Some people don't understand why vinyl records are still relevant in today's world. Well, roll up your sleeves, take a seat and read along - we're going to tell you exactly why you should be "buying vinyl".

Why Should I Buy Vinyl?

There are three basic reasons people still invest in and buy vinyl records - and why you should, too.

Reason #1

They just look cool. Vinyl records have that old-time aesthetic to them. While cassette tapes and CDs don't particularly look all that cool, vinyl records stand out. People love to show their guests their awesome vinyl record collection. Not only that, but all records are encased in specially-made-for-vinyl cover art on the sleeve. Purchasing vinyl makes buying music feel like something - it adds even more meaning to the music.

The ritual of taking a record out of its sleeve and putting it on the player usually means it's time to listen to and focus all of your attention on the music. 

Reason #2

Vinyl records are usually worth more than other music mediums (cassette tapes, CDs, etc), and their worth can grow with time. Buying vinyl records today is the only way to purchase music that is likely to give you a return on your investment. You can't very well resell a digital music file, can you? If there is a demand for the record, chances are that its monetary worth will only grow over time.

Not only that, but they're worth more to the owner as well - they're something to actually display as a relic of sorts inside the collectors' home.

Reason #3

Yes, vinyl records actually do sound better than other mediums. And we're going to explain why that is.

First off, vinyl records are an analog recording. They produce analog sounds - not digital sounds. Some would argue that records are "easier on the ear" or "softer."

We think Jonathan Strickland, Senior Editor of HowStuffWorks.com, put it best:

“An analog signal is continuous, meaning that there are no breaks or interruptions. If you were to hum a descending note, people hearing you would be able to detect the change in pitch, but not point to specific moments when the pitch jumped from one note to the next. Digital signals are not continuous. They use specific values to represent information. In the case of sound, that means representing a sound wave as a series of values that represent pitch and volume over the length of the recording. In a primitive digital recording of that descending note you hummed, you'd hear a single long sound as a collection of shorter sounds.”

Most of the famous rock stars of the past and present are still on board with vinyl. Are you?

Overview of Vintage Northern Soul Records

Even though "Northern Soul" sounds like it's a type of music, it doesn't actually refer to any specific kind of music. For many people, though, it's a name and an icon that means everything.

According to allmusic.com, most soul music is named for the region where the music was created, or for the type of sound that the music has. Northern Soul, however, is named after where the music was played, and in the past, that was in clubs in north Britain. That's right -- 'northern soul' refers to '70s dance club music in northern Britain. During the prog rock era, a few underground clubs played '60s soul records - but they weren't just as type of soul, they were the most underground and obscure American soul music records that the DJs could come up with. The DJs were essentially obsessive collectors -- and they started a fad. And a trend was born.  

Allmusic.com put it this way:

"Usually, these records sounded like Motown, Chicago soul, or New York soul, but they were records by unknown or underappreciated performers; Major Lance was one of the biggest names on the scene. These records were dubbed Northern soul because of the clubs. Northern soul continued to gain popularity until the mid-'70s, when punk and disco stole its thunder; however, it never really faded away. Some clubs remained open and there was still a collectors' market for the singles, and many rare singles were going for astonishingly high prices. Most importantly, many clubgoers, from Marc Almond to Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs of St. Etienne, went on to form their own groups, which kept the spirit of Northern soul alive."

Some of the most prominent & collectible Northern Soul records today are:

• Millie Jackson - "Caught Up/Still Caught Up" / the best of
• Gene Chandler - the best of / "The Duke of Earl"
• Jerry Butler - "The Sweetest Soul" / "Soul Workshop" / the best of
• Syl Johnson - "Bridge to a Legacy"
• The Impressions - "The Very Best of the Impressions"
• Bettye LaVette - "The Scene of the Crime" / "Do Your Duty" / "I've Got My Own Hell to Raise" / the best of
• The Dells - "Always Together: Great Chess Ballads" & many more
• The Manhattans - the best of

Many record collectors are not only on the lookout for records from their favorite recording artists, but they're on the lookout for the most valuable records they can find. That's why we've compiled a list of records that are considered the most valuable records of all time.

10. Elvis Presley - "Good Luck Charm" (1962): This single's record is worth a whopping $24,000, and features the words "Anything That's Part of You" and a picture sleeve of the king of rock. Good Luck Charm topped the Billboard Charts in 1962. The $24K price tag is NOT for the 45, but for the 7 inch 33 1/3 (Compact 33 Single).

9. The Five Sharps - "Stormy Weather" (1952): This doo-wop record was a very limited release, and is one of the most highly sought after records to-date. One of the records that was in "good condition" sold for $25,000 in 1977. 

8. Elvis Presley - "Stay Away, Joe" (1967): This one-sided LP wasn't even really produced. A copy was pressed and played in 1967, for a radio station. Due to its insane amount of rarity, it's worth about $25,000.

7. Velvet Underground and Nico - (1966): It's safe to say that you won't be getting your hands on this anytime soon because only one copy exists. The crazy thing about it, though, is that someone found it at a stoop sale and bought it for .75 - then turned around and sold it for $25,000 in 2006. Guess it pays off to know your stuff!

6. Sex Pistols - "God Save the Queen" (1977): This single was recorded but the Sex Pistols were fired from A&M Records just a week later because of unruly behavior. The records were then handed out to top execs after A&M's London office was shut down in 1998.

5. Frank Wilson - "Do I Love You?" (1965): Another one-time release as far as records go. The only existing copy was sold to a collector for $30,000 (15,000 pounds), an unheard of price for a 7-inch single.

4. Bob Dylan - "'The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan' album" (1963): This album is worth so much because when it was released, Bob Dylan thought it was too old-fashioned sounding, pulled it, and quickly replaced it. The album was last sold for $35,000.

3. Beatles - "Yesterday and Today" (1966): This list wouldn't be complete without the Beatles, now would it? A copy of Yesterday and Today sold for $38,000 in 1996 because it was in "pristine condition." The reason there aren't many copies of this particular album is because of the cover - it was so odd - the group posed for it in white butchers' clothing and were covered in plastic doll pieces and scraps of meat. Umm, what?

2. The Quarrymen (1958): Paul McCartney is known to own this album, and it's worth an estimated $180,000 - 200,000. 

And the #1 most valuable record award goes to...

1. John Lennon and wife Yoko Ono's "Double Fantasy" (1980): Although this isn't a rare album in and of itself, the one signed by John Lennon is. It's worth more than $400,000 ... because it was the record Mark David Chapman himself owned, after he asked John Lennon to autograph it on December 8, 1980. Five hours after having Lennon sign it, he returned to his New York apartment and shot him fatally. The album was used as evidence in court to lift his fingerprints, and then sold in 2008.

Oldest Comic Book in History Dates Back to Scotland

Have you ever wondered what the very first comic book in the world was? New research says it came from Scotland – and it was published a whopping 188 years ago, in 1825.

Named the Glasgow Looking Glass, this old comic book was largely a satiric piece of work that focused on political and social norms of Scotland in the 1820s. After only five issues, its name changed to the Northern Looking Glass, and better reflected the national events and issues in Scotland at the time.

The Northern Looking Glass is often compared to Punch Magazine, which was a British comic book style weekly that came out in 1841. It’s been said that historically, Punch Magazine is the most influential thing to come out of the 1840s and 1850s.

Earliest Known Comic Book in the US

While some may claim that the oldest comic in the US is Archie or Superman, it really wasn’t. The oldest comic book in the United States dates back to 1842, and it was called The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck. The crazy thing about this particular publication was that it was originally published in Europe, in several different languages. A year after running issues in Europe, it was picked up by a press in New York and then distributed. The original comic was done by Rudolphe Töpffer in Switzerland.

Comics from the 1800s often didn’t have speech balloons – instead, they consisted of thought-provoking, story-telling drawings and lines of text underneath the pictures to describe the story.

We Stock Older Comics

While we don’t have 1800’s comics like the ones mentioned in this blog in stock, we do stock some older comic books. Come in and see for yourself! We are located in Milford, just north of Cincinnati. Our address is 1222 Highway 28, Milford, 45150.

What’s an Answer Song (or an Answer Record)?

“An answer song” is any song made as an answer to another song (usually a recorded track), normally by a different artist or group. It’s also known as a “response song.” Answer-themed songs became more and more widespread in R&B and blues throughout the 1930s and ‘50s. A bit later, they began cropping up in country music.

Examples of Popular Answer Songs

1.      “Boys, Boys, Boys” was an answer song by Lady Gaga (2008), in response to “Girls, Girls, Girls” by the Mötley Crüe (1987)

2.      "Yes, I'm Lonesome Tonight" was an answer song by Dodie Stevens (1960), in response to Elvis Presley's “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” (1960)

3.      "I’ll Save The Last Dance For You" was an answer song by Damita Jo, in response to “Save The Last Dance For Me” (1960) by The Drifters

4.      The ever-popular "Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd (1974) was actually a response to Neil Young's “Southern Man” (1970) and “Alabama” (1972)

5.      A well-known answer song from the ‘90s: “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica; in response to “The Girl Is Mine” (1982) by Michael Jackson (feat. Paul McCartney)

We sell answer records! For a comprehensive list, click here.

Important Note About Our Vintage Records

Vintage is not another word for “used” – it simply means the record is older. Our vintage records are not used.

If you have any questions, feel free to email us at info@parkersrc.com, stop by, or call us at (513) 575-3665.

Pretty much everyone has heard of these comic book giants, and many have read them (or at least seen the adaptations on the big screen), but not many people know which is the most popular when it comes to the comic books and comic series: is it Avengers, Batman or X-Men? Read on to find out!

1.       Astonishing X-Men: This title is the name for the collective X-Men comic book series from Marvel. The first two in the series were limited editions. The series had its debut in 2004. The collective series have many writers and artists, including (but not limited to) Warren Ellis with art by Phil Jimenez; Daniel Way and Christos Gage.

2.       Justice League of America (JLA): This comic published by DC first appeared in issue #28 of The Brave and the Bold in 1960. The League was originally comprised of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash and the Martian Manhunter.

3.       New Avengers: This Marvel comic title has been used for three comic book series. The first two comics were written by Brian Michael Bendis. The third series is currently written by Jonathan Hickman, and the group of characters are called the Illuminati.

4.       Batman: This character has been featured in many limited series, ongoing series, various series and graphic novels, dating as far back as the 1940s. Popular Batman spin-offs and other major titles include The Brave and the Bold, Robin, Nightwing, and Batman and Robin.

5.       The Amazing Spider-Man: Spider-Man actually began his debut publication in 1963, featured as a monthly periodical. It was re-launched with new purpose (and new numbering order) in 1999. The character was created by writer and editor Stan Lee.

Compare the all-time list with what’s the most popular now
(Top 10 comics of May 2013):

1. X-Men #1
2. Batman #20
3. Justice League #20
4. Age of Ultron #7
5. Age of Ultron #8
6. Superior Spider-Man #9
7. Superior Spider-Man #10
8. Justice League of America #3
9. All New X-Men #11
10. Detective Comics #20