Other staples from the heyday of vinyl command equally astronomical prices. Fleetwood Mac's eponymous LP: $500. The Police's Synchronicity: $350. Even kitsch like The B-52s is a sticker shocker at ...

But long before rock and roll, soul, and other popular music styles were recorded on “albums,” the first vinyl LP — short for long-playing — record was released, 75 years ago Wednesday.

Of course, HiFi enthusiasts have been buying expensive turntables for decades, paying no mind to the mass market extinction of vinyl records. But now we are seeing a new wave of hip, cheap $100 ...