Spin the Groove: 8 Fascinating Fun Facts About Vinyl Records You Never Knew!

1. Outside-In Vinyl Spinning

Hold onto your turntables, groovy cats: contrary to popular belief, most vinyl records play from the outside in, not the inside out! Though some radio transcriptions spin the other way round, the key to perfect playback is all about matching the stylus to the record's speed and groove size, rather than the cut's direction.
Source => forums.stevehoffman.tv

2. From Rubber to Vinyl Evolution

Before the beat dropped, there was rubber: Early phonograph records actually started out as hard rubber and graduated to shellac before finally settling for vinyl in the 1940s, staking its analog claim in a soon-to-be digital world.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

Did you know there's a 639-year-long concert happening in a medieval church in Germany? With rare chord changes like a G-sharp scheduled for February 2022, this performance truly tests the limits of time and music! 🎵⏳

=> Fun Facts about Music

3. The Story of Record Sizes

It's not always about the size, but how you use it – especially when it comes to vinyl record dimensions! Prepare your turntables for some pint-sized trivia: the smallest vinyl record size is actually a 7-inch diameter, typically used for singles and holding just about five minutes of music on each side. Meanwhile, 12-inch records reign supreme nowadays, storing up to 22 minutes per side at a regular 33 RPM speed. And don't forget the elusive 10-inch size, playing a minor role for shorter albums and pre-1950s pressings, never managing to quite spin into the spotlight.
Source => recordhead.biz

4. Beatles' Butcher Cover Shock

Before the Fab Four were serving up fanfare and nostalgia, they were dishing out a meaty helping of controversy: The Beatles' "Yesterday and Today" album originally featured a bizarre "butcher cover" with the band members donning white lab coats amidst decapitated baby dolls and raw meat, leading to an expensive recall and a collector's frenzy for the rare, carnivorous version.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

5. World War II Shellac Shortage

When life gives you lemons, or in this case, a shellac shortage, make lemonade: it was thanks to the scarcity of shellac during World War II that we wound up with the delightfully groovy vinyl records instead! This stylish, durable alternative quickly rose to fame and became the musical sweetheart of the 20th century, charming audiophiles and collectors alike with its warm sound and little pops and crackles, all without having to make a cameo appearance in outer space alongside astronaut Jack Fischer.
Source => abc7chicago.com

6. Jack White's Record-Breaking Record

Move over, Swiss polka: there's a new record-breaker in town, and he's serving up vinyls quicker than you can say "rock 'n roll!" Hailing from the world of strumming guitars and killer solos, this musician proved that he's got an ace up his vinyl sleeve: Jack White made it into the Guinness World Records in 2014 by releasing vinyl records of his live performance of "Lazaretto" in under four hours, smashing the previous record set by Swiss polka group Vollgas Kompanie, who released their live album a day after recording it.
Source => time.com

7. Birth of the LP and Record Collecting

Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and everyone was probably listening to Stoney and the Pebbles on "Rock Radio," music took a new spin - quite literally: In June 1948, Columbia Records released the first long-playing microgroove record, featuring the New York Philharmonic playing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto at 33 1/3 revolutions per minute, providing a whopping 23 minutes of music on each side of the 12-inch record. These extended jams paved the way for the modern album and the glorious birth of record collecting!
Source => blogs.loc.gov

8. 22-Minute Music Limit

Whoever said "time flies when you're having fun" probably never spun a vinyl record: these groovy circles of pleasure could only hold up to 22 minutes of audible delights per side, thanks to the physical constraints of the material and the groove-cutting technology employed.
Source => victrola.com