Taking a Wider View On Your Listening Choices If you take music seriously (and I’m not talking about pinky lifting pretension here)- you can take garage bands or punk as seriously as original Blue Notes, you know your taste. It is seldom dictated by the mainstream trends, marketing, or popular culture of the moment. Sometimes, popular music isn’t just fluff either and can prove enduring as well, see, e.g. “The Letter”. Chances are, you had some epiphany at some point- probably as a teenager—and recognized that there were certain things you liked, in preference to the music that... Read More
Sonics vs. Music on LPs
Sonics vs. Music on LPs With apologies for the “click bait” title, I had an epiphany the other day playing the main system for a visitor. I usually try to find music that is both interesting and well recorded. There is no shortage of such records, but as I find myself plunging deeper down the rabbit hole of obscurities, lost bands and forgotten albums, I realized how much of a gap there in sound quality between some of these musical gems and the spectacular sound you get on the great audiophile quality records. Ideally, you’d get both— interesting music and lifelike... Read More
Opening the Door to Comments!
Opening the Door to Comments! When this site launched, it did not include any facility for user comments. I didn’t want to bother moderating comments, and had enough work just assembling content. But now, almost two years into publishing TheVinylPress, I’m willing to experiment a bit, so some articles will now include a comments feature. If you want to post a comment, you will have to register. (Registration and login links are at the bottom of the page in the “black bar”). Initial comments may be put into a queue until you are validated as a user. And, at least... Read More
From the Editor- Ian Anderson Interview
I’m thrilled to publish an interview with Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull on TheVinylPress. Anderson is a deeply reflective, articulate man who was willing to share some of his thoughts on his extraordinary style of music-making- particularly the early, seminal albums during a period of dramatic change in popular music– a transformation in which Anderson played a vital role. Anderson gives us a first hand perspective on this watershed period that reshaped popular music forever. We owe a debt of gratitude to this gifted and deservedly legendary composer and artist. Here is the... Read More
Canned Heat: In Depth
I’m very pleased to publish three interrelated articles about Canned Heat, a blues band with a roster of incredible talent, and deep and significant roots in the rediscovery of the blues in the early ‘60s: a band that played the Monterey Pop Festival, Woodstock and is still “on the road” after 50 years. So much of what the band did in the late ‘60s is now taken for granted: driving rock boogie, the mix of country or rural blues with rock, a serious effort to preserve the elements of long forgotten blues motifs (including many eclectic and more obscure blues styles that were... Read More
LISTENING TO RECORDED MUSIC: A RUMINATION
The Internet has democratized many things, including the ready availability of music and information about it. It has also changed how we listen to music: from hardware to software to new formats and delivery platforms. Despite my preference for things analog, I support these changes if only because they give artists (performers and songwriters) the ability to reach more audiences and hopefully, in the process, to make some return on their work. One of the chief complaints about mass-market music delivery is that as technology has improved, sound quality (and consumer’s... Read More
From the U.K. to L.A.
I’ve been dwelling on records made in the UK in the 60’s and early 70’s- especially the Vertigo Swirls and Island “pink labels.” (Additional pieces on Island and Vertigo will be added along the way). But, given the “label” approach I’ve been taking here for some of the features, related reviews and essays, I thought it might be interesting to shift focus, from the UK to LA. This shift parallels what I perceive to be a shift in epicenter of the music business that took place from the late 60’s to the 70’s and beyond, as popular musical styles changed. And no... Read More
An Astute Reader Named “Stephen”
Sent me a note regarding the Buddy Guy recording mentioned in footnote 14 here to the following effect: “The soundtrack to the film “Chicago Blues” is on vinyl Red Lightnin RL0055 (1985)” Thanks for that, Stephen! (and for reading the footnotes)…. ... Read More
From the Editor:
This site started as a small, non-commercial site, with no advertising and no mission other than to provide readers with insightful articles, reviews of older records, the “back-story” behind some of the great recordings, including interviews with producers and people behind the scenes. We also provide those just entering the world of vinyl records, as well as more seasoned collectors, with practical advice on such things as record cleaning, buying and the like. The site is now gaining momentum and we thought it would be appropriate to spell out our policies on matters of privacy and... Read More
Some Additional Vertigo Swirl Reviews Just Posted; Buying Used Records- A Primer (Soon)
Lest you think this site is all Vertigo, all the time, well, it’s not. But given the significance of the label, I added a few more reviews- records that are in my estimation, some of the best of the catalog. These reviews are intended to be read together with the interview of Olav Wyper, the man Philips sought out to get them into the rock/psych/folk genre, posted here earlier this month. In addition, I am close to publishing a piece called “Buying Used Records-A Primer” which attempts to capture in one place, the basics: the significance of different pressings, deadwax... Read More