sunn - life metal

sunn O))): Life Metal (2019)

Day 10 of the #mayvinylchallenge asks for an album that was a “grower” – something that you didn’t initially respond to but learned to love over time. Rather than a record, I wanted to take a few hundred words to talk about the band I couldn’t wrap my head around for the longest time until circumstance and providence met to change the wiring in my brain. The album was Life Metal, and the band was sunn O))), sonic explorers of the bowel-earth frequencies. Together with its sister album Pyroclasts, I found a music that could cancel the anxiety and chaos churning in my head.

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john coltrane - a love supreme

John Coltrane: A Love Supreme (1965)

Day 9 of the #mayvinylchallenge asks for multiple formats of an album. I’m only too happy to oblige with one of my favorite records of all time, A Love Supreme by John Coltrane. I went from a taped cassette to an original cassette to a CD to the complete masters on CD to vinyl, and that’s not including the multiple version I have of the album performed live in Paris, not to mention the recently unearth expanded performance in Seattle. or the t-shirts, hoodies, and books. And it’s not even my favorite John Coltrane! But I do love it unequivocally, so while I have a few minutes before my flight leaves, let’s talk about it.

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dirt redux

Various Artists: Dirt Redux (2020)

Day 8 of the #mayvinylchallenge asks for a concept or cover album. I thought about a concept album, butane remembered the excellent series of Redux compilations put out by Magnetic Eye Records. Featuring interpretations of fantastic album by a killer stable of heavy artists, there are some fantastic cover songs to heard as the series features covers of Hendrix, Sabbath, and most recently AC/DC to name a few. Dirt (Redux) covers the classic second album from Alice in Chains, and it manages the subtle feat of taking such a singular album and carrying its spirit without being overly mimicking.

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ramones - ramones

Ramones: Ramones (1976)

Day 7 of the #mayvinylchallenge asks about an album with a cool story or “a-ha!” moment. The story isn’t cool, but I did have an “a-ha!” moment when after playing my copy of the debut album from the Ramones I realized that Side B was actually a re-press of Side A, meaning I only got one half the album. When the album is as perfect a rock and roll statement as Ramones is it would be nice to have the entire thing. That was quickly rectified with a great Portuguese pressing, but still…the “a-ha!” was I got shafted. Anyway, no matter: let’s briefly gush about the perfection of this album, shall we?

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bob dylan - blood on the tracks

Bob Dylan: Blood On The Tracks (1975)

Day 6 of the #mayvinylchallenge asks for records that go together, whether on a mixtape or just complement each other. This one may need a revisit down the road, because how do you talk about one of your favorite albums of all time, especially an album as acclaimed and steeped in mythology as Blood On The Tracks, the fifteenth album by Bob Dylan without resorting to cliché and hyperbole? What can you say that hasn’t already been said? Probably nothing, so rather than try I’ll make this one brief and talk about the impressions going through my mind as I take another listen to an album I’ll never get tired listening to.

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dio - sacred heart

Dio: Sacred Heart (1985)

Day 5 of the #mayvinylchallenge asks for a record from where you grew up. I didn’t want to cheat with all of NY, since that opens up all the city, and I definitely did not grow up there. Nope, I’m an upstate boy through and through, so options were a bit more limited. Thank to whatever was in the water in Cortland, NY back in the day because it turned a young Ronald James Padavona into the King of Rock and Roll himself, Dio. And though there are betters options to talk about, the only album I have on vinyl (I’m not counting his work with Sabbath or Rainbow) is his final outing with Vivian Campbell, 1985’s Sacred Heart.

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