Vinyl

“For many of us, and certainly for many of our artists, the vinyl is the true version of the release,” said Matador’s Patrick Amory. “The size and presence of the artwork, the division into sides, the better sound quality, above all the involvement and work the listener has to put in, all make it the format of choice for people who really care about music.”

Cassettes

Children of the 80s, too, are affectionately revisiting the format on which they first discovered music. “What you grew up with just sounds right,” says 22-year-old Brad Barry, a student at the University of Texas who hosts a weekly cassette-only radio show called C60 Radio. Meanwhile, people who sport cassette-themed Urban Outfitters’ T-shirts or iPhone cases are just using it as a retro prop in the never-ending 80s revival.

VHS

“I enjoy the aesthetics of VHS,” said Josh Schafer, the founder of the horror magazine Lunchmeat. “I like putting it in the VCR and rewinding and pausing and fast-forwarding. It’s an experience nobody gets to do anymore because they consider VHS dead.”

“I was not around during the main VHS boom, but I’ve never liked DVDs,” said [Louis Justin, the 21-year-old owner of the one-man company Massacre Video, in Michigan], who has a VHS tape tattooed on his arm. “When I was younger and I went to the record store, my parents would push me to get the CD, but I wanted the cassette. I’m an analog nerd.”

Real musicians release on 8-track.

The US Navy is celebrating a century of naval aviation with vintage paint schemes. The T-45C pictured above is decked out in a modified of scheme reminiscent of the 1938 Enterprise Air Group colors. (The red nose is new, due to training plane color requirements.)

The Air Force did something similar a few years ago for the 90th anniversary 111th Fighter Squadron, which is now part of the Texas Air National Guard.

While normally I despise anything retro or vintage, I do enjoy these color schemes. The Navy has tended to retain distinctive squadron insignias (the F-14 squadrons seemed to be especially distinctive), reminiscent of nose art on the tails of their airplanes, while the Air Force have defaulted to boring two letter codes. Supposably, nose art is added to a some aircraft in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it’s hard to find examples on the web beyond scorecards.

T-34C, BuNo 164169 in US Coast Guard markings circa 1936. Aircraft assigned to Training Wing FIVE at NAS Whiting Field, FL.

T-45C, BuNo 165636 in a WASP Air Group scheme circa 1938. Aircraft assigned to Training Wing TWO in Kingsville, TX.

MH-60S, BuNo 166323 in a 1950s paint scheme. Aircraft assigned to HSC-3 at NAS North Island.

HH-60H, BuNo 163787 in a HAL (3) paint scheme. Aircraft assigned to HSC-84

TC-12B Huron, BuNo 161197 in a Battle of Coral Sea paint scheme circa May, 1942. Aircraft assigned to VT-35 at NAS Corpus Christi, TX.

F/A-18F, BuNo 165677 in commemorative “Navy Working Uniform” paint scheme. Aircraft is assigned to VFA-122 at NAS Lemoore, CA.

P-3C, BuNo 158206 assigned to Patrol Wing 11 at NAS Whidbey Island, WA. Aircraft is painted with a white top and a black bottom, This scheme was used on EP-3B aircraft in the late 1960s.

F/A-18C, BuNo 165210 assigned to VX-31 at NAS China Lake. Aircraft represents test schemes used by aircraft at China Lake in the 1960s

F/A-18C, BuNo 164673 assigned to VFC-12 at NAS Oceana. Aircraft represents late WWII scheme of an aircraft assigned to USS Randolph Air Wing.

EA-18G, BuNo 166899 assigned to VAQ-129 at NAS Whidbey Island. Aircraft wears markings based on Air Group 85 aboard USS Shangri-La late World War II.

MH-60R, BuNo 166524 assigned to HSM-41 at NAS North Island in the markings of Night Air Group 90 aboard USS Enterprise (CV-6), late 1944.

P-3C, BuNo 161591 assigned to Patrol Wing 11 at NAS Jacksonville. Aircraft wears markings based on VP-44 aircraft that located the Japanese fleet at the Battle of Midway.

F/A-18C, BuNo 163733 assigned to VFA-122 at NAS Lemoore just after paint. Aircraft represents standard 1944 camouflage. Air group markings to be added later.

EA-6B, BuNo 160609 assigned to VAQ-129 at NAS Whidbey Island. Aircraft wears an early 1942 paint scheme similar to aircraft flown in the Battle of Coral Sea.

Callie Shell, Aurora for Time, 2009

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