Vinyl Me Please Essentials
- Thread starter Captainfog
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Goatfish
Well-Known Member
Turbo
Well-Known Member
U.F.O. is a pretty good album and a fine pick. I realize not everyone likes the same kinds of music. I personally loathed (seriously, that much) Panda Bear, TV On The Radio and Beachhouse. But I can see how they have a following and they're fine picks. Though I also know that I'm probably odd in my tastes - for example I actually quite liked Tennis and played it a lot (scratched that Yacht rock itch somehow) .
U.F.O. is one of those crate digger discoveries first released on LITA about 8-10 years ago. I picked it up on CD at the time and played it a fair bit. I was listening to late 60s psych a bunch in those days.
That said, I won't be picking it up this month. I kind of had my fill of it back then. Will probably stick around anyway.
The LITA discovery I would have loved to see and is an absolute essential in my book (fight me
) is the Rodriguez LP. Great story, great music. I guess most people already know it because of the Oscar-winning documentary. Do most people have it already? Anyway, I love that album but never upgraded from the CD. Seems like another repress is coming out this month so I'll likely finally get it. Copies have been expensive when I looked sporadically over the last year.
U.F.O. is one of those crate digger discoveries first released on LITA about 8-10 years ago. I picked it up on CD at the time and played it a fair bit. I was listening to late 60s psych a bunch in those days.
That said, I won't be picking it up this month. I kind of had my fill of it back then. Will probably stick around anyway.
The LITA discovery I would have loved to see and is an absolute essential in my book (fight me
) is the Rodriguez LP. Great story, great music. I guess most people already know it because of the Oscar-winning documentary. Do most people have it already? Anyway, I love that album but never upgraded from the CD. Seems like another repress is coming out this month so I'll likely finally get it. Copies have been expensive when I looked sporadically over the last year.
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ohcalebbeck
Active Member
Best Vinyl Records - 52 Essential Albums to Own on Vinyl
Whether you're already an avid record collector or not, there are some albums you just need to have on vinyl. We at Vinyl Me, Please curated a list of the top 52 albums to own on vinyl.www.vinylmeplease.com
Woah I remember reading this article forever ago. Was it up when youth lagoon was AOTM? I think this article may have been the first VMP thing I ever read.
Funny that years later and a collection 5x what it was back then and I only have 1 more of the albums one their list than I did before.
SanSeattle
Member
Am I missing something or how does this qualify as the VMP definition of "psychedelic"? Not bad at all, but it just sounds like folk to me. Donovan sounds like the 13th Floor Elevators compared to this guy.
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I’m Just Ken
The Man Behind The Tan
If the description is coming from Storf, there’s a good chance of it not being accurate.
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It may not be your thing, but Jorge is widely considered to be a proper classic.
Despite swapping way more than I've kept over the past couple of years I've long maintained arguing over what is essential is completely pointless. The ROTM is deemed essential by VMP, that's all that matters. It's completely subjective, what they love will be different to what I love which will be different to what you love. There is no magic formula they should be using, for example you don't like the Experience and say it's too obscure yet that was one of the the most popular ROTMs at the old forum.
They're never going to please everyone all the time. It's a record, you might love it, you might not. UFO is hard pass for me.
It’s the level of misses for me and the profile of records and the end of repressing leading to no worthwhile swaps that has left me feeling I’ve left a record club where I was previously happy with the misses because I could swap for something good and sure they have to mix it up to thinking I’ve left a record club and joined a posing hipster club. That’s fine if that’s where they want to go but they’ve left me behind and I won’t be alone, such obscure picks, and sorry they are obscure whether you like them or not, will alienate more that they will attract. Call it essentials, call it VMP picks, call it our favourites it’s their headline track, it needs to maintain a certain profile as it’s their biggest advertising and retention tool.
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If I run out of swap options then I'll quit too.
Again, it might not reflect what you think is essential, but that not necessarily reflect what other people think. I refer back to your criticism of their recent funk album by Experience. The old forum was overwhelmingly in support of that pick and I'd say your reaction was very much in the minority.
I think UFO is shit, I've no interest in owning it whatsoever, but if VMP think it's essential then... **shrug**
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Obviously, If the majority of record buying public think their picks are rubbish then they'll go bust. They'll live and die by their selections.
But the essential tag is really subjective and if they think something deserves to be on their essentials list then it does, but that doesn't mean I have to like it or even agree with them.
But the essential tag is really subjective and if they think something deserves to be on their essentials list then it does, but that doesn't mean I have to like it or even agree with them.
Yeah see this forum is an echo chamber to a degree. We are all music nuts and may come to conclusions on albums that are not those of the wider music buying population, never mind the general public.
What I will say though is none of my criticisms are based on “don’t like this”. I think that there are plenty of intelligent people who have made, and will make, great arguments for all three picks. I honestly don’t know enough about the genres, beyond them not being my thing, to pass a fair critique. The only album I’ll outright call shit is Phoenix because I know that genre and know how much better they could have done.
My issue is that all 3 are pretty obscure. By all means pick the odd different genre/artist but it, to me, seems an almost aggressively obtuse strategy to put all 4 in a 5 month period in the first 9 months of the year. I don’t see why they wouldn’t try to take a more strategic approach to dropping them in.
No true but it doesn’t mean I have to sit quietly and go “oh aren’t they doing a good job picking all these obscure albums I don’t want...”
Selaws
Well-Known Member
Just to tag onto this debate, I almost always dismiss the Essentials nowadays. Im in the situation where I fully expect to pass on it, and if it happens to be something I like im usually pleasantly surprised.
The Classics is where its at for me, and theres been multiple times where I think some of those picks could easily have been picked as the Essential release regardless of personal preference to the genres (Stan Getz / Charlie Byrd, Alice Coltrane, John Lee Hooker maybe?).
I personally think their 'Essential' picks should somewhat reflect the best selling records list (after all, if that many people consider an album worthy of purchase then surely thats as close to a unified 'essential' pick as we can get?). That doesn't mean I would be happy with every pick, but as @jamieanderson1968 mentioned, earlier picks like Sabbath, Simone, etc seem much more 'well known' (and therefore essential) than some of the recent picks - Jim Sullivan, Phoenix, Experience Unlimited, etc. I do honestly think VMP weighed themselves down by referring to the track as 'essential'. If they had gone with 'VMP Pick' or something then all we would be doing is saying our personal preference isn't lined up with theirs.
The Classics is where its at for me, and theres been multiple times where I think some of those picks could easily have been picked as the Essential release regardless of personal preference to the genres (Stan Getz / Charlie Byrd, Alice Coltrane, John Lee Hooker maybe?).
I personally think their 'Essential' picks should somewhat reflect the best selling records list (after all, if that many people consider an album worthy of purchase then surely thats as close to a unified 'essential' pick as we can get?). That doesn't mean I would be happy with every pick, but as @jamieanderson1968 mentioned, earlier picks like Sabbath, Simone, etc seem much more 'well known' (and therefore essential) than some of the recent picks - Jim Sullivan, Phoenix, Experience Unlimited, etc. I do honestly think VMP weighed themselves down by referring to the track as 'essential'. If they had gone with 'VMP Pick' or something then all we would be doing is saying our personal preference isn't lined up with theirs.
I moved over fr Essentials to Classics as my main track a couple back. Essentials has been way more misses than hits for me this past year so I'd rather just have the option of adding it on instead. UFO seems like a very odd pick though, it's folk rock that never took off and died in obscurity, which is probably cool for hardcore folk people, but for a record club that's ostensibly picking records to appeal to wider demographics with their essentials track? dunno.
That said, I guess this is why they have swaps and the ability to move tracks. And their Classics have been consistently killer.
That said, I guess this is why they have swaps and the ability to move tracks. And their Classics have been consistently killer.
ChristoBee
Well-Known Member
Jorge Ben is not as obscure as you think it is. I get your point for Sullivan & EU, but for Ben, come on, it's not because it's not sung in english that it's automatically obscure ! For what it's worth, it could have been released as a Classics too IMO.
I listened to all 3 tracks last night. UFO is not really a terrible album, It's a short, laid back pleasant listen. I never heard of it and can see myself putting it on for a long car drive maybe. It's not something I want to spend 25+ dollars for a record of though and certainly not Essential to my collection . If I can get it in a Bespoke box for 10 bucks I might grab it. The Roots album is my favorite of the 3 tracks, but Its 12 bucks on Amazon I can't imagine what they'll do to make me shell out another 18 bucks for it. I liked Art Blakey. It seems like a very good Jazz album, but my ear palate really isn't sophisticated enough to tell good jazz apart from bad jazz. So after those 3 I started listening to potential swaps. I never heard of Sleater Kinney so I gave that a shot, the album sounded like every song could be in Orange is the New Black, Wasn't bad, but I don't really want to buy it either . This is the 1st month where I'm struggling a bit to get one pick, I usually get 3, but I'm running low on swap options. Might be time to grab that Rico Nasty or Little Simz album.
tonythegamer
Well-Known Member
Here's a list of exclusives that are releasing in september you can swap to if that at all helps you make a decision
Miami Memory - Alex Cameron
Dawes - North Hills
I think Grace - Jeff Buckley
Kindness - Something Like A War
Hard Core - Lil' Kim
Mariah Carey - Daydream
Paul Cauthen - Room 41
Freddie Gibbs and Madlib - Pinata and Bandana
Shura - forevher
Tanya Tucker - While I'm Livin'
Velvet Negroni - NEON BROWN
Whitney - Forever Turned Around
Thanks. Freddie Gibbs and Madlib - Pinata or Bandana available to swap would be a nice surprise . I'll probably grab Mariah or Kim . I already ordered the Cocaine White version of Paul Cauthen .I guess I don't really need to get 3, I just don't like closing one out because I might miss something I really want the next month,
I don’t think Essentials has been any worse this year than it’s been in the past; it’s always been a mixed bag IMO.
I joined VMP in early 2017 and the single main reason was because they had swaps. I personally always thought it was goofy to let a company have total control of what album subscribers would get each month, which tells you how much I related to “team no swaps.” Needless to say I enjoy the ability to easily switch tracks.
Since sometime last year, my key for minimizing disappointment with VMP has been to stick to only a single record per month. Tbh, De La Soul’s 3FH&R is probably the only album I got from them this year that I’m not happy with (and that’s purely a matter of subjective taste). Every other month I’ve been able to get something interesting from them, although at least twice I’ve had to resort to undisplayed swaps (e.g. Joel Ross).
I’m constantly evaluating the cost/benefit of my membership, and for now it’s worth it to get one (usually overpriced) record per month, plus the possibility of getting one of my white whales as an exclusive once in a blue moon.