Sound of Music
Do you remember buying your first 45, Giant 45, how about your first album? Remember Saturday mornings watching Soul Train or American Bandstand, learning the dances then getting money to buy the record…singing the words – loudly… dancing until your sides ached. The smell of the vinyl…the cool designs on the jacket….writing your name on the label so no one stole it..taping a quarter onto the arm of the needle…putting the speakers in the window to blast out to the neighborhood…picking up the needle and playing your favorite part over and over again…having a fit if someone scratched it…using the album cover as a dust pan or other household item? There was nothing like running to the record store to buy that newly released 45 or album…for me those days are gone forever but the memories will last forever.
I found a place to relive some of those memories – Computer Tech located at Spence’s Bazaar Flea Market in Dover. Computer Tech has been in business for over 25 years and the owner, ChaBa Waite is an expert on everything music. When you go inside the barn all those memories come flooding back at the sight of crates and crates of records and albums, the sounds of Motown blasting from large speakers. Everything music and electronic including reel-to-reels, 8-track players, keyboards, monitors, computers, speakers, receivers, floppy disc drives, there are even telephones, answering machines, vacuums and small appliances. People from all over go to Computer Tech to buy, sell, upgrade and have merchandise repaired…looking for a particular record or album, I’m sure it could be found there. Unfortunately just the week before we took turntables and receivers to a recycling center, otherwise they would have found a perfect home at Computer Tech. After ChaBa scolded me for dumping our equipment she took time to talk to my son about quality speakers and receivers because he has a set up in the basement.
I could spend every Saturday morning at Computer Tech, eyes closed, listening to the music, drifting back to a time of childhood innocence.