The Classic Vinyl Record

I have talked a lot about why records sound better, and about some of my favorite albums, but I have never talked about how to clean and care for your vinyl albums. The main reason most people don’t like the sound of vinyl is because they have only listened to dirty records. Dirt and dust get in the grooves and that’s what causes the pops and clicks that are associated with vinyl records.

The above picture is from an electron microscope from the University of Rochester. It shows the dirt and grim that collect on the grooves of records. You don’t want this.

The best way to clean a vinyl record is to buy a record cleaning machine. The Moth MKII is a good one to use, as it is a vacuum powered cleaner.

You can find the Moth record cleaner at Juno.co.uk. Using a record cleaner is the best and most effective way to clean a vinyl album. However, it is a bit expensive for the casual listener. So there are more options for those not willing to spend the money, however, the quality of cleaning goes down from here.

The next option is to use a solution and brush to remove the junk from the records. You can use homemade solutions, such as water and a tiny bit of gentle dish soap (with no moisturizer); or you can use 90% isopropyl alcohol, NOT rubbing alcohol. You can usually find some cleaner at your local record shop too. Use this with a clean dry  fabric preferably a cloth diaper. Rub the record with the grooves a few times in both directions to get the junk out. Make sure that the record is completely dry before you play it. Also make sure that you do not get the label wet.

While doing all of this, handle the record by the edges, and don’t touch the grooves with your fingers. Touching the records wrong is one of the biggest reasons why they get dirty.

Another important item to have is the proper sleeve for your records. Whenever I buy old records, especially if they are at a flea market or something, they are usually missing the inner sleeve. Or they have one made of paper. Paper degrades over time and leaves dust in the grooves. You can get a pack of 50 inner sleeves for about $15-$18. These will not degrade and also help in reducing static.

I also use an anti static cleaning brush every time I play a record. This doesn’t take the place of a good cleaning, but it helps keep off surface dust and can keep cleaned records cleaner a lot longer.

I love the sound of vinyl, but I don’t love the pops and crackles that come with dirty records. I have read comments of people on the internet say that they like the cracks and pops, and I think that many of them have no idea what a good, clean vinyl record should sound like.

I have already talked about the Journey album Escape, so here is Frontiers, which was the next album released by Journey after Escape in 1983. Frontiers was Journey’s second biggest selling album.

I am not a big fan of American Idol. I am one of those people who watch the auditions just to see how bad people can be. However, if you watch American Idol, you know Randy Jackson, and may be surprised to learn that he played bass on two tracks for this album.

Frontiers was a big hit for Journey, and spawned 4 Top 40 songs.

• Separate Ways at #8
• Faithfully at #12
• After the Fall at #23
• Send Her My Love at #23

These 4 songs helped the album reach #2 on the Billboard chart, and to sell more than 6 million albums.

One of the reasons I like Frontiers, is that there is a lot more keyboard playing on it. Well, I also like it less for that same reason. I am a keyboardist, so I enjoy it when rock bands use more, but at the same time, bands that start using more keyboards than guitars soon stop being rock bands. The reason for more keyboards is that Jonathan Cain helped write a lot more music, and had a lot more influence than on previous albums.

Journey – Frontiers Track Listing

Side 1

1. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) MP3

   Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

2. Send Her My Love
3. Chain Reaction
4. After The Fall
5. Faithfully

Side 2

1. Edge of the Blade
2. Troubled Child
3. Back Talk
4. Frontiers
5. Rubicon

I included Separate Ways MP3 even though it’s probably way overplayed on the radio. It’s a good rock song, even with the keyboards, and it’s still a good example of Journey.

If you want to buy this album, you can find Journey – Frontiers album at Musicstack. You can also buy this album on Amazon.

I have always been a moderate fan of Rush. I say moderate, because regular Rush fans (usually drummers) tend to be extremely passionate about them.

Rush is one of those bands that dabbled in progressive music, but never fully became progressive, especially in their later years. This album, though, is considered to be an essential masterpiece of progressive music by ProgArchives.com.

Moving Pictures was one of Rush’s biggest successes, because (in my opinion) they started to drift from prog to more commercial and radio friendly music. In spite of this, Moving Pictures is still a great album. The album went quadruple platinum in January of 1995. It also went to #3 on the Billboard Pop Album charts.

Rush – Moving Pictures Track Listing

Side  One:

1. Tom Sawyer
2. Red Barchetta
3. YYZ
4. Limelight

Side Two:

1. The Camera Eye
2. Witch Hunt
3. Vital Signs

I know it may be cliche, but here is Tom Sawyer for your listening pleasure (you need Flash for this):

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

If you want to own Moving Pictures by Rush on vinyl, check out Musicstack. You can also find it at Amazon.

In 1986, Graceland by Paul Simon was one of the biggest albums released. It hit #3 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the UK charts. It also got a Grammy for Album of the year, and one for Graceland as song of the year.

After not having much success, Paul Simon came out with Graceland, which he had recorded in South Africa using Black South African musicians (during apartheid). Because of this, there is a lot of local influence in the record, especially since Ladysmith Black Mambazo was a featured group on a few of the songs.

Also on the album were Linda Ronstadt, The Everly Brothers, Los Lobos (who later sued Simon for taking credit for the song “All Around the World or The Myth of Fingerprints” which they claim they wrote) and Ghanaian drummer Okyerema Asante.

I think this album is so good because it’s not just one style, Simon took artists of different styles and blended them together that you have to love. It might sound strange when you look at some of the other music I’ve talked about on here, but I do like Simon and Garfunkel, and I love this album.

One of my favorite songs is “You Can Call Me Al”, the music is great, but the video with Chevy Chase is even better.

Graceland Track Listing

Side 1

1. The Boy in the Bubble
2. Graceland
3. I Know What I Know
4. Gumboots
5. Diamonds of the Soles of Her Shoes

Side 2

1. You Can Call Me Al
2. Under African Skies
3. Homeless
4. Crazy Love Vol. II
5. That Was Your Mother
6. All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints

Bonus on the CD reissue

1. Homeless (Demo)
2. Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes (Alternate Version)
3. All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints (Early Version)

Here is a sample of the album with Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes featuring Ladysmith Black Mambazo (you need Flash to play it).

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

You can buy Paul Simon – Graceland at Musicstack or at Vinyl on Amazon, or on CD, DVD or MP3 on Amazon.

Merry Christmas from the Classic Vinyl Record.

This Christmas tree was made from old vinyl records and is located at Galen Hall Corp. in South Heidelberg Township, Reading PA.

It’s time to pull out all of the old Christmas vinyl, such as this Johnny Mathis Christmas album, and give it a listen.

Here is a staple of classic rock radio. Billy Squier’s ‘The Stroke’ has been played and played so much, it is almost one of those songs you start to tune out. However, this doesn’t change the fact that it is a good song, and a great album.
The Stroke went to #3 on the Mainstream Rock charts, and helped the ablum reach #5 on the Billboard album charts and stay on the charts for 111 weeks.

Don’t Say No also went triple platinum, because in addition to The Stroke, there were also great songs like In the Dark, My Kinda Lover, and Lonely is the Night.

If you have Flash installed, you can listen to the MP3 of Lonely is the night.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

This was Squier’s (you think it would be spelled Squire, but it isn’t) second album, and one of his most popular. The biggest reason for it’s success is the song The Stroke. It really isn’t what you think it is about. It’s about the recording industry, where record execs want another “stroke”, or hit song. They don’t really care about artists, just hit songs and money. The song is, however, an innuendo. You are supposed to see the parallel between what you think it’s about, and record companies.

You can buy this album on vinyl at Musicstack. You can also buy the CD or download it at Amazon.

Wish You Were Here is probably my favorite Pink Floyd Album. I love Dark Side of the Moon, but Wish You Were Here just edges it out with Shine On You Crazy Diamond.

WYWH is the 7th album by Pink Floyd. Recorded in 1975, much of the subject matter is about Syd Barrett. His drug use and mental problems forced him to leave the band.

I have an original pressing of this album, and which is cool since the supply didn’t keep up with the demand.

The album also has a lot to do with the music industry and the feeling of the band towards each other.

WYWH went to #1 on both the UK album chart and the Billboard Pop album chart, and #2 on both the Austrian and Norwegian album charts. It went 6 times platinum in 1997.

It can be misleading to those who have never heard the album before because it only has 5 tracks.

Wish You Were Here track listing;

Side One

1. Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Parts I – V)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

2. Welcome to the Machine

Side Two

1. Have a Cigar
2. Wish You Were Here
3. Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI – IX)

Buy Wish You Were Here on vinyl at Musicstack. Just click on Wish You Were Here in the description on the page and you will find many sellers of this album. It is worth every penny.

WYWH is also at #209 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

I am a big fan of progressive rock, and no prog-rock collection is complete without Yes. I have already reviewed Relayer by Yes.

Yessongs is a 3 disc (vinyl record discs) collection of live concert recordings. It was recorded during the Close To The Edge tour, and was released in 1973.

Yessongs features extended solos by most of the band, except for Jon Anderson and the (at the time) new drummer, Alan White. Because it is 3 discs, it has a lot more album art as you open it up. Of course, this art is done by Roger Dean, the legendary Yes album artist.

On the charts, Yessongs hit #7 in the UK, and #12 in the US. It also went Platinum in April of 1998.

Yessongs Track Listing

Side One

1. Opening (excerpt from ‘Firebird Suite’)
2. Siberian Khatru

   Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

3. Heart of the Sunrise

Side Two

1. Perpetual Change
2. And You and I

Side Three

1. Mood for a Day
2. Excerpts from ‘The Six Wives of Henry VIII’
3. Roundabout

Side Four

1. I’ve Seen All Good People
2. Long Distance Runaround/The Fish (Schindleria Præmaturus)

Side Five

1. Close to the Edge

Side Six

1. Yours Is No Disgrace
2. Starship Trooper

Yes was one of those bands, along with Genesis, that were responsible for bringing prog rock to the masses. Without them, our music would be bland today (of course, I think most of the pop music today is bland). If you are into Yes, but don’t have Yessongs, you need to buy it at MusicStack. They play these songs a bit differently live than they do in a studio, and it is a great album.

With the passing of Michael Jackson, an musical legend and era has ended. You didn’t have to really like Michael Jackson or his music, but you had to respect what he accomplished in his musical career.

My brothers and I all remember where we were when we first saw the Thriller video. It was in the basement at a friend of our parents house. They had cable and MTV (which my parents didn’t get until a few years ago).

Many people are buying albums by Michael Jackson, but some of you may want vinyl records. You can buy Michael Jackson vinyl records at Musicstack.

Led Zeppelin is one of those bands that I just don’t listen to very often. I haven’t played this record in probably over 2 or 3 years. Don’t get me wrong, I like Zeppelin, but they are a band that has a few songs that get massively overplayed by classic rock radio stations.

Led Zeppelin’s first, self-titled album (also known as 1) is a great album. It has songs on it that have lasted over these last 40 years. “Good Times Bad Times”, “Communication Breakdown” and of course “Dazed and Confused”. You can buy Led Zeppelin – 1 at Musicstack.

But Zeppelin is more than just the 10 songs or so that you hear on the radio. They were a rock band on the verge of metal (for the time) and were heavily influenced by blues. They also had the musical abilities to pull off just about any style they wanted. Jimmy Page actually learned how to play the 10 string steel guitar just for a song on this album, “Your Time is Gonna Come”. That is amazing.

It originally received some bad reviews when it was released in 1969, however, it’s obvious that no one listened to the reviews. The album went to #6 in the UK and #10 in the US. It has also gone 8X multi-platinum in the US. Rolling Stone named it #29 on it’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Wikipedia says;

Led Zeppelin’s [album] cover, which was chosen by Page, features a black-and-white image of the burning Hindenburg airship. The image refers to the origin of the band’s name itself: when Page, Jeff Beck and The Who’s Keith Moon and John Entwistle were discussing the idea of forming a group, Moon joked, “It would probably go over like a lead balloon”, and Entwistle allegedly replied, “…a Lead Zeppelin!”

If only all great ideas were that easy.

The track listing is as follows;

Side One:

1. Good Times Bad Times
2. Babe I’m Gonna Leave You
3. You Shook Me (MP3 available with Flash)

   Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

4. Dazed and Confused

Side Two:

1. Your Time is Gonna Come
2. Black Mountain Side
3. Communication Breakdown
4. I Can’t Quit You Baby
5. How Many More Times

“You Shook Me’ and “I Can’t Quit You Baby” are perfect examples of the blues influence on Led Zeppelin. Both were written by Willie Dixon. “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” was written by Anne Bredon.