Pearl Jam - Vitalogy

Pearl Jam - Vitalogy. Epic Records, 1994.

For me, Pearl Jam was one of those coming of age bands. I previously mentioned that I really began to get into music just as grunge was taking hold. One of my all-time favorite albums is Pearl Jam's debut, Ten. It's one of my desert island albums. I'm still working on getting that one on vinyl, but I have several other PJ records, one of which is Vitalogy. This album was originally released on vinyl with the CD coming two weeks later. Keep in mind, it was released in 1994. Vinyl was pretty much a dead format by then and CD was king. Perhaps Pearl Jam knew something - that vinyl might fade away but it would never truly die, and in fact has staged a remarkable comeback and is now once again the most popular physical format for music.

I've previously mentioned the digging component of collecting records; the anticipation of not knowing what you might find; the disappointment when you come away with nothing; and the thrill of finding something amazing. This falls into that latter category. This is an original pressing, from 1994. Albums on vinyl from the 1990s can be hard to find (particularly mid to late 90s - if they were even pressed at all), although there are more copies of this one floating around out there than a lot of other albums. I think another fun aspect of collecting records is remembering where you found certain albums. I often hear people talk about where they bought their first record, and what it is. Or they have stories connected to other albums. That's just not something you often hear about CDs. I honestly can't tell you where I bought my first CD. But I do remember buying the 45 to Bon Jovi's "Bad Medicine" at Musicland in the Grand Teton Mall in Idaho Falls. That was probably the only record I had as a kid that strictly belonged to me. So back to Vitalogy - I found this at a Salvation Army in Las Cruces, New Mexico for 50 cents. 50 cents! It was one of those moments when my first thought was "what's wrong with it?" Checked to see if the record was in the sleeve. Yep, it's there. Is it scratched beyond recognition? Nope, it's flawless. Why is this here? There has to be something wrong with it. Nope. Perfectly good condition, just sitting there. A big smile comes across my face, I pay my 50 cents and walk out feeling like I'd stolen it. Like someone is going to run out and tell me the cops are on their way. It's still by far the best find I've had in a thrift store. Probably always will be.

As for the album itself, it's certainly not one of my favorite PJ albums. They were a bit more experimental on this one than on their previous two, Ten and Vs. But it does have some great songs on it, my favorite being "Better Man" and one of the great odes to music on vinyl, "Spin the Black Circle." "Not for You" is another one of my favorite PJ songs. It's certainly fitting that "Spin the Black Circle" is on this album, and cheers to Pearl Jam for their attempt at keeping vinyl alive. It seems to have worked.

Metallica - Hardwired...To Self-Destruct

Metallica - Hardwired...To Self-Destruct. Blackened Recordings, 2016.

Yes! Finally, Metallica has put out the album fans have been waiting for. Death Magnetic was somewhat a return to form, but in my opinion this album stands heads and shoulders above that one. Metallica is, and always will be, my favorite band, but they've certainly been polarizing figures among fans since the Black Album came out in 1991. They strayed from their thrash roots on Load and Reload, and many fans went nuts. I actually really enjoyed both albums, especially Load. "Until It Sleeps," "Hero of the Day," and "Mama Said" are three of my favorite 'Tallica songs. That being said, you won't find any acoustic guitar on this album - it's nothing but fast, loud and straight-up metal. Apart from the first three singles, which are all very solid songs, my favorite tracks from the album are "Now That We're Dead," "Confusion," and "Here Comes Revenge." Honestly, though, there's not a song on here I don't like. This is one I will be spinning again and again. The drums sound so much better than the last two albums, although in typical post Cliff-Burton Metallica, the bass is hard to hear, except on "Spit Out The Bone," where Rob is given a chance to show what he can do. Metallica will never return to the days of Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets (perhaps my favorite album of all time), but that's okay. They have evolved as a band and done things that many people outright rejected (St. Anger and Lulu with Lou Reed in particular), but they've proven here that they can still bring it.

Reckless Kelly - Sunset Motel

Reckless Kelly - Sunset Motel. No Big Deal Records, 2016.

This is the latest addition to my collection, since my preorder of Metallica's new album won't arrive until tomorrow. Reckless Kelly has roots in my home state of Idaho - brothers Willy and Cody Braun began their singing career with their father in Muzzie Braun & The Boys, but are now based in Austin, Texas. It's hard to put a genre label on a band like Reckless Kelly - Americana, alt-country, Texas country, Red Dirt, it doesn't really matter. Whatever you might call it, it's just good, solid down-to-earth music. I suppose you could just label it country, but it certainly doesn't fit into what passes for country music these days. Reckless Kelly does a good job of producing a mix of fast-paced and slower, stripped down songs, and that formula doesn't change on this album.

This is by far the most elaborate packaging of any record I own. This is yet another reason I love vinyl - the packaging is a work of art in its own right. Sunset Motel features a picture of the band, a postcard, sketches, a motel key fob, and a road map. You just can't get that with other formats. 

AC/DC - Rock or Bust

It's been awhile since I've done anything with this blog. The itch to write about things I love, particularly music, has hit again. I have immersed myself over the last 4-5 years in collecting vinyl records. I've always loved records, but they were a dying format by the time I became old enough to really get into music. Most of my childhood experience comes from the albums my parents listened to. As I've grown older, I've come to appreciate much of their music, but at the time it was just that - "their" music. It wasn't "my" music. I was 10 years old when the Seattle grunge scene exploded, and that became the soundtrack to my middle school and high school years, along with the metal and hard rock my older brother had so kindly exposed me to. As the years have passed, my musical tastes have changed somewhat and expanded to include many different genres and styles. My philosophy is if I like a song, I'll listen to it, regardless of genre. That being said, most music put out today does nothing for me. In all honesty, I rarely listen to new music unless it's by an artist or band I am already acquainted with. Occasionally I'll come across new acts, but they're rarely ones played on the radio. Anyways, back to records. Collecting records has allowed me to broaden my horizons and listen to artists I probably would have never picked up on CD or digitally. That is one of the things I love most about digging for vinyl - you never know what you might find in that thrift shop, or flea market, or garage sale. 

My goal with this is to go through my collection and share pieces of it. I probably won't post every record I own, at least not in order. I'll share new ones as I pick them up. I might just feel the need to pull a certain album off the shelf and spin it. I hope whoever, if anybody, that reads these will enjoy them and perhaps find some new music to listen to. First up - AC/DC - Rock or Bust. Columbia, 2014.

This is the latest album from the boys Down Under - and possibly the last with Brian Johnson. Due to hearing issues he has been replaced with...Axl Rose. I know, it kind of makes me gag too. I loved Guns N' Roses back in the day but Axl in AC/DC? Come on. So perhaps this album will go down as Brian's last stand. My favorite AC/DC will always be the stuff with Bon Scott, but they've put out some great albums with Brian Johnson as well. I wasn't sure how I would like Rock or Bust because I wasn't a huge fan of their last few albums before this one, but I absolutely love this album. The title track and "Play Ball" are your typical AC/DC rockers, simple yet so much fun. My favorite track from the album, however, is "Dogs of War." AC/DC is not really known for writing songs about war or anything remotely political, and "Dogs of War" is certainly no "Disposable Heroes" or "Symphony of Destruction," but it stands out to me because it is a different subject material from what they typically write about. As of yet I don't have any Bon Scott era albums on vinyl, so this one and a few others will have to do for now.