Year End Records, Friends, and Why the Vinyl Format Matters

Opening scene of the movie Cleo De 5 a 7:
• Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962...
Bill Orcutt's The Anxiety of Symmetry: • Bill Orcutt - The Anxi...

[@diamond_marimba]

Added links to the film and opening music from Bill Orcutt in the description

[@mazzysmusic]

That Bill Orcut cover is fantastic. Just starting this ✌🏻

[@Paneeks1960]

I always enjoy each and everything that you show Alex. In the early days of the VC there were so many great channels showing all kinds of music. Your channel gives me hope that this community can stay fresh. It also makes me want to up the level of my record selections and explore more artists. My problem is time. Working two jobs and taking care of my mom has set my collecting hobby back a bit. But it's channels like yours that keeps me motivated and inspired. Good to hear that your daughter is getting into music more. I like the Numark and your take on keeping our listening pleasures fun. I hope that you and your family have a super Christmas tomorrow~ Rob/Boston

[@diamond_marimba]

thanks Rob, those kind words mean a lot. hope you have a good week with family and friends.

[@ComicRhema]

Great video Alex and lots of great topics for discussion. Glad you are still making videos, and sharing your collecting journey. My son loves echo and streams theme songs he is into every evening. Bought him a Crosley but will need to wait a couple of years when he is able to be more careful with handling records. Had blessed new year. Gbu

[@seekingathread]

sweet stuff, would love to track down a copy of the Bukra. The Roland P Young will find its way to these parts in 2024 too. Nice to see Bill Orcutt turn up too. For some reason that one alluded me. Angry Mom had Brother to Brother at some point. Still can't remember what it sounded like. A great year of records no doubt!

[@Localbandography]

The Brother To Brother I saw Mind Cure had a copy on the wall at the bookstore in Pittsburgh this year. Love that Orcutt and that 7” sounds wonderful. Very cool connecting the dots there Alex.

[@diamond_marimba]

wild record that brother

[@marcusen_bender]

Hi Alex! Cool to see those Warp records on you collection. Still collecting them in 2023 (I have the reissues). They are forever! Thank you for share you thoughts. I will check your recommendations, including the portable Numark. Happy new year!

[@diamond_marimba]

HNY to you as well! yes was happy those two warps in NY, classics

[@iblamesummers]

great segment.

[@gorvo31]

Hey Alex, Glad it was a good yer for all this your way. Lovely stuff shown and heard throughout, and of course great stuff from brother Chris. Not a bad toy to have at all..that turntable. 🙂 Very nice, the kiddos getting into music in some form. This might be the year I've had the least new finds in a long time, (record shows meeting up with Chris notwithstanding ;-) though doing a lot of revisiting, getting re-acquainted with what's already here. Indeed though, yes...this often isn't rational, just following one's enthusiasm and seeing what odd little-beaten path we wander down. Thanks for sharing, and Happy Holidaze to you and yours! -Carm

[@diamond_marimba]

hope you had a good holiday carm. yes getting reacquainted with music you have is certainly one of the more rewarding things you can do; i hope to do more of next year.

[@statictraveller]

You have definitely had a great year, Alex. You have picked up so many amazing records. You know you and your daughter might start fighting over the albums at the record stores now... I hope you have a lovely Christmas and all the best for the coming year.

[@diamond_marimba]

oh yeah, it's gonna be a real family feud for those whale yelp records 😆

[@bigstar1000]

Roland P Young is indeed an essential and underrated musician. Great record. Records are indeed a much loved medium. There’s much more excitement attached to finding an album on wax than any other format, although I do like CDs too. Feliz Navidad my friend. Hope the new year brings new excellent discoveries.

[@Sonorgie]

Lovely video Alex and Chris really nailed those choices for you. The standout for me here (and I so appreciate the reminder) is of course Cléo from 5 to 7 (hard to leave the research rabbit-hole when what you find is as fine and deep as Bill‘s art, isn’t it?), which I saw during a multi-week chronological Varda film marathon at my high school. Early in the film, after Cleo finishes with the psychic, she looks in the mirror and says, “Ugliness is a kind of death. As long as I am beautiful, I’m more alive than the others.“ I recall how that line followed me and bothered me for a very long time. It’s thanks to thinkers and artists like Varda that we started to ask ourselves about this world we live in and how and why we as women come to measure our worth in terms of our beauty or lack of it. The film is a masterpiece of 20th-century cinema. On every level - aesthetically, culturally, politically, and in its proto-feminism - it mattered as much as, if not more than, any other great film by directors of Varda’s generation. She mattered so much to me! Sorry for the not so Christmassy comment but it is a rare treat to unexpectedly encounter arthouse films mentioned in the context of a VC video. Thank you for this and all the other fabulous videos you produced this year, Alex. Feliz Navidad! 🌟

[@diamond_marimba]

thanks for the thoughtful comment, that opening scene is amazing technically and thematically, yes that line is poignant. I also finally caught up with jeanne dielman this year, another classic I'm sure you know. thanks for the support!

[@soundofminder]

Great showing/playing. I didn’t think i had seen or heard of that particular Bill Orcutt record before but found that it was on my Bandcamp wishlist, alas sold out already. Will definitely check out the other ones you showed. I only have the whale one and the babi reissue. Seeing your videos and Instagram inspired me to join the vc, albeit mostly just join so far. I do plan to make more videos next year but we’ll see. Happy holidays to you and yours.

[@diamond_marimba]

yeah not sure why orcutt made those so limited. we'll have to get together one day and have a good dig. have a good holiday and enjoy your family and friends.

[@culturefan]

I'm liking the colorful backdrop behind you. Glad your daughter is getting into music and starting her own journey. It was never the medium on which the music is presented as much as the music. I enjoyed the Percussion Ensemble.

[@diamond_marimba]

for sure, I guess what i getting at is that I might not have made as many friends collecting CDs vs records which is interesting

[@michaelvalentini4869]

Alex, the neutral gray color of your chic Adidas jacket contrasts quite nicely with explosion of colors provided by the floral backdrop, I'm sure Mike Tomlin would agree. I love that photo on the Bill Orcutt, the fact that the woman's face is asymmetric, causes me to experience a small amount of anxiety. The ''Smoke and Mirrors'' album looks and sounds interesting. I don't know any of the composers except for Ravel, I never knew that he composed any compositions for percussion ensemble. Michel Legrand was involved in many great projects, thanks for playing that snippet. Merry Christmas and thanks for all the great videos and live-streams in 2023!

[@diamond_marimba]

you're the best michael, I'll keep making em as long you want me to haha.

[@EddiePerezIII1967]

Great video and records as always. Cheers, Alex.

[@diamond_marimba]

thanks for stopping by eddie, hope you're well

[@JazzBums]

Great stuff. Happy holidays! Looking forward to 2024! -- Mike

[@diamond_marimba]

hey Mike, same to you!

[@bigstar1000]

Cléo de 5 à 7, masterpiece of the French New Wave by an astounding woman, Agnes Varda. The piano is played by Michel Legrand who appears in the movie too. It’s a great cinematic moment.

[@diamond_marimba]

yes fred I could have sworn i gave credit to Agnes in my video, but I messed up my phrase. a great film that i connected with personally for a few reasons. hope you're enjoying your time off.

[@dotsloops7486]

Enjoyed it Alex. Happy Holidays!

[@diamond_marimba]

great to hear from you Dan, same to you!

[@michaelpdawson]

Happy holidays Alex!

[@diamond_marimba]

hey Michael 👋

[@the-vinyl-dreamscape5084]

Great video; that Cleo 5-7 single immediately had me intrigued. Finding a track like this from a French film…how can you go wrong? And it’s a beautiful tune. So melancholic. I’ve been slowly doing the same when it comes to rebuilding my 90s CD collection; most of my Stereolab collection has been digital. And the prices for originals doesn’t help. The Milford Graves looks amazing. Congratulations. I have only been a fan since discovering Children of the Forest. I had the reissue of Babi in my hands but I struggle to spend money on a reissue when I know what I really want. And wow! Boogie Woogie is such a unique record (and a lot of fun). Not an easy record to find. Very cool. Have a wonderful holiday with your family, Alex. Looking forward to your 2024 videos. Cheers, Shawn

[@diamond_marimba]

thanks Shawn, great to see your channel up and running this year, even if you're productivity makes the rest of us look lazy 😄

[@TheDigitalGramophone]

Hark! The Great Collect… ugh, I’m already over that now. Great video, Alex. My son asked for a record from 🎅🏼 this year. If he had just asked me, I would’ve said no because he doesn’t listen to the records he already has. But no way of getting around Big Red. Our attraction to this medium most certainly isn’t always rational. Love the way you put that. I guess I should come clean about why I didn’t make the trek to NYC this year. I’m saving up for a gathering of SACD collectors in Norway. I’m sure you understand. Happy Holidays to you and yours, Alex. Cheers! ✌🏻

[@diamond_marimba]

does your son have his own turntable?

[@TheDigitalGramophone]

@@diamond_marimba Yeah. Dave gave me a Crosley he had sitting around. But then Sam broke the stylus. Lol. So I bought him a Yellow Submarine Crosley. Shut up.

[@diamond_marimba]

@TheDigitalGramophone wait dave had a Crosley?

[@TheDigitalGramophone]

@@diamond_marimba I won’t judge. I had one because my wife bought it for me as a Christmas gift when we were dating. My other turntable had died. She beat me to “replacing” it. Lol. I was stuck between a rock and hard place. So, I stayed between that rock and a hard place for a couple of years before I bought a new setup. The things we do for love.

[@mariawesley7583]

Interesting stuff. I'm a sucker for French vocals.

[@diamond_marimba]

here's the song in the movie: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYuWip6Ql8t7ha8si=EpchxCj-zP_btUNh

[@Muzik_head]

Peace Alex... I actually considered getting that Numark a while back as a tester. Despite growing up around records, I started with cds myself. I've also seen kids out digging with their parents and pulling from the dollar bins... have to start somewhere. Stay solid.

[@diamond_marimba]

yep cassettes and CD is all I had for a very long time. and of course streaming was my daughter's way into music and will continue to be part of it--well see how this CD experiment goes for her.

[@FredPutterman]

It is sad that vinyl has gone up so much. I should be collecting CDs myself. I wanted to get one of those numark TTs and mod it for the longest time. I still hope to one day.

[@diamond_marimba]

it's only fair to blame stunty for the price hikes. hope you're well my friend.

[@gharris2389]

Humpback Whales - I prefer their early stuff.

[@juliusjabbar1011]

you mean when we get together with Jamie we're not going to have intense discussion regarding our favourite spotify playliszts?!? 😂 years ago l realized there's no point in rationalizing this addiction... my records are like my clothes or my meals, a necessity,,, see you next year

[@diamond_marimba]

I am intrigued now if you have sporify

[@juliusjabbar1011]

@@diamond_marimba about three or four years ago l tried it out for one day, not for me...

[@miketomlin6040]

Adidas clothing was considered almost chic in the 70's, then it became linked to Piff Diddy, Big Boio, ToolpackShaker, et al. What are often stylish, until they are similarly trashed by pop couture, is French 7 inch covers from the 60's, the muzak is usually lacking much joie de vivre. Why would it have any, the land mass had just been invaded again by the Trumpers! Why collect vinyl, is it rational? - Have you read Bartmanski's seminal tome on this activity?

[@diamond_marimba]

I think I will read it, despite your recommendation 😀

[@miketomlin6040]

@@diamond_marimba It might be the most sophisticated book I've read to date exploring why vinyl, why now, etc. The author's background is in Sociology, not Cognitive Neuroscience or PsychoDynamics, so it is slanted towards this discipline and no doubt there are significant gaps or other perspectives that get overlooked.