by DJ Readie Righteous

Photo via shemthepen.files.wordpress.com

Vinyl-ization though the ages. I remember as if in a dream, the Victrola phonograph with the gigantic floral-like horn my great-aunt owned and stored in her attic, and the 78 rpm records she would play for us- the cranking, the whirring- the superbly intoxicating swishing and swirling of those scratchy orchestral sounds. I vividly recall my grandfather’s cabinet-victrola, which I found in his attic, and the heavy, black platters with the bright black, blue and red labels. I coerced my brother and sister into the attic for seemingly endless and frighteningly frequent interpretive dancing sessions, listening to 78 rpm recordings of Johann Strauss’s waltzes–Blue Danube and Tales from the Vienna Woods.

Years later I can remember listening to the parental 45 rpm singles and 33 and 1/3 albums of Peter, Paul and Mary, Kingston Trio, Bob Dylan and other folk delights on my own little red and white record player. And then…the first stereo with two removable speakers between which I lay my head to get the full immersive effect in my ears and the shortest distance into my brain (the ultimate “head” phones).

But placing the tonearm on a vinyl record — the very first LP I ever owned, was crazy magic… hearing that little bump and tiny scratch as the needle rode into the first groove… the anticipation for the music to start-that crazy feedback sound of my favorite track on the Beatles 65 album: I Feel Fine. And now I could listen to that track anytime of day, not only when my favorite DJ would play it on the radio, and any other track, for that matter- all the songs the radio didn’t play, by my favorite band.

Fast forward and my dream of BEING that DJ is fulfilled. And I learned how to cue a vinyl record for airplay, that same tiny bump and scratch, the re-winding at first note, and the quarter-turn backwards. So that’s how it’s done! A seamless set-up so you, the listener on the other side of the radio speakers or web-stream, can hear that music, that warm, full, uncondensed, un-compressed, sensual experience of vinyl-ization.

And now you can experience all that. Starting 7 pm Sunday Feb. 21, and until Sunday Feb. 28. WPRB’s ALL VINYL WEEK. Live DJ’s playing all vinyl, all the time, all genres, all freeform, vinyl for real, straight from the heart, live, live, live. Radio as it was meant to be…all for you. Feel the warmth- WPRB 103.3 FM terrestrially and at www.wprb.com.