Into the Groove: The Story of Sound From Tin Foil to Vinyl (Hardcover)
Description
The story of recorded sound--the technological developments, the humans that made them happen and their impact on society, from the phonograph to LPs, EPs and the recent resurgence of vinyl.
In Into the Groove, vinyl collector and music buff Jonathan Scott dissects a mind-blowing feat that we all take for granted today--the domestication of sound. Thomas Edison's phonograph, the first device that could both record and reproduce sound, represented an important turning point in the story of recorded sound, but it was only the tip of the iceberg, and came after decades of invention, tinkering and experimentation. Scott traces the birth of sound back to the earliest serious attempts in the 1850s, celebrating the ingenuity, rivalries and science of the modulated groove.
He examines the first attempts to record and reproduce sounds, the origins of the phonograph, and the development of commercial shellac discs. Then he divulges the fascinating story of the LP record, from the rise of electric recording to the fall of 7-inch vinyl, the competing speed and format wars, and an epilogue that takes the story up to the present-day return of vinyl to vogue.
Into the Groove uncovers tales of intrigue and betrayal, court battles and lesser-known names who are often left out of most histories. Discover a new appreciation of the not-so-simple black disc that holds a special place in the history of music and sound.
About the Author
Jonathan Scott is a music journalist who has been collecting vinyl since he was seven years old. He's written about weird, rare and collectable records for Record Collector, has edited books about Prince, Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead, and has written about Nirvana, The Venga Boys and lots of others in between. Jonathan's first book, The Vinyl Frontier, told the story of NASA's 'golden record' on the Voyager missions.
Praise For…
“An audio geek's delight, this engrossing history of music and voice recording is as wide-ranging and thorough as one could want … Scott spins a history told with near-perfect pitch.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Enjoyable … Scott has an eye for detail … music lovers will want to take this one for a spin.” —Publisher's Weekly
“Scott excels in explaining the connections between innovators and their various epiphanies and lawsuits without ever losing focus of recordings' end users: the listener … A perfect fit for music lovers who've always wondered how a recorded performance reaches their ears.” —Library Review
“By mixing lo-fi charm into hi-fi science Into the Groove captures all the wonder and absurdity of its subject, jumping and skipping with real analogue delight.” —Sunday Times
“An attentive, expository account of how records came to be.” —Tayyab Amin, The Wire
“A very detailed and well researched history of the gramophone… [Scott] writes in a non-technical way but fully explains how sound recording has evolved.” —David Harris, Practical Wireless