Strange Musical Tales: The September 2023 Vinyl Spin Challenge Thread

Day 26 - THE SECRET OF THE TOMB (Robert Bloch, 1935)
Written by a Lovecraft protégé, this story is about a man who tries to unlock the secrets to eternal life that is supposed to be hidden in his family’s tomb, by digging through books from Lovecraftian lore like the Necronomicon.
Play something from an artist that seems to have been around forever and/or that features a secret and/or a code and/or a message in the run-out groove.

EDIT: decided to go with a double-play...

LCD Soundsystem "American Dream" (2017 DFA)
LCD Soundsystem often leave messages in the run-out of their vinyl pressings. Their last record has the following line of Side D: "See U in five years". Which, you know, is pretty much any time now. When's the next album? though to be fair, they did release a single last year at the 5 year mark.

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The Police "Ghost In The Machine" (1981 A&M; 2018 half-speed master from box set)
This one has a coded message right on the cover. I guess most people already figured this one out by now, but that digital read-out is actually a depiction of the three band members, showing Andy Summers, Sting and Stewart Copeland.

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Last edited:
Turbo said:
Day 26 - THE SECRET OF THE TOMB (Robert Bloch, 1935)
Written by a Lovecraft protégé, this story is about a man who tries to unlock the secrets to eternal life that is supposed to be hidden in his family’s tomb, by digging through books from Lovecraftian lore like the Necronomicon.
Play something from an artist that seems to have been around forever and/or that features a secret and/or a code and/or a message in the run-out groove.

EDIT: decided to go with a double-play...

LCD Soundsystem "American Dream" (2017 DFA)
LCD Soundsystem often leave messages in the run-out of their vinyl pressings. Their last record has the following line of Side D: "See U in five years". Which, you know, is pretty much any time now. When's the next album? though to be fair, they did release a single last year at the 5 year mark.

View attachment 183182

The Police "Ghost In The Machine" (1981 A&M; 2018 half-speed master from box set)
This one has a coded message right on the cover. I guess most people already figured this one out by now, but that digital read-out is actually a depiction of the three band members, showing Andy Summers, Sting and Stewart Copeland.

View attachment 183183
Click to expand...
I totally did NOT know this. Cool beans.
 
Day 25 - THE COLOUR OUT OF SPACE (Lovecraft, 1927)
A meteorite crashed in the hills 50 years prior, poisoning the vegetation and animals. A sample from the meteorite obtained by a scientist emits a strange colour…
Play something that references colours and/or is pressed on multi-colored vinyl and/or is trippy and/or relates to aliens.


Trippy and colorful!

King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard - Oddments

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Day 26 - THE SECRET OF THE TOMB (Robert Bloch, 1935)
Play something from an artist that seems to have been around forever and/or that features a secret and/or a code and/or a message in the run-out groove.

Jack White - Boarding House Reach

I couldn’t get a good picture of it, but there is a message etched into the runout of each side. Side A says “If you don’t like this…” and the B side says “I don’t know what to tell you”.

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Day 26 - THE SECRET OF THE TOMB (Robert Bloch, 1935)
Written by a Lovecraft protégé, this story is about a man who tries to unlock the secrets to eternal life that is supposed to be hidden in his family’s tomb, by digging through books from Lovecraftian lore like the Necronomicon.
Play something from an artist that seems to have been around forever and/or that features a secret and/or a code and/or a message in the run-out groove.

Whose side are you on?
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Fugazi - S/T

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Day 23 - GHOSTBUSTERS (Ivan Reitman, 1984)
Ghostbusters includes several cosmic horror tropes, notably the idea of an apartment building built by an insane architect as a gateway for the multi-dimensional being Gozer. But the protagonists actually win in this story.
Play something that references or reminds you of marshmallows and/or slime and/or ghosts and/or New York and/or features a cool car and/or anything related to Bill Murray.

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Day 24 - THE DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE (Lovecraft, 1932)
Story of a mathematics student that rents a room in the attic of the “Witch House”, a building with a mysterious past. The protagonist discovers that the attic room allows for trans-dimensional travel.
Play something that references mathematics
Death Cab - Narrow Stairs
Not only does this feature Long Division, but they get a bit mathy, especially McGerr's drumming.
This album is very high on my all-time list...I love it start to finish.

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Day 25 - THE COLOUR OUT OF SPACE (Lovecraft, 1927)
A meteorite crashed in the hills 50 years prior, poisoning the vegetation and animals. A sample from the meteorite obtained by a scientist emits a strange colour…
Play something that references colours and/or is pressed on multi-colored vinyl and/or is trippy and/or relates to aliens.

Slow Crush - Aurora

I picked this one because the purple upside-down album cover combines with the obviously unnatural glowing green of the vinyl to fit the vibe of the story.

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Day 27 - LOCKE & KEY (Joe Hill, 2008)
Limited comic series later turned into a Netflix show and oozes with Lovecraftian influence. The original comic names the fictional New England town where the story takes place as “Lovecraft”. After becoming more familiar with the controversial nature of Lovecraft’s personal legacy, Joe Hill switched the name of the town to “Matheson” for the TV show (to honor a different dark fantasy author). The story centers around a mansion with hidden keys (and their corresponding locks) that each possess different powers when opened. And a banished demon that wants to trick his way back into the real world.
Play an album that involved some controversy and/or mentions doors, locks and/or keys and/or relates to New England in some way.

Various Artists "Trap Door: An International Psychedelic Mystery Mix" (2006 Dis-Joint)
Mentions doors, and also I like this for today because the whole psychedelic aspect and the Trap Door reminds me of the head-key from Locke & Key.

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Day 21 - HELLBOY (Mike Mignola, 1994)

Blue Öyster Cult – Extraterrestrial Live
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  • "Hot Rails To Hell"
  • The Reaper is a source for a lot of demonic imagery (but don't fear)
  • While there is an extraterrestrial theme to this particular release it and much of the BÖC catalog are steeped in occult imagery, references, and allusions
 
Day 26 - THE SECRET OF THE TOMB (Robert Bloch, 1935)
Written by a Lovecraft protégé, this story is about a man who tries to unlock the secrets to eternal life that is supposed to be hidden in his family’s tomb, by digging through books from Lovecraftian lore like the Necronomicon.
Play something from an artist that seems to have been around forever and/or that features a secret and/or a code and/or a message in the run-out groove.

Goldie has seemingly been around forever

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Day 23 - GHOSTBUSTERS (Ivan Reitman, 1984)

Sonic Youth – Bad Moon Rising
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I had something else in mind for this one originally, but this showed up yesterday and I wanted to listen to it again today...
  • "Ghost Bitch"
  • Sonic Youth emerged from the experimental no wave art and music scene in New York and remained a quintessential New York band through their entire career
  • Sonic Youth later released an album called Murray Street, which doesn't have anything to do with Bill Murray, per se, but can be connected to him in that his surname is the same as the street name
 
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