Pink Floyd, Radiohead, The Eagles -- classics make a real comeback in India in long playing record format. Does the digital generation care for analog, asks Lalitha Suhasini. Norah Jones says yes
Pink Floyd, Radiohead, The Eagles -- classics make a real comeback in India in long playing record format. Does the digital generation care for analog, asks Lalitha Suhasini. Norah Jones says yes
WHEN smoky-voiced Norah Jones decided to do a musical headstand of sorts, combining jazz and electronica for the first time in her 2009 album The Fall, she was also sold on the idea of releasing the album on analog. On an LP, she wanted the works -- a double gatefold cover and a spectacular poster. Also sharing shelf space is The Pink Floyd Dark Side LP release which includes three posters. And the biggie that will rouse Michael Jackson fans across the country -- The Thriller 25th anniversary edition -- a double vinyl set, also set to release this year.
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HOT PRESS: Radiohead, Pink Floyd, The Beatles and Norah Jones on vinyl in India. Illustration/ sameer pawar
Let's get physical
Physical sales of albums have been on a slump globally through the past decade. "Internationally, LP is the only format that has shown an increase in sales," says Anand Srinivasan, senior manager, international labels. A New York Times article dated January 6, 2010 reports that 2.5 million albums were sold on vinyl in the United States in 2009, a 33 per cent jump from 2008. While the numbers in vinyl sales may still amount to less than one per cent of total album sales, Indian record labels are convinced enough to attempt a revival. 
EMI Virgin has released over 125 titles on 33 1/3 rpm and 45 rpm priced between Rs 495 and Rs 7,995 since October 2009, kicking off with albums such as Eric Clapton & BB King's Riding With The King, and classics like The Eagles' Hotel California, The Doors' L A Woman and Morrison Hotel. The label has sold only about 1,000 units till date. The just-opened swanky Landmark bookstore at luxury shopping destination Palladium in Lower Parel has ordered about 300 albums that will hit the store next week. Says Madhu M, head buying and merchandising at Landmark, "We expect a good response since a lot of audiophiles are keen to rediscover the crisp, clear sound of the vinyl. We are working on reaching out to a few clubs and communities of LP lovers."
Hype or for real?
Who wants to junk music that is available for free at a click, for an LP that costs a couple of thousands and pop another Rs 20,000 for a player? Madhu M answers, "Largely, it seems to be working men between 35 to 50 years who would. A lot of them seem to be thosewho have grown up listening to LPs."
The charm of cranking up a gramophone player may be lost on a plush LP player, but the demand has shot up.
Denon, an affordable Japanese brand of LP players (Rs 9,900 onwards) launched six months ago, and is doing good sales. "We've sold about 25 players in the last four months," says Jignesh Patel, proprietor of The Shop, an audio-visual equipment store in suburban Mumbai. Hi-end turntables from brands like NAD (Rs 35,000 onwards) have also seen a marginal rise in sales. Says Priyesh Patel of South Mumbai-based Lakozy, "I've just placed an order for five LP players. We used to sell only as many as one in six months until last year." What's the big draw? "For a true audiophile, an LP recording feels like the experience of listening to someone live right there in front of you rather than hearing it on speakers -- it's the true, uncoloured sound," explains Lakozy's Patel, who plans to open a store in Delhi shortly, and says that the capital has a good market for LP players.
Atul Churamani, vice president, Saregama, a label with the largest archive of Hindi film and Indian classical music in the country, says, "The LP offers a more holistic sound. When you change the texture, mixes and balances for a CD recording, the entire sound changes. The tones of every instrument change. LP releases are on our radar as well."
Only for superfans
Mumbai-based musicologist and LP enthusiast Kushal Gopalka, who has a collection of 5,000 film and classical music LPs and 20 LP players, dismisses the 'revival' as a fad. "For us, it is a big rush of adrenalin associated with youth, and our heroes like Pancham (music director RD Burman) and Pankaj Mullick. Of course, records have been a part of our culture and upbringing. I know those who thrive on clicks and crackles will get all gooey-eared when they listen to LPs, and feel the warmth that's lost on CDs, but I don't subscribe to that. It's a novelty factor for the youngsters."
Agrees jazz critic Sunil Sampat, who organises jazz workshops across Mumbai's colleges. "When I speak to groups in colleges, I can sense that youngsters are really interested. The only problem is that at Rs 650 an LP, it's very expensive. But if you believe in trend cycles, LPs will be big for record companies. You can't burn an LP."
Sampat, who owns a collection of 9,000 LPs and eight turntables says the listening experience can't get more personal than on an LP. "Musicians have listened to LPs with me and they tell me that this is how music sounds to them when they perform live."
The vinyl is in vogue again.
We prefer the sound of vinyl and played on vinyl until 2001. It's a deeper, warmer sound where the bass sounds better, but since we travel around the world for shows, portability became a problem. I still listen to a lot of my music at home on vinyl. Recently, I bought Radiohead's In Rainbows and Coldplay's Viva La Vida on LP. We used to pick up most of our vinyls from a shop called Amoeba in the US. Now, we mostly order them off Amazon.com."
Tapan Raj, Delhi-based Midival Punditz
"I am sure only the older generation will want to buy LPs today. Everybody is downloading music now so I'm not sure if the younger lot wants or even knows what an LP sounds like. Vinyls aren't easily available in India, but I like analog so I might buy some LPs."
Tony Das, Kerala-based alternative rock band Avial
The handbook
Know your LP
78 rpm
Musicologist Kushal Gopalka says, "78u00a0rpm had limited frequency and were made on Shellac (or resin) records. They had a good, thick bass sound. The sound was sweeter and more dated. It wasn't a stereophonic sound. The grooves on the record were thicker."u00a0
33 1/3 rpm
"These records had a higher treble sound. The sound is therefore thinner."
45 rpm
Known as extended play records or EPs, 45u00a0rpm records were introduced in 1949 and discontinued by the mid Fifties.
Where to buy an LP
You can get a change of scene from dusty Chor Bazaar and the bylanes of Colaba since LPs will be made available at Rhythm House at Kala Ghoda, Landmark at Palladium mall in Lower Parel (left) soon. LPs launched by EMI Virgin are currently available in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin and Gurgaon and will soon be released in Pune and Kolkata. Pic/Sameer Markande 
TREND FORECAST
Analog richness on your iPod
Apple, it seems has an iTunes clone for every format. When LP sales showed signs of life, Apple decided to capitalise on the nostalgic rush and launched the iTunes LP in September 2009. Cut to enhance the tablet experience, the iTunes LP also known as Cocktail promised users the virtual deal -- large art and better sound similar to CMX format that was closer to the analog richness that an LP delivers. There's no buzz in India yet, but iTunes LP may just serve the needs of an audiophile who can't bear to be unplugged from his iPod.
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