I'm a bit of a hoarder. I'll be the first to say it. From band shirts to CD's, I realise that I like things, no matter how much I'm told by my friends and family that I really should be putting my money elsewhere. I know, let me have my fun while I don't have a mortgage. Something I splurge on a lot is Vinyl records, and I thought it would be cool to break down my collection on my blog, tell some cool stories, and show some cool pictures of the records I have, so enjoy - and there are going to be a lot of parts to this, so like my 'favourite albums' posts they'll appear whenever and wherever - enjoy!
Meteora - Linkin Park - Record Store Day Blue Pressing 2021
I love the idea of Record Store Day. I really think some of the best experiences you can get are in your local record store, not your local HMV even though I spend an ungodly amount of time in mine, I mean your real locally owned record store. They're ran by people who love their music, have a passion for physical tunes, and are nine times out of ten just as passionate about the things you're passionate about. Sadly, in 2021 I was at a family event and couldn't get to my local record store (shout out Empire Records) so though this beautiful blue pressing of seminal Linkin - Park record Meteora had passed me by. Lucky me, my Dad managed to track me down a copy and gave it to me for Christmas - even after faking to me very realistically that he had instead bought me Garry Barlow's Christmas album instead.
All Hope Is Gone - Slipknot - 10th Anniversary Grey Pressing
This image may be painfully low res, but I cannot even begin to describe how lucky I was to snag this awesome variant of an all time Slipknot classic. I got this record when I was huge in my Slipknot phase a few years ago, and was browsing on Depop looking at all things the nine whilst waiting for a train into London. Suddenly it appeared in my feed, a grail of a record that I'd only ever really seen on Ebay for ridiculous amounts of money being sold for £20. I jumped on it instantly, adding it to my basket and checking out in seconds, and waited with bated breath for it to arrive. It's an awesome record, pressed on an almost smoky metallic grey, and comes with an extra CD of the band performing live - overall, it's a very special record that I'm extremely proud to own.
Heartwork - The Used - Clear Splatter
This record was a bit of a rouge choice from me, but one I'm really glad I own. It was another rogue Depop buy, from a band up until this point I had never really heard of, but the album art and the splatter looked so cool that I couldn't resist taking the plunge and picking it up. When I did, the seller told me this copy was a friends and family pressing, with a numbering out of 50 on the reverse, but looking at it after on Discogs, this is just an indies exclusive variant. Nothing as crazy as it was said, but still a cool splatter, and an awesome album. Front to back this is an absolute rager, and as I spun it for the first time I realised I had stumbled upon a really cool record - I've since listened to a lot more from The Used, and realise this record is just a small drop in a very very big discography.
My Chemical Romance - Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge
Now I might be a huge fan of a colour variant, or some insane splatter and whatnot, but yes I do own standard records believe it or not. Three Cheers was my first My Chem record I ever listened to, in around 2019. I had my My Chem phase so late on in my emo stage, a really close friend of mine, who had been a huge fan for years, kept saying 'you should give them a try dude its good shit' but I never really felt the inclination. However, one day, when I had nothing better to do, I gave this record a listen, and instantly fell in love. Not only does it have a kickass storyline that I wish I had written before Gerard Way got the chance, but it has some songs that went on to define the rest of my time at secondary school, with Thank You For the Venom being my firm favourite, and I even considered getting 'fire at will' tattooed on my chest for a while. Kinda glad I didn't if I'm real.
A Head Full Of Dreams - Coldplay - Blue/Pink
Now this album holds a really special place in my heart, because believe it or not, it was my first ever. It was given to me by my Grandparents I want to say around seven or so years ago, when my brother first got his record player. It was a shit little Crosley suitcase player in Orange leather (yup I know) because he was sort of getting into records. I hadn't really thought about owning my own, and this one was my first step into it all. It got me hook line and sinker, not only because I love this album and had just seen Coldplay live, but also because it kickstarted my love for vinyl in the first place. Sadly, it's a little warped these days as when I was younger I had no clue how to store my records safely, but hey, it's still in my collection, and gets the odd play every now and again when I can bear hearing it skip.
So there's something I'm going to keep going with over the next few months, till I'm out of records to talk about, till I eventually pick some more up and can yap about them too. Looking forward to seeing you soon, probably with the review of Frank Turner's new record Undefeated. See you soon!
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