Browsing Category VINYL VAULT

Some of our fav’s from our Vinyl Vault

0 The Vinyl Vault – Fleetwood Mac & LCD Soundsystem

07/01/10
Andrea
· ALBUM REVIEWS · VINYL VAULT

Fleetwood Mac – Rumors

7″ – LCD Soundsystem “Drunk Girls”

Released in February of 1977 Rumors soared to the top of the carts and stayed there for over 30 weeks. Rumors has top shelf everything it’s better that a snifter of blue label Johnny Walker…the music is perfect, the harmonies will blow you away, the lyrics are deep with love, hate and irony. All while Fleetwood Mac was going through more drama than an episode of Jersey Shore or The Hills. This is a great album with Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks all singing lead vocals. “Second Hand News”, “Dreams”, “Go Your Own Way”, “You Make Loving Fun” and “The Chain” are all on this album. I’m sure Fleetwood Mac has a greatest hits but pass by that on I-tunes or at your local record store and buy this album it is brilliant and needs to be in everyone’s record collection even the indie music snobs. Hell snag a copy at your favorite cheap vinyl bin or thrift store with over 13 million records sold it should be easy to find for the vinyl collectors.

Side 1

1. Second Hand News

2. Dreams

3. Never Going Back Again

4. Don’t Stop

5. Go Your Own Way

6. Songbird

Side 2

7. The Chain

8. You Make Loving Fun

9. I Don’t Want To Know

10. Oh Daddy

11. Gold Dust Woman

For the 7″ today I pick My Summer Jam of 2010 “Drunk Girls” by LCD Soundsystem. The song is a great dance track that after Sasquatch! I just can’t stop listening to. Man, I have never seen 20,000 people shake it all at once. Speaking of irony James Murphy’s lyrics are full of it, in between great dance music. Fuck all the pop music on the radio just put on this song and have a drink while you shake your ass past midnight.

- Matt

0 The Vinyl Vault – Me First and The Gimme Gimmes and Muse

05/25/10
Matt Auclair
· ALBUM REVIEWS · VINYL VAULT

Me First and The Gimme Gimmes – Have a Ball

7″ Muse – “Uprising” and “Who knows Who”

What’s not to love about punk rock cover song’s from the 60′s, 70′s and 80′s. Their faster, more fun and in most cases better than the originals. The 1997 first release from punk rock super group cover band Me First and The Gimme Gimmes is just that. I love listening to their covers of Loggins and Messina, John Denver, Simon and Garfunkel, Billy Joel, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Barry Manilow and Elton John. “Spikes” vocals with the amazing harmonies of Fat Mike from Nofx and Joey Cape from Lagwagon are flawless and make every song a classic again. Their cover of “Danny’s Song” is a out of the shoot killer start, “Fire and Rain” is so fast it’s over before you know it and “Rocket Man” is a killer ending to this killer album. These songs have been my summertime soundtrack for over 10 years now. If you like punk rock music and hit pop songs like I do pop in “Have A Ball” grab an adult beverage and well Have a Ball.

Side 1

1.Danny’s Song
2.Leaving on a Jet Plane
3.Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard
4.One Tin Soldier
5.Uptown Girl
6.I Am a Rock

Side 2

7.Sweet Caroline
8.Seasons in the Sun
9.Fire and Rain
10.Nobody Does It Better
11.Mandy
12.Rocket Man

For the 7″ today I pick the hugely popular song “Uprising” by Muse. The song is great and all over the radio right now. The 7″ cover has a bunch of teddy bears half buried in the dirt (creepy). This songs main guitar riff sounds like a Blondie rip off but it is catchy as hell. Theirs not much more to say about this song you guys have all heard it and love it or hate it it’s a great song. I’m a little bummed that I was not able to see them on tour last month the photos from the show look epic. The B side…eh!

0 The Vinyl Vault – Minutemen and George Harrison

05/22/10
Matt Auclair
· ALBUM REVIEWS · VINYL VAULT

Minutemen – Double Nickels On The Dime

7″ – George Harrison – “Crackerbox Palace” and “Learning How To Love You”

Double Nickels On The Dime is the 1984, 45 song double LP Minutemen Masterpiece. This album features songs of punk, funk, jazz, folk that include what people know today at the Jackass Theme Song (“Corona”), a Van Halen Cover, Steely Dan Cover and even a Creedence Clearwater Revival cover. I must first say that the cover freaks me out. On the front and back covers it shows people driving a cars and D. Boone died in a car accident the next year. This albums production is a little rough but that’s what makes it for me. The songs are quick, the guitar, bass and drums are very skilled and is a blueprint for Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sublime albums (I must say this album is much better than any Red Hot Chili Peppers or Sublime album). Mike Watt is a madman on the bass the entire album. The mix of punk and funk with great song writing makes this classic a must listen for any music fan not just Punk rock fans. My jams on this album are “Vietnam”, “Political Song For Michael Jackson To Sing” and the autobiographical “History Lesson (Part II)” that tells the story of friends starting a band. Double Nickles On The Dime is very ahead of it’s time and broke the mold of how 70′s and 80′s punk sounded.

The 7″ I picked today is “Cracker Box Palace” by George Harrison. It’s a very well written quirky song and is the perfect single you can pull out of a stack of 45′s and it will put a smile on your face (and be stuck in your head for days “It’s true, It’s true”). The B Side for this record not so much a very boring song. But, “Cracker Box Palace” has great lyrics, a couple of quirky and catchy guitar riffs and is a great pop song that is over before you hate it.

Minutemen – Double Nickels On The Dime (Track Listings)

Side D.

1. “Anxious Mo-Fo”
2. “Theatre Is the Life of You”
3. “Viet Nam”
4. “Cohesion”
5. “It’s Expected I’m Gone”
6. “#1 Hit Song”
7. “Two Beads at the End”
8. “Do You Want New Wave or Do You Want the Truth?”
9. “Don’t Look Now”
10. “Shit from an Old Notebook”
11. “Nature Without Man”
12. “One Reporter’s Opinion”

Side Mike

1. “Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing”
2. “Maybe Partying Will Help”
3. “Toadies”
4. “Retreat”
5. “The Big Foist”
6. “God Bows to Math”
7. “Corona”
8. “The Glory of Man”
9. “Take 5, D.”
10. “My Heart and the Real World”
11. “History Lesson – Part II”

Side George

1. “You Need the Glory”
2. “The Roar of the Masses Could be Farts”
3. “Mr. Robot’s Holy Orders”
4. “West Germany”
5. “The Politics of Time”
6. “Themselves”
7. “Please Don’t Be Gentle with Me”
8. “Nothing Indeed”
9. “No Exchange”
10. “There Ain’t Shit on T.V. Tonight”
11. “This Ain’t No Picnic”
12. “Spillage”

Side Chaff

1. “Untitled Song for Latin America”
2. “Jesus and Tequila”
3. “June 16th”
4. “Storm in My House”
5. “Martin’s Story”
6. “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love”
7. “Dr. Wu”
8. “Little Man with a Gun in His Hand”
9. “The World According to Nouns”
10. “Love Dance”

- Matt

0 The Vinyl Vault – Pavement and The Strokes

05/13/10
Matt Auclair
· ALBUM REVIEWS · VINYL VAULT

Pavement – Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

7″ The Strokes – “Someday” (on yellow vinyl)

As you already know pavement has reunited and will bring their Gold Soundz to the Gorge (and many other venues) this month. I’ve listened to Pavement for years and everyone associates them with the 90′s Slacker sound / movement. I think they were one of the original indie rock bands and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain today sounds like a album that could have came out a few years ago not in 1994. This album has their biggest hit “Cut Your Hair”, my favorite song “Gold Soundz”, a jazz tribute “5-4=Unity” and “Range Life” makes fun of The Smashing Pumpkins and Stone Temple Pilots in the same verse. It’s a core album for every record collection that reminds me of summer vacation when I was in High School.

The 7″ I picked today is “Someday” by The Strokes. I had to meet Jason at the Nickelback show a few days ago to drop something off and ran into a friend that asked me why I’m not going to the show. I said I was not a fan and it made me think of a period of time when I quit listening to that style of rock music. It was the early 2000′s when bands like The White Stripes, The Hives and especially The Strokes put out albums that were so different and so great I have never listened to active rock or a radio rock station again. “Someday” is a fantastic song as is every song on Is This It. When I listen to “Someday” it’s a song that gets stuck in my head for days. The B side features Home Recordings of “Is This It” and “Alone Together” that are cool to listen to; a little rough but overall good demos of the two songs.

Pavement – Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (Track Listings)

Side 1

1. Silent Kit

2. Elevate Me Later

3. Stop Breathin

4. Cut Your Hair

5. Newark Wilder

6. Unfair

Side 2

1. Gold Soundz

2. 5-4=Unity

3. Range Life

4. Heaven is a Truck

5. Hit The Plane Down

6. Fillmore Jive

0 The Vinyl Vault – Supertramp & Arcade Fire

05/07/10
Matt Auclair
· ALBUM REVIEWS · VINYL VAULT

Supertramp – Crime of the Century

7” Arcade Fire – “No Cars Go” and “Surf City Eastern Bloc”

I was stoked today when I was looking around at a few record stores to find Crime of the Century by Supertramp for $1. The record is in great shape, the cover not so much but records are more about the music than the look to me anyways. The Album is the 1974 breakthrough album for the band. Beginning with “School” (a song that brings back many childhood memories of being scared when the girl screams at the beginning) and ends with “The Crime of the Century” this album is by far the most creative work put out by Supertramp. The only song that I really don’t like on this album is “Asylum” (It’s not a bad song just my least favorite). “Hide in your Shell”, the piano driven gem “Dreamer” and “Rudy” show the great song writing talent of Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies. It might not be the most popular Supertramp album or have the song the Goo Goo Dolls covered but Crime of the Century will always be my favorite.

Side 1

School

Bloody Well Right

Hide In Your Shell

Asylum

Side 2

Dreamer

Rudy

If Everyone Was Listening

Crime of the Century

- Matt

I recently was digging through my iPod which hasn’t been plugged into iTunes for probably a good year or two now and I started to pick albums I hadn’t listened to in a while. One of the albums that I only have on my iTunes is Neon Bible by the Arcade Fire. Who knows what happened to the CD (I am sure one of my friends have it) and for some reason I don’t have it on vinyl like I do the album Funeral. Well I kind of forgot about the songs on Neon Bible. Bummer I know, I know. Rediscovering track 10 “No Cars Go” was like an epiphany. I listened to it on repeat for the next hour. It was like a present when Matt decided to pick it as today’s 45. The build up throughout the song is incredible, every few seconds adding in new instruments to create this fast paced sacred tune with male female due vocals and shouting. The drum/ horn solo a little more than half way through the song that jams for sec then builds up again adding in a steady beat that all of the sudden explodes back into the song. I just LOVE it. Then to top it off there is a male choir singing “Ohs” at the end that let the song just drop off into a single beat. Done, it’s almost exhausting to describe it. Not only is this song one of my favorite Arcade Fire jams but the 45 is done so creatively with a fold out case and super cool art work like they have on their website. I didn’t get a chance to listen to Surf City Eastern Bloc because I wouldn’t take No Cars Go off.

- Andrea

0 The Vinyl Vault – The Buzzcocks and Phoenix

05/06/10
Matt Auclair
· ALBUM REVIEWS · VINYL VAULT

The Buzzcocks – Singles Going Steady

7″ – Phoenix – “1901″ – “1901 (Memory Tapes Remix)” On purple vinyl

This album is a complication of 16 A and B sides from singles punk band The Buzzcocks (hints the name Singles Going Steady). First off I would like to say that I’m excited to see the Buzzcocks this June is Portland. This album is full of quirky, fun, sophisticated and sometimes raunchy fast quick punk songs. “What Do I Get” might be the most popular but the two that stick out for me these days are “Ever Fallen In Love?” that makes me think of an episode of Scrubs when J.D. and Elliott are making out in a stairwell and “Harmony In My Head” that Henry Rollins used as the name of his radio show. Who doesn’t love the songs “Orgasm Addict”, “Oh Shit!” and “Why Can’t I Touch It”. Singles Going Steady is a great album full of great singles that had to influence pop punk for the Descendents just like they did for Green Day and Blink 182.

For the 7″ today I picked the purple vinyl I received in the mail today from Phoenix “1901″. Everyone knows this song. Phoenix is huge right now and this is a great indie dance hit (soon to be a classic). This song put Phoenix on the map. The B-side is a Memory Tapes Remix of 1901 that is a interesting take on the hit song.

The Buzzcocks Singles Going Steady (Track Listing)

Side A:

1. Orgasm Addict

2. What Do I Get?

3. I Don’t Mind

4. Love You More

5. Ever Fallen In Love?

6. Promises

7. Everybody’s Happy Nowadays

8. Harmony In My Head

Side B

1. What Ever Happened To?

2. Oh Shit!

3. Autonomy

4. Noise Annoys

5. Just Lust

6. Lipstick

7. Why Can’t I Touch It?

8. Something’s Gone Wrong Again

Matt

1 The Vinyl Vault – Arcade Fire and Built To Spill

05/04/10
Matt Auclair
· ALBUM REVIEWS · VINYL VAULT

Arcade Fire – Funeral

7″ – Built to Spill – “Car” and “Girl”

Funeral is the 2004 brilliant release by The Arcade Fire. This album is an emotional landscape of beautiful songs including the four Neighborhood songs, “Rebellion(Lies)” and the now sports anthem “Wake Up”. When the Arcade Fire performed Wake Up and Rebellion (Lies) at the Sasquatch! Music Festival in 2007 it was an almost religious experience and one of the best shows I’ve ever seen at The Gorge. For me I didn’t hear this album until early 2005 and it hit me like a lightning bolt. It was on repeat in my CD player and I-Pod for weeks as I was amazed at how original the album was. That’s the bottom line to this album it’s very rare to find a new album by a new band that it 100% original. Funeral sounds just as amazing now as it did five years ago.

The 7″ I picked today is “Car” and “Girl” by Built to Spill. Car is my favorite Built to Spill song… It’s the perfect pop song, has great guitar riffs and it’s over before you know it. I’m always stoked when I’m digging through 45′s at home and find this one. The B side is Girl and it’s a great Built To Spill song that sounds almost like a indie version of a pop punk song.

Arcade Fire – Funeral Track Listings

Side A:

1. Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)

2. Neighborhood #2 (Laika)

3. Une Annee Sans Lumiere

4. Neighborhood #3 ( Power Out)

5. Neighborhood #4 (Kettles)

Side B

6. Crown of Love

7. Wake Up

8. Haiti

9 Rebellion (Lies)

10. In The Backseat

0 The Vinyl Vault – Smashing Pumpkins and Me First and The Gimme Gimmes

05/03/10
Andrea
· ALBUM REVIEWS · VINYL VAULT

Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes – “Dolly” – Jolene, I Will Always Love You (Square Vinyl)

Siamese Dream is the 1993 Smashing Pumpkins release that I purchased with my Christmas money when I was in 7th grade. Man how time fly’s. I must first confess that I have not listened to the Smashing Pumpkins for a few years because I saw them in concert in 2007 and the show was very disappointing and boring. I was looking around at 4,000 Holes on Saturday and saw the album and it brought back great memories so I picked it up. Even thought the non original lineup sucks live… Siamese Dream is a fantastic album! Kicking off with “Cherub Rock” (A song the kids all know from one of the Guitar Hero games) this album has great rock and melodic songs. “Today”, “Luna” and “Disarm” are mellow gems that I could listen to every day…”Geek U.S.A.” and “Silverfuck” rock like nobody’s business and the mix makes Siamese Dream a must listen for any music fan (not just 90′s music freaks). It was great after not really listening to them for a few years to drop the needle on this great album. It brings back a lot of great and weird childhood memories.

The 7″ I picked was punk rock super group cover band Me First and The Gimme Gimmes Dolly 7″ on Square Vinyl. Outside of the fact that it’s a bitch to put the needle on a square vinyl the album has two rockin’ great Dolly Pardon Covers. The Cover of “Jolene” is my favorite and prefer it over the White Stripes cover of the song. In fact I also prefer the “I Will Always Love You” cover over Whitney Huston also.

Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream

Cherub Rock

Quiet

Today

Hummer

Rocket

Disarm

Soma

Geek U.S.A.

Mayonaise

Spaceboy

Silverfuck

Sweet Sweet

Luna

- Matt

0 The Vinyl Vault – The Descendents and The Thermals

05/02/10
Andrea
· ALBUM REVIEWS · VINYL VAULT

The Descendents – Milo Goes To College

7″ – The Thermals – Now We Can See, My World (On White Vinyl)

After working a 10 hour day at Bloomsday listening to Classic Rock cover bands in one area and running a booth that played the Rockey Theme Song and The Chariots of Fire theme song on repeat for all day I needed some punk rock. Milo Goes To College was my first introduction to The Descendents and one of my first introductions to Punk Rock music that wasn’t mainstream or played on the radio. That makes this album very important to me because it opened up the door to myself realizing that there is great music that will never get played on the radio. Before music was huge on the internet it was always true treasure when you found one of those albums or bands. The blueprint for almost every pop punk or emo punk album that came out after (Green Day, Blink 182). This early 1980′s release by the Descendents is bratty, catchy and till this day leaves a mark on punk rock and culture. A few years back you could not get away from the opening of “Suburban Home” thanks to a Tony Hawk video game commercial (I think every kid that saw the commercial or bought the video game wrote “I wanna be stereotyped I wanna be classified” on there Facebook or Myspace pages that year) or the reference to Kabuki Girl from the NOFX song “13 Stiches”. Bottom line this is a must listen Punk Rock album that I hope I can rock out to when I’m 70!

The 7″ I picked to listen to today is “Now We Can See” and “My World” by The Thermals. What a great band from Portland. From the opening “Oh-way-oh-a-whoa” this song is a perfect indie pop song. I spent most of last summer listening to this on my walks to work. I think when I was going through 45′s today looking for the perfect one that’s why I picked it (It’s almost summer time). I did not listen to the b-side of this 7″ as it was the demos of the same songs and I rather just listen to the finished product in this case. The 7″ is on sweet white vinyl.

The Descendents – Milo Goes To College (Track Listings)

Side 1

1. Myage

2. I Wanna Be A Bear

3. I’m Not A Loser

4. Parents

5. Tonyage

6. M 16

7. I’m Not A Punk

8. Catalina

Side 2

1. Suburban Home

2. Statue Of Liberty

3. Kabuki Girl

4. Marriage

5. Hope

6. Bikeage

7. Jean is Dead

- Matt

0 The Vinyl Vault: Radiohead and The New Pornographers

05/01/10
Andrea
· ALBUM REVIEWS · VINYL VAULT

Radiohead – OK Computer (Picture Disk)

7″ – The New Pornographers – Georgie, Don’t You Know, Togetherness – Electric Child of Witchcraft Rising

OK Computer is the 1997 Radiohead Masterpiece that all music fans that read this post will already know how great this album is. “Airbag” and “Paranoid Android” is a exhilarating and exciting beginning to this great album. “Karma Police” is one of those Radiohead songs that sounds so very new every time I hear it (13 years old now).The glockenspiel goodness and delicacy of “No Surprises” blows me away every time (amazing to hear in concert also) and the weirdness of “Fitter Happier” makes this another Radiohead album that I would listen to front to back any day. It’s very cool to play it on the picture disk also.

The 7″ I picked to listen to I received in the mail today as a free 7″ you got if you pre-ordered the New – New Pornographers Album “Together” from Matador Records. The 7″ is full of pop goodness by the amazing AC Newman, Neko Case and the rest of the New Pornographers. I hope “Together” holds up to the singles on the 7″.

Radiohead – OK Computer (Track Listings)

Side One:

1. Airbag

2. Paranoid Android

3. Subterranean Homesick Alien

4. Exit Music (For a Film)

Side 2

1. Let Down

2. Karma Police

4. Fitter Happier

5. Electioneering

6. Climbing Up The Walls

7. No Surprises

- Matt

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