Tag: vinylcollection
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Bauhaus, In The Flat Field, 1980 on 4AD
Debut album from Peter Murphy, Daniel Ash, David Jay, and Kevin Haskins aka Bauhaus. Bauhaus and its many spinoffs (Tones on Tail, Love and Rockets, Dali’s Car) are among my favorite musical lineages. They’d released “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” as a single in 1979 on Small Wonder records, but this debut came out on 4AD which…
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The Replacements, Tim, 1985 on Sire
This was The Replacements’ fourth studio LP and their first on major label Sire as opposed to Twin/Tone. It was also the last with Bob Stinson. It’s one of my favorite albums of all time: “Kiss Me On The Bus,” “Waitress in the Sky,” “Bastards of Young,” “Swingin Party,” and “Here Comes a Regular” are…
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The English Beat, Special Beat Service, 1982 on IRS
On this release the spine uses the name “The Beat” but uses “The English Beat” on the cover and labels so as not to conflict with Paul Collin’s The Beat. This was their third LP and last under the original configuration – they’d show up later as The Beat featuring Ranking Roger and then The…
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The Replacements, “Stink”, 1982 on Twin/Tone
This EP aka The Replacements – Stink (“Kids Don’t Follow” Plus Seven) came out in 1982, following the release of Sorry Ma. I always thought it was their first release. Opens with the infamous “This is the Minneapolis Police, the party’s over . . . if you all just grab your stuff and leave there…
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X, Los Angeles, 1980 on Slash
Debut LP from John Doe, Exene Cervenka, DJ Bonebrake and Billy Zoom. Produced (as were the next three X albums) by The Door’s keyboardist Ray Manzarek. I was just mentioning Slash! records earlier this week – “Los Angeles” was a cut on the Slash! sampler Early Sessions and that was my intro to the band.…
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Billy Bragg, Help Save The Youth of America (Live and Dubious), 1988 on Elektra
Billy Bragg live six song EP released to encourage US youth to vote in the 1988 presidential election. Includes “Chile, Your Waters Run Red Through Soweto” (written by Bernice Johnson Reagon of Sweet Honey in the Rock) and “There is Power In a Union.” Remember, when you elect a President, you are electing President for…
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The Special AKA, In The Studio, 1984 on Chrysalis / 2 Tone
This was the third album from The Specials, and the only LP under the name Special AKA (early on the band had used The Special A.K.A. as well). The lineup changed quite a bit from the original Specials, after the departure of Neville Staple, Terry Hall, and Lynval Golding (who would form Fun Boy Three).…
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The Police, Zenyatta Mondatta, 1980 on A&M
Third album in the brilliant opening set of LPs from Sting, Stewart Copeland, and Andy Summers. Side one opens with “Don’t Stand So Close To Me,” “Driven To Tears,” and “When The World is Running Down, You Make The Best of What’s Still Around” – what a sequence! There’s such a tight and interesting rhythm…
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Los Lobos, By the Light of the Moon, 1987 on Slash Records
Los Lobos’ follow on record to How Will The Wolf Survive?. which was produced by T-Bone Burnett. I love the Slash! records catalog from the 80s – great Americana tinged but contemporary music – and this is no exception. My copy—via Slipped Disc at a record fair at Mill No. 5—is an Allied pressing from…
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The Robert Cray Band, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, 1988 on Mercury
Fifth full length from Robert Cray and co – sometimes referred to as The Robert Cray Band, other places just Robert Cray from the 1980s. This was their second major label record (on Mercury following Hightone and Tomato). It was not as successful as Strong Persuader which preceded it but there are some great songs…
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Sade, Stronger Than Pride, 1988 on Epic
Third studio LP from the group Sade, named after singer Sade Adu and including (on this LP) Stuart Matthewman, Andrew Hale, and Paul Denman. What a fantastic run they had in the 80s and early 90s: Diamond LIfe, Promise, Stronger Than Pride, and Love Deluxe are all fantastic. I could just put “Turn My Back…
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Paul Simon, Hearts and Bones, 1983 on Warner Brothers
I’d be hard pressed to make any call on what my favorite Paul Simon album is (maybe Graceland) given how great they all are – including this one, with “René and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War” and “The Late Great Johnny Ace” and the title track). I feel like this one gets…
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Kraftwerk, Tour De France, 1983 on Warner Brothers
This isn’t the full album released in 2003 but the 1983 single (recorded durig the Electric Café sessions) which charted in the UK. I guess this makes it “late” period Kraftwerk but it sounds super fresh. My copy is a 45 rpm 12″ (there are 7″ single versions as well), with the custom “cog” labels…
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Bill Monroe, Bill Monroe & Friends, 1983 on MCA Records
Bill Monroe sometimes gets called the “Father of Bluegrass” – no doubt he’s a pretty foundational figure and his Blue Grass Boys may be the source of the genre’s name. This is a great collection of later Bill Monroe (he passed in 1996) doing duets with performers who admire him and his legacy. The guesting…
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The Waterboys, Fisherman’s Blues, 1988 on Chrysalis / Ensign
The fourth studio LP from Mike Scott, Steve Wickham, Anthony Thistlehwaite, Trevor Hutchinson, Peter McKinney et al. Marked a bit of a shift toward Irish and Scottish music, but including covers of Van Morrison’s “Sweet Thing” and (briefly) “This Land is Your Land.” My copy – a Carrollton Georgia US pressing from 1988 – via…
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The Long Ryders, The State of Our Union, 1985 on Island Records
Second album from LA alt-country / traditionalist rockers The Long Ryders, following up 1984’s Native Sons, and their first on a major label. The album was recorded in the UK, actually in Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds – far from the landscape with which they’d normally be associated. It was produced by Will Birch (who…
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Peter Case, The Man With The Blue Postmodern Fragmented Neo-Traditionalist Guitar, 1989 on Geffen
This was Case’s sophomore album as a solo artist, follow his 1986 self-titled debut. I’m a sucker for anyone cribbing album or song titles from Wallace Stevens and love this album. Guests include Los Lobos, T-Bone Burnett and Ry Cooder, alongside folks like Benmont Tench, Jerry Scheff, David Hidalgo, David McKelvy, Jim Keltner, and Steven…
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The Woodentops, Well Well Well, 1986 on Upside Records
Collection of singles (the CD release included the subtitle “The Unabridged Singles Collection”) from UK band The Woodentops, released on Upside Records (in the US) via a license from Rough Trade in the UK. The label on this record lists the band as “The Wooden Tops” though the cover keeps the band as one word…