Should History Be Altered?

I worked in the garage most of last Saturday, and had the wife's radio on. It was tuned to the local "oldies" station - K-RTH 101. As a rule, I don't listen to FM radio, opting to either my computer's MusicMatch generate a random playlist from my personal CD collection, or listening to other people's playlists on Mercora.

What struck me, as I listened to the 40 song, 2 hour long rotation on K-RTH (my perception only), is that NONE of the songs from the 60's sounded the same any more. No matter if it was Elvis or the Beach Boys, the Supremes or [ insert 60's band name here ], the versions of the songs that played on the radio now have been remastered.

While I suppose there is always the urge to improve the mix on an old song, and take advantage of all the fancy schmancy technology available, I think it is reprehensible. No longer does listening to one of your favorite songs from the past bring back memories; now it brings back thoughts of "I don't remember this song sounding like THAT!"

I'm certain that my opinion doesn't really matter to anyone, I would hope that the purists out there will hold the line and refuse to purchase or promote the reprocessing and repackaging of our musical memories.

No one in their right mind would consider picking up a copy of Mark Twain's "Tom Sawyer" and rewriting it using today's jargon and lingo. Sam Clemens would be churning in his grave.

So why is it OK to do it with the music.

So THAT is why I enjoy listening to vinyl records - complete with scratches, pops and clicks - because every nuance brings back specific thoughts and recollections from my past; and I value every one of them.