Vinyl Recommendations

Nowhere Man

What are some good suggestions for expanding your vinyl collection? I am trying to be diverse and have a little bit from each genre. I love the Beatles but don't need every album, I have a few but like most bands I just buy one or two from their catalogue.

Recently decided to buy some jazz records, picked up Dave Brubeck's Time Out, Frank Zappa Hot Rats, and Chet Baker Sings. Also Joni Mitchell's Blue and Dolly Parton's Jolene.

Curious to see what you all might have in your own collection or what you might be looking to add.

mickeyrat

50's and 60's era Miles Davis. Ton of stuff to choose from.

jerparker20

There’s a Discogs thread that’s been dormant for a bit. Several regular nerds who post on here included their Discogs user names on it. You can then view and search their collections to see what records said nerds own.

https://community.pearljam.com/discussion/287004/discogs/p1

brianlux

I know you're looking for titles more than anything and I hope this isn't too generalized (or too much!) of an answer, but it might be helpful.

One thought is to study up on labels, pressings and re-issues.  I generally find earlier pressings (especially if you can find a copy of a particular album in VG+ or, preferably, near-mint (NM/M-)  tend to sound better than reissues.  This is definitely true when compared to some of the knock-off labels.  I made a list of labels I will rarely, if ever, buy from because of poor quality pressings:

Edsel

DOL

Wax-Time

4 Men With Beards

Doxy

Vinyl Lovers

Simply Vinyl

Abraxas

Some of the early Rhino re-issues suck, a lot of the more recent ones are great.

This doesn't mean that every pressing done by any of this will be poor, but more often than not, they are sub-par.  The reason for that is either crappy quality control where they are pressed or often due to the source from which they are pressed.  Some of these labels use "needle drops" (transferring from a vinyl record) or digital sources.  I often say, if a record is pressed from a digital source, you might want to consider just getting the CD or SACD.

As for suggestions, I like a lot of Columbia Records 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's pressings for people like Miles Davis (what Mickeyrat said), Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen, The Byrds, and others.

Reprise Records from the 60's and 70's are great- Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix

I'm also a big fan of 60's 70's Impulse Records (if you like jazz- Coltrane, Mingus, Monk, Pharoah Sanders, etc.)

Reissue labels that I think do a fine job include:

Analogue Productions

Run Out Groove

Experience Hendrix LLC

American Laundromat Records

and a lot of the Blue Note reissues

And lastly, if you have a question about a pressing or general info about a recording do a Google search, something like this:

"Best pressing of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, Hoffman forums"  or go to this site and use their search engine:

https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/

There's a lot of great info there if you sift enough.

And of course, as jerparker suggested, Discogs!

https://www.discogs.com/

1ThoughtKnown

Nowhere Man said:

What are some good suggestions for expanding your vinyl collection? I am trying to be diverse and have a little bit from each genre. I love the Beatles but don't need every album, I have a few but like most bands I just buy one or two from their catalogue.

Recently decided to buy some jazz records, picked up Dave Brubeck's Time Out, Frank Zappa Hot Rats, and Chet Baker Sings. Also Joni Mitchell's Blue and Dolly Parton's Jolene.

Curious to see what you all might have in your own collection or what you might be looking to add.

Anything by the Tragically Hip or Gord Downie. 

Jazz - Dexter Gordon - Go or One Flight Up and John Coltrane - Love Supreme are excellent albums besides the Miles Davis “starter kit” 

Brandi Carlile - Bear Creek - great one to start with that is easy to find. 

King’s X - Gretchen Goes to Nebraska & Ear Candy are two good albums to check out. Most underrated band ever. 

Mark Lanegan has a catalogue that is just fun to get into….  Bubblegum is a good place to start 

Uncle Tupelo - No Depression - If you want some alt-country 

Killing Joke - First self titled album (1977). Amazing post-punk stuff and recently reissued

Can - Tago Mago.  Avantguarde Krautrock. Amazing stuff and recently reissued

Greg Graffin - Millport - The Bad Religion lead singer doing folk songs. Just an amazing record. GG is such an amazing lyricist and singer

Little Queen - Heart - This band just doesn’t get enough credit. Solid solid album

Nick Cave - Tender Prey - The Mercy Seat is magic.

Ghost Reveries - Opeth - 2018 MOV reissue - Progressive metal - I LOATHE death metal, the growls are awful, but somehow it works on this album. From death metal to beautiful harmonies. The Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree influence (he produced the album) is amazing. One of my top 10 progressive rock albums of all time. 

That’s about enough I think. Just a few ideas if you are adventurous and want to listen to some stuff outside your comfort zone 😎

F Me In The Brain

From the past few weeks....not sure what all you listen to beyond pearl jam:
I love these records.  

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Orange

Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
Slint - Spiderland

Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted

System of a Down - Toxicity

Black Sabbath - master of reality

RL Burnside - Come On In

ZZ Top - Tres Hombres

Blues Traveler - Save His Soul

Attaway77

For me, I love all genre of music. Pop to metal, country to blues to soundtracks to hip hop. When it comes to getting an album on vinyl I want, I just do the research on pressings, pay attention to what others on here are listening to and their advice, etc. There's just so much great music out there to enjoy from the beginning to this very moment in time still being made. But I have to enjoy the whole album, if it's just a few songs, it's not worth having IMO. I'll listen digitally, but if I dig the album or a fan of the band, I'm down with getting the vinyl. At the end of the day, it's what you enjoy listening to and what you want to spin and have in your collection. A lot of great people on here with some great ears for music, definitely have found stuff I never knew of..  

SORRY!! Just realized I wasn't much help giving recommendations.... 

JeBurkhardt

1ThoughtKnown said:

Nowhere Man said:

What are some good suggestions for expanding your vinyl collection? I am trying to be diverse and have a little bit from each genre. I love the Beatles but don't need every album, I have a few but like most bands I just buy one or two from their catalogue.

Recently decided to buy some jazz records, picked up Dave Brubeck's Time Out, Frank Zappa Hot Rats, and Chet Baker Sings. Also Joni Mitchell's Blue and Dolly Parton's Jolene.

Curious to see what you all might have in your own collection or what you might be looking to add.

Anything by the Tragically Hip or Gord Downie. 

Jazz - Dexter Gordon - Go or One Flight Up and John Coltrane - Love Supreme are excellent albums besides the Miles Davis “starter kit” 

Brandi Carlile - Bear Creek - great one to start with that is easy to find. 

King’s X - Gretchen Goes to Nebraska & Ear Candy are two good albums to check out. Most underrated band ever. 

Mark Lanegan has a catalogue that is just fun to get into….  Bubblegum is a good place to start 

Uncle Tupelo - No Depression - If you want some alt-country 

Killing Joke - First self titled album (1977). Amazing post-punk stuff and recently reissued

Can - Tago Mago.  Avantguarde Krautrock. Amazing stuff and recently reissued

Greg Graffin - Millport - The Bad Religion lead singer doing folk songs. Just an amazing record. GG is such an amazing lyricist and singer

Little Queen - Heart - This band just doesn’t get enough credit. Solid solid album

Nick Cave - Tender Prey - The Mercy Seat is magic.

Ghost Reveries - Opeth - 2018 MOV reissue - Progressive metal - I LOATHE death metal, the growls are awful, but somehow it works on this album. From death metal to beautiful harmonies. The Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree influence (he produced the album) is amazing. One of my top 10 progressive rock albums of all time. 

That’s about enough I think. Just a few ideas if you are adventurous and want to listen to some stuff outside your comfort zone 😎

I agree completely. If you haven't listened to Uncle Tupelo, start right away. They are one of my favorite bands. R.E.M. Life's Rich Pageant is an amazing album by my favorite band of all time. Bob Mould Workbook is a great album that will lead you down the Husker Du and Sugar rabbit hole. 

1ThoughtKnown

JeBurkhardt said:

1ThoughtKnown said:

Nowhere Man said:

What are some good suggestions for expanding your vinyl collection? I am trying to be diverse and have a little bit from each genre. I love the Beatles but don't need every album, I have a few but like most bands I just buy one or two from their catalogue.

Recently decided to buy some jazz records, picked up Dave Brubeck's Time Out, Frank Zappa Hot Rats, and Chet Baker Sings. Also Joni Mitchell's Blue and Dolly Parton's Jolene.

Curious to see what you all might have in your own collection or what you might be looking to add.

Anything by the Tragically Hip or Gord Downie. 

Jazz - Dexter Gordon - Go or One Flight Up and John Coltrane - Love Supreme are excellent albums besides the Miles Davis “starter kit” 

Brandi Carlile - Bear Creek - great one to start with that is easy to find. 

King’s X - Gretchen Goes to Nebraska & Ear Candy are two good albums to check out. Most underrated band ever. 

Mark Lanegan has a catalogue that is just fun to get into….  Bubblegum is a good place to start 

Uncle Tupelo - No Depression - If you want some alt-country 

Killing Joke - First self titled album (1977). Amazing post-punk stuff and recently reissued

Can - Tago Mago.  Avantguarde Krautrock. Amazing stuff and recently reissued

Greg Graffin - Millport - The Bad Religion lead singer doing folk songs. Just an amazing record. GG is such an amazing lyricist and singer

Little Queen - Heart - This band just doesn’t get enough credit. Solid solid album

Nick Cave - Tender Prey - The Mercy Seat is magic.

Ghost Reveries - Opeth - 2018 MOV reissue - Progressive metal - I LOATHE death metal, the growls are awful, but somehow it works on this album. From death metal to beautiful harmonies. The Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree influence (he produced the album) is amazing. One of my top 10 progressive rock albums of all time. 

That’s about enough I think. Just a few ideas if you are adventurous and want to listen to some stuff outside your comfort zone 😎

I agree completely. If you haven't listened to Uncle Tupelo, start right away. They are one of my favorite bands. R.E.M. Life's Rich Pageant is an amazing album by my favorite band of all time. Bob Mould Workbook is a great album that will lead you down the Husker Du and Sugar rabbit hole. 

It appears my gross overuse of this word is rubbing off on people smh 😂.   At least you only used it once. 

JeBurkhardt

1ThoughtKnown said:

JeBurkhardt said:

1ThoughtKnown said:

Nowhere Man said:

What are some good suggestions for expanding your vinyl collection? I am trying to be diverse and have a little bit from each genre. I love the Beatles but don't need every album, I have a few but like most bands I just buy one or two from their catalogue.

Recently decided to buy some jazz records, picked up Dave Brubeck's Time Out, Frank Zappa Hot Rats, and Chet Baker Sings. Also Joni Mitchell's Blue and Dolly Parton's Jolene.

Curious to see what you all might have in your own collection or what you might be looking to add.

Anything by the Tragically Hip or Gord Downie. 

Jazz - Dexter Gordon - Go or One Flight Up and John Coltrane - Love Supreme are excellent albums besides the Miles Davis “starter kit” 

Brandi Carlile - Bear Creek - great one to start with that is easy to find. 

King’s X - Gretchen Goes to Nebraska & Ear Candy are two good albums to check out. Most underrated band ever. 

Mark Lanegan has a catalogue that is just fun to get into….  Bubblegum is a good place to start 

Uncle Tupelo - No Depression - If you want some alt-country 

Killing Joke - First self titled album (1977). Amazing post-punk stuff and recently reissued

Can - Tago Mago.  Avantguarde Krautrock. Amazing stuff and recently reissued

Greg Graffin - Millport - The Bad Religion lead singer doing folk songs. Just an amazing record. GG is such an amazing lyricist and singer

Little Queen - Heart - This band just doesn’t get enough credit. Solid solid album

Nick Cave - Tender Prey - The Mercy Seat is magic.

Ghost Reveries - Opeth - 2018 MOV reissue - Progressive metal - I LOATHE death metal, the growls are awful, but somehow it works on this album. From death metal to beautiful harmonies. The Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree influence (he produced the album) is amazing. One of my top 10 progressive rock albums of all time. 

That’s about enough I think. Just a few ideas if you are adventurous and want to listen to some stuff outside your comfort zone 😎

I agree completely. If you haven't listened to Uncle Tupelo, start right away. They are one of my favorite bands. R.E.M. Life's Rich Pageant is an amazing album by my favorite band of all time. Bob Mould Workbook is a great album that will lead you down the Husker Du and Sugar rabbit hole. 

It appears my gross overuse of this word is rubbing off on people smh 😂.   At least you only used it once. 

I didn't even realize I had been subliminally influenced until I just read that! 

brianlux

Here's one I'll throw out just because I hadn't listened to it in years until today and thought, "Holy crap!  This is one of the best records in my collection!"  Both the music and the pressing, fantastic!  David Sylvian, Brilliant Trees, 1984 Virgin, UK pressing.

Nowhere Man

Some really good suggestions, thanks everyone. I'm making my way through the list and checking things out!

A couple that I picked up recent that really stood out to me where Warren Zevon's Stand in the Fire Live, Beastie Boys Paul's Boutique, Talking Heads Fear of Music.

mickeyrat

The Band, The Last Waltz....

mschostok

mickeyrat said:

The Band, The Last Waltz....

If you like The Band, check out Whitney. Very Levon Helm influenced. Fantastic group.

brianlux

This is one of my favorites records and one of my two top favorite live albums (Who, Live at Leeds being the other).  I bought a copy of this for the young man who helps us with yard work, heavy lifting and such.  He digs it too!

The Dream Syndicate, The Complete Live at Raji's: