This list could easily be 60 albums long, but for the sake of brevity I’ve narrowed it down to the records that I’m constantly looking for at my local music stores. There are dozens more that I’ve already tracked down and paid a pretty penny for – including The Soft Boys’ Underwater Moonlight, The Peddlers’ Suite London, the Wild Style soundtrack, The Incredible Bongo Band, and John Phillips’ John Wolfking Of L.A. – that ought to be more readily available on LP.
So if you happen to know somebody who can pull some strings and make things happen, here are a half dozen albums I’d love to see on vinyl, and soon…
Los Lobos * Kiko – Los Lobos have just a couple of albums available on vinyl, and their masterpiece Kiko is not among them. The fact that this album was released in 1992, around the time vinyl was bottoming out, probably explains why it wasn’t issued in the US (it was briefly issued on LP in the UK), but it’s time to re-issue this one on wax.
The Stairs * Mexican R-n-B – There are a few copies of this overlooked early-90’s gem floating around out there – occasionally one will pop up on eBay and fetch upwards of $150. For that kind of dough you could buy the entire Black Lips catalogue on vinyl and still have enough money left over for a night on the town.
Various Artists * The Anthology Of American Folk Music – The few OG copies of this that hit eBay fetch close to $200 apiece. The recent tribute album to the Anthology Of American Folk Music was issued on vinyl, so it can’t be too much to ask for the real deal. This one should definitely be reissued at 78 rpm.
Whiskeytown * Pneumonia – Strangers Almanac only recently received the 180 gram treatment, and Pneumonia deserves the same. Whiskeytown’s sound is so suited for LP, it’s a sin that their albums have had to wait any length of time to be issued on vinyl.
Jerry Lee Lewis * Live At The Star Club, Hamburg – This was recorded in 1964, and could well be the very first punk album of all-time. Lewis was an afterthought at this point in his career, and he takes it out on his piano, forcing his hired band to play catchup at breakneck speed. LP copies will fetch $40+ dollars, on the rare occasions that they surface.
A3 * Exile On Coldharbour Lane – Another album that was released for a heartbeat in the UK, this ultra-rare gem is worth $150-$200 on the open market. But this album was a cult curiosity both before and after A3’s ‘Woke Up This Morning’ was picked up as the theme song for The Sopranos, so it’s probably a longshot for any kind of LP reissue.
*****
Honorable mention for Nick Drake’s Pink Moon, which was recently reissued as part of the vinyl box set Fruit Tree but has yet to be reissued on its own. Predictably, the box set can be had for about $50, while single copies of Pink Moon fetch $40-$45 – only in a free market!
Also, M. Ward recently reissued his first album, the confusingly titled Duet For Guitars #2, so there’s reasonable hope that his best album, Transfiguration Of Vincent, will soon be enshrined in waxy goodness.
Tags: Alabama 3, Anthology Of American Folk Music, Jerry Lee Lewis, Los Lobos, M. Ward, Nick Drake, The Stairs, Whiskeytown
5 May 2008 at 12:37 pm |
It freaks me out how much we think alike sometimes. When buying vinyl I can’t always remember what I have and have not. I purchase multiple copies of Los Lobos By the Light of the Moon but all I really want is Kiko…by far my favorite. I am surprised that the Anthology of American Folk and the JLL in Hamburg aren’t available on vinyl. Tragic. Pink Moon…I did find several new import LPs and some sealed LPs available online. One claims to be a reissue. Thanks for caring. Good to know that you’re fighting the good fight for all of us!
29 November 2008 at 9:14 am |
[...] Friday, the shopping’est day of the year, I thought I’d compile my own list for Santa – another half dozen albums that I’d like to see in LP form [...]