We might soon see a spike in the price of vinyl records. If we do, it’s Donald Trump’s fault.

In October 1973, enraged with Israel, Egypt and Syria attacked, launching the Yom Kippur War. When the US supported Israel, the Arab members OPEC launched an embargo of oil sales to the US and other Israeli allies (including Canada), resulting in what a big spike in the price of a barrel of oil. What once sold for US$3.00 a barrel shot up to about US$12.00.

The economic effects were devastating and wide-ranging. Inflation went through the roof. The US and other countries dropped speed limits. Building large gas-guzzling cars was no longer an option, opening the door to smaller, fuel-efficient Japanese imports. And the recorded music industry took a hit.

Wait–what?

LP records are made of vinyl polychloride, a petrochemical byproduct. With the price of oil so high, record labels had to cut costs in a couple of ways. First, LPs became thinner and lighter, making them more prone to warping and scratching. Second, there was a move toward recycled vinyl. Old records were melted down into goo, which was used to make new records. Impurities made the records noisy, with more hiss and crackle. The difference between a 1977 pressing of an album and its original pressing in, say, 1969, was stupefyingly obvious.

I bought a lot of records during this period and often had to return them when they came warped straight out of the shrinkwrap and/or skipped from the first play. There was one particular Sam the Record Man at the now-exstinct Unicity Mall in Winnipeg that hated me.

No wonder by the time CDs arrived in the early 80s that so many people were quick to abandon vinyl. And it all be traced back to the Yom Kippur War of October 1973.

Today, we have similar problem. Donald Trump’s war of choice has crippled the global flow of oil. The price of a barrel of oil–around US$110 as I right this–is putting the squeeze on the availability of petrochemical byproducts like polyvinyl chlorides. And now that the Houthis are strangling Saudi Arabia exports coming out of the Red Sea, oil is going to get even more expensive. And because so many other essential goods need to come through those chokepoints, the chances of a severe global economic shock–including food shortages and famines–have increased considerably.

While unimportant in in the grand scheme of things, the cost of buying a new LP is destined to go up. By how much? Who knows? But this feels a lot like what we saw in the 1970s.

So thanks, Donald Trump. Your boneheaded Middle East excursions have messed with our love of music, Remember that the next time when you’re asked to pay $70 for a new LP.