Vinyl Me Please Essentials

I listened to all 3 tracks last night. UFO is not really a terrible album, It's a short, laid back pleasant listen. I never heard of it and can see myself putting it on for a long car drive maybe. It's not something I want to spend 25+ dollars for a record of though and certainly not Essential to my collection . If I can get it in a Bespoke box for 10 bucks I might grab it. The Roots album is my favorite of the 3 tracks, but Its 12 bucks on Amazon I can't imagine what they'll do to make me shell out another 18 bucks for it. I liked Art Blakey. It seems like a very good Jazz album, but my ear palate really isn't sophisticated enough to tell good jazz apart from bad jazz. So after those 3 I started listening to potential swaps. I never heard of Sleater Kinney so I gave that a shot, the album sounded like every song could be in Orange is the New Black, Wasn't bad, but I don't really want to buy it either . This is the 1st month where I'm struggling a bit to get one pick, I usually get 3, but I'm running low on swap options. Might be time to grab that Rico Nasty or Little Simz album.
 
Rahawk2 said:
I listened to all 3 tracks last night. UFO is not really a terrible album, It's a short, laid back pleasant listen. I never heard of it and can see myself putting it on for a long car drive maybe. It's not something I want to spend 25+ dollars for a record of though and certainly not Essential to my collection . If I can get it in a Bespoke box for 10 bucks I might grab it. The Roots album is my favorite of the 3 tracks, but Its 12 bucks on Amazon I can't imagine what they'll do to make me shell out another 18 bucks for it. I liked Art Blakey. It seems like a very good Jazz album, but my ear palate really isn't sophisticated enough to tell good jazz apart from bad jazz. So after those 3 I started listening to potential swaps. I never heard of Sleater Kinney so I gave that a shot, the album sounded like every song could be in Orange is the New Black, Wasn't bad, but I don't really want to buy it either . This is the 1st month where I'm struggling a bit to get one pick, I usually get 3, but I'm running low on swap options. Might be time to grab that Rico Nasty or Little Simz album.
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Here's a list of exclusives that are releasing in september you can swap to if that at all helps you make a decision

Miami Memory - Alex Cameron
Dawes - North Hills
I think Grace - Jeff Buckley
Kindness - Something Like A War
Hard Core - Lil' Kim
Mariah Carey - Daydream
Paul Cauthen - Room 41
Freddie Gibbs and Madlib - Pinata and Bandana
Shura - forevher
Tanya Tucker - While I'm Livin'
Velvet Negroni - NEON BROWN
Whitney - Forever Turned Around
 
Thanks. Freddie Gibbs and Madlib - Pinata or Bandana available to swap would be a nice surprise . I'll probably grab Mariah or Kim . I already ordered the Cocaine White version of Paul Cauthen .I guess I don't really need to get 3, I just don't like closing one out because I might miss something I really want the next month,
 
botherly said:
That said, I guess this is why they have swaps and the ability to move tracks. And their Classics have been consistently killer.
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I don’t think Essentials has been any worse this year than it’s been in the past; it’s always been a mixed bag IMO.

I joined VMP in early 2017 and the single main reason was because they had swaps. I personally always thought it was goofy to let a company have total control of what album subscribers would get each month, which tells you how much I related to “team no swaps.” Needless to say I enjoy the ability to easily switch tracks.

Since sometime last year, my key for minimizing disappointment with VMP has been to stick to only a single record per month. Tbh, De La Soul’s 3FH&R is probably the only album I got from them this year that I’m not happy with (and that’s purely a matter of subjective taste). Every other month I’ve been able to get something interesting from them, although at least twice I’ve had to resort to undisplayed swaps (e.g. Joel Ross).

I’m constantly evaluating the cost/benefit of my membership, and for now it’s worth it to get one (usually overpriced) record per month, plus the possibility of getting one of my white whales as an exclusive once in a blue moon.
 
I got curious about the history of the track since I only joined during the recent De La Soul period (but I did SOME research about the prior releases).

2013
Longhorns Slim & The Law
Japanoids
Leagues
Evenings
Shouting Matches
BOY
Charles Bradley
Thao and the Get Down Stay Down
Explosions in the Sky
Typhoon
Californe
Thelonious Monk

2014
SBTRK
Express Rising
Courtney Barnett
Diarrhea Planet
Jonathan Allen Guerra
Sisyphus
Sylvan Esso
The War on Drugs
Madvillain
RL Burnside
Perfume Genius
The Ben Webster Quintet

2015
Youth Lagoon
Father John Misty
J Dilla
Menomena
Torres
Hot Chip
Lee “Scratch” Perry
Wilco
Four Tet
Blessed Feathers
Black Sabbath
Nils Frahm

2016
Nada Surf
Big Bill Broonzy
Lapsley
Fugees
Weezer
Wells Fargo
Badbadnotgood
My morning jacket
Glass animals
Beck
The books
Nina simone

2017
Panda Bear
Main Source
Tennis
Gorillaz
Fiona Apple
Kevin Morby
Betty Davis
The National
The Notorious BIG
Moses Sumney
St. Vincent
Miles Davis

2018
Moby
Ayalew Mesfin
Beach House
Arctic Monkeys
Clipse
TV on the Radio
The Silvertones
Mitski
Feist
Townes Van Zandt
Queen
Mavis Staples

2019
Cosmogramma
Van Morrison
De La Soul
Loretta Lynn
Experience Unlimited
Phoenix
Jorge Ben
Sleater-Kinney
(Jim Sullivan)

I wasn’t around back then, so I have no idea why there were only 10 records released in 2014 (skipping August and November)

EDIT: alright, I added Perfume Genius to 2014. VMP doesn’t have that volume listed in its archives, but it was Vol. 23, as Teeeee points out below. I’m going to make another edit for Vol. 20 when I find out what it is. So they didn’t skip any, they just didn’t properly list it in the archives
 
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supahypeag said:
I got curious about the history of the track since I only joined during the recent De La Soul period (but I did SOME research about the prior releases).

2017
Panda Bear
Main Source
Tennis
Gorillaz
Fiona Apple
Kevin Morby
Betty Davis
The National
The Notorious BIG
Moses Sumney
St. Vincent
Miles Davis
Click to expand...
I think 2017 was their best year... craziest exclusives and best variants. Some not so great ones like tennis and St. Vincent, but still an all around awesome year with the reissue of demon days and first release of fiona apple.
 
supahypeag said:
I got curious about the history of the track since I only joined during the recent De La Soul period (but I did SOME research about the prior releases).

2013
Longhorns Slim & The Law
Japanoids
Leagues
Evenings
Shouting Matches
BOY
Charles Bradley
Thao and the Get Down Stay Down
Explosions in the Sky
Typhoon
Californe
Thelonious Monk

2014
SBTRK
Express Rising
Courtney Barnett
Diarrhea Planet
Jonathan Allen Guerra
Sisyphus
Sylvan Esso
Madvillain
RL Burnside
The Ben Webster Quintet

2015
Youth Lagoon
Father John Misty
J Dilla
Menomena
Torres
Hot Chip
Lee “Scratch” Perry
Wilco
Four Tet
Blessed Feathers
Black Sabbath
Nils Frahm

2016
Nada Surf
Big Bill Broonzy
Lapsley
Fugees
Weezer
Wells Fargo
Badbadnotgood
My morning jacket
Glass animals
Beck
The books
Nina simone

2017
Panda Bear
Main Source
Tennis
Gorillaz
Fiona Apple
Kevin Morby
Betty Davis
The National
The Notorious BIG
Moses Sumney
St. Vincent
Miles Davis

2018
Moby
Ayalew Mesfin
Beach House
Arctic Monkeys
Clipse
TV on the Radio
The Silvertones
Mitski
Feist
Townes Van Zandt
Queen
Mavis Staples

2019
Cosmogramma
Van Morrison
De La Soul
Loretta Lynn
Experience Unlimited
Phoenix
Jorge Ben
Sleater-Kinney
(Jim Sullivan)

I wasn’t around back then, so I have no idea why there were only 10 records released in 2014 (skipping August and November)
Click to expand...
Perfume Genius is missing from 2014. It was my 1st month. I think several old timers on here joined during that month also.
 
supahypeag said:
I got curious about the history of the track since I only joined during the recent De La Soul period (but I did SOME research about the prior releases).

2013
Longhorns Slim & The Law
Japanoids
Leagues
Evenings
Shouting Matches
BOY
Charles Bradley
Thao and the Get Down Stay Down
Explosions in the Sky
Typhoon
Californe
Thelonious Monk

2014
SBTRK
Express Rising
Courtney Barnett
Diarrhea Planet
Jonathan Allen Guerra
Sisyphus
Sylvan Esso
Madvillain
RL Burnside
The Ben Webster Quintet

2015
Youth Lagoon
Father John Misty
J Dilla
Menomena
Torres
Hot Chip
Lee “Scratch” Perry
Wilco
Four Tet
Blessed Feathers
Black Sabbath
Nils Frahm

2016
Nada Surf
Big Bill Broonzy
Lapsley
Fugees
Weezer
Wells Fargo
Badbadnotgood
My morning jacket
Glass animals
Beck
The books
Nina simone

2017
Panda Bear
Main Source
Tennis
Gorillaz
Fiona Apple
Kevin Morby
Betty Davis
The National
The Notorious BIG
Moses Sumney
St. Vincent
Miles Davis

2018
Moby
Ayalew Mesfin
Beach House
Arctic Monkeys
Clipse
TV on the Radio
The Silvertones
Mitski
Feist
Townes Van Zandt
Queen
Mavis Staples

2019
Cosmogramma
Van Morrison
De La Soul
Loretta Lynn
Experience Unlimited
Phoenix
Jorge Ben
Sleater-Kinney
(Jim Sullivan)

I wasn’t around back then, so I have no idea why there were only 10 records released in 2014 (skipping August and November)
Click to expand...

War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream was one you missed from 2014. I’d give someone else’s right arm to get that!
 
supahypeag said:
I got curious about the history of the track since I only joined during the recent De La Soul period (but I did SOME research about the prior releases).

2013
Longhorns Slim & The Law
Japanoids
Leagues
Evenings
Shouting Matches
BOY
Charles Bradley
Thao and the Get Down Stay Down
Explosions in the Sky
Typhoon
Californe
Thelonious Monk

2014
SBTRK
Express Rising
Courtney Barnett
Diarrhea Planet
Jonathan Allen Guerra
Sisyphus
Sylvan Esso
Madvillain
RL Burnside
The Ben Webster Quintet

2015
Youth Lagoon
Father John Misty
J Dilla
Menomena
Torres
Hot Chip
Lee “Scratch” Perry
Wilco
Four Tet
Blessed Feathers
Black Sabbath
Nils Frahm

2016
Nada Surf
Big Bill Broonzy
Lapsley
Fugees
Weezer
Wells Fargo
Badbadnotgood
My morning jacket
Glass animals
Beck
The books
Nina simone

2017
Panda Bear
Main Source
Tennis
Gorillaz
Fiona Apple
Kevin Morby
Betty Davis
The National
The Notorious BIG
Moses Sumney
St. Vincent
Miles Davis

2018
Moby
Ayalew Mesfin
Beach House
Arctic Monkeys
Clipse
TV on the Radio
The Silvertones
Mitski
Feist
Townes Van Zandt
Queen
Mavis Staples

2019
Cosmogramma
Van Morrison
De La Soul
Loretta Lynn
Experience Unlimited
Phoenix
Jorge Ben
Sleater-Kinney
(Jim Sullivan)

I wasn’t around back then, so I have no idea why there were only 10 records released in 2014 (skipping August and November)
Click to expand...

2019 looks like an improvement over 2018 to me (though Feist was one of the greatest VMP releases along Gorillaz and Fiona in my view). 2017 is the best for me, but it had several I disliked just like any year (for me those were Panda Bear, Sumney and The National).
 
tonythegamer said:
I think 2017 was their best year... craziest exclusives and best variants. Some not so great ones like tennis and St. Vincent, but still an all around awesome year with the reissue of demon days and first release of fiona apple.
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You leave that St Vincent alone, it was my album of the year in 2017! I just didn’t want it because I preferred the standard Pink I got in my local store....

Also Moses Sumney 😍😍😍
 
2019 has been killer honestly. The few I didn't want (Loretta Lynn, Van Morrison, and SK) I honestly just skipped. And even then those albums were more interesting than some that I did get when I originally did a year subscription, I'm looking at you Torres, Wilco, Blessed Feathers and Nada Surf. But opinions.
 
I do think VMP needs the odd Big Name (Queen, Sabbath, Arctic Monkeys) along with the more obscure stuff, otherwise it’s getting a bit ..up it’s own arse.

If you look at the what’s spinning pages ...there’s a massive disconnect to what we’re playing (or posting) and what they’re offering every month ....

Never a fan of obscurity for obscurity’s sake .. that way lies hipster territory
 
Gavaxeman said:
I do think VMP needs the odd Big Name (Queen, Sabbath, Arctic Monkeys) along with the more obscure stuff, otherwise it’s getting a bit ..up it’s own arse.

If you look at the what’s spinning pages ...there’s a massive disconnect to what we’re playing (or posting) and what they’re offering every month ....

Never a fan of obscurity for obscurity’s sake .. that way lies hipster territory
Click to expand...
I'm more of a fan of these bigger picks then the crate digger stuff most of the time. I don't have alot of what they list as essential on the 100 list.
 
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