was the equivalent of buying half of another tape. This meant that each purchase had to be judged for its worth. Was the album really worth the extra scratch? It's about the same today. A digital download will run me about $10 and vinyl will run $20-$60. So, the question becomes is the new Metallica album "touch worthy"?
I'll fret over this for another couple of days but I suspect the answer is a resounding Fuck Yeah. Especially because I just saw that the vinyl comes with a free digital download. Sold, and arguably I've sold out.
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