In 1989, the world’s first scented vinyl was released, but why?
As a music fan, there’s not much else that beats the satisfaction of receiving a new vinyl record, unboxing it at home, and then letting it work its magic on the record player. In that moment, everything about it is perfect, “even the smell of the vinyl”, as Martin Gore once said, a little slice of heaven, all to yourself.
Often (or most of the time, actually), listening to an album on vinyl feels far more special than playing it on some streaming site through speakers. Like, somehow, the tangible aspect makes it feel as though the material is actually yours, as though you’re actually stealing the moment for yourself, the same way the flicker of a candle often makes the room feel temporarily warmer, and the world feel smaller.
The White Stripes’ Jack White actually hit the nail on the head once when he told NPR that vinyl is “the real deal” and, “until you buy the vinyl record, you don’t really own the album”. In his view, vinyl is very much still alive, and not just some ‘retro-romantic’ novelty from the past that people love to buy for the collector’s aspect alone. In fact, when we look at the numbers, this ultimately rings true. People might be buying more vinyl records now than in other periods in recent history, but the surge has more to do with the experience of listening to vinyl, rather than the satisfaction of owning something physical (although that, no doubt, plays a big part too).
Recent reports suggest that vinyl sales are at an 18-year high in the UK, and this year, many of the biggest sales have been from British artists, led by Harry Styles’ Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, with forerunners being Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving, Gorillaz’ The Mountain, and Sam Fender’s People Watching. Along with the listener experience, vinyl records are also becoming more creative than ever; Styles’, for instance, came with a circular-styled lyric sheet and a limited edition poster, along with several variants, highlighting the additional artistic value of the physical format, from a fan’s perspective.
Why was the first scented vinyl released in 1989?
However, others have tried to push these boundaries in the past, offering styles and variants that go beyond the simple lyric, poster, and photobook format. Some have taken to more creative means, like using different materials to improve the audio or offer a different experience entirely. For instance, in the past, artists have launched wood vinyls, ice vinyls, and even chocolate vinyls, each incident toying with the parameters of the vinyl experience and what’s expected of the listener afterwards (the chocolate ones were intended to be eaten after listening, for instance, which, talk about consuming music).
The first-ever scented vinyl was technically launched in 1979, with Stevie Wonder’s Journey Through The Secret Life of Plants being lightly scented with a flowery note that reminded people of roses. However, they reportedly halted pressing these when it was said that the smell negatively impacted the sound quality, proving that there was much more to scented vinyls than simply dousing them in something nice-smelling and hoping that would do the trick.
The first successful scented vinyl actually arrived in 1989, with Madonna pressing the first editions of Like a Prayer with aromas of frankincense and patchouli. This decision was made in order to enhance the religious themes of the material, linking the sensual experience with the music’s spiritual and ritualistic atmosphere.
She’d also wanted people to feel like they were in a church while they listened to it, making the vinyl a more immersive experience, with a smell that (apparently) somehow still lingers today. While some claim it to have faded somewhat, others say that the record still succeeds in transporting you somewhere entirely different, somewhere darker, stonier, and more otherworldly than simple speakers will ever be able to offer.
