The Case for the CD
So, we’re huge vinyl enthusiasts here at The Sunken foal, but there’s a medium of music distribution that for us still holds huge weight and validity - that is our trusty friend the Compact Disc.
Rolling Stone recently reported that for the first time since 1986 vinyl is set to outsell CDs.
While we are seeing this welcome resurgence of vinyl once again (which is a beautiful thing) there has got to be some recognition of the value that CDs still hold for music lovers. These are our reasons why there is still a case for the CD.
Resilience
I mean , they ain't exactly perfect and are prone to a similar level of damage as our good old buddies on wax - but oh boy, these babies keep for years. They can survive a multitude of abuses that vinyl just couldn’t. You can easily clean them up, leave them in sunlight and they will still be there, like your trusty hound.
They tell a story on one side
One of our favourite things about the CD is the continuous journey they take you on. There is no break in the narrative of a CD album, you just press play and enjoy the entire ride. Unlike vinyl or cassettes there is no “please turn me over” (all ELO fans will get this reference).
Easter Eggs
One of my favourite things about CDs is the occasional hidden gem, not disclosed on the CD inlay cover. One of our favourites is the gem of a tune called Diskobox on Beck’s Odelay - it’s a track on the end of the CD that you can’t select, and it’s tucked on the end of a minute long silenced countdown at the the purported end of the disc - just gave the game away but if you haven’t heard the album since its inception, you’re behind by about 23 years!
High quality music
So while our CDs may not be graced with rich and beautiful analogue sound that we find in our trusty vinyl, its guaranteed that they will sound far better than your MP3s.
Oh boy, your collection!
Very much like your vinyl collection, your CD collection heralds a brilliant timeline of your musical tastes. I recently spent some time unboxing my CD collection and rediscovering some old gems of tunes, that I forgot I owned. There is a still a sense of nostalgia hoiking through those old CDs - one of my fondest memories was getting a new CD player stereo in my first car, a black Rover 214 and hammering Hip Hop Don’t Stop The Greatest (Mixed by Prime Cuts), it was the compilation that made me love hip hop - it was such a pleasure to find it hidden in a dusty box a few weeks ago - still played like a dream on the Technic stack system!
So, please - I urge you if you have a few spare hours on a Saturday afternoon go and dog out your old CD collection, I promise you it won’t disappoint.
Big Love - Elle B
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