Growing up days – 78rpm records and LP records

The music scene of the 1960s meant 78rpm records – these were very bulky discs and the material used in their manufacture was such that handling these records was fraught with dangers. The edges could get chipped off and, if unnecessary pressure was applied, they would crack and leave the owner cursing his luck.

Moreover, in order to play the record and listen to the music, one had to rely on a gramophone record player – it was a cumbersome affair and required needles which would have to sit in the groove and translate the circular motion into sweet melodious music. The needles would need to be changed after every song to get the best acoustic effect.
Later, the bulky 78rpm records made way for the 45rpm records – these were made of flexible plastic type material, hence possibility of unforeseen damages were reduced. In addition, these accommodated two songs on each side and the needles were more sophisticated. The frequency of replacing these was long.

Then came the 33 1/3 rpm records – these dislodged earlier types and took over the honors. The size was large and each side could accommodate more number of songs. The main advantage was that the running time could go on up to forty minutes and, hence, during party time the need would not be there to keep getting up and flip the records. (to be continued …)