I have thought of so many ways to start this post. So I am just gonna type this and see how it goes.
For me, this record player is not the one I had as a child. Nope, my record player was the big, long, brown console and permanent piece of furniture in the FAMILY room. The middle would open and depending on the season, the top ends above the speakers would be decorated with pumpkins, Santas, Easter Eggs, or a couple of plants. Luckily when you opened the middle section, the top would stay up but over the years, one had to use ones head or shoulder to hold the top while one put the vinyl on the turn table. One must be very talented to do so. Inside was the player and the radio and the slot with velvet to hold the vinyls. Vinyls-my boys didn't know what a vinyl was til this summer. And boy did they get a good chuckle reading all the song titles on them.
I can remember how I would save my allowance and when the family made the trip to TOWN (Wahpeton), I couldn't wait til the last stop at Pamida. I was just so giddy and made a mad dash to the music department. I would scan the TOP 10 chart and my palms would sweat hoping my favorite song at the time was on that list. I would then purchase my new 45 and beam from ear to ear.
The ride back to rural America seemed to last a decade but once the car or pickup was unloaded and groceries put away in record speed, I would open the console of the FAMILY room player, put the 45 adapter on the middle peg thing of the turn table, carefully slide the 45 out of the paper sleeve and gently set the 45 on the rubber turn table. Then I would press the silver switch to "ON" and watch the robotic like arm pop up out of its resting place and swing to the right and then swing to the left and drop slowly onto the vinyl. The speakers would sound with scratching noises and then the rockin tune would start to play. HEAVENLY!!! I would sit with my ear to the console speaker and close my eyes and get lost in the song. Then I would repeat and repeat and repeat the song over and over.
I didn't just have 45s. I also had the BIG vinyls. The Carpenter's and Grease were my favorite BIG albums. Record players weren't portable like IPODs back then. So I would take my handheld tape recorder and hold it to the speaker and record my vinyls. Playback wasn't crystal clear and the ring of the telephone or the door shutting could be heard at times but at least I was mobile.
My brother and I got a kick out of Mom yelling, "It's skippin!!" as she played her BIG vinyls while she did bookwork at the desk and he and I would race to the FAMILY room and jump in front of the console til the vibration of us jumping would jump the needle and the music would continue on. Good times!!!
My boys chuckle when they play the 45s but also now know what a vinyl is and what a record player does. Technology has come a long way baby!!! But it is nice to go back and remember and now play with the entertainment that I grew up with and remember the oldies but the goodies.
What speed?
Can you see the needle?
Can you read the artist and song title?
Yip-hahah-a classic!!!
Remember these sleeves?
