Searching, digging behind numerous other records and vinyls in the back of my mom’s old storage unit, fighting against dust mites, is the first memory I have of this item. 

“It should be in there somewhere!” My mom had exclaimed from the opposite corner of the room, elbow deep in old vinyls and other items that were far too old to even name or even put an original story to. With my mother’s urges, I eventually found it, a black, surprisingly shiny, vinyl record with four men on its cover.

The disk itself was slightly poking out of the plastic casing, its scent being that of slightly burnt rubber — or something, amongst the record’s ribbed surface. But, regardless of its smell, my mother was quick to take it from me. After all, this was a record from her favorite childhood band.

That was nearly 10 years ago. I haven’t seen this record since I was 16. Since then, I’ve gone through my last two years of highschool, and 3 years of college. But it’s still just as shiny as I remember. 

My mother was excited when she heard about this project. she’s an avid collector and loves to show off her little trinkets. I chose to base it this project on memories that I recall my mother having about an object. Something older, something that has lived through much more than I currently have. 

For some reason, this record is what came to mind.

This record is approximately 12.25 inches long by 12.25 inches wide, with its thickness behind similar to that of a cellphone without a case (half an inch). The vinyl itself is much smaller, approximately 10 inches wide, with an inky black surface weathered away by years of past use. The casing is shiny with only a few scuff marks on its leftmost side. 

The record itself is black with a white and yellow band in its center of mass. On this band, the words “The Chi-Lites: Greatest Hits” are displayed in bright red letters. The record’s ribbed surface is slightly scuffed, having some of the original ridges worn away from years of use.

The front cover of this record, under the large “The Chi-Lites” title, features a photo of four men smiling as they look towards the camera. The names of the members of this 70s R&B group are as follows: Robert Lester, Eugene Record, Creadel Jones, and Marshall Thompson. 

These men make up the band called The Chi-Lites, a band that was put together in 1959 by Marshall Thompson, the group’s lead singer. On the record, the four men are shown all smiling. They are oriented in a diamond formation, with two of the members being at the same orientation on the left and right sides of the cover, and the last two members being on the top and the bottom of the piece. 

Robert Lester is the man on the leftmost side. He’s adorned in a faded yellow-brown blazer. He has a mustache, glasses, and is smiling.

Up top is Eugene Record, wearing a red hat and a large smile.

On the rightmost side is Creadel Jones, wearing a white hat and white suit with a brown tie.

On the bottom is Marshall Thompson, the band’s lead singer, who is wearing a white hat with a black stripe, and a black suit with a red undershirt.

Behind the men, there is a grid-like background, with the grid shape being dark in color, with white lighting protruding through the gaps in the grid.

On the bottom left corner of the record, there is a disc symbol with a lightning bolt. This lightning bolt symbol highlights the “Ultra Range Sound Process” utilized to create this record. This process is characteristic of Brunswick records, the record company who created this record.

On the back of the record is a series of record discs featuring the band’s other top hits. These hits, including “Have You Seen Her”, “Have You Seen Her”, “A Letter To Myself”,“The Coldest Days of My Life”, “Stoned Out Of My Mind”, and “Oh Girl”. All of these songs are exemplified on the golden records that are shown on the back of the record in a 4×4 grid pattern. This pattern takes up approximately half of the space on the back.

I’ve only heard this record being played. It’s my mother and this record that truly lived it — the record having corners fraying, peeling, and worn by age and constant touching. This record is a, no pun intended, record of something my mother lived for when she was younger. These were her songs. Everything this record is undoubtedly hers and all that she wished to be when she was my age.

This item is primarily a dark-colored, medium-sized record from 1972. But, even with dust coating its surface, the smiles of the members are blinding.