I really miss the record store. Whenever my parents went shopping at the mall, I always hung out there- I was even known to loiter around the record section at the library. It was a genuinely pleasurable experience - those too young to remember it and came on board around the cassette tape era or the CD age, may not be able to appreciate it. What made it so damn special, you ask? I'll tell you...
1. The Album Covers
I could stare all day at some of those covers. I remember lingering over the cool covers like the 1978 Frazetta Molly Hatchet cover or the titilating ones like Honey by the Ohio Players. It was a room full of eye candy and I could have looked all day long.
2. The Treasure Hunt
Now when you buy a CD or purchase an iTune, you're just another schmuck who got a particular song. I'm happy that you got a song you liked, but who really effing cares? On the other hand, when you bought an album, you had a trophy of sorts - something to brag to friends about, something to pore over. Something that couldn't just be copied. And as you searched through the records, there was always the possibility of finding a hidden gem.... ever heard Junior Parker's version of The Beatles "Tomorrow Never Knows"? It's on this killer LP that I found buried in the "P" stack, just waiting for my 9 year old hands to get a hold of it.
3. The PlaceAnyone who remembers going to the video arcade can attest to the fact that it was just as much about the hangout as it was the games. The cast of characters at these places was a melting pot of 70's youth.... the cool dude that rolled up in a muscle car to purchase the new Foghat album, the glassy eyed stoners there to buy a Blue Oyster Cult LP, or the high school girl with the Rod Stewart album.
Needless to say, sitting on my ass alone downloading an mp3 just isn't the same. (sigh)
