The November Vinyl Challenge 2017: All 30 Days
I recently took part in the November Vinyl Challenge where I posted picks from my collection, to Instagram and Facebook, to suit a specific category each day in November. What follows is each of those posts compiled into one long list for your convenience and delight.
Day 1: Multi-Coloured
Less Than Jake - Sound the Alarm EP on Orange and Clear Vinyl. Nice die-cut packaging.
A collection of seven decent new tracks for 2017. No absolute classics imo but some good tunes for fans of the ska punk rockers. Stand out track for me is Whatever the Weather.
Day 2: Sounds Best on Vinyl
Fleet Foxes - Self Titled on Standard Black Vinyl.
The artwork on this album is stunning and is in fact the 1559 painting Netherlandish Proverbs by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (keep that in your locker for University Challenge).
This is a wonderful indie folk album from 2008 that just lives and breathes on the analogue format. This collection of songs is unlike anything else you'll hear and has an almost other worldly aesthetic. I cannot recommend the album enough. The version I have came with bonus EP sun giant which includes one of my favourite Fleet Foxes songs: Mykonos.
Day 3: First Pressing
Everything Everything - Get to Heaven on Standard Black Vinyl.
Just look at that artwork...vivid, colourful, baffling, all words that could also be used to describe Everything Everything's electronic infused indie dance rock / pop extravaganza. Ok so you try describing it!
This is a truly incredible album from a truly unique band. Standout tracks for me are Distant Past, No Reptiles, Spring/Sun/Winter/Dread but every song on here is wonderful and tells its own often twisted story.
Day 4: Best Packaging
The Blue Screen of Death - There are Just 16 Steps Down to Hell on Standard Black Vinyl.
Yes that is packaged to look like a 3.5" Floppy Disk. I picked this up at Supersense, a vintage and analogue themed store in Vienna, Austria.
This is just your standard run-of-the-mill insane German 8-bit hardcore punk album. If you like chip tunes and punk you'll love this!
Day 5: Album from High School
Linkin Park: Hybrid Theory on Standard Black Vinyl.
My girlfriend recently bought me this album for my birthday (the day after Chester Bennington took his own life - RIP Chester) but it was one of the first albums I bought on CD with my own money. That day I called up one of my friends on the landline telephone (no whatsapp back then) to proudly exclaim I had it in my possession.
This album is a bona fide classic and helped kicked off the nu-metal genre as we know it which was largely seen as something of a joke at the time. People of a certain age know practically every word to every song on this album.
It's at times brutally heavy with a genius mix of melodic singing, rap, screaming, electronica and metal. Also, just take a moment to appreciate that cover art!
Day 6: A Band from Your Home State
Andy Stewart: Donald Where's Your Troosers (The Highland Fling Remix by The Party Posse) & Southern Tenant Folk Union: The Chuck Norris Project on Standard Black Vinyl.
We dont have states in the UK and I didn't have any bands from my home town in the North East of Scotland or nearby area so I cheated a little and picked two records: one a single with some traditional(ish) music and the other an album by a band from the city I currently live in (Edinburgh).
In my home town traditional Scottish music is a big thing and I picked up a copy of the Andy Stewart classic Donald Where's Your Troosers for 50p at a random record fair. At the time I thought this was a bargain but it turns out this is an awful club remix so the price is understandable. The artwork, to be fair though, is pretty awesome.
My second choice is an interesting 10" concept album by local Edinburgh folk band Southern Tenant Folk Union. The ideas for this album centre around everyone's favourite meme machine Carlos Ray Norris (when Chuck Norris steps on Lego, Lego cries etc etc etc). All the tracks are fairly laid back numbers infused with the banjo, violin and clarinet(?) and each based on a film or tv show from The Norris' illustrious career. Dreamy vocals are present throughout and I'll admit I'm not familiar enough with ol' Walker Texas' back catalogue to really get the references here. Again it's all about the artwork which is just damn beautiful.
Day 7: Limited to 100
Unfortunately I don't have any records limited to 100 so I had to cheat and use one limited to 300.
Jamie Lenman: Waterloo Teeth 7" Single on Standard Black Vinyl.
This was available exclusively at Jamie's shows earlier in the year (although I think a few spares were available from Big Scary Monsters after the tour) and I got my copy at the Glasgow show at King Tut's back in May.
The artwork is pretty in your face which forms a good parallel with the song itself, one of the heavier tracks from latest album Devolver. It wouldn't have felt particularly out of place on the heavy side of Jamie's double album Muscle Memory.
The b-side is Mississippi which was written at the same time as Muscle Memory but didnt quite fit with either the soft or heavy sides to that album. It was first released as a teaser before Jamie announced the aforementioned tour and also ended up being included on Devolver.
Day 8: Most Expensive
Neil Young: Decade, triple LP on standard black vinyl.
I don't have any super rare records that I had to fork out serious cash for but I bought this re-issue new on Record Store Day 2017 and it's the most I've ever paid out for a gatefold package. It was released to celebrate 40 years since the original 1977 pressing and was limited to 5000 copies. The package contains 3 LP's complete with 10 years worth of material charting Neil Young's progression from Buffalo Springfield to the solo artist we know today. It includes many classics but is also full of rarities and b-sides. The packaging itself is very high quality with some stellar photography and there are handwritten lyrics printed inside. Overall a very nice collection and genuinely worth the money.
Day 9: Used Record
Buffalo Springfield: Self Titled Compilation on Standard Black Vinyl.
I picked this up in a random record store in Athens, Greece and much like that city it just looks ancient. This is most definitely what you'd call a used record. Just look at those worn, torn edges and the yellowing dog-eared inserts. It even has that comforting smell like you get with old books. Despite the condition of the packaging the records themselves are in very good condition. I also feel the artwork suits the tattered, aged aesthetic quite nicely.
I'm not a huge Buffalo Springfield fan but the first track on this album For What it's Worth is an absolute classic.
Day 10: Live Album
Pearl Jam: Live in Chicago (March 28th 1992) on Standard Black Vinyl.
First off I love Pearl Jam; especially their debut album Ten. This live album being from 1992 is essentially just Ten played live which makes it excellent. The packaging is fairly basic in terms of the design although, that said, the crowds view image on the rear is pretty awesome.
If you like early Pearl Jam this is well worth picking up! I'd have loved to have seen them live back then.
Day 11: Signed
Reuben: Racecar is Racecar Backwards on White Vinyl.
Generally I'm not one for getting things signed as it just doesn't do anything for me. As a result this is the only signed record I have. Reuben are possibly my favourite ever band and when Xtramile Records announced their debut album was being re-released for its 10 year anniversary I was stoked and immediately pre-ordered a vinyl/t-shirt bundle. When it finally arrived I was pleasantly surprised that the sleeve had been signed by all three members of the band (which had split up a number of years earlier). Regardless of whether I care for things to be signed or not, since this band and album have such a special place in my heart, it was a nice touch.
I like the packaging a lot as it has some great 'los skeletos' artwork and nice photographs of the trio from back in the day.
The album itself is an absolute belter with classics such as Freddy Krueger (the first Reuben song I ever heard), Let's stop Hanging Out and Stuck in My Throat but every song on here is brilliant. Both brutally heavy and dreamily melodic I'm not ashamed to say this is one of my favourite ever albums.
Day 12: First Record
Bobby Womack: The Bravest Man in The Universe on Standard Black Vinyl
I was given a few records when I first started collecting but this is the first one I bought for myself. A few days after reading a review of the album I happened across it in a local HMV and whilst I'd had no real intention of picking it up and had no knowledge of Bobby Womack as an artist, the cover art intrigued me so off I went. Spinning this for the first time was a revelation, the slickly produced beats, Bobby's cracked soul filled vocals, each song nothing like what came before it. The track Stupid on side B with introduction from Gil Scot-Heron still gives me shivers every time I listen to it. I f*cking love this album.
Apparently this was the last album Bobby released before he died and was a genius collaboration with Damon Albarn. There are some comparisons to be had with Albarn's work as part of The Gorrilaz but this is very much its own beast.
This album sounds unlike anything else in the Womack back catalogue and displays why he truly is The Bravest Man in the Universe.
Day 13: Soundtrack
Searching For Sugar Man (all songs by Rodriguez) on Standard Black Vinyl
I bought this album during a trip to London a few years back. My girlfriend and I decided to take the Megabus from Aberdeen to London, a 12 hour journey, and to stave off the the boredom I downloaded a random documentary from BBC iPlayer. That random documentary was Searching for Sugar Man which turned out to be a fascinating, engrossing and heartwarming experience with a superb soundtrack. It focusses on one man's search to find singer songwriter Rodriguez who, after enjoying zero success in the United States and fading into obscurity, became a household name and cult phenomenon in South Africa. It must have been fate as I just happened to come across the soundtrack by chance a few days later.
The tracks on here are wonderful folksy, bluesy songs and some comparisons can be drawn with Bob Dylan who was obviously significantly more successful.
If you find yourself with some free time watch Searching for Sugar Man and listen to some Rodriguez!
Day 14: Sophomore Release (aka that difficult second album)
Coheed and Cambria: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 on Standard Black Vinyl
There were a few potential choices I could have gone with for this category but I finally settled on Coheed and Cambria's second album which confusingly has a number 3 in the title. I love the packaging on this, especially the record sleeves with the Earth and Moon on them. Interestingly this album also form part two of a tetralogy tie-ing in with The Amory Wars graphic novel series which is written Coheed's front man.
On this album are some cracking songs not least the well known A Favour House Atlantic and the absolutely storming title track In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 which contains THAT chorus "Man your own jackhammer, man your own battle stations!"
Coheed and Cambria aren't everyone's cup of tea but if you like alternative, post-hardcore and progressive metal this might just be yours.
Day 15: Recent Purchase / Addition
Queens of the Stone Age: Songs for the Deaf on Standard Black Vinyl.
I feel like this album needs no introduction. Everyone knows it's an absolute classic from start to finish.
The packaging is fairly understated but it's nice and shiny. Shiny!
Let's face it though, the songs do the talking here. No one Knows? Effing belter. Song for the Dead? Best into evar (aka them drums tho). The Mosquito song? Just perfect. Those are but 3 examples.
Day 16: Foreign Artist
Utangardsmenn: Geislavirkir on Standard Black Vinyl
Utangardsmenn (Outsiders in English) are an Icelandic punk band, fairly unknown outside of the land of fire and ice but a huge deal in their native lands. In case you were wondering, Geislavirkir translates as Radioactive. I first heard about this band after watching the Icelandic sitcom Naeturvaktin (The Nightshift) and loving the intro theme which turned out to be Kyrrlatt Kvold (Tranquil Evening), track 3 on Geislavirkir.
When visiting Iceland in 2014 I was excited to go looking for this record but as we only had a couple of days and were mostly out of Reykjavik on day trips I never got the chance. Instead I ordered it on Discogs immediately after I got home.
The songs on here are short blasts of punk, blues and rock and roll and really worth a listen (albeit most lyrics are in Icelandic). I do love the artwork on here too with the band in the foreground and an atomic blast in the background on the front cover and on the flipside the radioactive outline of the front cover image.
If you get the chance please check out Naeturvaktin, the sitcom I mentione above. It's set during the night shift (hence the name) in a Reykjavik petrol station and is very funny. This show sparked my love affair with Iceland which continues to this day. I had a real fan boy moment when we passed the actual petrol station on the bus. The follow up series' Dagvaktin (The Day Shift), Fangavaktin (The Prison Shift) and spin-off movie Bjarnfredarson are also wonderful.
Day 17: Self-Titled Record
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles on Standard Black Vinyl.
This album is unforgettable. Using the circuit board from an Atari 5200, Crystal Castles have crafted an album of incredible electronic noise dance music (?) or whatever you want to call it combined with howling banshee vocals that just demands you stand up and take notice. Some of the standout tracks for me are Untrust Us, Crime Wave, Air War, Black Panther...the list goes on. Just go listen to it, ok? Even if you decide you hate it, which I suspect many of you will, I guarantee your eyes will have been opened.
The front cover image is a good representation of how I feel after listening to this album all the way through...exhausted and quite possibly brain damaged. I funking love it.
Day 18: Full Collection of an Artist
Reuben - Racecar Is Racecar Backwards, Very Fast Very Dangerous & In Nothing We Trust on White Vinyl, Standard Black Vinyl and White Vinyl respectively.
My record collection is fairly new and fairly meagre so I only had one choice for this category. If pushed, I'd have to say Reuben are my favourite band and I was gutted when they broke up all those years back. However it did make the 10 year anniversary releases of Racecar is Racecar Backwards, Very Fast Very Dangerous and In Nothing We Trust all the more special. Ok so I don't have all the single releases or any original pressings but I have all three of their full album releases (which I also bought on CD back in the day along with their Pilot EP, DVD and We Should Have Gone to University compilation CD).
The artwork on all three of these records is just stunning and I love all three of these albums making it very difficult to pick a favourite (and I won't).
Please do check Reuben out. The frontman Jamie Lenman is back doing music too which is a real treat for our earholes.
Day 19: Record with an Etching
Brand New - I am a Nightmare (12" Single) on Standard Black Vinyl
Again, due to my limited collection I only had one choice for this. I am a Nightmare was a single that came out in 2016 and I was excited at the time due to the limited amount of new material coming from the band. It's a pretty good rocky track with a decent riff throughout but probably not up to the band's usual high standard. The single is on one side and the flip side is etched with the song lyrics. The packaging and artwork is excellent (with a nice die-cut detail) and the standard of releases from Procrastinate Music Traitors is generally very high from my experience.
I'm still waiting for my goddamn Science Fiction pre-order though!
Day 21: Greatest Hits!
Reel Big Fish - Skacoustic on White and Blue Vinyl
Not a traditional Greatest Hits but acoustic reworkings of a great deal of Reel Big Fish's best songs. The colourful artwork and vinyls look beautiful and I especially like the contrast of the black and white photography with the vibrant coloured chequerboard.
The acoustic versions of these classic tracks are spot on and this is a great listen from start to finish. Well worth picking up if you're a fan of Reel Big Fish, ska-punk or punk rock in general.
Day 22: Test press
So today's category I had nothing for and I was going to post a sampler that I had. That would have just been a white sleeve with a black record aka boring as funck so I changed my mind and thought I'd post something that I'm really fond of instead. Without further ado, today's pick is...
The Story of Star Wars!
This is a radio drama of Episode IV: A New Hope recorded back when it was just called Star Wars and the ludicrous numbering system hadn't yet been adopted.
The drama features the original cast members and interestingly Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), David Prowse (Darth Vader) and Kenny Baker (R2D2) are listed as starring in this even though none of those actors had speaking roles in any of the films...very odd.
The artwork is classic Star Wars stills and I especially love the rear image of the Tantive IV's escape pod floating above Tatooine. Inside the gatefold is a little booklet to read along with the story. No it's not for kids, alright?
This is an excellent alternative way to experience Star Wars and I need to try and get copies of Empire and Jedi to complete the set.
Day 23: Release I'm Thankful For
Brand New - Deja Entendu on Standard Black Vinyl
I thought I'd never own this on vinyl. When I first started collecting, this record was changing hands for stupid money. There was even a hilarious reddit thread listing various ridiculous things you could buy instead of Deja on vinyl.
Eventually it was announced that there would be a limited pressing for Record Store Day 2015 but I held out no hope that I would manage to pick it up as it was limited to 1400 copies worldwide. Shortly after though it was announced there would be a general release and I was stoked. This is one of my most loved albums and I pre-ordered it as soon as possible. Glad to have this record, the songs are all amazing and the artwork is beautiful. JUST LOOK AT IT.
Day 24: Box Set
Xtra Mile Recordings - The Xtra Mile Single Sessions: The Tenth Anniversary Collection on Green, Pink, Orange and Red Transparent 7" Vinyl.
This is a great set which comprises of 4 different coloured split 7" singles with a different artist and song (from Xtra Mile's stable of artists) on each side. The set comes in a nice hard box with a couple of posters and download codes for all the tracks. Each record has a different colour (the transparent vinyl looks fantastic) to match the colour coding of the letters XTRA on the box front, all the individual sleeves and indeed the track listing on the back of the box. The attention to detail where the sleeves line up to show the large Xtra Mile logo is a nice touch. It's a thing of beauty and clearly a lot of effort was put into making it a worthy 10th Anniversary release.
I first heard of Xtra Mile because the band Reuben were signed to them. I'm glad to have added this set to my collection because the label continued to support releases from the band including the 10th Anniversary Vinyl pressings of Racecar is Racecar Backwards and Very Fast, Very Dangerous. Laterally Jamie Lenman also released his first solo effort Muscle Memory via Xtra Mile.
Day 25: Could Listen to Every Day
Pearl Jam - Ten on Frosted Blue Vinyl
Pearl Jam are arguably my favourite band (not sure who I'm arguing with) and this is probably my favourite of their albums. My sister got me this when I was in my early teens and told me to listen to Jeremy, which I did and I was instantly hooked. I immediately devoured the rest of the album and it's an absolute masterpiece. I love every song on here some of which are heavier and rockier than anything Pearl Jam have done since. The sound of the songs is raw, emotional and hard hitting and to get everything so right on the first go is nothing short of incredible. That said, all the members of Pearl Jam (minus Eddie Vedder) had been in a band together so were already pretty tight. It took me a while to pick this up on vinyl as I started my collection by looking for albums that I didn't own on CD. Eventually I discovered my old disc was so worn out it had become unplayable so I was excited to finally get this.
If you haven't heard Ten you must be mental. Get this spinning immediately.
Day 26: Numbered
The Ukrainians - A Short History of Rock Music in Ukrainian (Limited to 750 Copies)
By this time tomorrow I'll be sitting in an apartment in Kyiv, Ukraine after a long night and day of travelling. Today's selection for the November Vinyl challenge was not deliberate, it was just a happy co-incidence. Before starting the challenge I picked out the records for each category and photographed them all in advance to make it a bit easier on myself each day. It just so happened we've landed on The Ukrainians today. Ok so it would have been spookier of it had turned up tomorrow but hey this is close enough.
Anyway...
This is a great album of covers of some classic songs in Ukrainian that was released for Record Store Day 2015. I'll admit I missed out on the day but was lucky enough to pick it up from eBay (for a decent price). The covers are all really good and it's a nice way to experience some familiar songs with a new twist. I'm a big fan of the pink colour scheme, the album font and the various images used on the cover.
Worth a listen and do pick it up if you come across it. I found one in the wild a couple of days ago so they're definitely still out there.
For anyone who's interested, the album name is a play on the name of a book 'A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian' by Marina Lewycka. The album cover is also styled after the cover of that book.
Day 27: Split
Kevin Devine / Jesse Lacey - Devinyl Splits No. 6 on Clear Vinyl.
Kevin Devine and Jesse Lacey covering two of my favourite REM songs? It was a no brainer to pick this up. To be honest though, these covers are just ok and I much prefer the originals.
I do like the idea of the Devinyl Splits series though and I need to have a look out for the other 5 and see what they're all about.
Day 28: RSD Release
Alice in Chains - Live Facelift on Standard Black Vinyl
This was a Black Friday Record Store Day release from 2016 limited to 5000 copies. It's a re-press of the album of the video of the concert recorded live at The Moore Theatre, Seattle 22nd December 1990. The video was later released in 1991 and is gold certified having gone on to sell over 50,000 copies.
There are 6 songs on here from Alice in Chains' classic album Facelift and some of my favourite AIC songs, Man in the Box, Sea of Sorrow and Bleed the Freak are featured. My only gripe is that the rest of the album isn't on here.
Go listen to some Alice in Chains. They funking rock.
Day 29: Female / Non-binary artist
The one and only PPL MVR EP on Orange Vinyl
Ok so they're probably male but they could be non-binary...who knows... they're apes after all.
PPL MVR are three apes escaped from the zoo travelling the world to rock your socks off. This EP was a Newbury Comics exclusive and I don't know if there was a more general standard release but I jumped at the chance to get this as soon as I heard about it. The band are mysterious as no-one knows who they actually are.. one theory was that they were Brand New in disguise as there was a strange viral promotion through their website. The songs on this EP are absolutely rocking and I urge everyone to have a listen. I'm still holding out hope for a future album release and UK tour!
Day 30: Fave Album of the Year
Final day of the November Vinyl Challenge and because I can't choose between these I'll be posting twice. For the record (pun firmly intended) these are in no particular order.
Jamie Lenman - Devolver on Cranberry Red Vinyl
I've been waiting for this album ever since Jamie released the single Mississippi (long before any announcement was made for the album). Now it's finally here and I absolutely love it. Every song on the album is fantastic, there is no filler and there are surprising changes in pace, instrumentation and vocal style both between and during tracks. I was lucky enough to be involved in a pre-release listening party for the album which was part of the genuinely brilliant pre-order bonus campaign. You can check out my first impressions of the album on the website (https://www.theheadscratcher.com/…/devolver-listening-party…). The packaging for the record is really nice with the cranberry red vinyl matching the artwork nicely.
All in all this an excellent release and a brilliant return from the Lenman.
Brand New - Science Fiction on Standard Black Vinyl
The release of this album came out of absolutely nowhere and sent a legion of fans scrambling to get an exclusive 'very limited' vinyl pressing of the mysterious LP5. Unfortunately I was too slow and missed out but I ordered the standard version as soon as it was announced which allowed me to download the album in full straight away. I listened to it all the way through at about midnight on a Tuesday night (or something like that) and even though it's a full hour long the time flew past. That's a real testament to the quality of this album and I genuinely couldn't stop listening to it for weeks afterwards.
Some people have described Science Fiction as a depressing album (which there is probably an argument for) but I wrote an article on why I thought this wasn't the case (https://www.theheadscratcher.com/…/is-science-fiction-a-dep…). I had a long wait for the record to arrive and when it finally did (much like the album itself) it didn't disappoint.
Unfortunately the release was slightly tarnished by recent news about Jesse Lacey but it's a great album nonetheless and a real triumph for Brand New. Do yourself a favour and check it out.
So there you are, that's the full list of records I chose for the November Vinyl Challenge 2017. I had a great time posting these and writing about some of the records in my collection and I hope you got some enjoyment out of it too.
Peace.
