Author Archives: Vinyl Connection
DEACON DAN
Over the past two-and-a-half years, Vinyl Connection has avoided writing about many of its long-term favourite albums. How to put the love into words? Can something fresh be discovered? Steely Dan’s sixth album is a case in point. It has long been a favourite —as seen in those troublesome ‘Best’ lists— yet I have baulked […]
MINIMAL RAINBOW
From an imagined podcast… It is generally agreed that ‘minimal music’ appeared in the mid-60s, arising out of the US avant-garde scene in which John Cage was a principal figure. Most writers and commentators, Sitsky for example, list La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich and Philip Glass as the key composers. A study of […]
INCOMING! [EARLY EDITION, SPRING 2015]
Here is a selection of the music that has crossed the threshold of the Vinyl Connection den of musiquity this month, with some notes on the why-s and wherefores. ♦ The Nice – Ars Longa Vita Brevis [1968 / Let Them Eat Vinyl, 2014] The second album by the sometimes psychedelic, proto-prog band who were by […]
’77 JAZZ FUNK STRIP
Jazz has nearly as many sub-genres as metal, and that is really saying something. Having stumbled across the jazz-funk of The Crusaders in the early 80s, I began exploring this laid-back but groovy territory, finding it an enjoyable late-night adjunct to the frantic fusion I’d been fuel-injecting for nearly a decade. So I accumulated albums […]
FAVES AND WAVES
Some time in mid-1999, a music-mate and I decided to compile our one hundred ‘Best Albums Of All Time’ lists to celebrate the end of the millennium. To make things more interesting, a handful of other friends and acquaintances were invited to do the same. As you might imagine, there was considerable discussion (if not […]
12 MORE HANDY ALBUM COVERS
In the grand Vinyl Connection tradition of beating an idea to death, we present part two of the album-covers-adorned-with-hands series (Part One is here). Again, these were chosen for variety but hopefully with a pleasing flow and some sort of unity of vision. Like the seemingly endless ‘Car’ cover posts, this one could also go on […]
LISTENER’S DIGEST #1: BJH, JT, MUTTON BIRDS, BLOSS & SCHULZE
While we love celebrating album cover art here at Vinyl Connection, it’s worth remembering that those sleeves contain records (or, ahem, CDs). So for this first edition of (yet another) occasional feature called “Listener’s Digest” I have chosen four albums that appeared in Album Cover posts over recent months. Variety being the ear-spice of musical life, […]
ART ON YOUR SLEEVE #3 – JETHRO TULL
An occasional series featuring LPs boasting ‘fine art’ on their covers, with commentary on the music and something about the art. #3 JETHRO TULL – Minstrel in the Gallery [1975] THE MUSIC After the patchy but commercially successful Warchild (#2 in the US), Jethro Tull’s eighth album was an energetic and consistently excellent return to form. Combining […]
10 HANDY ALBUM COVERS
A corny title, certainly. Yet possibly better than the second choice: 10 DIGITALLY ENHANCED LP COVERS. But what variety! New Age electronica, a krautrock classic, fusion, prog, an ex-Beatle, stains, dirt, x-rays and soap. Enjoy the covers, share faves, wonder about the music… * THE ALBUMS Passport – Ataraxia [Atlantic, 1977] Bo Hansson – Lord of the […]
FOUR MOMENTS IN POOLE
“I’ll be in meetings all day but you can take the car and go exploring.” My friend Jo was zooming down the M3 from London towards the coast, expertly nipping in and out of traffic and dodging belching lorries as I sat in the passenger seat feeling very much on the other side of the […]
9 VINYL HUNTER GATHERER POSTCARDS FROM ENGLAND
In the midst of a busy schedule of family activities and social re-connections here in merry old England there has been little time for listening or writing, so no words this week. But the committed Vinyl Hunter Gatherer will find ways both direct and devious to slink off to Charity shops or “accidentally” stumble into music shops […]
8 CAR COVERS – FROM THE INSIDE
The last instalment (for the time being) on ‘car’ themed album covers. This one was inspired by Victim of the Fury‘s suggestion of the Minutemen album. Got me thinking, are there other sleeves with a view from inside the car? Here are the ones I found… * THE ALBUMS Béla Fleck – Drive [Rounder, 1987] […]
