My mother threw out the family record player just as I started to carve
out my own musical identity. Four years later, she was the one who
bought me my first turntable. Since then I've amassed a few hundred
records in various sizes and colors. Music is increasingly becoming
digital, formless. But vinyl is a strictly physical, stationary format. I sit
in one room and manually flip the music. I revel in the sounds. Vinyl
Vednesday is a new column celebrating my love of the format. The
title comes from my college days, when my friends and I would gather
every Wednesday and spin records. Hopefully it'll remain a communal
act, so let me know what you think in the comments section!
The Records:
Adam Ant's Friend or Foe (1982) on black.
The Mountain Goats’ The Life of the World to Come (2009) on translucent
purple.
Sunny Day Real Estate’s LP2/“Pink Album” (2009) on pink marble
[re-issue].
The Location:
All three albums in this week's column came from Siren Records
in Doylestown, Pa. I recently stripped down my CD collection,
because A) I am running out of room, B) I needed cash to fuel my
music obsession, and C) I don’t listen to System of a Down or
Coheed and Cambria that much anymore. Because of today's
economic climate, Siren only gives store credit but, when the
owner gave me $150 in store credit for what I brought him, I was
okay with that.
My Thoughts:
Adam Ant's tribal drumming post-punk boasted some pretty
great hits (“Stand and Deliver,” “Physical (You’re So)”). Friend
or Foe is arguably the last completely essential Ant record,
and also his first solo outing since the dissolution of Adam and
The Ants. The album dips a little in spots, but it’s bolstered by
the hit singles “Friend or Foe” and “Goody Two Shoes.” He does
a good job with the Doors’ “Hello, I Love You,” although I prefer
the Missing Persons’ version.
The Life of the World to Come was far and away my favorite
album of 2009. I liked it so much I wrote 1,300+ words on it
at the time of its' release. My girlfriend noticed a copy of the
album on vinyl that was different from the others: A limited
edition purple pressing, individually numbered (Mine is 074
of 777). A devout TMG fan but also a loving girlfriend, she
tossed it my way.
The release a beautiful gatefold, and the recording sounds
pretty full. Granted, it was probably recorded digitally, thereby
reducing the difference between vinyl and CD, but the effort
is still appreciated. I'm not a fan of having to flip the record
every three songs or so, but I can deal with it.
“The Pink Album” is the only Sunny Day Real Estate album I
don’t have an original pressing of on vinyl. It has always
been my least favorite of their albums, so I've never put
much effort into obtaining it. It’s always sounded like an
unfinished collection to me which, given that the band broke
up before LP2’s completion, it kind of is. To be honest, I
probably wouldn’t have bothered with this re-release (with
two bonus tracks) if I didn’t have store credit. I’m glad I
hopped on it though – the remaster sounds amazing,
bringing LP2 much closer to sounding like a finished album.
Plus, it’s on colored vinyl. Plus plus, it came with a sticker
and a button. More bands should do this. Now I’m seriously
considering checking out the remaster for Diary as well.
Vinyl Vednesday is a new weekly column about three favorite
vinyl finds. It’s not meant to be a dick-measuring contest, but
it kinda is. E-mail [email protected] with your own big finds!
