My wife and I treated ourselves to a new turntable for Christmas 2019. It was a basic entry-level player with a built-in speaker. Unfortunately, as with the old adage of “you get what you pay for,” the tone arm wasn’t properly balanced so the stylus would skate across records like a figure skater at the Beijing Olympics.
And the speaker: You know when you’re in an airport and they make an announcement but you can’t quite understand it through all of the static? This speaker was only marginally better than that. This really didn’t inspire any interest in developing a vinyl habit.
So about two years later, we upgraded to an Audio Technica turntable with a pair of bluetooth speakers. This set-up has worked quite nicely for our home. Our vinyl collection grew substantially in 2021 — and for me at least, has evolved into a bit of an addiction.
No. 5. KING CRIMSON – RED: Now on 200g vinyl, “Starless” has never sounded so hauntingly beautiful before. This is the peak of and final album of the John Wetton era, and tremendous care has been put into an exceptional reissue. Sourced from the original analog source recordings, this disc puts you in the room with Robert Fripp, Wetton and Bill Bruford.
No. 4. POWDERFINGER, ODYSSEY NO. 5: 20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION (Australian import): This is a gray area, as the 2020 pressing was the first time the album was ever released on vinyl. Powderfinger was one of the top Australian alternative bands through the ’90s and into the 2000s. Odyssey No. 5 was originally released on compact disc in October 2000, and contains two of their most beloved tracks – “My Happiness” and “These Days,” the latter of which was the very last song they ever played live to close out the final concert of their 2010 Farewell tour.
No. 3. FLEETWOOD MAC – THEN PLAY ON (2021 reissue): The best thing about this reissue is that it restores the original U.K. track listing. Some of the Danny Kirwan tracks had been replaced by Peter Green’s “Oh Well Pts. 1 & 2” and “The Green Manilishi” on the U.S. release. Those songs are among Green’s best, don’t get me wrong, but there’s something about experiencing an album as it was intended to be heard. This was Danny Kirwan’s first official album with Fleetwood Mac. He’d made some contributions to “The Pious Bird of Good Omen,” but was not considered a full member of the band at the time. Kirwan bursts out of the gates with “Coming Your Way,” and asserts himself as a force to be reckoned with — which was fortunate, as this turned out to be Peter Green’s final Fleetwood Mac album.
No. 2. MARILLION – MISPLACED CHILDHOOD: I’d argue Misplaced Childhood was one of the best albums of the 1980s. Marillion’s brilliant concept album is a must have. This pressing was from the 2017 mix and captures the magic of the original release. The acerbic bite of Fish’s vocal delivery on “Kayleigh” is preserved in perfect form: “By the way, didn’t I break your heart? So sorry! I didn’t mean to break your heart!”
1. AUSTRALIAN CRAWL – SIROCCO: 40th ANNIVERSARY REISSUE (Australian import, clear 180g vinyl): Australian Crawl released three studio albums, an EP, and a few live albums. Of their studio work, Sirocco was easily their best. There is not a bad track on it. This is the reissue the album deserves. It’s aurally pleasing from the first note to the last.
No. 5. AMERICA – HISTORY: This was one of the first albums we picked up back in January 2020. From what I can tell, it’s an original pressing. The cover has seen better days, but this was one of the few albums that played well on our original turntable. As such, it was one of the most frequently played albums. America had so many great songs, and it’s great to have so many of them all on one collection with the warmth of vinyl. This is an album I’d recommend to any collector.
No. 4 SUPERTRAMP – CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS?: My favorite Supertramp album, as some of John Helliwell’s best moments were captured on this release. While it doesn’t have any of the hits of Crime of the Century or Breakfast in America, the songs that it does have are absolutely delightful. From the opening segue from “Easy Does It” into “Sister Moonshine” to the epic majesty of “A Soapbox Opera.” Throw in “Another Man’s Woman,” “Poor Boy” and “Lady” (not to be confused with the Little River Band song of the same name) and you’ve got a fantastic collection of songs.
No. 3. ROLLING STONES – AFTERMATH (1971 U.K. edition): I purposely sought out this version of the classic Stones album over the U.S. edition, due to the alternate track listing: The U.K. version lacks “Paint It Black” that leads off the U.S. edition, but contains “Out of Time,” one of the best Rolling Stones deep cuts. It’s also presented in its entirety, while only appearing in edited form on More Hot Rocks: Big Hits & Fazed Cookies. This copy of Aftermath sounded as though it had rarely been played; the record was still in exceptional condition. I’d argue that this is perhaps the best Stones album of the Brian Jones era. Jones’ multi-instrumental talents are prevalent throughout this release.
No. 2. THE TRIFFIDS – CALENTURE: The late Dave McComb’s stripped-down polished style is truly showcased on this release. McComb was an exceptional songwriter and decent vocalist. Calenture is like a warm blanket on a cool fall day. I was surprised to find a U.S. pressing of this Australian release. The vinyl was in exceptional condition.
No. 1. DAVID BOWIE – THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS (1980 pressing): There’s a reason this album is on most must-have vinyl lists. It’s not that content-wise Ziggy Stardust was even necessarily David Bowie’s best, but it was easily his best-mixed album! I have a handful of Bowie reissues, and none of them sound as perfectly magical as this one. Whether it’s the singles or the deeper album cuts, there’s a magic and warmth to the vinyl that isn’t quite there on other media. Every time I listen to it, I hear something new. It’s like hearing Ziggy Stardust for the first time all over again – and that’s something I can’t necessarily say about any other vinyl in my collection.
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