Vinyl Me Please Essentials

since its the end of the year (and hey why not have a little bit more positivity when everything is looking on a downward spiral).. i'll rank the essentials for this year and see what i really like
1. The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin (didn't own it, love flaming lips, good choice)
2. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma (i already owned it but its still a classic that is was worth owning again if just because i really liked it)
3. Jorge Ben - Africa Brasil (Fantastic Album, hadn't heard of it, got out of my comfort zone and had a lot of fun with. just a plain great month overall)
4. De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising (i slept on this album originally but hey its actually a pretty good record that i like owning. its catchy and fun and though i dont LOVE 80s rap this is certainly a nice ride)
5. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (tbh i think this album was a bit too overhated, its a great album with a lot of fun cuts that was really enjoyable, sure its easy to get but i dont complain about the relative easiness to get it.. i remember we told VMP that when they asked us on the forums)
6. Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf (this album starts out great... no one knows in particular is an amazing song... but then it kinda drags on and i start wondering if i really like it)
7. Experience Unlimited - Free Yourself (Nice, but kinda in one ear out the other, didn't have much of an urge to relisten)
8. Aretha Franklin - I've Never Loved A Man As Much As I've Loved You (pretty good record, i get the appeal... just not for me personally)
9. Sleater-Kinney - The Center Wont Hold (this is just a st vincent album with 2 members of sleater kinney working with her.... fuck them for how they treated janet weiss)
10. Van Morrison - Veedon Fleece (I loved astral weeks but this is no astral weeks... the kermit voice feels like its overpronounced and i got very little enjoyment out of this one)
11. Loretta Lynn - Coal Miners Daughter (insta swapped, hate country, loretta didn't change that, only at 11 and not 12 because i knew this wouldn't be for me from the beginning and )
12. Jim Sullivan - UFO (insta swapped, unlike loretta lynn this wasn't even an interesting choice.. just a repress LITA should have done a while ago with a boring psyche folk singer that no one would care about if he didn't vanish)


(also to note about this months ROTM, this is the only vinyl version of the expanded edition 2CD version with B sides and a live song... sure its not cut at 45 but you get new cool songs)
 
duke86fan said:
(also to note about this months ROTM, this is the only vinyl version of the expanded edition 2CD version with B sides and a live song... sure its not cut at 45 but you get new cool songs)
Click to expand...

Now the theory is it’s only a single live track and not the entire vinyl only EP?
 
duke86fan said:
since its the end of the year (and hey why not have a little bit more positivity when everything is looking on a downward spiral).. i'll rank the essentials for this year and see what i really like
1. The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin (didn't own it, love flaming lips, good choice)
2. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma (i already owned it but its still a classic that is was worth owning again if just because i really liked it)
3. Jorge Ben - Africa Brasil (Fantastic Album, hadn't heard of it, got out of my comfort zone and had a lot of fun with. just a plain great month overall)
4. De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising (i slept on this album originally but hey its actually a pretty good record that i like owning. its catchy and fun and though i dont LOVE 80s rap this is certainly a nice ride)
5. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (tbh i think this album was a bit too overhated, its a great album with a lot of fun cuts that was really enjoyable, sure its easy to get but i dont complain about the relative easiness to get it.. i remember we told VMP that when they asked us on the forums)
6. Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf (this album starts out great... no one knows in particular is an amazing song... but then it kinda drags on and i start wondering if i really like it)
7. Experience Unlimited - Free Yourself (Nice, but kinda in one ear out the other, didn't have much of an urge to relisten)
8. Aretha Franklin - I've Never Loved A Man As Much As I've Loved You (pretty good record, i get the appeal... just not for me personally)
9. Sleater-Kinney - The Center Wont Hold (this is just a st vincent album with 2 members of sleater kinney working with her.... fuck them for how they treated janet weiss)
10. Van Morrison - Veedon Fleece (I loved astral weeks but this is no astral weeks... the kermit voice feels like its overpronounced and i got very little enjoyment out of this one)
11. Loretta Lynn - Coal Miners Daughter (insta swapped, hate country, loretta didn't change that, only at 11 and not 12 because i knew this wouldn't be for me from the beginning and )
12. Jim Sullivan - UFO (insta swapped, unlike loretta lynn this wasn't even an interesting choice.. just a repress LITA should have done a while ago with a boring psyche folk singer that no one would care about if he didn't vanish)


(also to note about this months ROTM, this is the only vinyl version of the expanded edition 2CD version with B sides and a live song... sure its not cut at 45 but you get new cool songs)
Click to expand...
Looking at this list made me realized I only kept 5 of the essential ROTM so yeah, I'm gonna be cancelling asap.
 
I got every Essential this year except Jorge Ben (which I actually really like) and Jim Sullivan (which I don’t, boring awful pick). Ranked:

1. The Flaming Lips- The Soft Bulletin
2. Van Morrison- Veedon Fleece
3. De La Soul- 3 Feet High and Rising
4. Loretta Lynn- Coal Miner’s Daughter
5. Aretha Franklin- Never Loved a Man...
6. Phoenix- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
7. Queens of the Stone Age- Songs for the Deaf
8. Sleater-Kinney- The Center Won’t Hold
9. Flying Lotus- Cosmogramma
10. Jorge Ben- Africa Brasil
11. Experience Unlimited- Free Yourself
12. Jim Sullivan- UFO

Love all of the picks except Jim Sullivan tbh. I thought overall it was a really good year for Essentials.
 
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I buy some here and there. My 2019 list:

1. Flying Lotus- Cosmogramma
2. Van Morrison- Veedon Fleece
3. Aretha Franklin
4. QOTSA
5. The Flaming Lips

FlyLo Cosmo... is just a complex album and great to zone out with. Seems like it never fully reveals itself. Changes with every listen. It was actually a PIF from a generous N&G member.

Dont like a lot of Van, but I enjoyed the "deep cuts" you rarely hear from VF.

Aretha just sounds like gold to me with the AAA and in mono. Top notch sound quality.

QOTSA, needed a repress. Pallas was a good choice.

Flaming Lips - 2nd best album from them behind Yoshimi, in my eyes. I didn't own it previously, and likely would have passed on this version, but wanted QOTSA and Aretha, so did the whole 3 month thing.

The rest I had absolutely no interest in.
 
radiodead said:
I got every Essential this year except Jorge Ben (which I actually really like) and Jim Sullivan (which I don’t, boring awful pick). Ranked:

1. The Flaming Lips- The Soft Bulletin
2. Van Morrison- Veedon Fleece
3. De La Soul- 3 Feet High and Rising
4. Loretta Lynn- Coal Miner’s Daughter
5. Aretha Franklin- Never Loved a Man...
6. Phoenix- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
7. Queens of the Stone Age- Songs for the Deaf
8. Sleater-Kinney- The Center Won’t Hold
9. Flying Lotus- Cosmogramma
10. Jorge Ben- Africa Brasil
11. Experience Unlimited- Free Yourself
12. Jim Sullivan- UFO
Click to expand...

I had a VMP subscription all year but was always hopping from Essentials to Classics (or swapping). I only picked up 3 Essentials (Jorge Ben, Experience Unlimited, and De La Soul) and I sold one of them a few months later (De La Soul), so really I only went 2 out of 12 for the year.

(To be fair, I would’ve picked up Aretha if I didn’t already own another pressing.)
 
bettim84 said:
I had a VMP subscription all year but was always hopping from Essentials to Classics (or swapping). I only picked up 3 Essentials (Jorge Ben, Experience Unlimited, and De La Soul) and I sold one of them a few months later (De La Soul), so really I only went 2 out of 12 for the year.

(To be fair, I would’ve picked up Aretha if I didn’t already own another pressing.)
Click to expand...
I was really down on Classics this year (6/12). And RHH fell even further than that (5/12). But both of those are front loaded. I’ve been swapping like crazy on both the last 5-6 months.
 
NewsFedora said:
No joke, it's one of my favorite albums of the entire decade. Although I will cede the point that as far as monetary value it's not hard to find it for cheap because too many people don't know what they're missing.
Click to expand...
You must love that sexy, lavish, summer-y, sensual, vintage Amalfi Coast sound then! 👌

Kali Uchis’ “After The Storm”, which was produced by BADBADNOTGOOD, and released in 2018, sounds like an outtake from IV. It has that summer, warm, dizzying vintage sound too! But it would be the centrepiece of the record if it was included! 💎
 
1. De La Soul - initially was apprehensive, but listened to it and I can’t stop listening to it now.
2. Songs for The Deaf - this one’s probably so high because I’m still a SOOPER ANGSTY young person, but yeah this was just a great pressing and a great album.
3. The Flaming Lips - didn’t own it, knew about the album already, super great package.
4. Jorge Ben - initially, I didn’t want this one. However the first song got stuck in my head for an entire week. The rest is history.
5. Veedon Fleece - my introduction to Van Morrison outside of his hits, and it doesn’t disappoint. I love bulbs, streets of arklow, fair play, and some others.
6. Experience Unlimited - I initially sold this one, but I recently repurchased it and have been listening quite frequently. Album freaking SLAPS.
7. Loretta Lynn - pretty good country album. Makes me appreciate old school country like dolly and Willie.
8. Jim Sullivan - feel like I’m going against the grain here, but I actually liked this one. I don’t listen to it all the time, but when I do, I enjoy it.
9. Flying Lotus - it’s a great album, but I can get this elsewhere for pretty cheap. Also it’s not one I’d put on to listen to often on my table.
10. Phoenix - decent album, same issue with flying lotus. Could’ve gotten this elsewhere for pretty cheap.
11. Aretha Franklin - not for me. Only really care about respect and can get it elsewhere for cheap. :/
12. Sleater-Kinney - their worst album. Absolutely hated it. Initially got it because it was SK, and then immediately sold it after hearing the full product.
 
My 2019 Essentials Ranking:

1. De La Soul - 3 Feet High & Rising - Absolute classic that wasn't easy to find and was a well produced edition. The De La Is Dead mess was a shitshow that detracted from the pick a bit, but this is what people sign up for.

2. Van Morrison - Veedon Fleece - Once again, this is what this service does best, take classic albums that otherwise wouldn't be released and put them out.

3. The Flaming Lips - Soft Bulletin - Great all around package and a classic album.

4. QOTSA - Songs for The Deaf - See #3 above, but deduct points for this really not being an exclusive and the stupid FOMO marketing that surrounded this one. By the way, if this had been a true exclusive, even for 6 months, this would have easily been #1.

5. Jorge Ben - Africa Brasil - This is what subscription services are for as well. Great all around pick from a lesser know genre.

6. Experience Unlimited - Free Yourself - Hidden gem, even if they didn't credit where they discovered it.

7. Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved a Man - Classic album, widely available. Perhaps when I get mine, I'll move this up or down a little bit.

8. Loretta Lynn - Coal Miner's Daughter - Another classic album and a fantastic package. Nothing to complain about, but not one I reach for super often.

9. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - This is a fine indie rock album that I enjoy listening to and it's AAA, so it never sounded better. Good job, but there's dozens of Indie albums I would've preferred.

10. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma - I enjoyed this album, but the strength of this year combined with the density of this work puts it in this spot.

So I was happy with 10/12 of the picks. I skipped S-K and Jim Sullivan because neither did anything for me on Spotify. I thought the S-K was the worst stuff of their career and the St. Vincent gloss was a bit much. I'd echo that the Sullivan pick was almost as much for the back story and partnership with LITA as anything doing with the music.
 
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