Vinyl Record Day

Today, August 12th, we celebrate the birth of the phonograph.

131 years ago today the first phonograph ripped its way out of the birth canal, leaving behind a sparkling, hemorrhaging wake and an unprecedented impact on mankind’s communication consciousness.

To celebrate in an appropriate fashion, the good DJ over at The Hits Just Keep On Coming, has for the second year, refereed an all-star tribute made up of those blogs, which are held in high esteem among their peers, to showcase all things vinyl. I’m proud to say that I am among those participating.

This year, for my part, I am showcasing from among my abnormally large and passionate collection, the slightly odd cover. The cover skewed in bad taste. The cover that made me wrinkle my brow wondering ‘What the heck were they thinking?’ A few so out of the usual mainstream. Some are simply bad, some are tasteless and a few off the wall. Some simply appealed to the collector in me. Yet, for me, they all have one thing in common.

I could never forgive myself if I threw them away. Such is my passion for vinyl.

Nothing like a little self-promotion. Herbie did it in 1971. Jazz leaning toward pop, this also had the genius of Duane Allman throughout. Luckily, Duane didn’t have to stand next to Herbie’s sweaty flute.

I had to have it. I didn’t know, I didn’t ask, I just paid something like $2.50 at the counter, walked home, put it in the bin and never listened to it.

You have to look really close into the slice of apple pie to see why this cover was so coveted. I never opened this and still don’t know what the band sounds like, but that’s not the point – I own it.

A new entry, from 2006, and another that I bought on cover lust alone. I mean, I’m also passionate about baseball, but I never once saw a picture of Yaz or Dewey or Ortiz lick their bat. Had to have it and keep it.

The Scorpions had a few, back in the 80’s, that had us vinyl kiddies (and those just browsing the store bins) staring, laughing and wondering if we missed the deeper meaning. I’m not sure there is.

In case you need more, another Scorpions that elicited gasps from our parents. Unless, of course, we hid it until we went to our room, hiding the album behind an innocuous white-bread album.

Speaking of offensive, how about the Nuge? Loved the high power, the madman persona and the metal god angst. But, this? High art, indeed.

Bjork from 1997. And they cried out in anger over Yoko?

A very rare, round disk packaging of the Small Faces. Again, never opened it, but when given to me for free I almost bounced with joy.

Again, one I own just for the thrill of the cover. However, I have listened to this due in large part to Nelson who went through his P.J. Harvey phase.

A portrait of the champion of plastic surgery - second only to Joan Rivers. I also at one time owned the music store stand-up cardboard cut-out that I left in my apartment hallway. Someone, in their terror, or good taste, hijacked one night after a party.

Roy Wood as an artist. Even for glam he was always ‘out there’ for me. But, a cover I could never part with.

ManOWar. Always with the misogynist covers! Always in bad taste! But, they’re always so over the top that you have to laugh.

Just as I did in last year’s celebration, I’d like to now feature a few of my rare Beatles related disks. Don’t bother to bid – though I need the cash, I would never let them go.

The first bootleg. Breath and stand in awe as I did when I picked it up for about $50 as a kid.

The alternative White Album. Rare, but can be had if you look around a bit. The bootleg has been bootlegged many a time. But, this is the original.

The John and Yoko classic ‘Two Virgins’. A real prize for me. I have TWO of these unopened! I’ll spare you the front cover showing the private parts and show you a rock star bum. Outrageous in its time and a must-have for Lennon fans.

After being forced to repackage, they smartly decided upon a brown bag approach. Again, I also have TWO of these unopened.

I’m not qualified to critique an avant garde artist, so I never understood Yoko’s approach of putting the bloodied glasses of her assassinated husband on the cover of her album called ‘Season Of Glass’. But, there it is.

And now, for totally frivolous reasons, I present a small sampling from my ‘off the wall’ collection.

Get it? I ‘dig’ chicks? Get it?

Let’s close out with a hearty ‘Aloha!’ from Jimmy in Hawaii during the festive Christmas holiday. A ‘must own’, never to be throw away disk of goodness.

Be sure to get out there, beginning with The Hits Just Keep On Coming portal, and celebrate with all, who are enjoying the 131st anniversary of the phonograph during Vinyl Appreciation Day!