Creativity Quote by Neal Schon

There is a small act of defiance tucked into Neal Schon insisting on the word "records". It reads like nostalgia, but it plays more like a boundary line. In an era when music has been demoted to “content” and “product,” “record” carries the stubborn weight of an object made, finished, and meant to last. Schon isn’t just clinging to vinyl; he’s protecting a worldview where an album is a deliberate statement, not a disposable stream.

The phrasing matters: “I keep on calling them” suggests he’s been corrected, maybe by younger fans, labels, or tech-speak that treats “record” as outdated. His reply isn’t argumentative; it’s quietly immovable. “They will always be records to me” lands like a personal constitution. It’s not about winning a terminology fight, it’s about refusing the industry’s constant rebranding of its own artifacts.

Contextually, Schon comes from the classic-rock album economy, where sequencing, liner notes, and side A/side B shaped how listeners built relationships with music. Streaming flattened that experience into endless, unmoored tracks and algorithmic playlists. Calling them “records” is a way of keeping the craft visible: musicians didn’t “upload,” they recorded. A record implies risk, commitment, and a snapshot of a band at a specific temperature.

The subtext is generational, but not merely cranky. It’s a reminder that language can defend meaning. Change the word often enough, and you change what people expect music to be.