Celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first commercial LP with this
authoritative, highly illustrated, and multi-faceted look at the history
and culture of vinyl record collecting and turntables.
Vinyl records continue to be hot commodities among everyone from
obsessive audiophiles to newbie collectors getting their toes wet. In
the Groove: The Vinyl Record and Turntable Revolution is the book for
both--and everyone in between. Published to mark the 75th year since the
introduction of the commercial LP, In the Groove is written by a
roster of well-known music journalists, vinyl junkies, and
stereophiles teaming up to present a gorgeous tribute to the vinyl LP
and the culture it has spawned:
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Richie Unterberger explores the history of the 33 1/3 LP, including
its predecessor, the 78rpm record, the first commercial LPs, the
pressing process, stereo vs. mono, and formats like the 7-inch/45rpm
record.
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Gillian Gaar tackles those temples to the turntable: record stores.
Inside, she examines the history of LP merchandising everywhere from
department stores to headshops, Record Store Day, the artist in-store
appearance, and swap meets and record shows.
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Martin Popoff pens a paean to the physical object itself, discussing
the advent of the sleeve, the great LP covers, famous sleeve
designers, liner notes and packaging, colored vinyl, and more.
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Matt Anniss looks at the collecting hobby and topics like obsessive
collectors, what makes a great listening space, playing and caring for
vinyl, collecting and vinyl in DJ and hip-hop cultures, and the
mixtape phenomenon.
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Ken Micallef, a top hifi journalist, has the gearheads covered with
explanations of turntables from portables to audiophile-quality units,
the workings and parts of a turntable from motors and tonearms to
plinths and cartridges, and the components of a system.
In the Groove is illustrated throughout with images of gear,
listening spaces, record stores, sleeve art, and celebrities and
musicians enjoying the vinyl hobby through the decades. Brief,
entertaining sidebars cover topics like famous labels from Stax to
Sub Pop, famous EPs, well-known record stores, milestone LP
covers, a beginner's guide to grading, and formats that have
challenged the supremacy of the LP, including 8-track, reel-to-reel, and
cassette.
Feel the groove with this effervescent ode to vinyl.
