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Aug 28, 2023 By Frank Valish

Jonathan Scott’s Into the Groove tells the story of the vinyl record, from humans’ first inclination to try to record sound up to the resurgence of the LP in the 2000s.

His tale begins with Galileo observing that sound moved dust when using a chisel to refine a brass plate, and quickly moves to the 1850s when the idea of being able to document sound in earnest first originated. The origin story of what would become the vinyl record spans continents, with different thinkers and inventors creating and endlessly tinkering with new technology of the day in order to record sounds of voice.

Thomas Edison plays a major role, and his advancements are chronicled here in detail. But so are his competitors’, and there were those who took Edison’s template and bettered it. From acoustic recordings to electric and finally advancements in perfecting the ability to reproduce sound, Into the Groove documents it all.

Scott’s writing is engaging, even when the technological aspects of what he is describing are not easily understood by the lay person. And there is no dearth of nuggets that even the least engineering-minded individual will take from his narrative.

Ultimately, for anyone who loves music, Into the Groove is an essential document. It tells the fascinating tale of how far we’ve come in the pursuit of recording and reproducing sound. And for all those individuals who helped make that dream a reality, we are forever indebted.

(www.bloomsbury.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10