Recorded music is changing … again … and it’s not exactly going forward. 

When I was a kid, the popular music form to buy was the 45. That stood for 45 rpm, the speed at which the records turned on the record player. 

I remember my brother buying me a Beatles 45 for Christmas one year. It had “Hey Jude” on the A side and “Revolution” on the B side. 

Back then you knew what was on both sides of a record … “Penny Lane” side A; “Strawberry Fields Forever” on the flip side. 

Those were singles, but a record album spun at 33 1/2 rpms. Both 33’s and 45’s laid on a platter and spun around while a needle picked up the sound from the grooves. 

Then came the cassette and eight track. We bought whole albums this way and even recorded music from the radio onto cassettes. 

Eight tracks didn’t last very long, but cassettes took off in popularity while record albums started to fade. 

I remember two big record stores on Yonge Street in Toronto: A&A’s and, right beside it, Sam the Record Man. They were famous landmarks in Toronto for many years, but both stores eventually closed and now there is no remaining evidence that they ever existed. 

I remember waiting outside A&A’s all night to get tickets to an Elton John concert in 1974. That was an experience!

We got them at 7:00 am, then cruised by Maple Leaf Gardens with windows down, flashing our tickets and yelling to the thousands of people lined up on the street waiting to purchase their tickets.

Cassettes didn’t completely wipe out vinyl records, but when CD’s made their way onto the scene, they really ended the popularity and production of record albums. 

You could barely find any store that sold records; people had record players only because they had old albums. Record players were collecting dust because no one used them anymore. 

Downloading and renting digital music has become the latest way that we listen to recorded music. We now buy music online or get it through an online music subscription that gives you access to all music. 

With our phones we can listen anytime and anywhere. 

Not long ago, however, my son bought a turntable. He has started collecting some albums … yes, real vinyl LP’s, 33 1/2 rpm records. 

Who would have thought it? Vinyl is making a bit of a comeback, and it’s partly to do with the quality. 

It turns out that all the advancements we’ve made in recording music have not produced a better quality. Vinyl records have a better sound than digital. 

Maybe it’s time to get out my old albums, dust off my turntable and start listening to music like I did when I was in my teens. 

… I’m just not sure I want to spend hours at a record store combing through the albums to find something I want to purchase. 

I enjoy getting my music online. 

Here’s the thing: You’ve probably made some changes spiritually over the years. Some of those changes have likely not been for the better. Maybe they have hindered your relationship with God. It’s time to make a change back to your spiritual roots and connect with God in a deeper, richer way. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you need to go back to in order to enrich your relationship with God? Leave your comments below.