About a month ago, when I found myself the proud owner of a secondhand stereo turntable, I began to rediscover that magical experience of playing records. I also rediscovered the relaxing fun of flipping through records old and new in the shops. As far as I can tell, there are about a half dozen decent stores in my area that deal in used records. And used is what I am looking for. Cheap and cheerful. Naturally, I'm looking for vinyl (and the sleeves) in very good condition, but I can make small concessions since I'm not willing to dish out a lot of cash.
I've assembled a comfy little collection to get started (see earlier posts to learn what I've bought) and I'll go a bit more leisurely about building on that. A couple of more desirable records I want command higher prices, even those in used condition, so I'll be patient and wait for the right ones to come along. Those two are Dressed To Kill, by Kiss, and Damn The Torpedoes, by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. The Dark Side of the Moon album, by Pink Floyd of course, is one that I'd be willing to fork over a bit more for a brand new re-issue. That classic disc deserves a better treatment so I can fully appreciate its high fidelity without any surface noise from hundreds of plays.
Most of this past week's playlist is comprised of tracks from my recent vinyl acquisitions. Canadian rocker David Wilcox plays his guitar with joyful abandon on Out of the Woods, an album I'd never owned before. The song Hot Hot Papa is among my faves off this record. A rambunctious and blistering performance.
Jefferson Starship briefly operated without Grace Slick on vocals, and their impressive album Freedom at Point Zero demonstrated their ability to carry on without her presence at the mic. Though the song Jane is my favourite on the record, Rock Music is a whole lot of fun, too... a true party classic... even if it's largely unknown.
All Mixed Up by The Cars is an 80's gem, not quite as famous as Good Times Roll or My Best Friend's Girl (all off the first Cars album), but resplendent with Cars hooks and fills galore. Like a breath of fresh air out of that wonderful decade.
Fleetwood Mac, on their legendary Rumours album, didn't slip up on a single track therein. Among my faves on there is You Make Loving Fun, a light and funky and sexy song with Christie McVie on vocals. Her smooth, warm, mature style suits the piece perfectly. And guitarist Buckingham inserts his melodic licks into every nook and cranny to great effect.
Def Leppard's tune Switch 625 is unique in the band's catalogue... it may have been the first (and only?) instrumental the Leps ever recorded. But correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway, it's a great rocker - off the High and Dry album - that I had never heard until just a while back. Oh, by the way, this one wasn't on vinyl, but CD instead.
Fast as a Shark is a rip-tearing speed metal track by Germany's Accept. Not for the faint of heart, this pummeling tune features the guitar mastery of Wolf Hoffmann and the powerful and distinctive vocals of good ol' Udo. This appears on a compilation CD in my collection.
Foreigner continued their reign of the radio airwaves back in the 70's with Headgames (from the album of the same name), a guitar-and-synth heavy song led by the formidable Lou Gramm belting out heady (not really) lyrics. Among my favourite Foreigner tunes.
Then we've got Waitin' For The Bus, by that l'il ol' band from Texas, ZZ Top. An early tune by the trio, this one really packs a southern wallop of bluesy rock. The groove is undeniable, the harmonica heavenly, Billy's axework chilling... wooo!
I've assembled a comfy little collection to get started (see earlier posts to learn what I've bought) and I'll go a bit more leisurely about building on that. A couple of more desirable records I want command higher prices, even those in used condition, so I'll be patient and wait for the right ones to come along. Those two are Dressed To Kill, by Kiss, and Damn The Torpedoes, by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. The Dark Side of the Moon album, by Pink Floyd of course, is one that I'd be willing to fork over a bit more for a brand new re-issue. That classic disc deserves a better treatment so I can fully appreciate its high fidelity without any surface noise from hundreds of plays.
Most of this past week's playlist is comprised of tracks from my recent vinyl acquisitions. Canadian rocker David Wilcox plays his guitar with joyful abandon on Out of the Woods, an album I'd never owned before. The song Hot Hot Papa is among my faves off this record. A rambunctious and blistering performance.
Jefferson Starship briefly operated without Grace Slick on vocals, and their impressive album Freedom at Point Zero demonstrated their ability to carry on without her presence at the mic. Though the song Jane is my favourite on the record, Rock Music is a whole lot of fun, too... a true party classic... even if it's largely unknown.
All Mixed Up by The Cars is an 80's gem, not quite as famous as Good Times Roll or My Best Friend's Girl (all off the first Cars album), but resplendent with Cars hooks and fills galore. Like a breath of fresh air out of that wonderful decade.
Fleetwood Mac, on their legendary Rumours album, didn't slip up on a single track therein. Among my faves on there is You Make Loving Fun, a light and funky and sexy song with Christie McVie on vocals. Her smooth, warm, mature style suits the piece perfectly. And guitarist Buckingham inserts his melodic licks into every nook and cranny to great effect.
Def Leppard's tune Switch 625 is unique in the band's catalogue... it may have been the first (and only?) instrumental the Leps ever recorded. But correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway, it's a great rocker - off the High and Dry album - that I had never heard until just a while back. Oh, by the way, this one wasn't on vinyl, but CD instead.
Fast as a Shark is a rip-tearing speed metal track by Germany's Accept. Not for the faint of heart, this pummeling tune features the guitar mastery of Wolf Hoffmann and the powerful and distinctive vocals of good ol' Udo. This appears on a compilation CD in my collection.
Foreigner continued their reign of the radio airwaves back in the 70's with Headgames (from the album of the same name), a guitar-and-synth heavy song led by the formidable Lou Gramm belting out heady (not really) lyrics. Among my favourite Foreigner tunes.
Then we've got Waitin' For The Bus, by that l'il ol' band from Texas, ZZ Top. An early tune by the trio, this one really packs a southern wallop of bluesy rock. The groove is undeniable, the harmonica heavenly, Billy's axework chilling... wooo!
Tracklist:
David Wilcox... Hot Hot Papa
Jefferson Starship... Rock Music
The Cars... All Mixed Up
Fleetwood Mac... You Make Loving Fun
Def Leppard... Switch 625
Def Leppard... Switch 625
Accept... Fast as a Shark
Foreigner... Head Games
ZZ Top... Waitin' For The Bus
No comments:
Post a Comment