The 45

I wish there was some equivalent today to the 45- downloading MP3's just doesn't have the same weight, it's so ephemeral. By the time I was a money earning teenager, the day of the 45 was pretty much waning, but even so, if I heard a single I really liked, I could still go to the record store, head shop or The Met and pick up a 45. The cut on the "A" side would always be the radio friendly tune we already would have heard, but I always felt the greatest buzz of anticipation when I was lowering the needle on the "B' side. The B side was where it's at. The random cool track, the weirdo toss off, the song with the swear words...

I would haunt yard sales and flea markets for vinyl, but for some reason, the 45's always look like someone's brother played frisbee with them. Hmm, Truth rears it's ugly head. So that explains it. Last summer a friend gave me an old Hi-Fi with one working speaker, an 8 track player (That's fodder for another rant) and a brand new stylus.
Oh, and when I lowered that needle on a shiny 45, it was like sweet honey to my soul. Mmmm, sweet crackle and hiss of needle on vinyl, how I missed you.
Here - Look at these:
www.recordeli.dk/picsrecs/ 45r4591-nocover-big.jpg