Collecting Vinyl Album Art

Lady In Red Vinyl Record Memories.

Collecting Vinyl Records and Album Cover Art takes on a different form for many of us who have that passion those in today's digital world may not fully understand.

How would you rather spend your evening? Listening to vinyl records with your favorite lady or by yourself with a pair of iPods stuck in your ear staring endlessly off into the universe.

The Vinyl Record is your partner in great sound. Nothing in this universe sounds as good as a perfectly made vinyl record, recreating the sound in exactly the same manner as the artist wanted you to hear it.

As I look at this restored 1956 Wurlitzer Jukebox it's not hard to get lost in time with wonderful memories, when as teens, we would meet after school, drink cherry cokes, and listen to vinyl records on a Jukebox.

Those were fond memories, playing this great Everly Brothers song on a soda shop "Jukebox," picking out the song with your girl and watching the record begin to play.

What a great combo. A soda shop, cherry cokes, a Jukebox, and your girl friend. And to top it off...3 plays for a quarter!

The Digital Age Begins - Vinyl Junkies Fight Back!

Around 1982 a digital music playback format that used a laser to read the disc, was introduced and was immediately expected to replace the vinyl long play record album (LP). It was simply called a CD (compact Disc).  As was expected the CD sales took off, vinyl records fell and many record companies tried to phase out the vinyl record album.

Not so with Rainbow Records, a vinyl record manufacturing plant in Canoga Park, California. Steve Sheldon started at Rainbo as a printer’s assistant in 1971 while attending college. He wanted to open his own print house after graduating, but owner, Jack Brown, convinced him to stay at Rainbo. Sheldon learned the operation from the ground up. In 1986, he was promoted to general manager. After Brown died in 2004, he ran the company outright. 

Around 2005, vinyl began a revival. Unlike streamed music, a vinyl record is something you can touch and feel. The record jacket doubles as artwork that can be framed. There’s something exciting about removing the jacket shrink wrap, putting the disc on the turntable, placing the needle on the grooves and listening as the music comes to life. This builds a connection with the artist.  Watch the video and see why many collectors still believe in vinyl, and why collecting LP records is still King for many vinyl junkies.

Although the video below is dated material, vinyl records continue to add sales each year, and will continue on into 2026 and beyond. 

Saying Goodbye To Rainbo Records — And 80 Years Of Pop Culture History.

It’s sad, but as of January 31, 2020, Vinyl Manufacturer Rainbo Records, closed its doors after eighty years in business. The plant’s record presses as well as 14 truck loads of materials and nostalgia, and the Rainbo name, were purchased by United Records in Nashville. While it’s a sad day that Rainbo has closed, it still survives in spirit.

On December 12, 2019, Rainbo’s longtime general manager Steve Sheldon retrieved the last-ever record to be pressed by Rainbo: a blue vinyl reissue of “The Other Side of Life” by the Moody Blues.

"I’m pretty distraught over it," Sheldon said a few days before production stopped. "Up until the eleventh hour, I thought a white knight was just going to come along."

The deciding factor in Rainbo’s end, though, was the prospect of a 40% rent hike when the lease came up to renew in 2020. That spelled doom, Schneider says. We had a nest egg, so we could afford to lose money for a while, hoping that things would turn around.

Although the digital revolution had an effect on the need to own physical albums, the rise of cloud-based music platforms such as Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Music has, ironically, helped over the years to propel vinyl back into the mainstream. Deep, intentional listening, analog-heads argue, is more rewarding through turntables.

The video below shows Rainbo Records in its prime prior to closing in 2020. 

The Nostalgia For Vinyl Records...

If you have been around music long enough you have seen the many different formats introduced for your listening pleasure.

We have seen Reel to Reel tapes (I still have hundreds of hours of music on reel to reel tapes) 8 track tapes, cassette tapes and of course the current CD's. And don't forget iPods, digital downloads and streaming music.

Every one of these formats has led the assault to put the record companies out of business. But the vinyl record is still with us. Why? It could be largely due to DJs, who keep playing vinyl records, and of course, many music artists who insist on releasing their music on vinyl.

It's sad that kids today have missed the experience of growing up in the LP generation, the 50s, 60s and 70s. Buying an album based on the jacket, not knowing what it sounded like, was a magical time.  

Album Cover Art - A Deciding Factor Why Albums Are Collected.

The vinyl LP comes wrapped in colorful art work on the cover.  Lots of information and photo's can be included on a vinyl record album. Hard to do on a 5 inch by 5 inch CD.

Simply put - the vinyl record is a survivor. We enjoy the sound quality over other formats. And really, when you get down to it, digging through old record crates is part of the romance of being an LP collector.

And the colorful art work on the album covers and sleeves themselves is sometimes the only reason some of us look for that certain vinyl piece of record history.

Protecting Your Vinyl Record Collection.

There are different opinions on this, but it is recommended by most to remove the original wrapping from the manufacturer, the dreaded shrink wrap, as this may shrink over time; eventually warping the jacket or possibly the record.

A note of caution, however, is warranted. Some of the stickers or promotional information on this shrink wrap may actually make the album more valuable if left on; so use discretion when removing the shrink wrap.

It is recommended to replace this wrapping with a high density polyethylene outer protective sleeve.

What about the inner sleeve?

When Collecting Vinyl Album Art, it is also very important to have clean, acid free inner sleeves to protect your records with paper sleeves being the most practical.

Some recordings were issued with inner sleeves that have acidity issues, which over time, could damage the vinyl records that they hold.

Additionally, some sleeves may be viewed as collectible, so it's best to save them as part of the album package.


Doo-wop Sounds under the street lights.

Lost in the 50's - Classic Oldies & maltshop memories.

Best Cover Songs - A second look at the Best Rockin' Remakes.

Return Home.


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