While vinyl records have been around since the 1930s, 45 RPMs (or 45s as we usually call them) didn't come onto the scene until 1949. Only 7" in diameter, 45s are compact but powerful records that ...

A 45 had two songs, an A side — the song that got played on the radio — and a B side. The B side of a record was all about serendipity. It was anticipation. It was exhilaration. It was hope.