MARVIN GAYE - TOO BUSY THINKING ABOUT MY BABY

There's something about the sound of a record. Maybe even more so about a 45 RPM record.

It's a nostalgia thing by now, I suppose.

We listened to these songs on records, both 45 and 33 1/3 RPM; we listened to them in cars; we listened to them on table radios, or even console radios; we listened to them on juke boxes. All of those sources had a different sound. How did they mix them to sound good on all of those different devices? Did they concentrate on the table radio sound? Good question.

Now we listen on CD, and that media has its own character as well. Better? Worse? There's a lot of disagreement.

I'm guessing that the best sound to be had is a 33 1/3 RPM vinyl record played through a good tube amplifier. Pure analog heaven; miles and miles of headroom and natural reverb. If I ever win the lottery, maybe I'll buy a rig. And a house in the countryside so I can play it loud.