Category ODDS & SODS
ALBUM COVERS | YESTERDAY’S PAPERS?
May 10th marks the second anniversary of Vinyl Connection. Two years of weekly long-form posts with a second mid-week item more often than not. Over 180 posts in all; some 140,000 words. The statistics page reveals that there have been over 28,000 page views and greater than 1,000 ‘Likes’. So roughly every thirty-or-so ‘looks’ produces […]
DO YA THINK I’M SEXY
The sun came out after a wet gloomy weekend. Some coloured vinyl quickly disrobed and primped and preened in the sunlight; the Hasselblad was loaded and a roll of film munched. Pout baby Roll over Ooh Give it to me… And here it is. So, do ya think I’m sexy? ‘Like’ = ‘Yes’ JONAS MUNK Absorb Fabric Cascade […]
HOT CROSS SONGS
There are certain sounds and rhythms that grab you tight and shake. Think The Kinks ‘You really got me’ with that distorted, snarling guitar or the irresistible loping boogie of ‘On the road again’ by Canned Heat. The first pop song I ever clocked as having a reference to religion combined – or perhaps appropriated […]
TIME OF THE PREACHER
In the mid-80s I shared a house in Kensington. That’s not the Kensington next to Hyde Park in London. It’s the inner city village adjacent to North Melbourne, squeezed between Flemington Racecourse, the railway line, and the Maribyrnong river. It was a good time. Ali and I got on well, sharing some commonalities –uncommunicative mornings, […]
ANOTHER COVER ART QUIZ (QUIZ #2)
The first of these quizzes was well received, so it is time for another. * Here are 12 album covers (CD sized) sitting on top of an LP. How many of the 13 Albums and Artists can you name? * To allow folk in different time zones to participate, here is the one rule: ONLY TWO COVERS PER […]
DARK SIDE OF THE WHOM?
Since publishing our recent feature, co-authored with special guest contributor Gromit, there has been a flurry of activity at the Vinyl Connection letters desk. Here is a selection. * G’day mate. Got this really unusual album, released in 2009. Sort of punky energy with some really wild squalls of noise above deep underlying grooves. There’s a […]
GONG EST MORT
There was a time when one of Vinyl Connection’s favourite recreations was reading a print biography of an artist while concurrently working through their catalogue of recordings. Soundtracking a music journey, you could say. Genesis, Fleetwood Mac, Zappa – all have provided entertaining reads and enjoyable playlists. A more recent print adventure was the idea […]
HOLIDAY HUNTER
Summer at Vinyl Connection often means a beach holiday, preferably with some walking options nearby to satisfy the more active half of the VC partnership. This year we have just returned from ten days in Gippsland, a coastal region two hours south-east of Melbourne. When the weather does not shout ‘Beach!’, we visit various towns and […]
DON’T STOP ‘TIL YOU GET ENOUGH
So here is the Vinyl Connection New Year’s Resolution: To post a weekly diary of all – I mean all – new music arrivals at Base Camp Connection. The good, the bad (as in “that’s really, bad, man”) and the ugly. It’s been tried before and lasted two posts, there has been a holiday edition, even an […]
SHINE ON — 2014 DEPARTURES [COVERART #60]
“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more” Players who departed in 2014 included… * Rik Mayall [March 7, 1958 – 9 June, 2014] Tommy Ramone [January 29, 1952 – July 11, 2014] Doc Neeson (The Angels) [January 4, 1947 […]
IT’S IN THE BAG! [QUIZ #1B]
Vinyl Connection acquired 12 albums this year (1) . Here you can find each one in its original carry bag (2). The simple task, dear Friend of Vinyl Connection, is to name the Artist and the Album. The albums span every decade from the 60s to the 00s (3). * PLEASE DON’T post answers in Comments […]
WHERE TO, MATE?
Having passed 150 posts, written nigh on 100,000 words about some eighty different artists across 200+ albums, I found myself wondering, ‘Where to next?’ Then I thought, why not ask Vinyl Connection readers? The democratic flavour of this strategy appealed. How then, to proceed? Now one way would be to post the entire Vinyl Connection catalogue and ask for suggestions […]