The Finest Vinyl of 2017

Since it has become extremely quiet on this blog lately, you could get the impression that i stopped buying or collecting vinyl records. Well, the contrary. If i count the additions to my collection over the past year, i could've actually posted a daily update for a new (or secondhand) purchase, or some nice older gem from my collection. The sparse blog updates are caused by a big lack of time, and the fact that platforms like Instagram, Twitter or Facebook are simply easier to maintain.

Anyway, it's that time of the year again... time for the 6th edition of The Finest Vinyl, a tradition since 2012.

These are the 17 best new vinyl albums of 2017 according to yours truly:

01. Slowdive - Slowdive [Dead Oceans]
Definitely the best comeback album that's ever been made. Their first after Pygmalion, 22 years ago.
02. Deafcult - Auras [Hobbledehoy Records]
Pure coincidence, but just like last year, an Australian shoegaze band at #2 in this list. Awesome album.
03. LCD Soundsystem - American Dream [DFA]
Best album that James Murphy ever made. Scary Monsters-like guitars all over the place. Love it.
04. Ride - Weather Diaries [Wichita]
Just like Slowdive, it's been 20+ years since the band's last album Tarantula. Weather Diaries is an amazing return to form.
05. Jane Weaver - Modern Kosmology [Fire Records]
Great album. Indie-electronic-motorik-psychedelic stuff from an artist i didn't expect this of.
06. Moon Duo - Occult Architecture Vol.1 [Sacred Bones Records]
The first and the best of the two they released this year. Really a top notch album.
07. Mogwai - Every Country's Sun [Rock Action]
It was a bit of a grower, but it's once again a great Mogwai album. They never disappoint.
08. Secret Shine - There Is Only Now [Saint Marie Records]
They made two albums earlier in the past decade, yet this is definitely the best they released since their debut Untouched in 1993.
09. The Jesus And Mary Chain - Damage And Joy [Artificial Plastic Records]
Just like Ride and Slowdive, JAMC made a superb comeback (first album since Munki in '98).
10. Ulrika Spacek - Modern English Decoration [Tough Love Records]
Their second album, and what a trip it is!
11. Dead Horse One - Season Of Mist [Requiem Pour Un Twister]
Absolutely great second LP from these French psychedelic shoegazers.
12. Black Angels - Death Song [Partisan Records]
A bit poppier than we're used from them, yet still a very solid album.
13. Monster Movie - Keep The Voices Distant [Graveface Records]
Absolutely brilliant new album, and actually their best yet.
14. Brian Jonestown Massacre - Don't Get Lost [A Records]
Quality stuff as always from the very productive mister Newcombe.
15. The Stargazer Lilies - Lost [Graveface Records]
A collection of songs they never released plus some new ones. Dreamy as ever.
16. Moon Duo - Occult Architecture Vol.2 [Sacred Bones Records]
Volume 1's more mellow companion.
17. Thurston Moore - Rock 'n Roll Consciousness [Caroline]
Signature guitar playing, lengthy songs, simply a great album.

No War On Drugs, The National or Queens Of The Stone Age in my list, as you can see. Boring, boring and mediocre, respectively. One that just didn't make it was the Charlatans - Different Days. That annoying song 'The Same House' ruined it. Also Wire - Silver/Lead almost made it. Furthermore i really like Charlotte Gainsbourg - Rest that just came out, but i'm still waiting for my vinyl copy, and i'm only putting albums in my list that i actually own. So: alas. And Fever Ray - Plunge is only out digitally so far, so that wouldn't count either. Probably it'll be in my 2018 list.

2017 can be descibed as the Year of the Comeback Album. Slowdive, Ride and The Jesus And Mary Chain all hadn't released an album in over (or around) two decades.
Not just Moon Duo is appearing twice in the list. Also Christian Savill is: besides playing guitar in Slowdive, he's a founding member of Monster Movie. And Slowdive's Nick Chaplin plays bass on Keep The Voices Distant.


Of course there were also some really good reissues and compilations released in 2017. These were the best ones:

01. David Bowie - A New Career In A New Town [1977-1982] [Parlophone]
This volume in the boxset series is covering what i personally think is Bowie's best period.
02. Swervedriver - Mezcal Head [Music On Vinyl]
Been looking for an orginal pressing for ages. Impossible mission. Now very happy with this reissue.
03. Lilys - In The Presence Of Nothing [Frontier Records]
Finally this 1992 shoegaze cult classic was reissued again, for the first time since 1998!
04. Catherine Wheel - Chrome [Music On Vinyl]
Another rare one that was still on my wishlist. Now finally well available.
05. The Black Ryder - Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride [Fuzz Club]
Such a great album from 2009. Excellent reissue.
06. Catherine Wheel - Ferment [Music On Vinyl]
Of course i already owned an original pressing, but this coloured version on 180 gram is gorgeous (and sounding better).
07. Fujiya & Miyagi - Transparent Things [Impossible Objects Of Desire]
Their debut album, for the first time ever released on vinyl. That was about time!
08. Soundtrack - Singles [Epic]
Essential grunge compilation / soundtrack.
09. Can - The Singles [Spoon Records]
Really nice 3LP set with all the essential Can songs.
10. New Order presents Be Music [Factory Benelux]
Compilation featuring a.o. Section 25, A Certain Ratio and Fujiya & Miyagi. Produced and/or mixed by New Order members.


2018 is around the corner and i look forward to what it will bring, musicwise. There will finally be some My Bloody Valentine reissues (long due!) and likely even a brand new album, and of course i look forward to a new boxset in the David Bowie series. Covering not his best, but certainly nevertheless an interesting period (Let's Dance, Tonight etc.)

Ride - OX4_ The Best Of Ride [12", 2LP]

Now that RIDE has reunited and has just started touring again for the first time since they broke up in '96, this OX4_ THE BEST OF RIDE compilation couldn't have a better timing. Released on red vinyl for the occasion of Record Store Day 2015, and sounding great. I already have the original edition of this release from 2001, but as a pretty big fan of this band -which i'll be seeing two times this year; yay!- i just needed to have this reissue as well.

Label: Rhino
Cat.nr.: 081227955137
Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:
01. Chelsea Girl
02. Drive Blind
03. Like A Daydream
04. Taste

SIDE B:
01. Dreams Burn Down
02. Vapour Trail
03. Unfamiliar

SIDE C:
01. Leave Them All Behind
02. Twisterella
03. OX4

SIDE D:
01. Birdman
02. From Time To Time
03. How Does It Feel To Feel?
04. I Don't Know Where It Comes From
05. Black Nite Crash

Ride - Leave Them All Behind [7", Promo]

Last weekend i've visited the bi-annual record fair in Utrecht again, and this 7" by RIDE was one of my best crate digging finds there. It's a pretty rare Spanish promo for the song LEAVE THEM ALL BEHIND. Both the A and B side have the same lengthy (album) version of the song, by the way.
I'm so excited that this great band will be back together for a tour in spring 2015! There were already rumours that it was going to happen for quite a while. I actually heard it first when i was in London to see Slowdive getting back together in May this year, and i promised to myself i'd make a similar trip to the UK in 2015 if it would happen. But since they planned a show in Amsterdam i can simply hop on the train to see them over here. Bloody brilliant! After My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive and now Ride, who else would i like to see getting back together? I'd say Lush, although i'd perfectly understand in their case that the reason for breaking up might perhaps be still valid for not getting back together anymore again. It would be different anyway. So perhaps Chapterhouse would be a nice alternative.

Label: Warner Bros.
Cat.nr.: 1503 
Year of release: 1992

SIDE A: 
01. Leave Them All Behind

SIDE B:
01. Leave Them All Behind

Mark Gardener - The Story Of The Eye [7"]

I never saw Ride play live back in the days to my deepest regret, and the joy about MARK GARDENER being one of the special guests at the 10th anniversary party of the Sonic Cathedral label in May, was a bit pushed aside by the fact that i'd see Slowdive that evening for the first time in my life. But Mark's show was really good, and i was so happy to hear him play a few Ride songs that evening. I'd so much like to see them reunite! If it would happen, i already made up my mind that this would be another band that i'd go to the UK for, just to see them.  
THE STORY OF THE EYE is a song that was released as a 7" in late 2006, and it was one of the things i bought at the party. Ulrich Schnauss, who also played there, remixed the B-side. A nice little gem, this 7".

Label: Sonic Cathedral
Cat.nr.: SCR002
Year of release: 2006

SIDE A:
01. The Story Of The Eye (Ulrich Schnauss Mix)

SIDE AA:
01. The Story Of The Eye

Ride - Twisterella [7", Promo]

The TWISTERELLA single by RIDE features some songs that are not on any album. I still haven't got the 12" edition at this point, which has all 3 of them, but the 7" promo edition i recently found somewhere at a good price and it has the song Going Blank Again on it. You'd expect it would appear on the album by the same title, but it doesn't. Another nice addition to my Ride / Creation Records collection. Slowly getting there ;)

Label: Creation Records
Cat.nr.: CRE 150P
Year of release: 1992

SIDE A:
01. Twisterella

SIDE B:
01. Going Blank Again

Slowdive / Ride - She Calls / Leave Them All Behind [7"]

Another gem that was high on my wishlist and that i found in Utrecht last weekend: the split 7" single by SLOWDIVE and RIDE. It was released to promote the US tour by these bands back in 1992 (it says "limited edition - tour collectors item" in small letters on the Slowdive side of the cover) and contains SHE CALLS by Slowdive on the A-side, and LEAVE THEM ALL BEHIND (a shortened version of 4:36) by Ride on the B-side. There's cover artwork for both bands, each on one side. The Slowdive side is pictured above, and the Ride side is identical to the 12" EP for the same song:

The single comes on nice clear blue vinyl, and is marked as "promotion / not for sale" on the center label.

Label: Creation Records / EMI / Sire
Cat.nr.: PB 05468
Year of release: 1992

SIDE A:
01. SLOWDIVE - She Calls

SIDE B:
01. RIDE - Leave Them All Behind

Ride - Leave Them All Behind [12"]

LEAVE THEM ALL BEHIND is one of my favourite RIDE songs, as i wrote earlier when i posted about the Going Blank Again album. Last week i came across this 12" and not only is it a welcome addition to my ever growing Creation Records vinyl collection, but also does it feature the song Grasshopper which can't be found on any of Ride's albums. A cool instrumental track of  nearly 11 minutes that i wanted to have on vinyl so badly - but i never seemed to bump into this 12" single. Until last week, in a recordstore in Stockholm. Couldn't let it stay in the crate, obviously.


Label: Creation Records
Cat.nr.: CRE 123T
Year of release: 1992

SIDE A:
01. Leave Them All Behind
02. Chrome Waves

SIDE B:
01. Grasshopper

Ride - Going Blank Again [12", 2LP]

Nowhere may be my favourite RIDE album, but GOING BLANK AGAIN is an absolute beauty as well. And Leave Them All Behind is definitely one of the best songs this band has ever made. Unfortunately, after this album it went only downhill with Carnival Of Light and Tarantula.
Originally, the album came out in 1992. Twenty years later it was the first time ever that it was reissued on vinyl, by a recently launched label called Obscure Alternatives. And they did a really great job with that.

Label: Obscure Alternatives
Cat.nr.: OAR 1108
Year of release: 2012

SIDE A:
01. Leave Them All Behind
02. Twisterella

SIDE B:
01. Not Fazed
02. Chrome Waves
03. Mouse Trap

SIDE C:
01. Time Of Her Time
02. Cool Your Boots
03. Making Judy Smile

SIDE D:
01. Time Machine
02. OX4

Ride - OX4_ The Best Of Ride [12", 2LP]

A nice compilation album, released approximately ten years after RIDE's heyday and named after their hometown Oxford. Although to my personal taste there's about five songs from the band's later period (read: side D) that could've been replaced by older songs from their EP's or first two albums. Anyway, a welcome addition to my Ride collection.


Label: Ignition Records
Cat.nr.: IGN LP14
Year of release: 2001

SIDE A:
01. Chelsea Girl
02. Drive Blind
03. Like A Daydream
04. Taste

SIDE B:
01. Dreams Burn Down
02. Vapour Trail
03. Unfamiliar

SIDE C:
01. Leave Them All Behind
02. Twisterella
03. OX4

SIDE D:
01. Birdman
02. From Time To Time
03. How Does It Feel To Feel?
04. I Don't Know Where It Comes From
05. Black Nite Crash

Ride - Ride EP [12"]

I bought RIDE's self-titled EP together with their Play EP at the record fair in Utrecht. It wasn't cheap, but i've been looking for this 12" for such a long time already that it was well worth it. Drive Blind and Close My Eyes, both featured on this EP, are two of my favourite Ride songs ever.

Label: Creation Records
Cat.nr.: CRE072T
Year of release: 1989

SIDE A:
01. Chelsea Girl
02. Drive Blind

SIDE B:
01. All I Can See
02. Close My Eyes

Ride - Fall [12", EP]

For me, another highlight of my recent purchases at the record fair in Utrecht. One of my favourite RIDE songs, Dreams Burn Down, is featured on this FALL EP. All 4 songs can be found on their Nowhere album as well by the way, so no interesting rare songs or so. Still a brilliant EP with great cover artwork, just like the other Ride EP's.

Label: Creation Records
Cat.nr.: CRE087T
Year of release: 1990

SIDE A: 
01. Dreams Burn Down
02. Taste

SIDE B: 
01. Here And Now
02. Nowhere

Ride - Nowhere [12", LP]

NOWHERE is of course the ultimate RIDE album. Whatever they did after this might have been good (Going Blank Again is also one of my favourite albums), but it never got better than this classic debut full length.
I've been looking for this album on vinyl for a long time, but finally -in December 2010- Rhino in the US decided to re-release it for the first time since its original release on Creation Records in 1990. And they did a great job. Excellent 180 gram quality vinyl, a coloured cardboard inner sleeve, and an embossed band logo front cover:



Great stuff!

Label: Rhino
Cat.nr.: R1 525987
Year of release: 2010

SIDE A:
01. Seagull
02. Kaleidoscope
03. In A Different Place
04. Polar Bear

SIDE B:
01. Dreams Burn Down
02. Decay
03. Paralysed
04. Vapour Trail

Ride - Today Forever [12", EP]

RIDE never really got the attention they deserved. Most people nowadays only know them as "the old band of that guy from Oasis" (Andy Bell) but i personally like this Oxford band 10 times better than the Mancunian lot.
This TODAY FOREVER EP was released after their full length debut Nowhere, which is still one of my favourite albums ever.

Label: Creation Records
Cat.nr.: CRE 100T
Year of release: 1991

SIDE A:
01. Unfamiliar
02. Sennen

SIDE B:
01. Beneath
02. Today

Ride - Play [12", EP, promo]

This EP by RIDE, called PLAY, was released in 1990 on Creation Records. Besides My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive, Ride were definitely one of my favourite bands on Creation Records. This copy was used as a promo for the UK market by Scott Piering's Appearing Promotions publicity consultancy, as can be seen from the sticker that's still on the front. Even the original letter that came with it was still included when i scored it in 2010 at Stockholm's Nostalgipalatset.
Check it below. "Guitar bands are back with a vengeance and the charts are proving it".

Label: Creation Records
Cat.nr.: CRE 075T
Year of release: 1990

SIDE A:
01. Furthest Sense
02. Perfect Time

SIDE B:
01. Like A Daydream
02. Silver