The 75 FROM ’75 Countdown obviously dominated the second half of 2025, yet this did not prevent a steady influx of new records into the Vinyl Connection den of vinyl iniquity. Here are a few highlights.

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JANUARY

One of the first features for Discrepancy Records was the latest solo album from Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. Luck And Strange came out in September 2024 and to the delight of his many fans, was a strong, well constructed LP. Nice work from the veteran who turns 80 in March 2026.

FEBRUARY

La Sabateuse, the 2017 album from British-Bahraini trumpeter Yass Ahmed, was one of my favourite jazz albums of… well, ever. So ordering her 2025 release, A Paradise In The Hold, was a no-brainer. It’s good, very good. Perhaps the only noticeable difference is the absence of the ‘startle’ factor that can add lustre to the discovery of a ‘new’ artist.

MARCH

Almost at the end of the main game in liquidating my friend Steven’s record collection I discovered something really quite exciting. Many know and revere the John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band LP released in late 1970, the bucolic cover shot so at odds with the primal screams within. What I’d never realised was that there was a companion Yoko Ono / Plastic Ono Band album released simultaneously. It is not an easy listen, but I am ridiculously thrilled to have the couple nestled together on the shelves.

APRIL

Doing a Fountains of Wayne feature to accompany and interview/review of a 2025 book on the band was the excuse I needed to get their excellent B-sides and Rarities album on ‘junkyard swirl’ vinyl. ‘Nuff said.

MAY

Although I often—though less often than I’d like—read and enjoy other music blogs, it is not common for me to translate this enjoyment into a vinyl purchase. However Joe Story’s review of Green Lung’s This Heathen Land [2023], in its superb Penguin-inspired jacket, druid-snot coloured vinyl and map of Britain’s ancient sites demanded attention. It’s heavier than my mean rock quotient (these days) but thoroughly entertaining and excellently played. Kind of the lovechild of Uriah Heep and a pagan Alice Cooper.

JULY

There was quite a buzz around a legit release of Pink Floyd’s live At Pompeii MCMLXXII. Having always loved the film and even gone to the ridiculous length of recording and editing the entire soundtrack to burn my own OST CD-R, I did not hesitate. Great package, nice restoration, all good… except I prefer my CD-R with the snippets of interviews and studio talk.

AUGUST

Having culled a couple of copies of my favourite Santana album, chancing across this numbered 2024 MOFI copy offered an opportunity to restock the Caravanserai shelf. I mean, the more you love an album the more copies you need, right?

SEPTEMBER

Been getting more and more into the minimalist avant-garde jazz of Australian trio The Necks. Bleed was released in 2024 and I missed the initial run of green swirly vinyl. Luckily, one turned up at my favourite secondhand record store.

OCTOBER

Stereolab came back from their extended sabbatical refreshed and re-energised. Released in May 2025, this 2LP set is a delight from stem to stern. If you don’t know this ludicrously cool retro outfit, Instant Holograms On Metal Film is—despite that unwieldy title—a fine entry point.

NOVEMBER

An unavoidable birthday (aren’t they all?) resulted in rumination on mortality, mild depression, and some additions to the record library. A pair of Popol Vuh LP re-issues makes the VC holding almost complete.

DECEMBER

A few days after the aforementioned birthday a lovely gift from Paul at Discrepancy, added to the already bulging Tangerine Dream section. An excellent archival release, its electronic waves washed away the disappointment of the live TD concert earlier in the year. And how pretty is that vinyl?

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Wishing all friends, colleagues and fellow music-lovers a safe New Year and a healthy and  melodious 2026.