Editorials

The Simple Pleasures of a Record Player

27 September 2020

By Lauren E. White

Once upon a time, a record player was as common as a Spotify Premium subscription. Everyone had one because that’s how you got to listen to your music. Once upon a time, you also paid about £3 for an album on vinyl. And that leads me to what I’m here to talk about: the simple pleasures of a record player.

I love my music – especially ’70s and ’80s – and for my birthday this year, my best mate bought me a record player. I can categorically say that this gift changed my life for the better. Record players are the coolest things ever – and the simple pleasures they bring when using them are unrivalled when streaming music from your phone.

The biggest pleasure from a record player is the fact that you have to take care of everything yourself. It’s not as simple as just pressing play. You have to take your vinyl record out of the sleeve, gently place it onto the turntable and lower the arm every time you want to change the music, or whenever your record’s finished playing. This action, which may seem monotonous to some, is one of the most enjoyable things I do in my spare time. It may sound sad, but when you need to relax and take your mind off of things, taking care of your records and focussing on your music is the perfect mix of being occupied and also having nothing at all to do.

Another pleasure of the record player is actuall buying the records. At first, I just presumed I would have to ask for them for birthdays and Christmases having looked at the prices on Amazon. I then raided my parents’ old collection and got some decent ones from the ’80s. After this things changed. I went on Depop and saw hundreds upon hundreds of old records for sale. Then I spent more money than I care to admit.

Vintage first pressings are up for sale online – and you can literally get them for £10-15. My collection is now something I am proud of: from Bruce Springsteen to Michael Jackson to ABBA to Elton John to Queen, Sam Fender, Whitney Houston and so many more.

So, yes, the record player. An ultimate must-have if you struggle relaxing, or are really into your music. The simple pleasures are enough to cure the strangest of dispositions.

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