The second event which influenced my sense of identity was more technology-driven, and it came much later in my life. The transition from vinyl albums to compact discs was a difficult one for me, and it was at this time when I first realized that for better or worse, change was inevitable; there was no way to stop it. I’d spent my whole life collecting vinyl records of all kinds: LPs, singles, 12” extended mixes, picture discs – and they all became virtually worthless within a short span of time. Vinyl records and cassette tapes were all I had ever known. I never bothered with 8-tracks; those contraptions would stop right in the middle of a song and switch tracks. Stupid!

Even though neither of my parents was musical, my dad would subject us all to a kind of weekly, sometimes nightly, aural abuse when we were growing up. He would play his favorite music over and over at high volume – loud enough to keep us up all night – whenever the mood struck him.

Some of his favorite records I can recall were Hey Jude by the Beatles; Layla, by Eric Clapton (Derek and the Dominoes); My Sweet Lord by George Harrison; Let’s Stay Together by Al Green; Oh Happy Day, By The Edwin Hawkins Singers; Feelin’ Alright by Joe Cocker and Imagine by John Lennon. I got to hear lots of Motown, O.C. Smith, Al Green, Wes Montgomery, and even some gospel. I grew to enjoy these musical genres, despite my dad’s crude introduction. It’s the music I still listen to today.

And I still hate country music!

As the years went by, LPs became rare, turntables became obsolete and CDs took over the market. I was eventually forced to sell or give away all of my vinyl collection and replace them with CDs, which at the time were of marginal or inferior quality to the vinyl versions. Sure, they didn’t crack or pop or skip, but they were generally transferred from inferior sources, not the master tapes. It wasn’t until several years later when proper ‘remastering’ became all the rage that CD quality began to markedly improve over vinyl. If I’d kept all those old LP’s, they’d be worth something today. They’re finally “coming back.” Whatever: plus ça change.

The arrival of CD technology was initially exclusionary for people like me. I was a vinyl guy. Vinyl was my ‘identity’ up to that point, and compact disc technology meant that I’d lost control of my “critical autonomy” in relation to one of the most important aspects of my life: music.