August 2020 Challenge Thread - The Dog Days of Vinyl Playing

August 6 - "Thor's Day" - Play an album evocative of lightning, thunder, hammers, or Chris Hemsworth.

Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run

What's that you say? More Springsteen from skeletonframes? The guy who's screen name is derived from the very "thunderous" song that opens this album? You don't say. 3 things are certain. Death, taxes, and that Springsteen songs work their way into my thoughts daily.

Of course I chose this because of the opening track Thunder Road. A soaring ballad about a dude that just wants his girl to get in his car and leave their town behind. The sentiment of most hopeless romantic, late-teen boys that think they are bigger than the place they hail from. A sentiment that has been proven wrong time and time again, but hell, that's why it's called "hopeless" romanticism. So, just get in and forget how futile this is. Let's go.

They haunt these dusty beach roads in the skeleton frames of burned-out Chevrolets.....
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August 7 - Fridays in the Summer - Play an album thats appropriate for a Summer Party!

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

This album just reminds me of being in a sunny backyard drinking light beers and throwin' bags while the smell of charred meat swirls around in the sticky heat. Maybe there's a pool. Maybe there's a sprinkler out of focus somewhere in the background while people get too excited and loud about a game of Euchre.

...oh Bryn, you see through the dark. Right past the fireflies that sleep in my heart...
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August 11 - A certain someone's birthday - Play an album you received as a gift.

My sister got into vinyl collecting years before I did. Every Christmas I would buy her an album or two I thought she might enjoy. This past December was her first chance to do the same for me. This is what she picked:

The Avalanches - Since I Left You
Unfortunately the pressings is pretty shoddy. Lots of pops and clicks. But I’ll always keep it for the sentimental value, and the music is great.

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August 8 - Dollar Day - Play an album that you would find in a dollar bin (if such things existed any more).

Styx - Pieces of Eight

Discogs says the average price for this is $3 and I'm sure I paid much less than that. This copy sounds great, and it's a pretty good album, showing that the price tag on something doesn't always match the contents therein.

the jig is up, the news is out, they finally found me
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August 9 - The day Jerry Garcia passed - Play a sad album.

Zephaniah Ohora - This Highway

A traditional country record in the sense that there's no radio friendly hits, no pop sensibilities, and even the songs with happy intentions have a sort of wistful loneliness to them. This is prime "cryin in my beer" country. The highway winds, the singer pines, and the guitar whines. The only thing missing from this soundtrack to a lonesome night is the sound of beer bottles breaking against a distant wall.

Nothing seems to last, it's just a moment in the past, and this highway keeps going on and on....
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Skeletonframes said:
August 8 - Dollar Day - Play an album that you would find in a dollar bin (if such things existed any more).

Styx - Pieces of Eight

Discogs says the average price for this is $3 and I'm sure I paid much less than that. This copy sounds great, and it's a pretty good album, showing that the price tag on something doesn't always match the contents therein.

the jig is up, the news is out, they finally found me
View attachment 61042

August 9 - The day Jerry Garcia passed - Play a sad album.

Zephaniah Ohora - This Highway

A traditional country record in the sense that there's no radio friendly hits, no pop sensibilities, and even the songs with happy intentions have a sort of wistful loneliness to them. This is prime "cryin in my beer" country. The highway winds, the singer pines, and the guitar whines. The only thing missing from this soundtrack to a lonesome night is the sound of beer bottles breaking against a distant wall.

Nothing seems to last, it's just a moment in the past, and this highway keeps going on and on....
View attachment 61043
Click to expand...
Haha, this Styx was in my dollar bin pile but I pulled it and like 5 others out because, you’re right, this is not a dollar record.
 
August 11 - A certain someone's birthday - Play an album you received as a gift.

Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - Mecca and the Soul Brother

A gift from a friend of mine who is pretty much solely responsible for 75% of my hip hop collection haha

Also, I'm assuming by "certain someone" you didn't mean Hulk Hogan haha, so if that's the case Happy Birthday @wmeugene!

 
Day 10: Lazy

I let Discogs random generator pick for me and I just chose the first soundtrack that popped.

Stelvio Cipriani, Carlo Maria Cordio, Fabio Frizzi ‎– Pieces - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Arrow Records ‎– AR001, 2015/2017

Clear vinyl variant, limited to 500

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NSFW trailer below (boobs and blood)
 
August 11 - A certain someone's birthday - Play an album you received as a gift.

Most of my vinyl is purchased for myself, my tastes are a bit out of the mainstream and my family doesn't tend to know or have those tastes. Plus, given how the prices vary I'd feel kind of bad giving them a list and having them spend extra money on some items.

The exception is my Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit selections. One of the most fun aspects of my girlfriend and I's relationship are the mutual collections. Records are one of those, so that has been something that has grown between us too. I've helped her complete her John Mulaney and Lonely Island collections, and we've teamed up to take care of some volume based sales or find things the other one would be interested in.

Jason isbell holds a bit of a special place for us though: we don't share a ton of music tastes so concerts were not common adventures for us. However, I was able to score a couple reasonably priced tickets to a Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit / Brandi Carlile show so we went up to see them in June 2018. It was a magical night for us: after five times seeing him I finally got to see him play Elephant live, the band was incredible as was Brandi. The next day, she told me she loved me and I returned the sentiment. She bought me Live From the Ryman on CD on release day and we listened to it on the entire drive from NH to NY to see Springsteen for my birthday.

So, not surprisingly, when she gave me a completely random gift earlier this year, I really shouldn't have been surprised when I opened this up. Given we're one day before our third anniversary today, it feels like a good day to break it open.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Live From The Ryman (Green)

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August 11 - A certain someone's birthday - Play an album you received as a gift.

Art Taylor - A.T.'s Delight (Blue Note, 2020 BN80 Pressing)

Happy Birthday @wmeugene! Coincidentally it was my birthday last week so im in the perfect position for this challenge. My girlfriend bought me the BN80 pressing of this fantastic album!

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August 11 - A certain someone's birthday - Play an album you received as a gift.

Happy birthday @wmeugene !!!

My dad used to travel for work a lot, he got me this record when he was in France In 1986.
I wanted this album because Bowie was on it.

Anyway, it's a nice soundtrack: Sade, The Style Council, Ray Davies, Gil Evans...

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