Author Archives: Vinyl Connection
ALBUM COVERS | 7 X 7 INCH — 2
A further selection of 7″ singles with their parent albums, this time featuring a few Aus favourites. * Midnight Oil — Diesel and Dust (1987) + “Beds are Burning” single The back cover of the 45rpm continues the theme, and indeed the photo. * Roger Waters — Radio K.A.O.S. (1987) + “Radio Waves” single Roger’s […]
DRIVE
The real trick in creating a first class film soundtrack is finding the balance between music to support the on-screen vision and an album that holds up to focussed listening on your turntable. Composer and former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Cliff Martinez certainly achieved this delicate feat with his soundtrack to Drive, a high-paced […]
ALBUM COVERS | 7 X 7 INCH
…WITH THEIR PARENT ALBUMS Having never been an avid collector of 7″ singles—or 12″s, for that matter—it was an odd feeling to have seven or eight hundred of the little blighters take up residence in the cupboard. I had no idea my friend Steven had so many. It was rather daunting, as I’m not a […]
THE NATURE OF DAN
It was no secret. Steely Dan fans knew the 1980 LP Gaucho was the last offering from studio perfectionists Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. They’d reached a pinnacle of consummate musicianship with their penultimate album Aja and were done with Dan. In fact, they were done with each other. So the buzz of excitement around […]
SMALLS
LPs by legendary bass players are sometimes less than legendary. Lamentable perhaps, but we cannot avoid this difficult truth. John Entwistle (The Who), Bill Wyman (Rolling Stones), John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin); they rarely bothered the ‘Best Album of the Decade’ lists. Or ‘Record of the Month’. Or even ‘this week’s also-rans’. Who could forget […]
TAKING THEM TO TARKUS
There is nothing like a great three minute single. A song that grabs you, thrills you and then is gone. It’s been the staple of rock and pop music for over sixty years and shows no sign of becoming extinct, as we saw recently with the success of the Nuggets fiftieth anniversary box set. Yet […]
IT’S A KNOCKOUT!
When Jeff Beck died suddenly in January 2023 it sent shockwaves through the rock community. With a career spanning an extraordinary six decades, the legendary British guitarist had numerous groups of his own while always being available for collaborations. Over the years he worked many times with pal Rod Stewart, while also lending his six-string […]
FLIGHT OF THE BIRDMAN
When thinking of pivotal Australian punk bands, two shine brightly enough to burn your eye. Having some affinity with the vibrant UK scene, The Saints are perhaps better known internationally. Yet in terms of sheer power and energy Radio Birdman are certainly their equal. Formed in Sydney by Rob Younger and US born Deniz Tek, […]
ON A MISSION FROM GOD
When they first wrote and performed comedy sketches on the US television show Saturday Night Live, it is unlikely that John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd had any inkling their alter egos—“Juliet” Jake Blues and his brother Elwood—would take on a life of their own. With crumpled thrift-store suits, ever-present sunglasses and a briefcase of harmonicas […]
WATCH THAT MAN
David Bowie’s performance personas were many and varied. They were a source of endless fascination to his fans and a reflection of his restless creativity. From glam icon Aladdin Sane to the soul man of Young Americans, from the Thin White Duke to Scary Monsters’ Pierrot, the artist born David Robert Jones was as adventurous […]
ALBUM COVER SPECIAL: IN THE CAN
Sadly, Can The Can doesn’t get a guernsey. Still, there are a number of other LPs that deploy the humble tin can on their covers. Here is a selection. * The debut from Britain’s blues outfit came out in 1968 and reached #12 on the UK albums chart. The band were formed by Stan Webb […]
1973 COUNTDOWN: #1
US AND THEM: WHY ‘DARK SIDE OF THE MOON’ IS STILL IMPORTANT First published at Discrepancy Records; updated December 2023. * GENESIS David Gilmour, guitarist and latter day captain of the dreadnought known as Pink Floyd, remembers a gathering at Nick Mason’s home in November 1971. The meeting was memorable as it was when Roger […]
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