The LP Dilemma

What to do with all the LPs?

It's part of being alive when we are, as the LPs ended and the the CD generation began. We grew up amassing tremendous collections of record albums, only to replace them with compact discs.

Mostly, the vinyl sits and takes up space. We rarely play them - at present, we don't even have our turntable set up, and even if we did, I'm not sure we would play them very often. But I can't get rid of them - where would they go? There are no more used record shops, no one collecting them, so they would likely end up in the garbage.

Gary and I (more Gary than me) were huge collectors of albums. He had a quite a stash when I met him. We have about 4 1/2 lineal feet of them. The issue is just where to put them. If we used them often, it would be worth having a book case or some sort of storage. But we don't, and while I want to keep them around, it's tough to dedicate so much space to items so seldom used.

Today, I unpacked them from the boxes where they've been sitting since July, taking up an entire corner of the family room (I needed the space for the Evergleam). I put them on the bottom shelf of our living room built-ins; it works for now, but it is not ideal.

Unpacking them was kind of fun - it took me back (way back) to music I was into oh, so many years ago - Game Theory, Let's Active, my Squeeze collection. And I learned a little bit - I did not know we (Gary) have a copy of Best of the Doobies.

For now, the records are put away. But the problem isn't really solved. I need a real solution. I'll be measuring bookcases, or talking my husband into dusting off his table saw.

While I hum, "Takin' it to the streets..."