Question One: Although the vinyl record is making somewhat of a comeback, it will never reach the status it had in its height during the 1950s through the 1970s. When was the first LP record released? When was the first 45 RPM record released?

Answer: The first phonograph records were produced during the 1880s on a "phonograph cylinder." In 1930, RCA Victor launched the first commercially available vinyl long-playing record, marketed as "Program Transcription" discs. These revolutionary discs were designed for playback at 33 1/3 rpm and pressed on a 30 cm diameter flexible plastic disc. Although it was not successful at first, some of the technical qualities were used when Columbia released its first 12" (30 cm) Long Play (LP) 33 1/3 rpm microgroove record album in 1948. The following year, 1949, saw the release of the first 45 RPM single, 7" in diameter, with a large center hole to accommodate an automatic play mechanism on the changer, so a stack of singles would drop down one record at a time automatically after each play. Early 45 RPM records were made from either vinyl or polystyrene.

Question Two: Vinyl records have always provided a level of entertainment unavailable on CDs or downloaded music. Peter Pan Records and other companies gave us children’s records of various colors, most notably yellow. During the “psychedelic” era, artists released records that were visually stimulating on both the outside, with incredible artwork on the covers, and on the inside. What artist released (in my opinion) his best LP in 1970 that included a group of eight amazing songs as well as a record that circulated a myriad of colors as it spun on the turntable? What was the title of the album? Which Elvis Presley LP was packaged as a non-traditional vinyl album?

Answer: CDs, being so much smaller than records, have been unable to produce the terrific artwork of albums like Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band or Cheap Thrills. In 1970, Dave Mason released Alone Together, an album that included such amazing songs as "Only You Know and I Know" and "Sad and Deep as You." The lightweight LP was also something to watch as it spun around. The paint-splashed vinyl practically produced its own light show as it spun on the turntable. In July of 1977, only a month before his death, RCS released Elvis' Moody Blue album with a translucent blue vinyl record to coincide with the theme of the LP.

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