TITLE: The Classics 018 A deeper look at the grooves pressed into a 1978-issued copy of Van Halen’s self-titled debut album. DATE: 08-30-15 WRITER: Bill Adams The thing about albums which are truly progressive (to be clear, I’m referring to albums which break new ground – not necessarily prog rock albums) is that their impact on pop music as a whole takes a bit of time to really register; sure, there’s a chance that they might break through, win fans...
TITLE: Vinyl Vlog 089 A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the original version of the Blizzard Of Ozz LP by Ozzy Osbourne DATE: 08-08-15 WRITER: Bill Adams “Is the reissued release of an album always superior to the original?” Such a question is valid – particularly when one takes the recent proliferation of reissues which have been released by both major and indie labels into account. In nearly every case, a “new” re-examination of an old title comes...
TITLE: I Wanna Be Literated! 088 A critical evaluation of The Gigantic Beard that was Evil by Stephen Collins. DATE: 07-29-15 WRITER: Ollie Ottoman I’ll never figure out how Stephen Collins successfully made this book, because the idea for it sounds so farfetched and difficult to grasp. But The Gigantic Beard that was Evil is a testament to what comics can do when you have a talented person at the helm. Talented and a little offbeat, I should say. TGBTWE...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the untitled Street Dogs/Noi!SE 10” split record. There has never been a point in music history when two bands issuing a split release together hasn’t been a gamble. The nature of the format is competitive by nature; both bands are in a position where they have to try and outshine the other, and that someone is going to come in second is guaranteed; whether it’s by an inch or a mile is...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into Gary Clark Jr.’s Live double album. Listening to Gary Clark Jr.’s Live album on vinyl, listeners will find themselves suddenly overcome by a wave of nostalgia. Images of Mick Jagger jumping next to a jackass (as he did on the cover of Get Yer Ya-Yas Out!) and Dylan at Royal Albert Hall, KISS shouting it out loud on Alive, At Budakan, Neil Young’s Rust Never Sleeps and The Who’s Live At Leeds...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Different Class reissue by Pulp. It’s hard to place Pulp in the Britpop explosion of the 90s. They arguably made a larger impact than Supergrass, they didn’t become the big joke that Oasis became, they didn’t spawn strangely successful offshoots like Blur, and they certainly didn’t redefine music like Radiohead. No, Pulp exists mostly in the static environment of the 90s. They haven’t continued to put out music (their last album...
Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000167 EndHTML:0000005605 StartFragment:0000000484 EndFragment:0000005589 A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Different Class LP by Pulp. It’s hard to place Pulp in the Britpop explosion of the 90s. They arguably made a larger impact than Supergrass, they didn’t become the big joke that Oasis became, they didn’t spawn strangely successful offshoots like Blur, and they certainly didn’t redefine music like Radiohead. No, Pulp exists mostly in the static environment of the...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the 4 colored Essentials LP set by Reducers SF. Looking back, it’s pretty incredible how fertile punk’s creative soil was in the Nineties. Sure – everyone knows the mid-Nineties as being the period which broke punk into the mainstream pop punk and made bands like Lagwagon, Propagandhi, Green Day, NOFX, Offspring (I’ve written this list out several times before) and innumerable others household names and/or institutions who would help shape how punk...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the American Spring LP by Anti-Flag. It might sound a little silly to say, but the first great thing about the vinyl pressing of Anti-Flag’s ninth studio album, American Spring, is the scale of the presentation. Before a note is heard, those who buy the vinyl will get an eyeful of the bright and beautiful album cover which looks like an artistic statement of blossoming artistry rather than appearing as though the...
A deeper look at the grooved pressed into Round Eye’s debut LP While the debate over which recorded music format is superior (vinyl, CD and digital download, at least for right now, are the top contenders), no one who has heard it will argue against the fact that Round Eye’s debut album was designed specifically to be experienced on vinyl. The hints are actually on the CD too, if you notice; right before “Fear The Consequence†plays on the CD,...