Tag: vinylcollection
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13th Floor Elevators, Flivver, 1988 on World Productions of Compact Music
I first heard Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elevators on fourth or fifth generation tape copies from friends in the 80s, but didn’t really come to appreciate them fully until much later. This record, on a bootleg Italian label with releases in the late 80s and early 90s, gathers live performances from The Avalon…
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David Bowie, Aladdin Sane, 1973 on RCA Victor
Bowie’s sixth studio album, this was the followup to Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. It features Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder, and Woody Woodmansey (aka the Spiders From Mars). It was recorded during breaks in the Ziggy Stardust tour. Includes a cover of “Let’s Spend the Night Together” as well as “The Jean Genie”…
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Koerner Ray & Glover, The Return of Koerner Ray & Glover, 1965 on Elektra
“Spider” John Koerner, Dave “Snaker” Ray, and Tony “Little Sun” Glover were a Minneapolis blues/folk trio who met at the University of Minnesota and played frequently in Dinkytown and the West Bank. This was their third release on Elektra and the the last before a seven year gap – capturing their early folk/blues approach. Produced…
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Nikki Lane, Denim & Diamonds, 2022 on New West Records
Nikki Lane’s fourth full length – her third on New West – produced by Josh Homme. My copy is the purple vinyl edition purportedly limited to 300 units per the hype sticker, which I got directly from New West. From the title track: My boss called me up, said if you don’t tow the line…
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Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheel . . . , 2012 on Clean Slate / Epic
The full title is The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do but most people refer to it just as The Idler Wheel. The title comes from a poem Apple wrote. Fiona Apple’s fourth studio album and her most commercially…
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Aqualung, Aqualung, 2002 on B-Unique Records
The first decade of the 2000 is not well represented in my vinyl collection. I was fresh out of grad school and not buying much vinyl, nor even really following much in the way of contemporary music. But Aqualung I could not miss – I loved this CD and Matt’s Hales’ appearances on shows like…
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Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, The Sky is Crying, 1991 on Epic
This was the fifth and final studio album from Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, compiling tracks cut earlier and released more than a year after Vaughan’s death in August of 1990. (Compiled by Jimmie Vaughan). It includes a wonderful version of Hendrix’s “Little Wing” in addition to the title track and Willie Dixon’s “Close…
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Daryl Hall and John Oates, Private Eyes, 1981 on RCA
I thought of this as an early Hall & Oates record, until I checked out their discography, which goes back to 1972’s Whole Oats. Turns out it is their 10th full length studio record! It was the source of the hit singles “Private Eyes” and “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do).” The album…
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Bob Dylan / The Band, Before the Flood, 1974 on Asylum
This was the first released live album by Dylan, though of course since then many earlier live recordings have been released. After this came out Dylan went back to Columbia records, having recorded only Planet Waves and this LP for Asylum – later reissues starting in the 80s are actually on Columbia or imprints of…
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The Mar-Keys / Booker T. and the MGs, Back to Back, 1967 on Stax
The Mar-Keys were the backing band on lots of early Stax records, and had personnel overlap with what became the MGs & The Memphis Horns. Deanie Parker’s liner notes say “Booker T. & The MG’s . . . is the rhythm section of The Mar-Keys.” This album was recorded live on a Stax/Volt tour in…
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Kacey Musgraves, Golden Hour, 2018 on MCA Nashville
Musgrave’s fourth album on MCA Nashville, produced by Musgraves with Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk, with songs co-written by Musgraves with folks like Shane McAnally, Natalie Hemby, Luke Laird, and the producers. Though still on the MCA Nashville label, it’s very much an album that starts to wander deliberately outside of contemporary country conventions, moving…
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Various Artists, Big Hits of Mid-America Volume Three, 1980 on Twin/Tone
Technically the first version of this 2xLP set came out in 1979, but my pressing is from 1980. Twin/Tone was concerned about the Yipes’ track “The Ballad Of Roy Orbison” for legal reasons (copyright clearance) and replaced it with “Specialization” by the New Psychenauts. “SPECIALIZATION” (side four, track two) was recorded at Blackberry Way in…
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Bob Dylan, Self Portrait, 1970 on Columbia
Another of the “difficult” Dylan albums, which he later himself said was something of a joke, designed to relieve some of the pressure he felt from the sixties and his enormous popularity – to do something his fans could not relate to. It is a sprawling double album, including live versions of “Like a Rolling…
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Ray Charles, Ray Charles in Person, 1960 on Atlantic
Recorded live May 28th, 1959 at the WAOK fifth anniversary celebration, Herndon Stadium in Atlanta. Recorded from the audience, reportedly from a single microphone 100 feet from the stage. First time, according to sleeve notes from Zenas Sears, that “What I’d Say” and “Tell the Truth” were played in Atlanta. My copy is the Vinyl…
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Billy Bragg, The Million Things That Never Happened, 2021 on Cooking Vinyl
This is Bragg’s COVID album, the title referring to all the events that didn’t take place due to social distancing and stay-at-home protocols. It was produced by The Magic Numbers’ Romeo Stodart and ends with a track co-written with Bragg’s son, Jack Valero: “”Ten Mysterious Photos That Can’t Be Explained.” I particularly like “I’ll Be…
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Adele, 21, 2011 on XL Recordings
What can you say about Adele, so popular to be parodied in SNL as the one voice capable of uniting all Americans in adoration? This of course was her followup to her debut “19” and was a massive success in its own right with “Rolling in the Deep” and “Someone Like You” which were sort…
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The Cure, Boys Don’t Cry, 1980 on PVC/Fiction
Fiction was the UK label, PVC the US label (a sublabel of Passport Records). This was really a compilation album for the US market, drawing eight tracks from Three Imaginary Boys (their UK debut) supplemented with five other tracks from that era. It’s been reissued multiple times with different track order this is the same…
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Van Halen, Van Halen, 1978 on Warner Bros
The debut, self-titled album. Certainly one of the most recognizable band logos, and one millions sketched on notebooks, jackets, and the like when I was growing up. Hard to overstate the importance of Eddie Van Halen’s playing on Eruption here and the impact it had on guitar players from then on: Also included on their…