#myvinylsolution — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #myvinylsolution, aggregated by home.social.
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Pixies: Surfer Rosa (4AD CAD803, 1988)
Bought whatever the in-print version is, made in the Czech Republic, but it sounds alright to me. One of my favorite albums of all time, but I only had the twofer cd with Come On Pilgrim. I am one happy prick.
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Human League: Dare (A&M SP-4892, 1982)
I heard “Don’t You Want Me” at J. Crew at the mall a few years ago and decided those synths would sound great on #vinyl. I was not wrong but this album could use a few more good songs than it has.
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George Harrison: All Thing Must Pass (Apple STCH639, 1970)
I found this album buried in the back of a cubby hole in my mom’s house when we were clearing it out after she died. The house she moved into when she married my dad, the house where I grew up. All things must pass. It’s the only message I’ve received from the afterlife.
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The Handsome Family: Unseen (Milk & Scissors M&S001, 2016)
I normally prefer my records like I like my coffee: black, but I’ve got to admit this green translucent vinyl looks pretty cool. This is a more soulful Handsome Family album with lots of piano. They’re so good.
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The Handsome Family: Wilderness (Carrot Top SAKI055, 2013)
Signed by Rennie and Brett. Sounds a lot different if you forget to switch from 45 to 33, ha ha. All their albums are great but their later stuff has a quiet confidence that feels like a long, comforting hug…from a vampire before she sinks her teeth into your neck.
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Hallelujah the Hills: Diamonds (Best Brothers BBR005, 2025)
The first (and hopefully not last) of the four suits of the DECK to be released on #vinyl. Such a bonkers idea to write and record 52 new songs (plus two jokers!) and release them all at once. Worth the wait. Diamonds contains 13 of their best songs, everything great about this band.
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Hallelujah the Hills: I’m You (Discrete Pageantry, 2022)
Belated #vinyl release of the best album of 2019. I got intensely into this while going through some weird shit in the months before covid. It’s so great. And heavy. And funny: “I was first in line for the Solipsistic Sad Guy Seminar / But inside it just turned out to be another bar.” Life-changing album for me for real.
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Hallelujah the Hills: Against Electricity (Jealous Butcher JB172, 2018)
In my obstinate old age I have started referring to all instrumental music as “jazz.” This is a jazz album originally created as the soundtrack to front man Ryan H. Walsh’s book Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968. It’s moody and cool.
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Hallelujah the Hills: A Band Is Something To Figure Out (Re-Vinyl, 2016).
Earnest chugging anthems from the nicest guy in indie rock. This one doesn’t feel as personal or emotionally heavy as I’m You or DECK but it’s still got lots of great moments. Happy they eventually invested in better vocal mics.
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Merle Haggard: If We Make It Through December (Capitol ST-11276, 1974).
Man, there’s *nothing* wrong with this album. The title track alone is worth the price of admission, which for me was $2 at the same neighbor’s estate sale where I picked up those two Beatles albums up thread. As if Hag’s songs aren’t sad enough, every time I listen to him I think of Kaleb Horton, which makes me even sadder.
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Grateful Dead: American Beauty (Warner Bros WS-1893, 1970).
I prefer their studio recordings. Don’t love the live stuff. I don’t really value improvisation. I prefer my folk songs to be well crafted, arrangements planned out and performances rehearsed. I also love Crazy Horse so maybe I’m full of shit. But I love this album. And even though my sleeve has a big chunk out of it, the vinyl sounds perfect.
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Edith Frost: In Space (Drag City DC940, 2025).
Her first album in 20 years was a return to everything we’d been missing plus a new emphasis on strange keyboards and atmospheric textures (which I guess had always been there come to think of it). Let’s hope we don’t have to wait another 20 years for the next one!
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Go-Go’s: Beauty and the Beat (IRS SP-70021, 1981).
Nobody was cooler than the Go-Go’s in 1981. I recently spent an entire lunch break watching old television clips and they’re all amazing. If you haven’t seen the 2020 Showtime documentary, do it. The story about returning the towels to Macy’s after the album shoot is just one hilarious detail.
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Funkadelic: One Nation Under a Groove (Warner Bros BSK-3209, 1978).
My rule when digging through used bins is if you see some P-Funk you buy it. This is in rough shape and it’s missing the bonus EP, but whatever. I used to have a lot more before the Purge but none of it was clean so I’m now patiently waiting for ORG Music to work through the Westbound catalog at least.
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Funkadelic: Funkadelic (ORG Music ORGM2326, 2025).
This remaster of the greatest American rock band’s 1970 debut is so fucking good. Forensically restored by Dave Gardner and Catherine Vericolli, this psychedelic masterpiece has never sounded better. It will blow your funky mind.
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The Frost: Frost Music (Vanguard VSD6520, 1969).
The Frost was Dick Wagner’s band and they were big in Detroit. I bet they were great live but this album is pretty lame. Lots of rippin’ lead guitar but the production strips away any raw power. A few years ago Vanguard apparently released “Live at the Grande Ballroom” and I bet that’s way better.
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Fortune & Maltese: Live at Harvey’s (Don’t Mind If I Do AR-10152, 1996).
Discogs says this came out in 1997, but I found my receipt from Flipside Records where I bought it (used!) on 10/12/96. It’s a semi-official bootleg recorded on a Walkman. Captures F&M and the Phabulous Pallbearers at their rawest. A perfect document. The bar this was recorded in was demolished earlier this month.
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Paul McCartney: McCartney (Apple STAO3363, 1970).
My favorite Paul is unfussy Paul and I love that he released such a half-baked effort as his debut solo album. Silly instrumental trifles, throwaway ad-libbed nonsense, Beatle leftovers and a few timeless classics. It’s obvious why rockcrit snobs hated it. But they’re wrong.
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Curtis Mayfield: Sweet Exorcist (Curtom CRS8601, 1974).
Breaking out of alph order to listen to some new purchases. I’d never heard this before but it has a gnarly cover with gods and skulls and shit so even though it’s beat up pretty bad, I figured why not. And it’s good! Lots of surface noise as expected but not unlistenable. You can’t go wrong with Curtis Mayfield!
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The Five Royales: 17 Hits (King 5014X, 1978).
The “5” are my favorite 50s rock and roll group. A perfect combination of jump blues and doo wop, they are the coolest, oozing with charisma and badass guitar and sax solos. Listen to “Women About to Make Me Go Crazy” if you need convincing. This comp is perfect but you can’t go wrong with any of the stuff they recorded for King.
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First Aid Kit: Stay Gold (Columbia 88843 06661 1, 2014).
Why don’t I listen to the Söderberg sisters more often? This is great. Was Mike Mogis the real talent in Bright Eyes after all? Because the production and arrangements on this are really good. Happy I’m doing this. What else will I rediscover?
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First Aid Kit: The Lion’s Roar (Wichita WEBB320LP, 2012).
I’ve maybe played this once. That’s dumb. It would be a good first-thing-in-the-morning record. Lots of pedal steel via Mike Mogis and of course those sweet sibling harmonies from the Söderberg sisters. “Emmylou” is a perfect song.
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Father John Misty: Pure Comedy (Sub Pop SP1200, 2017).
FJM takes the easy targets of Honeybear’s “Bored in the USA” and makes a whole album sanctimoniously skewering them/us. Not to say those targets aren’t easy for a reason, but to make fun of middle-aged losers for “bedding Taylor Swift every night inside the Oculus Rift” was never going to age well. His voice, however, has never sounded better.
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Father John Misty: Fear Fun (Sub Pop SP970, 2012).
It’s getting harder to remember how fun and liberated this sounded in 2012, before Tillman became a grumpy old blowhard (again). This was the sound of a young man throwing off the uptight shackles of propriety and busting loose. Plus he can sing like a motherfucker. Vinyl sounds like shit though, sibilant and noisy like a lot of new #vinyl.
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Donovan: Sixty Four (Donovan Discs VI0001, 2017).
My wife got me this (signed!) for my birthday in 2020. I kept the padded envelope it came in because Donovan filled out the customs slip himself. Pretty cool. Demos of five covers and four originals. (And I’m still mad at Dylan for being so mean in Dont Look Back.)
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Doctor & the Medics: Laughing at the Pieces (IRS-5797, 1986).
A few years ago I realized the version of this on streaming is the original UK release and not the superior US release that I had on tape as a 15yo. This is the third copy of this dumb album I’ve purchased: once on tape, twice on #vinyl; it did not survive the great purge of 2005-2008…which was probably fair.
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Neil Diamond: Hot August Night (MCA 2-8000, 1972).
I love Neil Diamond. It might be nostalgia but I don’t think so. These songs are great. And I’m a grouch but I hate when people do the “so good! so good!” during “Sweet Caroline,” which the audience decidedly does *not* do at this concert. My copy is beat up from the dollar bin and it’s good enough. The cover image is iconic, inspiring Lester Bangs’ famous “whanging his clanger” line.
#MyVinylSolution #vinyl @vinylrecords -
Detroit with Mitch Ryder (MCA-25970, 1987).
Reissue of a 1971 album with one bonus track (“Gimme Shelter”) and updated liner notes by Dave Marsh. I somehow ended up with two copies. Produced by Bob Ezrin. Ryder can belt and his band includes Steve Hunter who would go on to work with Ezrin on albums by Alice Cooper and Lou Reed. Detroit hard boogie.
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Paul & Linda McCartney: Ram (Apple SMAS-3375, 1971).
Jumping out of alph order because I’m watching that new Paul doc and wanted to hear this. I should probably find a cleaner copy. This one’s scratched up pretty bad. The quality cuts through the noise and still sounds great. Top three solo Beatle album for sure.
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Crosby-Nash (ABC AA-1102, 1978).
A just alright compilation of the “best” of these two from their various solo and duo albums. Most of it sounds like rich guys doing blow on a sailboat, taking themselves very seriously. I probably picked this up after being blown away by If I Could Only Remember My Name. It’s not like that.
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Crosby-Nash (ABC AA-1102, 1978).
A just alright compilation of the “best” of these two from their various solo and duo albums. Most of it sounds like rich guys doing blow on a sailboat, taking themselves very seriously. I probably picked this up after being blown away by If I Could Only Remember My Name. It’s not like that.
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Crosby-Nash (ABC AA-1102, 1978).
A just alright compilation of the “best” of these two from their various solo and duo albums. Most of it sounds like rich guys doing blow on a sailboat, taking themselves very seriously. I probably picked this up after being blown away by If I Could Only Remember My Name. It’s not like that.
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Crosby-Nash (ABC AA-1102, 1978).
A just alright compilation of the “best” of these two from their various solo and duo albums. Most of it sounds like rich guys doing blow on a sailboat, taking themselves very seriously. I probably picked this up after being blown away by If I Could Only Remember My Name. It’s not like that.
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Crosby-Nash (ABC AA-1102, 1978).
A just alright compilation of the “best” of these two from their various solo and duo albums. Most of it sounds like rich guys doing blow on a sailboat, taking themselves very seriously. I probably picked this up after being blown away by If I Could Only Remember My Name. It’s not like that.
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David Crosby: If I Could Only Remember My Name (Atlantic SD 7203, 1971).
Other than track 1 on side 1, this is an outrageously high fidelity listening experience with a deep, deep soundstage that makes you feel like you’re tripping. Best $2.99 I’ve ever spent.
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Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (Atlantic SD 7200, 1970).
Sometimes there’s a reason they call it classic rock. This is a great album and just sounds so good. I wish Jerry played pedal steel on every song though. The harmonies, the guitar tones, the whole stoney vibe. It’s classic. We have all been here before.
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Cat Mother and the All Night Newsboys: The Street Giveth and the Street Taketh Away (Polydor 24-4001, 1969).
This is pretty generic 1969 white boy boogie but Lester Bangs reviewed it favorably for Rolling Stone so I picked it up when I saw it cheap. Bangs lumped them in with “non-innovative, journeymen groups [who] don’t feel compelled to try so hard” but to him that was a compliment. I bet he never played it again after writing it up. I won’t either.
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Bright Eyes: I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning (Saddle Creek LBJ-72, 2005).
I love this album. The #vinyl has a nice soundstage. It’s the only Bright Eyes I have on wax and it’s the only one I need. Has Emmylou given her harmonic blessing to any precocious young songwriters since this?
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Bright Eyes: I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning (Saddle Creek LBJ-72, 2005).
I love this album. The #vinyl has a nice soundstage. It’s the only Bright Eyes I have on wax and it’s the only one I need. Has Emmylou given her harmonic blessing to any precocious young songwriters since this?
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Bright Eyes: I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning (Saddle Creek LBJ-72, 2005).
I love this album. The #vinyl has a nice soundstage. It’s the only Bright Eyes I have on wax and it’s the only one I need. Has Emmylou given her harmonic blessing to any precocious young songwriters since this?
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Bright Eyes: I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning (Saddle Creek LBJ-72, 2005).
I love this album. The #vinyl has a nice soundstage. It’s the only Bright Eyes I have on wax and it’s the only one I need. Has Emmylou given her harmonic blessing to any precocious young songwriters since this?
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Bright Eyes: I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning (Saddle Creek LBJ-72, 2005).
I love this album. The #vinyl has a nice soundstage. It’s the only Bright Eyes I have on wax and it’s the only one I need. Has Emmylou given her harmonic blessing to any precocious young songwriters since this?
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Phoebe Bridgers: Stranger in the Alps (Dead Oceans DOC 142, 2017).
So many great songs on this. I could’ve seen her on this tour in a tiny venue (Lady’s Literary Club in Grand Rapids) but it was a Tuesday night. Sigh. “Jesus Christ I’m so blue all the time” hits me every time I hear it. She might have gotten a little goofy after this but this one’s pretty perfect.
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Big Star: Radio City (Ardent ADD-1501, 2011 reissue).
The eternal #vinyl question: Does this sound crappy because it’s a lousy pressing…or is it my gear? I can imagine there are good versions of this out there that don’t sound sibilant and shrill, but not this one. I like the back cover photo taken at TGI Friday’s though. And the songs, of course, are perfect.
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Big Star: Radio City (Ardent ADD-1501, 2011 reissue).
The eternal #vinyl question: Does this sound crappy because it’s a lousy pressing…or is it my gear? I can imagine there are good versions of this out there that don’t sound sibilant and shrill, but not this one. I like the back cover photo taken at TGI Friday’s though. And the songs, of course, are perfect.
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Big Star: Radio City (Ardent ADD-1501, 2011 reissue).
The eternal #vinyl question: Does this sound crappy because it’s a lousy pressing…or is it my gear? I can imagine there are good versions of this out there that don’t sound sibilant and shrill, but not this one. I like the back cover photo taken at TGI Friday’s though. And the songs, of course, are perfect.
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Big Star: Radio City (Ardent ADD-1501, 2011 reissue).
The eternal #vinyl question: Does this sound crappy because it’s a lousy pressing…or is it my gear? I can imagine there are good versions of this out there that don’t sound sibilant and shrill, but not this one. I like the back cover photo taken at TGI Friday’s though. And the songs, of course, are perfect.
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Big Star: Radio City (Ardent ADD-1501, 2011 reissue).
The eternal #vinyl question: Does this sound crappy because it’s a lousy pressing…or is it my gear? I can imagine there are good versions of this out there that don’t sound sibilant and shrill, but not this one. I like the back cover photo taken at TGI Friday’s though. And the songs, of course, are perfect.
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Bermuda Strollers 73 (Edmar ELPS-1122, 1973).
In Jonathan Richman’s “Monologue About Bermuda” he says the Modern Lovers’ trip to the island signaled the end of the band because he was getting more excited by what the local guys like these guys were doing. Features “Bang Bang Lulu.”