Records Worth Collecting

Half the fun of record collecting is talking about what's in your collection and what records you found on the weekend. Our editor kicks off a great discussion about favorite finds in her record collecting forays, with details and tales of the great ones.

 

 

Are you collecting records? Or thinking about record collecting as a hobby? We've listed a few of our favorite records along with some details about their appeal to those of us who'd rather be collecting records than fishing.

 

The Who, Live at Leeds (1970): Arguably the best live rock album of all time, Live At Leeds marks a cornerstone of the British rock band's career. Its live ambience is overwhelming, particularly when played at an appropriately loud volume. The album was purposefully engineered with surface noise and dropouts to mock bootleggers, and its DIY cover is decidedly appropriate. The manila folder sleeve consists of a collage of ticket stubs, set lists, and other paper flotsam (most amusingly, a reprint of The Who's Woodstock contract).

 

The Sex Pistols, Anarchy in the UK [single] (1977): The 70s/80s underground music scene in England and America would probably not have existed as we know it were it not for the release of this original EMI single, and the band's subsequent success. It is a genuine piece of music history, not to mention a goldmine (if you just happen to have a copy lying around).

 

Esquivel, Latinesque (1962): Stereophonic sound was born in the late 50s, and close on its heels came the in-your-face fulminations of Latin American composer/arranger, Juan Garcia Esquivel. Songs replete with piercing brass, goofy flutes, bouncing bongos, and ineffably weird vocal choruses (trademark Esquivel phrase include pow-pow-pow and zu-zu-zu) are guaranteed to rattle your hi-fi.

 

The Beatles, Let It Be [box set] (1970): In addition to the standard release worldwide, the Beatles classicLet It Be was also issued in a deluxe box set LP package in several different countries. The LP set includes a 160-page deluxe Get Back book (replete with hundreds of color photos printed on high quality gloss paper, and accompanied by substantial text). In particular, the red-vinyl Japanese issue is excruciatingly rare (please, Let It Be Less Than My Mortgage.)

 

The Mamas and the Papas, If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears (1966): The beloved folk group's first dozen-song LP. (That odd sticker-like box in the lower right-hand corner of the cover is apparently censoring a toilet bowl.) This album sports some of the most beautiful harmony singing and vocal arrangements of that era. You'll be California Dreaming in no time.

 

The Cramps, Voodoo Idols [bootleg EP] (1985): Gotta love The Cramps. Or not. In any case, their Voodoo Idols bootleg is an incredibly rare red vinyl pressing (purportedly only 500 were ever made). Its foldout comic-book poster cover is visceral to say the least, and the studio demos of "Human Fly," "Love Me" and "Voodoo Idol" are a naughty aural treat.

 

Joni Mitchell, Blue (1971): The woman who proves that it occasionally pays to indulge in confessional singing/songwriting, at her most honest and most powerful. Everything about this album is classic (she even painted the album cover)! The production, which rotates between piano arrangements and acoustic guitar, is sparse and intimate.

 

Jimi Hendrix, Are You Experienced? (1967): The album that forever enthroned Hendrix as a guitar god. His fearless studio experimentation is rivaled only by The Beatles'.

 

Public Enemy, It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back (1988): A volatile, articulate, edifying journey, courtesy of Chuck D and his whacked out compatriot, Flava-Flav. The sonic assault of The Bomb Squad pelts the ear with shrapnel-sharp samples from Isaac Hayes and Funkadelic, the lyrics are galvanizing, the experience is unforgettable.

 

Prince, Sign o' the Times (1987): After he achieved uberstardom, Prince fired the Revolution and stomped back into the studio to create a double-album masterpiece. Funk, rock, glam, rap, it's all here, and it's all good.

 

King Crimson, Discipline (1981): Guitarist Robert Fripp's jagged arpeggios, Bill Bruford's perfect polyrhythms, and Tony Levin's pulsating basslines come together with Adrian Belew’s pop sensibilities to create a surprisingly soulful, perfectly executed prog rock gem.

 

Bob Dylan, Blood on the Tracks (1975): Arguably Dylan’s best LP, fans are scarce to argue that it’s at least nothing short of essential. Written on the heels of a failed marriage, these cathartic tracks are rich and passionate, raw songwriting above the fray of the bells and whistles that typified mid-70s pop-music. A vinyl recording of Blood, with its uncompressed levels of volume, is a treat to hear, but you’ll kick yourself if you get a skip and miss a single word of the lyrics.

 

Mothers of Invention, Freak Out! (1966): “Suzy . . . Suzy Creamcheese.” The most eccentric “pop” record of all time. This groundbreaking double album was the brainchild of the notorious Frank Zappa, an American musical genius with a wit deadly enough to scare the U.S. Congress. On the first album by the Mothers of Invention, the songs lampoon everything from psychedelia to pop protest posturings to 50s harmony heartbreak numbers. Freak Out! is a must have. After all, it’s the album that posed the eternal question, “Who are the brain police?”