Saturday, January 10, 2009

..spin, doc...


Greetings! It is snowing lightly here in Chester County, PA and the park had more inhabitants than it usually does when there is no precipitation. I liked making foot and pawprints on the thinly snow covered macadam pathways and thought that a fabric using these colors and patterns could be a good seller. I have to figure out the base fabric before applying a shoe sole stamp and various sized paw print stamps from white fabric paint and I think I know exactly what to use. A black and grey thick wool tweed. I think a transitional sofa, chairs and even upholstered cornices would look great in this style of fabric especially if I make the pattern subtle. It is important to keep coming up with variations on a theme or things get stale. RCA Victor knew this well and on this day in 1949 introduced the 45 RPM record. They were also the founder of the phonograph and record business. Once the 45 RPM vinyl disc was released, stores had copies that played a salesman extolling the virtues of this latest invention. About a month later, the record label released a package of several 45 records in various genres.
The 45 RPM record's years of greatest success began with the onset of rock and roll. The new 7 inch format was favoured by the young and in the UK sales of 45s overtook 78s early in 1958 as rock and roll established a boom in record sales. During the next few years the UK was to become a major source of popular recorded music with the advent of the British 'beat' groups which were exemplified in the 'Beatles'. This was the 'golden era' for the 45. Although sales of popular music were to grow dramatically during the following decades, buyers gradually transferred their purchases to the 12" 'LP' (albums for those out there who are approximately the same age as I am) as their affluence grew. By the end of the 1960s sales of the 45 had even begun to decline. During the early years of the Beatles, a record would need to sell in excess of 750,000 copies to reach the coveted number 1 chart. These days as we all know, downloaded music has put quite a hamper on record sales. I received an IPOD for the Holidays. No, not a shirt with an alligator on it, I said IPOD. Alas, I am old school and have really only copied favorite tracks and full CD's onto it that I already own for now. It helps me to concentrate more on my workouts and makes the beloved (please read that word with sarcasm) StairMaster less of a chore. I brought in my turntable and a handful of 45 RPM records to my gym but people kept tripping on the extension cord and it made for treacherous insurance considerations. This last part may or may not have happened. Anyway, I found two large embroidered striped upholstery fabrics yesterday in the colorways previously mentioned and it was no easy task. Now that it is done, and in good stock I will present on Monday or Tuesday and many will smile. It isn't like I invented a new way to present recorded music, but I still think that my small contributions help. I hope that everyone reading this blog feels the same way. We rarely get a report back when we do something to positively (or negatively) change a person's life but that doesn't matter. ( Positive changes). What does matter, IMHO is that we keep doing things that improve other's lives even if it is the tiniest gesture. The Buttercream carpet has been examined and will be delivered to the installer on Monday. Hopefully it will be installed this coming Thursday. These people are intelligent and kind, but I truly think that they don't know how much this installation will change the feel, sound and tambor of the room. No, I am not talking about the bay in Costa Rica, I am referring to the architecture of a room. If a wall-to-wall carpet installation turns out to look like a bay I am totally (link please). This blog is 'G' rated and I intend to keep it that way. Anyway, how excited will these people be once the installation has been competed, everything is back in place and they can relax...grab their turntable and crank up 45RPM records dancing wildly to songs of every genre. But please remove your shoes first and don't trip on the extension cord. I have been slowly adding some brand new needlepoint pillows and area rugs to my website and some are way off the beaten path. Not a snow covered macadam one yet tho', but soon.Have a great day. Perform small gestures of good. If RCA can go from 78 to 45 with such success, we can also do small things to make big changes.
"I don't believe that a lot of the things I hear on the air today are going to be played for as long a time as Coleman Hawkins records or Brahms concertos". Oscar Peterson