vinyl Archive
04 Dec 2023
Album Review: The Alligator Records Christmas Collection
By late 1992, the first vinyl era was drawing to a close. At its peak in 1977-78, vinyl LP sales in the U.S. approached 350 million units per year. With […]
19 Nov 2023
Boxed Set Review: Winger – Chapter One: Atlantic Years 1988-1993 (Part 2 of 2)
Continued from Part One… Winger (1988) Shimmering acoustic guitar opens “Madalaine,” and a hard-rock yowl leads the full band into the arrangement. That tune sets the tone, and Winger never […]
18 Nov 2023
Boxed Set Review: Winger – Chapter One: Atlantic Years 1988-1993 (Part 1 of 2)
One of the most high-profile musical movements of the late 1980s and early-to-mid ‘90s was what is now called (somewhat disparagingly) “hair metal.” Characterized in equal measure by the arrangement […]
27 Oct 2023
Album Review: Love Tractor — Around the Bend (40th Anniversary)
Forty years on, it’s too easy to forget just how fertile a creative ground was the Athens, Georgia music scene of the early ‘80s. Sure, everybody knows about R.E.M. and […]
26 Oct 2023
Album Review: Blaine Campbell and the California Sound
Blaine Campbell is that rare artist who simultaneously makes music that wears its influences upon its metaphorical sleeve and does so while creating that music in a way that allows […]
25 Oct 2023
Album Review: Stax Christmas
‘Tis the season – well, almost – for holiday music. While holiday-themed tunes have a comparatively short shelf life, there is indeed something special about them. And that’s even more […]
19 Oct 2023
Album Review: Jackie Wilson — Higher and Higher
A giant in the world of r&b and soul, Jackie Wilson’s career got a big break when Johnny Otis (father of Shuggie) discovered him in the early 1950s. Wilson passed […]
16 Oct 2023
Album Review: The Chi-Lites – A Lonely Man
If I might engage in the vernacular for a moment, streaming ain’t all that. Issues concerning fair remuneration to the artists aside, streaming platforms have many advantages for the listener. […]
13 Oct 2023
Album Review: R.E.M. – Accelerate
Continuing on with my modern-day takes on late-period RE.M. albums – an endeavor inspired by 2023 vinyl reissues of those records – I’ll be less self-indulgent and only provide just […]
12 Oct 2023
Album Review: R.E.M. – Reveal
Imagine, if you will, that it’s 1984. You’re a serious fan of R.E.M., owning and treasuring their debut EP Chronic Town and the pair of albums they released, 1983’s Murmur […]