The first record I ever owned had to be from the Jackson Five. Either "ABC," or "The Love You Save." Everything sounded better on a 45 or L.P. The scratches and pops, it was great!
I remember getting twenty dollars a month allowance (hey, back then, that was bank) and walking to J.M.Fields, which was the equivalent of K-Mart, and buying the latest albums.
Back then, we were inventive when it came to playing our defective records. Sometimes, the record would be cracked, so simply squeezing it back together so it was smooth again was all it took. Sometimes the record would skip, or the needle wasn't connecting right. Just tape a couple of pennies to the stylus (the arm that held the needle) and you were good to go! But there was no saving a warped 45 or L.P. Even placing the record between two heavy books could save it.
One was always excited when the album had the lyrics, no more fudging the words! When it came to cleaning my room, the most important thing was to alphabetize my albums. Nothing else mattered. Eight track tapes were cool because the entire album had to be good. Why? Because there was no rewind everything was play and fast-forward. If you missed your favorite song, you would have to walk around the block, or do some kind of chore until it played again. If the tape skipped, place a piece of paper in the slot so it would line up correctly in the player.
"Those were the days , my friend, we thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance, forever and a day.
We'd spend the night we'd choose, we thought we'd never lose,
Those were the days, oh yes, those were the days!"
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