Peter and The Case of the Mysterious Record

Working with my friend Rob is nothing short of an adventure. I never know what projects will come my way. All I know is that each will be unique, challenging, and fun. The last project is exactly that. For the second year in a row, the College Radio Foundation is publishing a fanzine for Vinylthon. The article I contributed this year is entitled: 'Peter and the Case of the Mysterious Record'. I had a blast writing it.

Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror Photo Credit: Me

When I say vinyl records, most of us will immediately think of music. Let’s face it, music and vinyl records go together like grilled cheese and tomato soup, Chicago in the summer time, politics and corruption. Well what if I were to tell you that music on vinyl records is only half the experience?

A couple of years ago, I went record shopping with my best friend Rob. After hitting up my usual spots in the store, I wandered over to the little visited “Soundtracks/Sound Effects/ Spoken Word” section. You know the section I’m referring to. It’s the section in the store that gets all of the weird and unusual records that no one else wants.     

While thumbing through, I came across a copy of Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror. I was intrigued. You see, this wasn’t a regular record. This was the actual movie, minus the pictures, obviously. Growing up with a father who is a die-hard Sherlock Holmes fan, I am very familiar with the films starring the character, and The Voice of Terror is one we both enjoyed. So for the low price of $1, I took the risk and purchased it.  

What transpired later that night when I went to play it can only be described as an auditory delight. As the record played and I listened to the movie, my imagination took over and guided me on a journey where the film became alive with action, adventure, drama, and friendship. The stakes were high, and only Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson would be able to defeat the villains and save England from inevitable defeat during World War II.

I was immediately hooked and began my journey in collecting unusual albums, including the rest of the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes series. I discovered that vinyl records are so much more than great musical delivery devices. These pieces of plastic are powerful devices of imagination. The sounds they are able to produce enable their listeners to travel anywhere in the universe without having to leave the comfort of their living room. I don’t say this lightly, but I put them on par with the power of reading books. They are a gateway into your mind’s eye.

So the next time you are in your favorite record shop, why not wander over to that little visited section of spoken word, radio dramas, sound design, and movie soundtracks. I promise you, what awaits you is a whole new listening experience, one that only a record can bring to you.