Tag: vinylfinds
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David Bowie, Tonight, 1984 on EMI America
Bowie’s follow up to Let’s Dance, produced by Bowie with Derek Bramble and Hugh Padgham, with many of the same musicians, but also with contributions by Iggy Pop and a guest appearance from Tina Turner. A couple of covers on the album: The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” and “I Keep Forgettin’” which is a…
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Stephane Grappelli, Uptown Dance, 1978 on Columbia
Only available on vinyl, cassette, and 8-track, Grappelli is joined here by two different bands – one with Jimmy Rowles, Ron Carter, Grady Tate, and Jay Berliner and the other with Richard Tee, Anthony Jackson, Steve Gadd, Hugh McCracken, and Rubens Bassini. For my ears, this album veers at times into easy listening / fusion,…
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Various Artists; The Sam Phillips Years: Sun Records Curated By Record Store Day Volume 9; 2022 on Org Music
Great collection timed to coincide with Sun Records’ 70th anniversary, Record Store Day’s 15th anniversary, and Tito’s Vodka’s 25th anniversary – which is why the inner sleeve is basically a Tito’s ad. Selections: Compilation produced by Michael Kurtz & Carrie Colliton and put out by Org Music My copy via Vinyl Destination (RIP) in Lowell…
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Midnight Oil, Diesel and Dust, 1987 on CBS / Columbia
Peter Garrett, Rob Hirst, Jim Moginie, and Martin Rotsey are the core of Midnight Oil, the politically earnest band from down under. This was their sixth full length (the band started all the way back in the 70s and released their self-titled debut in 1978), but it was their breakout album in the US, with…
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ABBA (Björn, Benny, Agnetha & Frida), Waterloo, 1974 on Atlantic
Originally released by Polar in Sweden but by Atlantic in the US, this is the debut album for ABBA, made famous when they won the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with “Waterloo.” I’m surprised one does not find more ABBA in used record stores – maybe everyone’s holding on to their copies? My copy via Beverly…
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Various Artists, This Are Two Tone, 1983 on Chrysalis/Two Tone
In the UK, this was released on Two Tone, but in the US they were distributed by Chrysalis and issued on the Chrysalis label. Sleeve design credit to Jerry Dammers who founded Two Tone and was a key member Specials. Great compilation of 80s reggae/ska: Specials / The Special A.K.A., Madness, The Selecter, The English…
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Lou Rawls, Come On In, Mister Blues, 1969 on Pickwick/33
One has to be careful about some of these discount releases on Pickwick/33 – they were a discount label for a reason, offering cheap compilations of previously released material – but this one is really fantastic. Lou Rawls passed in 2006 and he put out over 70 albums, so there’s a lot to collect, especially…
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Neil Young, Bottom Line 1974, The Radio Broadcast, 2018 on Parachute
Although this claims to be a radio broadcast (likely to make it appear legit under EU copyright laws which treat broadcasted material differently) it’s likely actually an audience recording, with a few additional tracks of unknown recording date attached. This 1974 Bottom Line show has been bootlegged many times, but is also now an official…
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Dr. John, Desitively Bonnaroo, 1974 on ATCO
Dr. John’s seventh solo LP, Desitively Bonnaroo is the source of the name for the Bonnaroo music festival. It was produced by Allen Toussaint, who is also credited with keyboards, percussion, and backing vocals, and a band including George Porter Jr, Art Neville, Joseph Modeliste, and Leo Nocentelli (aka The Meters). Not sure if Dr.…
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The Decemberists, I’ll Be Your Girl, 2018 on Capitol
The Decemberists is one of my top twenty bands of all time – I could leave their discography on repeat all week and never tire of them. That said, I mostly discovered the Decemberists in the era of digital: CDs, downloads, and streaming – I’ve had very little on vinyl. So I was excited to…
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Leo Kottke, Ice Water, 1974 on Capitol
Although he was born in Georgia, I think of Kottke as another Minneapolis folkie. He’s one of the folks who, when I find an album I don’t have, I just buy it without question. He’s also still out touring and well worth seeing if you get a chance. This was his fifth full length on…
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Prince, Controversy, 1981 on Warner Bros.
Prince’s fourth full-length album, which he wrote, produced, and played most the instruments on. (André Cymone gets co-writing credit on “Do Me Baby” on some later versions, but is not credited here – plus backing vocals for Wendy & Lisa, Bobby Z for Drums and Lisa and Fink for keys on some tracks). I love…
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David Bowie, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, 1972 on RCA Victor
I came to this album indirectly and backwards – from the Bauhaus cover (“Ziggy played guitar, jamming good with Weird and Gilley, and the Spiders from Mars”). But what a magnificent album it is. I think Bowie was at his greatest creative height in the early 70s (as much as I do love his later…
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Maria McKee, Peddlin’ Dreams, 2005 on Cooking Vinyl / Eleven Thirty
McKee was the front woman for Lone Justice, who put out two albums in the 80s, but has gone on to a solo career that has resurged in the new millenium. This is a really great and surprising record, including a cover of Neil Young’s “Barstool Blues” and “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am”…
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Def Leppard, Pyromania, 1983 on Mercury
For me this is one of those albums I loved as a 13 year old, then outgrew for many years (aka thought I was too cool for something so massively popular and unapologetically hair metal) but have come again to appreciate with wiser ears. It was their massive breakout, with “Photograph,” “Rock of Ages,” and…
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Pink Floyd, Animals, 1977 on Columbia
What a fantastic album – from the opening note to the closing. I came to Pink Floyd later – not discovering their albums in the sequence they came out, but starting with The Wall and then branching out, eventually getting back to the Syd Barrett days. This record was their 10th studio LP and came…
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Peter Buck, I Am Back to Blow Your Mind Once Again, 2014 on Mississippi/Change Records
The follow up to Buck’s self-titled debut release, also on Mississippi Records out of Portland OR. Buck works again here with Scott McCaughey, William Rieflin, Corin Tucker, and Jenny Conlee, but also Patterson Hood who co-wrote and sings “Southerner.” Also includes a cover of The Mummies’ “(You Must Fight To Live) On the Planet of…
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U2, Lemon (Remixes), 1993 on Island
Lemon was one of the singles from Zooropa – in the era while I was just entering grad school and thus not really following bands or collecting vinyl – so right in the dearth of 90s and 2000s vinyl in my collection. Was happy to find this EP of remixes on yellow translucent vinyl, including…