Tag: vinyl record

A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record (in American English), vinyl record (manufactured from polyvinyl chloride, the material which eventually replaced Shellac from around 1950), or colloquially, “a record”, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts near the periphery and ends near the center of the disc. Phonograph records are generally described by their diameter in inches (12-inch, 10-inch, 7-inch, etc.), the rotational speed at which they are played (“331⁄3 rpm”, “78”, “45”, etc.), their time capacity (“long playing” or “single”), their reproductive accuracy, or “fidelity” (“high fidelity”, “orthophonic”, “full-range”, etc.), and the number of channels of audio provided (“mono”, “stereo”, “quadraphonic”, etc.).

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Cardboard record player

GGRP Sound resurrects the folding cardboard phonograph

Image of cardboard record player made by GGRP Sound

Sure, it’s nothing new. Folks who grew up in the 70s have probably seen something of the sort. For the younger bucks, though, this thing is absolutely fresh: a cardboard 45rpm record sleeve that can actually play vinyl. Like magic.

While audio engineering company GGRP Sound obviously can’t claim responsibility for the clever creation, their decision to resurrect it for a marketing material (they sent it to creative directors across North America) is definitely awesome. Even though you’re likely to only play it for the novelty of doing so, it could make for a meaty few minutes of absolute fun.

The Folding Cardboard Phonograph is a sleeve made from corrugated cardboard that houses a complimentary 45rpm record pressed by GGRP. More than a humble sleeve, however, it details instructions on how to use the packaging to play the included record. Once assembled, you can put the record through the attached needle and spin it using a pencil (or any pointed object) punched through a preset hole. The sound vibrations are amplified through the cardboard material.

Just like a real record player, you can spin it slower or faster to alter the resulting tune, perhaps even scratching it for a slightly modern twist. The video below should give you a clearer idea of how it can be played.

Courtesy CoolThings.com

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South Florida mourns loss of Johnny Salton, guitar legend

Johnny Salton R.I.P.On October 18, rock ‘n’ roll guitar god, Johnny Salton, joined Jimi, Janis and John Bonham in rock ‘n’ roll heaven, succumbing to cancer. Salton began his career playing bass of all things (one scribe commented that his band the Reactions had so many talented string players they could afford Salton on bass). His big break came with Charlie Pickett’s band, eventually touring the USA. Salton’s wicked slide guitar graced a number of Charlie’s albums, and in 1985 when Charlie turned off his amp to pursue a career in law, Salton formed Psycho Daisies with some of Charlie’s guys. Salton’s main inspiration came from Paisley Underground bands such as Jeffrey Lee Pierce’s Gun Club and The Dream Syndicate.

I had the honor of playing drums in Psycho Daisies behind Salton in the early-2000s, even recording a CD, “Snowflakes Falling On The International Dateline.” Neither Johnny nor Charlie are household names today, but they sure deserve to be. Luckily, we still have the albums to remember him by.

Read the obituary.

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R.I.V. (Rest in vinyl)

And VinylyRather than having your ashes hidden away in a jar in the cupboard, why not have them pressed into the grooves of a vinyl LP? That’s precisely what UK company And Vinyly is offering. Who wouldn’t want a custom vinyl recording of their own voice, their favorite tunes or their last will and testament? I can’t think of anyone. Perhaps my wife wouldn’t.

The company was founded by techno musician Jason Leach, influenced by two events. After his mother was hired by a funeral parlor in England, he viewed an American tv program where someone launched fireworks filled with their beloved’s ashes.

But how to get the ashes in the record? The process involves sprinkling ashes onto the raw piece of vinyl (known as a “biscuit”) before it is pressed by metal plates. The basic package costs £2,000 (today about US $3,100) and includes standard artwork—a black sleeve with the legend, “Rest In Vinyl,” with the deceased’s name and birth-death dates, as in the image above—and up to 30 ash-flecked discs with whatever sounds you choose, lasting a maximum of 24 minutes. Leach’s company offers premium services such as custom sleeve artwork, a portrait painted by UK National Portrait Gallery artist James Hague, using your ashes mixed into the paint, and custom songwriting by Leach himself (called “Bespook Music”).

The hardest part is choosing the audio for your LP. Leach says: “It’s difficult to think of what to put on your record because you want it to be the best album you can imagine.”