I see or hear things almost daily that make me "sentimental" about some very special moments in my past!!! Great, TY for sharing =^^=

For those that know me here on Etsy they know I LOVE MUSIC, it touches my soul.

Vinyl fan. This collection is amazing!

OMG! If only I had the $3 million!!!!

Great collection. I miss the vinyl. CDs just aren't the same.

I remember in my late teens going to different indie record stores looking for that rare Sisters of Mercy or Bauhaus 45 import, always relishing the thrill of the hunt. You can't get that with any other music medium and it's sad. Even though I don't have a record player anymore, i still have some of my old albums. What memories!

I'm not so convinced that we're losing vinyl. A large number of bands now release their new albums on both CD and vinyl, with the vinyl often coming with a free mp3 download of the same album. It might be impossible to replace old vinyl, but it's not yet dead.

I remember an old vinyl record player that was built into the top drawer of an antique decorative cabinet. It belonged to my great grandmother and used to sit in the corner of our living room. Oh how i wish I knew where that piece was today.

i would love to see his collection. has anyone seen that joe bussard documentary? he has such an incredible collection of 78's.

How startling it was to learn that only 17% of Paul's records are available on CD's! I think we will truly regret in the future the daily pieces of history we are letting slip past us. I just returned from a visit to the Library of Congress (heaven on earth!) where paper treasures of history are rightly showcased. I know we can't keep everything, but being a "throw away society" is going to bite us in the butt in the future :(

So sad and moving to watch this video. I truly hope it all gets archived like the greatest artworks in the world but would like to share it with the people. Thanks for sharing.

I love vinyl. I can tell you it's not dying, new indie artists release albums on vinyl all the time. not to mention the resurrection of the tape. being a child of the 80s, I didn't even have a cd player til 1997 (used my brother's hand me down boombox til then) I now have started buying vinyl even though I still have yet to buy a record player. haha

I have to say! i work in a resale shop and more and more people are buying the vinyl and converting them to digital uploads ... in order to preserve the pops, hisses and skips of the originals. don't you remember exactly where that skip was on the record! sometimes i hear an old song on the radio and it is just not the same without it! great feature! I hope his collection lives on! I know some artists now are only recording on vinyl!

My Dad has an extensive vinyl collection. Growing up surrounded by good music, I must say, nothing sounds as good on CD as it does on vinyl!

I do agree that vinyl has more warmth and depth than other music mediums. It's hard to explain, but I can feel it when I hear it. Paul Mawhinney should not give up hope! I think that vinyl might still have a chance. It's definitely experiencing a revival and as buffyleigh said, many new musicians are releasing their work on vinyl. Records have not sang their swan song yet. I bought my boyfriend a record player 2 years ago for Christmas and his collection has been growing ever since. Sometimes at an alarming rate...

On top of all the VINYL we may be losing, consider the even older 78rpm albums made of shellac. They shatter easily, and many new record players don't even have a 78 speed (only 45 and 33). So even if you have a record player, you can't necessarily listen to them. So many interesting albums and potentially-lost artists.

Could they make that any more dramatic! But I do have to say that I am feeling his pain. He is absolutely right that there is more sound in vinyl and I would add that it should be listened to really loud to hear it all. He should be looking for an institution to donate this to and benefactors to donate money to an endowment to keep the thing under a dry roof.

Wow, what an amazing collection. Also, vinyl records take me back to my younger days for sure.

Records are great because the artwork on the cover becomes part of the whole experience - a life size image of your beloved artist (David Bowie or whoever) makes it all the more easier to fall in love with them. Or the cover image becomes an important part of the music - not the same on Spotify...

This collection is amazing! I remember perfectly the first vinyl I bought when I was teen but I can't rememebr wich was my first cd! When we bought a vinyl we also bought a story, something to read as well as hear.

Wow...That's a big big collection. Great Article

What an amazing collection! I agree with the other commenters who have noted that vinyl is far from dead. Most indie releases are available on LP, and even Best Buy has a small vinyl section with lots of reissues and box sets. A format by and for enthusiasts and music junkies, sure. But dying? No way.

Interesting. I guess space is always a vinyl issue. Library of Congress?

This is wonderful in so many ways. I still watch vhs, in fact I go out of my way to thrift shops to buy more. I think I own less then 10 DVDs. If only I had the money to buy out his collection.

Yikes- just when I thought I might need more storage.... Now one more shelf unit doesn't seem so bad. I wish I had some of my favorite albums on vinyl. There are audiophiles coming up with digital ways to leave the music whole w/o compression- I can't wait.

Great article! Love vinyls! i never pined for CDs.

vinyl has been around a long time and i think it will be around a little longer. but nothing last forever.

It is my hope and prayer that someone who can purchase this wonderful collection and preserve it will find this.

I can't believe some music industry mogul hasn't snatched this stuff up! How cool and easy would it be for somebody like Sony or Jack White to pay the man $3 mil and open up a historical music museum and preserve this collection for future generations. It would be a shame if this all got split up in an estate auction.

Love this article!! I am glad to know that I am not the only record nerd out there

About the store and the archive, I think some people can get together and fund paul so he can have a museum or something with employes. Maybe people can get pressings of the records in the archive or something, so they can have something to take home from their pilgrimage. All the people who rallied around record store day should be into saving this archive and or turning it into a public kind of thing.

How very tragic and sad - I do hope some music mogul hear and see this and decide to do the right thing for history and humanity.

An amazing collection. Maybe there is an music artist somewhere who could help!

I'm very lucky to have inherited my parents' record collection, and I personally collect vinyl to add to it. There is SO MUCH good music out there, and when you buy vinyl, you aren't contributing to the manufacture of any new product; you are just buying something that was much loved by its owner and now you get to enjoy it. It's the best kind of recycling! :^D Personally, I think that there is a resurgence of vinyl coming. To have something to hold in your hand....the fabulous artwork, the miracle of the needle in the groove producing that warm, crackly analogue magic.....there is nothing like it. I think people will come around; it's just like growing your own food. Of COURSE it's easier to buy a pound of carrots at the grocery store. But the taste of home-grown is so superior, and is tied up with memory and nostalgia. Just like vinyl. Thanks for the interesting article! Heidi

My mom had an antique Phonograph when I was a kid and I loved it. I would go play it and be entranced with the oldies. I also remember the first time I heard YMCA on vinyl. I miss the feel of music that used to be. With an MP3 player it is just not the same.

we lose an anachronistic piece of our heritage and our simpler way of life. i only listen to records, so i appreciate this post very much. thank you!

What an amazing collection!

I think that Paul Mawhinney is worthy of a song or album about he and his collection.

That is a lot of records

I miss record stores...I remember the days when the cat behind the counter would randomly choose and play music that you might have never heard...and I would end up buying the record :) I still love and listen to my records!

I wish I could get some of his albums!! I still have lp's from when I was growing up (Heart, Foreigner, Donna Summer, Boogie Nights...), and still play them on the 1970's console stereo my mother passed to me. I had a big box of 45's that were water-damaged about 10 years ago that I'd love to have again. We always look at resale shops and garage sales.

Anyone who has a way to contact any rock stars this is your new mission, get them into a bidding auction on this collection!

I heart vinyl! What an amazing article.

Perhaps the UK BBC or US equivalent should do something - it is just a drop in the buying ocean for them. Everyone should tweet, send their favourite DJ an email, hustle their favourite band or artist via fanmail sites. You are never too old to rock or punk - and never too young to start - don't let a cultural resource like this one disappear.

So jealous for that collection!!! Fantastic article.

What a beautifully written piece! and Paul Mawhinney's collection is incredible. Having worked in my university's slide library for years during the era of transitioning from 35mm slides to digital images, I ask the same thing - how much of our history are we losing as technology evolves? I think more effort should be put into at least archiving the information in old media before it is impossible to do so. How else can we best learn from our own history?

I remember in the early 80's going through my dads extensive collection. (when he wasnt' home of course) Rolling Stones to Rush to Elton John (my fav was yellow brick road) the art work... amazing. Made me feel like I was apart of something that most kids didn't have. Most of my friends were listening to Madonna and Culture Club. Loved that stuff too but they were completely unaware of the amazing drum solos of Led Zepplin....and the sexy way of Robert Plant. The hiss, pop spin of the record as you anticipate Ruby Tuesday... oh man...nostalgia. This article was great, dramatic as it is. I really do agree with most posts about vinyl coming back. I've seen it... and I don't think it will be a fad... think it's gonna come back and stay in a big way :)

"how much of our past is held hostage in obsolete mediums?" Very well put. As is what AlpineGypsy says. The record store I went to as a kid was just down the street from where I grew up. It was called "Licorice Pizza" now how awesome is that! When I was young I went to record swapmeets with my dad. Pretty amazing. He was on a quest to complete his vinyl Bobby Darin collection, among others, but that was the focus a lot of the time as we walked through and looked through so many boxes. I would have my own list of music I was looking for, but it was also about everything around the album, the people, the moment in time, the collection, the relationships. That is fading so fast these days. This world does not exist with a digital music file or a CD. I remember feeling cheated when I would get a CD and there was only the front Album image and nothing else like you would find on and inside an old album cover. Where is the soul?! We have lost those moments when we take time to sit in front of the record player and listen and dream. It's just not the same with a CD and especially not with a digital file. I buy much less music these days. And when I do buy, I generally stay away from CD's and digital files. I purchase much more music by bands that put out vinyl. I have seen the video above on PBS TV actually. What do we lose? We lose Paul Mawhinney who has so much soul and passion. thanks for this post.

I know you will find someone to cherish your collection as much as I can see you do! Have faith.

It's not just the idea of losing vinyl. What about losing the experience? Selecting the album by looking sideways at titles on the shelf; pulling it down, reverently sliding out the record; placing it carefully on the turntable (a Pioneer, of course), gently placing the needle. Not to mention, the triangle graphic of Dark Side of the Moon looks ridiculous at 5" square.

Thank you for this post. Vinyl is not so much "dying" in a way that some of the new artists aren't producing albums on vinyl, but only 17% of Paul's music is on cd, which means the other 83% could get lost somewhere, depending on the rarity of the albums. I think it is sad time that there is no one out there interested in this. I sure would love to have space, time and money for a collection like this. We pick up vinyl at record stores, thrift stores, have about 3 record players and a console record player with an 8 track that needs a new home. You can't beat the sound of vinyl... and it seems the older, the better. One of the first "dates" with my fiance was spent sitting in the middle of the floor, flipping through notebooks of 45s and playing them... all night.

Recording music to have it be heard over and over again was a dream-come-true in the first place. Humans have been losing things throughout histroy: the library that was destroyed when Alexandria burned was said to have housed esoteric knowledge that now we can only fantasize about. It has only been about 140 years since photography was invented. And about 400 since the mirror. Vinyl, like film, has not disappeared but has rather gone through a small death and now a re-appreciation... it is the working record player that has become more rare, just as there are plenty of Polaroid cameras around, harder to find the film for them. All attempts to immortalize ourselves.

What an incredible collection! There is something about records I love and I can't imagine not having them in my home :) I truly hope he finds a buyer who will love and appreciate his life's work.

This breaks my heart. Hopefully someone can step up and preserve this collection.

So great. Amazing that no one is stepping in the save this. Very depressing how humanity is falling into the dark.

One of the few regrets I have is not buying more vinyl. Scoff at the Electric Light Orchestra or Scritti Politti, or even "Weird Al" Yancovic all you like: that is my heart.

And I thought my boyfriend and I had the biggest collection! What I love about LP's is the quality of sound. Bands sound like they're in the room with you and there's an awful lot of care and attention gone into the mixing and how we experience the flow of music not just individual tracks.

Having worked in Record shops while I was in college...back in the 70-80's (the most fun job/experience ever!), I remember perusing the album jackets, reading the linear notes/lyrics, and spending hours listening to albums. I still have my collection, but no turntable to play them on. My 21 year old son has inherited my music/love gene, and is interested in vinyl. Hopefully youth will discover this almost lost but re-appreciated art. Sad to see photography moving in the same direction...

Amazing collection. And I'd love a resurrection of the classic vinyls. Nowadays we just download bad music on itunes. :/

I appreciate his life's work ...what a collection! I only wish I could afford it!

All my roommates and friends have all their favorite music on the computer as a digital file and also as a record. It's the cd that has become obsolete in my group.

I'm trying to think of something profound to say, but to be honest there are no words, there are no words. I knew there were some great collections, but wow this is a master's archive. And it's not that he just has a huge collection, but beginning to end, it's all quality...unknown at that. This needs to be put in a museum before it's picked apart, which I'm sure many are waiting to do. I know they release vinyl now, but it's not the same. It's funny because playing an older track isn't as friendly with current volume controls and turning it up isn't enough because everything's compressed and clipped to the limit as he mentioned. I think I'm part of the generation that doesn't know it suffers from sound fatigue. I can't imagine being able to go through a collection like that; it's good to dream. Also, I don't think I'm alone when saying " Mr. Paul Mawhinney, those sunglasses are Slammin' ! " A good read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war

Might have found a potential "best bud" for my husband who not only continues to search for and buy vinyl at every thrift shop we visit, but sometimes even buys doubles "just in case the first one gets ruined." We do like the whole sensual experience of the cover art, the shiny vinyl, the sound of the needle dropping, and the full sound of the music. But must admit that even as skinny as they are, hundreds of records take up a big chunk of home space.

there is nothing like listening to a record! i still remember listening to Marvin Gaye's I Want You album way back in 1976 on my record player! Vinyl will always live on!!!!!

As a musician (my husband and I are The Great American Canyon Band thegacb.bandcamp.com) I can say that I have really become proud of the indie music scene in the past few years. More and more bands are releasing music on vinyl. In the era of digital download, a band offering vinyl seems makes the act or playing and the experience of listening much more personal. I have a friend in Baltimore that was interested in a particular kind of vinyl cutter only made by a gentleman in Germany. When he arrived in Germany his directions from the burly man were as followed: "You sleep in barn with machine for one week. You'll learn everything you need to know." He spent the week in the barn, practicing with the man. He'd hand him a record and tell him to make a copy in its perfect image. After a week, the man looked at him and said "Now she is yours." It's comforting to know that this process is still so hands on and passed down on the principle of apprenticeships.

I am shocked that there is not a rich musician after this collection..wow. That is so sad..I am a singer, and this disturbs me, I hope that sharing this video with the world, will spark an interest with someone who has that kind of mula

Long live vinyl records. I hope someone buys his collection. I also appreciate his life's work and thanks so much for sharing.

I have to show my son this video...he's 19 and loves vinyl. He checks out thrift stores and hole in the wall places for ones he doesn't have. He'd be in his glory there.

He seems so forlorn that no one seems to care about his collection. It's quite heart wrenching. Some one out there with the money should care enough to preserve this invaluable collection!! If I had the money, I'd buy it.

records and songs reminds of a memory or special time. Save the vintage and save mother earth!

My husband is an antique dealer in early electronics-i.e. antique radio, vintage hi-fi. (www.urban-antiqueradio.com) He's been in business over 11 years. I'm lucky that we listen to vinyl whenever we want-as he does collect vinyl, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker-to the bands of the 70's and 80's. Vinyl records are making a huge comeback, and there is many a store that sells recycled albums here in Connecticut. My husband now repairs turn-tables due to the demand. And if any of you watch Jay Leno when he introduces a band for the evening-many, many a time they've recorded a record NOT a CD. And there is Jay holding up the album not a cd. And as an illustrator-how I love album art. The highschool newspaper last year-I work in a CT school district-the teen editor wrote a long article on vinyl and the upcoming generation's passion for buying vinyl. The times they are a changin' and for the better as audio quality is coming back in the form of vinyl. And for me-I love listening to Sinatra on a 1930's radio with tube electronics where the dial lights up-very romantic-sound is rich, golden mellow-something one doesn't get now-a-days-unless you invest and purchase an older receiver, or radio-as back then-sound equipment was built by American hands, furniture companies built the cabinets, and if a tube blew, or junior spun the dial too fast and broke it-there was a repair shop on the corner where you could get it fixed. My husband also gets calls from people who ask if he repairs the new Made in China stuff today, and he tells them, "No those are made to throwaway when they don't work and you have to buy a whole new one- and further fill up our landfill."

This is an amazing man. What heart and soul he has! I truly believe someone will buy this and preserve this slice of musical history for future generations. Thanks for sharing this with us!

This made me want to cry! If I had $3 million I'd definitely buy it, vinyl should not be allowed to die!

Extremely moving! I can't believe that we, as a country, can spends millions on one movie but not to save all this music. I'm shocked that we can't library all of these records somewhere for future generations.

Vinyl presses are actual reproductions of the waveform as the sound pressure hits the diaphragm causes the needle to etch the wave within the disc. Losing vinyl means losing the "actual" sound that is closest as can be to actually being there and hearing the record being cut. Digital copies are snippets of the waveform that is constructed by whatever kind of analog to digital device your using to convert to be able to listen more conveniently such as MP3s or even CDs. So no matter what it will always be less quality than the vinyl original and it never gets better than hearing a needle dance within those grooves again...

Recently in Border's music department, I noticed Patti Smith's 'Horses' album displayed behind the counter. I commented to the girl running the register that I bought that record back in the 70 and still have it at home. How fun to see it reissued. She looked at me, totally straight faced, and asked 'Was it a 78 back then'?

I agree, I agree, I agree!!! I love Paul's passion. This post has given me a heavy heart.

my heart breaks for this..............the loss of music is sad

There is nothing like the thrill of setting that needle on vinyl!

I have gotten the bug. Bought some Big Band albums in Fla. while vacationing and had to buy a player. Now my sister says I am getting her Elvis collection. Can't wait to hear his gospel albums. Wish I had $3 million also....If we each collect some of the old albums, 45's, etc. maybe the old sound won't die out...

Ironic since my wife and I just saved a box of albums of destruction in PA. They were and are mint and were in a barn. They are worth $ by book value standards but they are NOT for sale since they mean more to US for we love the music.

I saw this mini-documentary on PBS a while back and it is sad to say that someone hasn't stepped up to give him an awesome offer for this amazing music history. Personally, my parents would listen to records while my siblings and I were growing up and I wished we'd still have those records.

OK, Where is our resident wealthy eccentric? Someone buy this.

I think this is such a sad story and yet so true! They are still making records, (even Lady GaGa) because they know the worth in a vinyl and its ability to make music sound like you can just look at it. I hope someone will find as much value in this mans collection as I do. if I had millions it still wouldn't be enough money to buy it. You can't put a price tag on history. He is a noted historian through music. That is just as important as the catacombs and pieces of the Berlin wall. Well done pieces. I wish him the best of luck and it would be a treat to see his archive in person.

I've been visiting the site "Apartment Therapy" and have seen lots of people still have their vinyl. Yaaah! Someone tried to make me feel silly for still having some, but that music brings back such great memories, I'll keep them til I die! Trying to convert to CDs on my new USB turntable, but they will be the "backups" :-}

Yeah, they take up a lot of space too, but hey, you make room for things you love!

OOPs! One more thing, Phobe Snow died today. I feel so good that I still have about 3 of her albums. I doubt if they ever got to CDs.

Wow! What an enlightening post! I've heard of this music collection a few years ago, when I saw it for sale on Ebay! Sad to still have no buyer! Please, someone with that kind of $$$$ step up!

OMG I love vinyl, mine still sits in the cupboard waiting for the day when it can live again... But I STILL get a real pleasure from holding and looking at them that I've never had with CDs, I mean I can give a CD away which was so impossible with vinyl. My heart aches for this guy...

Cool video.

Ohh I'm 17 and would love to have that collection so much ! vinyl just looks so great Cd's are just not the same thing

I watched a short movie on this guy's incredible record collection..I really hope someone steps up to buy it, as it sure would be a shame to loose such American history. I love the simplicity of digital, but you can't beat the sound of hi-fi....

We loose all...... :)

"What do we lose when we lose vinyl?" And here I was hoping you'd say "if" we lose vinyl, not "when" (sigh)... I think we'd lose something incredibly unique. If this archive isn't protected and this incredible collection of musical diversity is lost to the past, it would be like a cultural mass extinction.

What an amazing collection!! It makes me sad to thik we are going to lose the vinyl. CD's are just not the same sound. It kinda reminds me of Don MacLean.."The day the music dies..."

This just breaks my heart! What will we do when technology fails and we cannot get to our digital collections? Music is a soul that man found thousands of years ago in the beat of a drum that developed into the most touching, moving, soul-inspiring aspect of the human condition? How could we let this happen? I'm ashamed of my generation for being so narrow minded. Paul Mawhinny, I love you and your human condition. Please don't give up hope.

OMG I'm in Love. I want it.

and such a wonderful video too! beautifully shot. Nice one Etsy, thats my absolute favourite xx

great story and video!

I see the same thing happening to books. I refuse to buy a computer to read a book. I would miss the smell, the touch and the sound of paper. Is it really all about gaining knowledge without the feeling? Are we losing our hearts? With it we will lose our feelings and emotions which make us uniquely human...

That's SO crazy that so much of the music he has from the past can't be bought anymore - even on the technology of "today"! i really is sad :(

That video breaks my heart. If I was rich I would buy it without thinking twice.

Has there been any other medium for music that has outlasted the durability of vinyl? Think about it. I hope a collector comes along to save this goldmind of stockpiled vinyl from what could be a very tragic loss to our musical history.

As a huge fan of all things old and worn, and as the owner of two record players and albums galore, I don't think you're being overly sentimental at all to mourn the loss of records. When you cull through as many flea markets and antique shops as I do, you realize how many wonderful things have fallen to the way side and become obsolete as well as how much our country throws out for no good reason. It's sad. But I save what I can...

Records are amazing. I also work in the special collections of my campus library. ;)

This makes me so sad. I love vinyl...still have a collection of old records my Grandpa left me. I echo so many that posted here--where are the big record companies or the artists?! I would think that they could see the potential here! I feel like the music industry owes Paul at least 3 million for his archival genius, loyal support and kill sunglasses.

Vinyl is in better shape now than a few years ago, thanks to the new crop of audiophile youth raised on instant but bad-sounding music played on solipstic isolate techno gadgets that break every 2 nanoseconds. I was just at a Record Show in Chicago, and what was selling--vintage and new--was just that LP and 45 RECORDS. The CDs and cassettes were the real junk. I kept my speakers, record player & took in the orphaned LPs of all my family & friends. We play a record every day at dinnertime!

AWESOME post! Thank you for sharing this!

I know a guy on the East coast who has about 10,000 vinyls he got from a record store going out of business. I love music and singing while teaching myself to play my acoustic guitar.

Paul Mawhinney, you truly are or should be the "patron saint" of record preservation. I believe you will find a home for your collection, if lost it would be like loosing the dead sea scrolls or Library of Alexandria; it IS that important to preserve our vinyl for future generations!. Great Video.

I just googled this article from 2008 saying Muhwanny sold his collection on ebay in Feb '08. If the deal didn't go sour, then we can rest assured the collection was saved. Record Rama collection sells for $3 million Friday, February 22, 2008 By Scott Mervis, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The winning bid yesterday for the famed Record Rama collection -- billed by owner Paul Mawhinney as the "World's Largest Music Collection" -- came in just slightly above the minimum $3 million bid on eBay. "It was a little bittersweet," said Mr. Mawhinney's agent, J. Paul Henderson. "We didn't get as much as we wanted." The high bid on eBay came in at $3,002,150 for a collection Mr. Mawhinney estimated was worth $50 million. Mr. Mawhinney, the 68-year-old owner of the Ross-based Record Rama, had been trying to sell the collection for many years and nearly got $28 million for it earlier in the decade. But the value of such collections has plunged since the explosion of online music. Faced with health problems, particularly failing vision, Mr Mawhinney decided to retire, close his store and put the collection on eBay this month, for a minimum of $3 million with no reserve. That averages about one dollar a piece for the vault of approximately 3 million LPs, 45s, CDs, cassettes and 8-tracks, plus his own patented vinyl cleaning system and ownership of six publishing companies and eight independent labels. It is believed to be the second biggest sale in the history of eBay, after a $4.9 million private jet. Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08053/859500-54.stm#ixzz1KjnL0br4

Oops again...apparently further digging reveals that Ebay deal did in fact prove fraudulent. So it's back on the selling block!

I guess he is just trying to sell the entire collection, because if he sold individual albums, he would have a feeding frenzy. Oops, just read above post. I think he is very lucky, to have done what he wanted all his life and have a 3million dollar retirement, from where I stand, most people have not achieved that. Congrats!

love the popping at the end, heatbreaking

Any music lover can truly appreciate what this man has done it's a shame to see this go!

Any music lover can truly appreciate what this man has done it's a shame to see this go!

It's so sad that this man cannot get a buyer or someone interested in starting a museum of music. I finally got rid of my vinyl records last year after many moves and then being stored upstairs, downstairs and just always in the way. I know some of them were skippy, so I didn't have the time or energy to go through them all. I still have a Garrard turntable though, the brand that everyone thought was THE brand to have, now....just something else in the cellar that needs fixing and adjusting....but alas....no more records!

It is also so true what they say about the quality of the sound.... Digital, shmigital....you just cannot get good sound today - my opinion - from the plastic speakers, the plastic stereo systems, the TV's, etc. The best sound came from records with speakers having a wood surround. The same goes for radios....the wood cabinets transported the sound MUCH better! Why do we need all the sub-woofers for our computers and stereo systems? My opinion is because everything was made in plastic and the speakers for everything are very small, so the sound ends up being tinny.

Awesome collection.

Well gosh! What a passionate response this article has produced....is this not proof that something must be done to save such a magnificent collection? I'm sure something good will come out of it..... There HAS to be some rich rock-star guy out there to take over the stewardship of such an amazing resource....wish I could myself. :^) Makes me happy that so many people feel the same way though. Heidi

Wonderful collection that takes one down memory lane! I too have a collection of vinyl. Thanks for sharing.

Like all things in this world... it just keeps changing ( good or bad). Tho, my 15 year old son is collecting vinyl, which for me is memory lane. I've been hearing the doors, , jimi hendrix, et al. and loving every minute of it. What do you think about , the buffalo springfield reuniting?

Thank you for sharing your life's work with us. I have collected vinyl all my life and thought I had a great collection with 5,000 records, this is truly amazing. I hope somehow they can be preserved and future generations will be able to enjoy what Paul has collected. I feel a little sad knowing what could be lost.

All I can say is WOW

Only my favorite song in the world Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd... I could never fathom it missing that exaggerated phonograph sound.. .. I used to roller skate in my basement my entire childhood to vinyl and occasional 8 tracks All the Spiritual Music.. all kinds of music stories comedy... Elvis, Ac /DC Beetles ... old Bing Crosby..Broadway plays, musicals..My Fair Lady, Doctor Doolittle Robin Hood, The Student Prince. Not to mention listening to Disney Albums..that had often times illustrated pages in its album cover Alice in Wonderland.. Jungle Book..and of course comedy... bill crosby and listened to the ones my mother and he brothers and sisters had...... I had to put two pennies on the needles arm ... or everything would skip ... guess the weight from the coins... any way .. I think what you have accomplished is amazing and true dedication... What about The Smithsonian or Some Huge record company

Goodness this is depressing. :/ I love the sound of vinyl. It is perhaps my favourite sound in the world. The thought of such an archive just disapearing is very sad. Especially considering that so much of that music isn't even available anywhere else....its sad. :/

Great article, I still have all my vinyl and will never part with it. I still buy it too. It is so true that nothing compares to the sound of vinyl. It does sound so much better than any other form. Long live vinyl!!!!!

viva la vinyl!

anyone know how many circles u can be in it says i reached my limit there are people that have more than me

anyone know how many circles u can be in it says i reached my limit there are people that have more than me

That is alot of records!

There's a great second hand shop in Clinton that has some records from the 60's.I recognized some that were in my Dad's collection.Brought back a nice memory.

Amazing story and so many truths. An archcive like this is a national treasure. Love your vinyl!

What an awesome amount of vinyl - I still have hundreds of records from the 80's - I just haven't been able to part with - back in the day it was so fun to find the treasures like color vinyl (gray - blue - pink) or foreign labeled records. Not sure if CD's offer that.

Music touches my soul too lol XD

An amazing man...I so appreciate is passion. Where is his Angel ?? I own a vintage shop and I have seen first hand the new passion for vinyl by the college generation. I sell an album a day now, after years of having them gather dust! ...Hooray..!!!

The best part about vinyl was sitting with headphones and gazing at the cover. What an amazing life's work and what a stunning collection. It's pretty unbelievable that only 17% of his collection is available on disc. I'd love to hang out with Paul for a day (or a week) to peruse and listen.

I just recently watched this documentary and found it so tragic. He clearly has something wonderful and incomparable, but no one wants it?! And his wife, when she gets all teary... just sad.

Excellent! - Emu Tile

Very sad that this man spent so many years creating this collection only to find that he would only get a fraction of what it was worth. I don't miss the crackling or scratchy sound of vinyl but i do miss the wonderful album artwork......some of my favs are most Grateful dead albums. Tull's Thick as a Brick, JA paper bag album, Led Zepplin II and many more I can't remember....

Someone needs to get hold of Jack White and show him this story... I have a feeling he has the resources and probably the want for this collection since he's so into the preservation of vinyl and having music be something that one can hold in their hands.

A well done documentary and very interesting. If I had $3-5 million laying around I would certainly buy the collection. As a musician and music collector it saddens me that no one has offered Paul anything. I was in a used CD/record store a month ago and there is something about looking through a record collection that doesn't compare to shopping for CD's. Maybe it's the nostalgic feelings... maybe its the artwork of the record covers... maybe I'm an old sentimental fool but NOTHING will compare to the sound of the needle tracking across vinyl and soothing our soul with the fullness of good old music. Damn I miss my turntable and record collection!!!

i would love to hear something from the monkeys! and i really loved that show too!

I used to love buying records, that's what I would spend most of my allowance on. Taking the plastic off the jacket and putting the record on the turntable. Still have most of them but sadly had to get rid of my turntable a few years back. My son is 3 1/2 and it makes me a little sad to think of the things that won't be part of his youth. Things that he can actually put his hands on instead of "experiencing" them through some sort of techno gadget.

Interesting article! Very sad that this era has gone, someone has to try and preserve it! I had to leave our collection overseas and if I could bring there here I would, since one can now buy turntables again. All the best!