December 2020 Challenge Thread: Let's Go Out With A Bang (The return of the raffle!)

Day 16: The First Cut is the Deepest

Can't remember the name of the shop on Ventura Boulevard in LA, but I do remember going in and picking up this album near it's release date and the Bohemian Rhapsody single - And I certainly remember the mosh pit for Sweat and Who Do You Want to Be when I saw them a few years later at the Hollywood Palladium. The original version I bought of this is lost to the great storage locker heat wave that we don't talk about, but I'm happy to have it's replacement.

Oingo Boingo ~ Good For Your Soul

1608154587285.png
 
Day 16: The First Cut Is The Deepest The first album you added to your collection; the one that started it all

Kiss - I

I had other records before this, mostly gifts, but this is the first record I remember going out and wanting to buy, or at least whatever I could find by KISS. Purchased with Christmas money in 1978, after watching Kiss and the Phantom of the Park. I really wanted to get Love Gun or Double Platinum but all the store had was this and Hotter Than Hell (whose covered scared me).
F81F4B1A-C0CC-41B5-AF8E-1ACBE0A4662E.jpeg
 
Day 16: The First Cut Is The Deepest
The first album you added to your collection; the one that started it all

Spiritualized - And Nothing Hurt

I'm an old millennial, and my dad was the tech-savvy type to adopt CDs pretty early, so I don't even have memories of records in my house as a kid like a lot of people my age. Peak CD coincided with graduating high school and entering college, and vinyl wasn't even on my radar until a couple of years ago when I lost all my CD artwork in a move (the CDs themselves were, thankfully, in binders that I didn't trust to the moving crew). My love of DJ Shadow, Portishead, and all things trip hop had made me curious about vinyl, but I put off taking the plunge for years. The first album I had in my possession was Endtroducing..., which I bought with my turntable, but the first I actually purchased was a pre-order of this soon-to-come-out late-career gem from Spiritualized, which I preordered knowing I'd soon get a turntable.

20201216_143819.jpg
 
Last edited:
Day 16: The first cut is the deepest

Arcade Fire - Funeral

I've told this story a few times, as well. Bought this in the summer of 2005, after hearing "Rebellion (Lies)" and "Neighbourhood #3" on the radio and on MuchMusic so often for the previous nine months or so, thanks to our beautiful CRTC Canadian-content requirements (30% of all broadcasts). I bought this accompanying a friend of mine on a rare trip into the city, at Rotate This on their (I think original) Queen Street location, on the same afternoon that I later attended the longest baseball game in Blue Jays history.

PXL_20201216_233440544.jpg
 
Day 16: The Smiths - The Smiths

So growing up, I sort of inherited my parents record collection and I used to shop the used record selection with my Mom from time to time in high school and early college back home from breaks. While not the first used record I ever picked out, this was the first one I picked out that my Mom gave a large "uh?" to. So it, and REM's Reckoning bought on the same day, were the start of "my" vinyl collection until I got back into vinyl many years later.
20201216_213835.jpg
 
Day 14: Decisions, Decisions

It's like picking a favorite kid....I randomly chose 1 of the 3800-ish peices of vinyl I have.

Even with this, I have 2 to choose from. A US pressing and a Canadian pressing. Both were bought sealed for at most 3 bucks - with the 7" on either the front or the back of the sleeve...and I've listened to neither. The US pressing is the last one with the picture sleeve 7" on the back of the LP sleeve.

Jim Steinman ‎– Bad For Good
Cleveland International Records/Epic ‎– FE 36531, 1981

Canadian pressing

Pressed at Columbia, Don Mills, ON

oRoDVZ.jpg

3zluC6.jpg

OMn7YQ.jpg

4XjcxC.jpg
 
Day 15: National Lemon Cupcake Day

Besides a 7" from 1978, I think this was my first yellow record.

Soundgarden ‎– Badmotorfinger
A&M Records ‎– 75021 5374 1, 1991

DMM cut at Masterdisk
Pressed at Specialty

gq0Msk.jpg

exC05Q.jpg



This variant has used an alternate rear sleeve image than what was on the regular black vinyl, which used the image seen on the inside booklet of the CD release of the band standing.

Stw7CC.jpg
 
Day 16: The First Cut Is The Deepest

I think I mentioned before that I have no idea what my first record was. I had records before I had a TT to play them on. I had a friend that had a turntable and got me interested in vinyl - this would have been around 1994-ish. There was an antique mall that had a booth filled with records. The Clash, Elvis Costello, Devo, XTC, Talking Heads, Roxy Music...etc. All stuff in my wheelhouse then and still now. What I bought first I have no idea - as I bought armfuls at a time. 20 bucks could easily get me 30-50 albums plus quite a few 7"s.

My first TT was some 90's Fisher brand - as that is what I could get in the town I lived in for the money I had.

I do know that the 1978 yellow 7" I mentioned above also came from this antique mall - it is a Belgium Elvis Costello Waiting For The Detectives 7"

Roxy Music ‎– Greatest Hits
ATCO Records ‎– SD 38-103, 1977

Pressed at Specialty

WkJcSS.jpg

QSLXmO.jpg
 
Day 17: Sophomore Slump - Play a sophomore album that defied or followed the stereotype

Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats - Tearing at the Seams

I loved their debut, but for me, on this album they took it to a whole new level. Apparently Nathaniel got the Night Sweats much more involved with the song writing and it shows.

 
Day 17: Sophomore Slump Play a sophomore album that followed the stereotype

The Jam - This is the Modern World

With this album, it looked like Weller, Foxton and Buckler were definitely going to fall victim of the sophomore slump and just become another couldabeen on the 1977 punk highway. In my opinion their weakest album, Weller still hand not found his song writing abilities. A mix of 2nd rate mod punk and a cover. To me the only real highlight is Standards. Of course Weller found his magic with the follow up, All Mod Cons.
214094CC-A9D8-47CE-A8C7-0D5A4B74F973.jpeg
 
Day 17 - Defying the sophomore slump

Amy Winehouse "Back To Black" (2007 Universal)

Is there an album out there that is more defying of a sophomore slump than this? Inspired, personal songwriting and vocal performance with Mark Ronson's production and the sublime backing by The Dap-Kings combined to create a perfect modern soul record. Instead of a misstep, this one is an astronomical upgrade over the previous outing.

IMG_1140.JPG
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top