It all moves so fast and with such urgency, then it is over. We only have so many meals, so many beers, so many dancing partners, and so many albums before we meet our maker. But for some reason our society is hell bent on speeding up the process. One symptom of that disease is the proliferation of all things digital. Digital culture has placed the paperback book in danger, made us communicate in 140 character bursts, and eliminated the experience of appreciating an album for many. But that is precisely why taking a step back and soaking in the moment is so essential. It is unhealthy for us to fly through life building plaque in our arteries. Still, we do it. Stay an extra hour at the office rather than get home to cook dinner. Curse at the person in front of us because we are late for a meeting and that sonofabitch can’t drive. Listen to half a track then skip to the next because we are bored thirty seconds in.
It wasn’t always this way. People once placed the needle on the record and let it play. No one raved about number five on Abbey Road. “Wouldn’t it be Nice” was not a destination, it was a part of a gorgeous whole- the kickoff to a masterpiece. You didn’t want to quit “Who’s Next” after track one. There was no track one. The album was the show. The medium news is that we are probably not going to return to an all vinyl world anytime soon. The good news is that this is America, so you can make that choice and have your musical needs fully sated the old fashioned way. And Jacksonville has a handful of options to meet those needs.
North Riverside
Jacksonville’s DJ’s Records on McDuff Avenue in North Riverside is a menagerie of hidden gems and dumpster juice- from “After the Gold Rush” and “Some Girls” to Deion Sanders and scratched up Salt N’ Pepa 45s. Stacks upon stacks of dusty records greet you with seemingly no rhyme or reason. Patience is a virtue at DJs. Only the diehard fan will find what she’s looking for; but it may be worth the effort. The aforementioned Neil Young classic fell into my hands at the end of a recent grazing session and I took the opportunity to get acquainted with Elvin Bishop and reunited with Joni Mitchell on the same day. DJ opened the place in the late 60s and has been open ever since- a testament to the longevity and universality of the medium. And true to the spirit of the slowing down and taking it back, DJ’s is a meeting place for the neighborhood with everyone being greeted as a best friend by the proprietor.
Downtown
Downtown has its own sweet spot with Budget Records. Attached to Burro Bags across from the tax collector’s office on Forsyth, Budget has a more organized collection than DJ’s, with used records segregated by genre and in alphabetical order. The records I have encountered there also seem to be in better condition than those found in North Riverside, the prices are right, and the selection is more than sufficiently diverse. I spied the sophomore effort from Timbaland and Magoo, a Bill Monroe record, and took home a four disc Benny Goodman compilation for $2.
Five Points
The idea that Five Points did not have a record store until December of 2012 is brain-on-the-walls confusing. Thankfully Deep Search Records filled that void at the end of last year. Named after the submarine in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Deep Search sells new and (some) used vinyl on Lomax Street in Five Points. The place is cool (more on that in a later post about their grand opening) and a welcome addition to Riverside/Five Points.
Records are not as convenient as digital downloads, but there is an authenticity to the sound that cannot be recreated on the computer. It is a warts-and-all experience- the kind that floridabout celebrates as a rule. Digital music and digital culture will continue to evolve, but it is no doubt here to stay for a while. And, while digital’s accessibility is welcomed in many contexts, we are fortunate that vinyl is not only still around, but has re-surged in a big way. But for that Sunday afternoon reading session, or to wind down after work with a glass of wine, slow down and let the record play.
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