Touchable Sound: A Collection of 7-inch Records from the USA

by Brian Roettinger (Editor), Sam McPheeters, Henry Owings (Introduction)

In an era that advocates streamlined product and music at the click of a mouse, Touchable Sound celebrates those independent-spirited bands and musicians who make their own records, relishing the opportunity to produce labor-intensive one-off artifacts with no prospect of remuneration. As Henry H. Owings puts it in his introduction, it is a book that "honors those that invest countless hours to further their art... It's about having an attention to detail and a disinterest in the bottom line." Curated by Brian Roettinger, Michael Treff and Diego Hadis, and organized by region across the U.S., Touchable Sound focuses on rare, labor-intensive, exquisite and unique examples of American seven-inch record design spanning nearly 25 years, lovingly documenting the obscure and the hard-to-find with the help of musicians, artists and designers. Many of these records--by bands such as Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel, Chromatics, Fast Forward, Nuzzle, Gogogo Airheart, Young Ginns, Men's Recovery Project, Angel Hair, Universal Order--have never previously been seen by a wide audience and were originally pressed in extremely limited runs. Editorial contributors include Henry Owings (Drug Racer Records, Chunklet magazine), Sam McPheeters (Vermiform Records), Tom Hazelmyer (Amphetamine Reptile Records), Kristin Thompson (Simple Machines Records) and more. Designed by Brian Roettinger, the book contains photographs of every record documented.

Genres: Music, Art Design

412 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2010

Reviews

[aqilahreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

this makes me appreciate more about indie vinyl records and its covers - im so amazed how much time & effort were being put out to make the vinyl covers back in the days. ((even tho not so much handmade now but the aestheticz are still there omg))

showcases a lot of individually painted, screen printed, using recycled materials vinyl collection and thats not it......theres MORE!!! 🤯🤯🤯

i wish there is more explanation on why certain design/art approch was used but still enjoyed browsing through the designs and analyzing each and every one of it.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty fun. Saw lots of records by friends and acquaintances. Salivated over layouts and b side etchings and screen prints. Pleased to see labels I've worked with. Lots of fun as a one time participant in this culture.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

100% inspiration for record collector's and small label owners.