10 Items Every Classic Rock Fan Should Have At Home
How Many Do You Have?
Once upon a time, you were such a huge classic rock fan you practically decorated every nook and cranny of your home with memorabilia. Now that you’re (just a little) older, you still haven’t let go of these items. Don’t worry, we won’t tell.
1. Vinyl records and album covers
Ah, yes of course. How much money did you spend on each of them? Can you still remember the moment you found these gems at the record store? And how excited you were to get home so you can start listening? Discovering new, amazing music was a lot like receiving and opening Christmas presents on random days. It was a heady and beautiful experience. We still see people selling some vintage vinyl records and we sincerely hope you did no such thing. Although to be fair, some of it are priced between $10-$130 and rare ones (like those from The Beatles) go beyond a thousand bucks. Wow. And now can you recall that moment when your mom said you’re wasting your money? LOL. There are people who like collecting it and in fact, there are still record stores today. These are things that are so hard to let go of, right?
2. Vinyl record player
Uhm, duh? How else would you play all your favorite records? It’s one of our favorite inventions of all time. Sure, there’s the cassette player too but there’s a certain vintage beauty about turntables that you just can’t find anywhere else. It would also make a beautiful home décor! If, by any chance, you still have your old record player then kudos to you. Not everyone can take good care of such gem. We even have friends whose turntables are currently undergoing restoration. It’s not that surprising though. How many times have you used it since the moment you bought it? How many records has it played over and over again? How often did you turn to it for consolation when you had a bad day? But if ever it’s already too worn out for use today, no worries, there are numerous record players you can buy online – including a portable one. Who needs streaming when you can actually play your old records everywhere, huh?
3. Retro aviator sunglasses
This screams ‘cool’ no matter what your outfit is. You can’t do away with this accessory because rock stars did it, so can you. It’s a staple for every classic rock fan. Going to concerts and music festivals? Doing errands and buying groceries? Watching your favorite musician at a local club? Attending an autograph signing at a record store? We bet you’re hiding a bunch of these sunglasses in your closet. Don’t worry, we also do the same. LOL! Bruce Springsteen, Steven Tyler, Dave Grohl, Lou Reed, Freddie Mercury, and anyone else you can think of – they’re huge fans of aviators. It looks perfect when you have dark circles under your eyes and still want to look decent when going out. Ha. But if you prefer a different style like John Lennon’s retro round frame sunglasses, well that’s okay too. Then again, we’re leaning towards aviators because not everyone can pull off the Lennon-inspired look.
4. Framed concert tickets
Some people like putting their stamp collection in albums. For us die-hard classic rock fans, we’re guilty of framing tickets may it be from concerts or music festivals (if you have one from Woodstock, that’s probably your most prized possession right now, no doubt). Aside from photos, it’s one of the proofs that you were there during that historic event. Then of course, you can show it off to your kids or grandkids. How many can say they saw Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin perform for less than 20 bucks? Most people can only watch grainy, poor quality YouTube videos but you were lucky enough to have witnessed history being made. And that tiny piece of paper is your evidence. Some are selling their 3-day passes for as much as 400 bucks. Who would have thought it would eventually have that much value? We sincerely hope you still kept yours!
5. Posters
Yes please! Remember back when we were teenagers and our bedroom walls were filled with giant posters of our favorite rock artists and bands? It was so cool to look at! You probably even had to decide which one goes where so the colors and artwork will go well together. From Pink Floyd and Lynyrd Skynyrd to Led Zeppelin, The Doors and The Rolling Stones – they are so well-designed sometimes you couldn’t choose which one to buy first. You wouldn’t want to compare it today when there’s not much creativity poured in designing album covers and whatnot. Besides, are kids these days still putting up posters? Because you can basically find artists’ photos on the internet. Back then, you really had to purchase this stuff. And it was a great gift idea too. Oh the excitement we used to feel whenever we had to put up a new poster on our wall!
6. Old band shirt
Nothing makes you feel like a certified classic rock fan than wearing those band shirts. It’s pretty much like telling the world just how great your taste in music is. LOL. You know what’s good about keeping this vintage item in your closet? It never gets old. You’ve probably seen teens and kids today wearing tees from The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, The Beatles, Iron Maiden, or Queen. They were just so dang creative that their band logos and album covers look extremely nice. Well, to be fair, if anyone saw somebody sporting clothes with Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj’s names, it would be the total opposite of cool. Ha, just kidding. But classic rock is trendy in so many ways. If you still held on to your old band shirts (though by now they’re probably so worn out and faded), you can just turn it into another memorabilia and decorate your room with it.
7. Worn out guitar
It doesn’t matter if you don’t play the guitar or can shred like Jimmy Page, this is one instrument that’s nice to have. There are so many classic rock songs that are easy to play and would be great for practicing in playing the axe – Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?”, The Eagles’ “Take It Easy,” The Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun,” Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” (yes, the chord pattern just repeats throughout the whole song!), and The Beatles’ “Come Together.” Let’s face it, classic rock axemen are undoubtedly among the greatest musicians of all time whether it’s Jimmy Page, Slash, Joe Perry, David Gilmour – these are all the guitar players you once aspired to be. Now for sure, your guitar is already well-loved and worn out but there are so much memories that you just have to bring it along with you no matter where you live.
8. Leather jacket
It’s yet another staple for classic rock icons. If you don’t feel like dressing up, just grab the first shirt you see in your closet, wear tattered jeans and throw in a leather jacket. Suddenly, voila, you now legit look like your favorite rock star. Classic rock fans just know this too well. Slash is probably the rock act closely associated with an all-black ensemble. It’s one of Bruce Springsteen’s favorite clothing too. Can you blame them? It’s sleek and stylish. Plus, it instantly transforms your rugged, street style into something fashionable and dapper. It completes the whole rocker look. It better be in your closet because you can surely pull it off at any age, just ask The Boss. Now you know why it was a good idea to invest in a high quality leather jacket. It’s easier to emulate your favorite rock stars when you can effortlessly look like them.
9. Limited Edition collectibles
It’s perfectly understandable if you support your favorite bands all the way. And when we talk about collectibles and memorabilia (or basically any kind of merchandise), there are lots of them. Especially with the help of today’s technology, it’s so easy to find new stuff. Some examples are The Beatles’ moleskine notebook and luxury watches, AC/DC’s Pinball machine, Aerosmith’s Guitar Hero bundle, Bon Jovi’s signed frame, David Bowie’s signed fine art print, Def Leppard’s art cards and metal key rings, or Metallica’s ‘Master of Puppets’ Graphic series guitar. These are just some of what you can buy if you have money to burn. Of course, these are what you can classify as luxuries because most of these items don’t come cheap. There are several bands collaborating with other companies to create awesome products (Remember Metallica’s $7000 suit?) and well, sometimes you just feel compelled to splurge on them. Don’t ask us why!
10. Remastered albums or deluxe boxed sets
Yeah, you have their complete albums but when some classic rock bands roll out deluxe boxed sets and remastered albums, somehow you just find it irresistible. Aerosmith’s ‘Box of Fire’ (at $91.76) which contains 13 discs, David Bowie’s ‘Who Can I Be Now?’ which features an unreleased LP and hardcover book with unpublished pictures, The Beatles’ box set which has remastered original studio recordings (if you’re a huge fan, you wouldn’t want to miss it), The Rolling Stones in Mono with 186 songs and a 48-page book, and Pink Floyd’s ‘The Early Years’ Box Set with more than 20 previously unreleased songs – because these are deluxe sets, they don’t come cheap. In fact, Pink Floyd’s set is priced at $550. Now we’re not saying it makes you less of a classic rock fan if you don’t subscribe to these things. But aren’t you just a tad bit curious about all those unreleased stuff they threw in?
