I’m from the old school, my Dad was a fanatical collector and subsequently, I am now bordering on the obsessive. I grew up with records, yes, records, not vinyl. From a young age, I was force-fed more music than the average child of the 80s. I was raised to appreciate the format that is now universally known as vinyl, the feel, the smell, the stories, the unique by-product sounds and so on.

At first, the discs were commonly made from shellac; starting in the 1940s polyvinyl chloride became common. In recent decades, records have sometimes been called vinyl records, or simply vinyl or even vinyls. The phonograph discrecord was the primary medium used for music reproduction throughout the 20th century.

Phonograph record – Wikipedia

When the format first faced extinction as we moved into the new millennium they were almost always referred to as records. As the die-hard record enthusiasts were left gasping for air along came the hipster brigade equipped will style (oxygen masks) and a mission to revive all things ‘retro’. As much as most of the old school vinyl record purveyors shuddered at the new school trendy brigade infiltrating their precious musical bubble (me included), we actually own these guys a debt of gratitude.

So, records or vinyl? The new wave seems to sit in the ‘vinyl’ camp, whereas the old guys are stubbornly still clinging onto (what I believe to be the correct terminology) ‘records’. I find myself using ‘vinyl’ in conversation in fear of the kids not actually knowing what a record is, also to make me look cool. I am usually wrong on both counts! I did, however, find myself being tipped over the edge recently in Facebook (other time wasting, energy zapping so-called social media apps are available) land commenting on a guy’s post regarding his “vinyl collection”. I had to draw the line and comment “record collection you mean?” I have to say I was somewhat surprised to have my comment unanimously met with a raft of thumbs up and agreeable replies. Maybe the old school isn’t in the minority after all.

Have your say below. It doesn’t really matter but something to have a good rant about eh!