I Don't Know Them: The June 2024 Vinyl Challenge Thread

Day 3: Someday
a song Mariah has since somewhat disavowed because she feels it was overproduced. play a record you feel is overproduced

The Replacements - Tim (Let It Bleed Edition)
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TBH, I never really had a problem with the production on Tim…until I heard this remaster. Which is effing excellent!!
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
Day 2: Love Takes Time
A last-minute addition to the album. So last minute that it wasn’t listed on some early pressings. play an album with a hidden or bonus track

Nirvana - Nevermind
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As a kid when I purchased Nevermind on CD I was bummed because my CD didn’t have the “Endless, Nameless” hidden track but my friend, Falen had it on her copy. I was happy it was included as a bonus 7” as part of the recent anniversary reissue.
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Man, I still remember the day I discovered "Endless, Nameless" - I'd already listened to the album dozens, if not hundreds, of times but had always gotten up to change it after "Something In The Way." Lo and behold, one day I was deeply focused on drawing or writing something at my desk and didn't get up to change the music right away. Or anytime soon. Suddenly after ten minutes or so of silence "Endless, Nameless" came roaring in at full volume and startled the everloving shit right out of me!!
 
Day 5: Emotions

Genius / GZA – Liquid Swords
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Not only did The Genius avoid a sophomore slump with this one, but it remains his best. Also, a lot of people didn't know at the time that this was his second album; his debut being the pre-Wu-Tang Words From The Genius on Cold Chillin' (a label he would call out on on this album's song "Labels.")
 
Day 4: I Don’t Wanna Cry
another #1 from that first album Mariah isn't too fond of, this time because of conflicts with the song's producer Narada Michael Walden during recording. play a record beset by production troubles.

The Misfits - Static Age
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In 1977 Mercury Records issued a Pere Ubu record on their own Blank Records imprint, unaware that Danzig held a trademark on the name. The parties came to a settlement, with Danzig accepting thirty hours of studio time for his band in exchange for the rights to the Blank Records name. The album was recorded mostly on the graveyard shifts overnight in the studio.

After all that, the band were unable to find a record label interested in releasing the album. So Danzig doled out tracks as singles and b-sides throughout his run with the band. The completed album wasn’t released in its entirety until 1997 with Glenn overdubbing the original guitar and bass parts with parts he recorded of himself. The album fucking rips from beginning to end. It hard to imagine The Misfits not being huge had this album been release in 1978 as it was intended.
 
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Day 5: Emotions
the titular first single from Mariah’s 2nd album and her 5th #1 hit in a row, making her the only artist to chart her first 5 hits at #1! play a record that avoided the “sophomore slump”

Radiohead - The Bends
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Forget “Sophomore Slump” Radiohead was hoping to not become a “one-hit wonder” when they released the second album, The Bends in 1994. Thankfully they avoided both.

Footnote: There were two separate videos made for “High & Dry” a UK one and a US one, not sure why. Looks like Radiohead is more fond of the UK one because the US version isn’t available on YouTube. I prefer the US version because it kinda reminded me of Pulp Fiction being as it’s set in a diner and it was what I was familiar with. I am glad I was able to find it.
 
Day 3: Someday
a song Mariah has since somewhat disavowed because she feels it was overproduced. play a record you feel is overproduced

Over produced, or poorly produced. I love most of the songs, but this one doesn't have as much of the dark richness I love about early Sabbath.

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Day 4: I Don’t Wanna Cry
another #1 from that first album Mariah isn't too fond of, this time because of conflicts with the song's producer Narada Michael Walden during recording. play a record beset by production troubles.

Just a couple issues here....

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Day 5: Emotions

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With this single becoming Mariah’s 5th #1 on the Hot 100, she broke the Jackson 5’s streak of having their first 4 singles go to #1. A great song & album too, she definitely deserved that feat.

Here’s a double-page ad from Billboard celebrating the album’s release:

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Anyway, here’s my pick for today…

Wham! - Make It Big

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A massive success and their North American breakthrough, which makes me forget a lot of the time that this was their 2nd album.
 
Day 5: Emotions
the titular first single from Mariah’s 2nd album and her 5th #1 hit in a row, making her the only artist to chart her first 5 hits at #1! play a record that avoided the “sophomore slump”

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Bleached - Welcome The Worms
Their second album did better than the first, according to the charts.
 
Day 5
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Neil Young with Crazy Horse - Everybody Knows This is Nowhere

Talk about beating the sophomore slump. Neil’s debut solo record is fine, but it’s at best bottom mid tier Neil. This record is in contention for his best work and what a fucking band.

 
Day 5: Emotions
the titular first single from Mariah’s 2nd album and her 5th #1 hit in a row, making her the only artist to chart her first 5 hits at #1! play a record that avoided the “sophomore slump”

An ambitious jump from a fine first record. Set the stage for diversification of their sound and, sadly, disintegration of the core group. I'll forever love the infectious joy Jay brought to the band.

I saw Wilco twice in 1995 - first as an opener for The Jayhawks and just four months later as a headliner as A.M. was taking off. And even though that record was gaining traction, Wilco had already begun to move past it. I was taping beside the soundboard at the second show and the band lit into 'Misunderstood' as the first song of the encore. Everyone switched off their normal instrument for that one. After the show their soundman told me that was the 4th time they'd played it. At the time, it had a working title of 'Hello Cruel World'...



Wilco - Being There

Peaked at #73 on the US charts.

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Day 6: Can’t Let Go
the 2nd single from her 2nd album & her first to not reach #1, peaking at #2. now play an actual “sophomore slump”

Bowie's pet project Tin Machine wasn't very well received by most folks the first time around, much less when their second record. Tin Machine II, popped up. Personally, I loved the Tin Machine changeup in style with less focus on Bowie individually and more on the band as a whole. And it totally rocked. Like 'em or not, that's exactly what Bowie wanted and, more importantly, needed at the time to reinvigorate his art. Without Tin Machine, we wouldn't have gotten all that great Bowie material from his latter era.

Is Tin Machine perfect - no.

Is Tin Machine II a bit of a turd - yes.

Are Bowie's turds spun gold compared to other musicians - more times than not.





Tin Machine - II

Peaked at #126 on the US charts.

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Day 6: Can’t Let Go

Bad Religion – Into The Unknown


Going digital today with regrets over not having picked up a cheap bootleg of this a few years back. The sharp left turn from hardcore to prog rock damn near killed the band, but thankfully they rallied. This album has only ever been officially reissued as part of a box set a few years back; it has otherwise pretty much been disavowed.
 
Day 6: Can’t Let Go
the 2nd single from her 2nd album & her first to not reach #1, peaking at #2. now play an actual “sophomore slump”

Weezer "Pinkerton" (1996 Geffen; 2016 club edition)
Considered a flop at the time, following the success of the blue album, but now considered much more favorably in retrospect.

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Day 5: Emotions

Little Feat - Sailin' Shoes

Most fans agree that this was a step up and in the right direction for the band after their self-titled debut. They went on a bit of a streak with four of their next six going gold in the US and four of the next four going silver in the UK. But this one is remembered more fondly by most fans than a couple of those.
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Day 6: Can’t Let Go
the 2nd single from her 2nd album & her first to not reach #1, peaking at #2. now play an actual “sophomore slump”

This was a tough one to find in my collection. Gonna go with Danny Elfman's second solo album, released many years after his first. There's good songs hiding on it, but the name "big mess" isn't wrong. It does provide a good capsule of how weird things were during the peak of covid isolation though.

Danny Elfman ~ Big Mess

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Day 6: Can't Let Go


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While this song still went #1 on the AC chart and across the R&R & Cashbox charts, it became Mariah's first single to not reach #1 on the Hot 100, kept from the top by Color Me Badd's "All 4 Love" (I like most of CMB's hits but that one is 🤮). Shame too, because it's up there with "If It's Over" & "Make It Happen" as my favourite songs from the Emotions album.

Here's an R&R ad from November 1st, 1991 promoting the release of the single (and her upcoming SNL performance):

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Anyway, here's my pick for today...

Sam Smith - The Thrill of It All (Special Edition)


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Not nearly as commercially successful as their first album which is a shame since I think this is the better album (and their best so far).
 
Wicked Dreamer said:
Day 6: Can't Let Go


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While this song still went #1 on the AC chart and across the R&R & Cashbox charts, it became Mariah's first single to not reach #1 on the Hot 100, kept from the top by Color Me Badd's "All 4 Love" (I like most of CMB's hits but that one is 🤮). Shame too, because it's up there with "If It's Over" & "Make It Happen" as my favourite songs from the Emotions album.

Here's an R&R ad from November 1st, 1991 promoting the release of the single (and her upcoming SNL performance):

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Anyway, here's my pick for today...

Sam Smith - The Thrill of It All (Special Edition)


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Not nearly as commercially successful as their first album which is a shame since I think this is the better album (and their best so far).
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Color Me Bad is “I Wanna Sex You Up”? They had other songs? I mean hit songs?
 
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