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
Hoodoo Man Blues Essay and Interview with Bob Koester
The second in a series of essays I have contributed to the National Recording Registry of the U.S. Library of Congress, this piece focuses on a blues recording from the mid-‘60s that is almost always on lists of “essential” blues records. And for good reason: Hoodoo Man Blues captures, like almost no other, the sound and feel of what real electric blues, played live, sounds like. It features Junior Wells and a young Buddy Guy (who was un-credited on original issues of the record).The essay is brought to life by the insights of Bob Koester, the founder of Delmark Records, who... Read More
Collecting “Essential” Rock LPs
I had a ball working on this piece with Jeff Gold, the owner of Recordmecca. He is known for offering the rare and desirable: rock records and memorabilia. Jeff’s book, 101 Essential Rock Records, ranging from the Beatles, to early psych, electric blues, prog, glam and punk, not only covers some of the most coveted pressings, […]
National Recording Registry -Are You Experienced
I recently received an invitation to contribute an essay to the National Recording Registry. The Registry, maintained by the National Recording Preservation Board of the U.S. Library of Congress, chooses certain recordings each year that reflect the richness of the American recorded sound heritage, to preserve that legacy for future generations. There were many great […]
Vinyl LP Cleaning- A Photo Essay
Readers new to vinyl LP cleaning might benefit from this quick photo essay. Having just posted a capsule review of The Doobie Brothers- Toulouse Street on the site, I happened to notice another early copy in my “to be cleaned” pile. It was a cheap bin find from some record store in Texas that was shipped back to NY with several hundred other records of mine: It looks like I paid $4.99 for this one and it is a pretty early pressing from the Columbia Santa Maria plant. Under “normal” light, and in the kinds of photos you’ll often see on the web,... Read More
Joni, Neil and Tull, plus more….
Joni, Neil and Tull, plus more; continuing to explore the golden era of the Warner catalog The exploration of Warner during the early 70’s continues- we are going to look at Joni Mitchell (briefly) during this era, with one under-rated “pick” from me. We are also going to pay some attention to a few of the early Neil Young recordings that are hardly obscure, but are great musically, along with a few notes on pressings. Finally, and as part of a more elaborate write-up, we will be doing a “shoot-out” among the various pressings of Tull’s Aqualung in my possession. (I... Read More
Further Reading and Reference Materials: Island Pink Label (and early pink rim) Era
The story of Island Records extends far back, and well beyond, the “pink label” era addressed here. Even within the “pink label” era there were soul, blues, and Caribbean records that I have not mentioned. I have not attempted to cover the breadth of the Island catalog within even this limited time period (roughly 1967- 1970). Instead, the focus is on Island’s tectonic shift to the “new” music emerging out of the UK: psych/folk rock/blues rock/progressive and other genres in which Island Records was at the vanguard. I have thus used the “pink label era” as synonymous... Read More
Vertigo Swirl-Summary of Articles on TheVinylPress.com
As more material is published to this site,[1] I thought it would help readers to have ready access-with links- to those pieces that are part of the series of related articles on Vertigo Swirl. Thus:
Buying Used Records-A Primer
My interview with Robert Croydon of EIL-Esprit, a well-known UK record dealer inspired me to create a set of tips for buying used records. Some of this is common sense, basic knowledge to anybody who collects, so please accept this as nothing more than “blithering insights into the obvious” if you are already an experienced buyer of used vinyl. Consider The Source: Are you buying from a dealer or an individual? The level of knowledge among record sellers varies widely, regardless of whether they are established dealers, individuals trying to unload vinyl that they accumulated or... Read More
From the Vault-a Chat with EIL, a Top Rare Record Dealer in the UK
I recently got the chance to talk with Robert Croydon, one of the founders of EIL-Esprit, a well known UK-based purveyor of rare records, memorabilia and older vinyl pressings that, while not necessarily “rare,” are often hard to come by in pristine condition. I thought readers might appreciate the insights of a long-established dealer: Q: You’ve been in business since 1987- that seems to coincide with the death of vinyl as a mainstream audio medium. Can you tell us a little about how the business started? And what was the core inventory at the outset? I... Read More
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