AM Radio Days

I listened to my parent's car radio as a kid with a different set of ears than when I listened to my stereo as a teen. The same is true now when I listen to new music through my iPod. I am obviously the same person, but the passage of time and my refinement as a musician has changed the way I hear music.

I was transported into another world through an imaginary portal inside the AM radio next to my bed. I turned it off just before I fell asleep--and when I woke up the next morning--I would switch it back on. I can tell you the release date of many of the songs from that era based on the years I had that little bed-side box. I didn't hear with a critical ear back then--I simply listened to songs as a whole. I wasn't concerned about stereo, just moved by the songs as they rolled out over the static and into my head and heart.

Now, with the search for those recordings on the internet to recapture that emotional experience from the AM radio days, I am disappointed. It's hard to ignore the out-of-tune vocals. The drums sound like dull, cardboard boxes, and the liberal use of reverb seems to make the mixes sound cloudy and dark. I want to re-connect with the way those songs once made me feel. Maybe the youthful wonder has been spoiled by knowing too much about the process of making music.

I remember hearing Black Sabbath's Paranoid and Deep Purple's Machine Head for the first time. Without realizing it, I was delving into the beginnings of of heavy metal music. I was mesmerized. I was blown away by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's Deja Vu. The Beach Boys probably had the greatest emotional effect on me. When I listen to these records today, it's hard to dismiss the flaws.

Flaws or not, those records changed my life. Today, many a vocal is tuned to keyboard-like perfection, drums are scooted around and tightened up, and the recordings are hiss-free and crystal-clear. I have learned that these changes don't necessarily make for better records. I'll always cherish that little AM radio. Static and all, it introduced me to the fantasy that I am living today.