Highlights from My Vinyl Collection, Part 1

Two years ago, I wrote in Treblezine about transferring all of my CDs to a 1 TB hard drive and subsequently selling off the space wasting collection of discs. (Click here for article). Rather than rehashing that entire narrative of sentiments, I'll just say that my passion for collecting music hasn't waned, merely altered direction. Whereas CDs and mp3s on a hard drive don't seem all that different to me, both being fairly cold and impersonal, a reversion to vinyl has rekindled a tactile and tangible love of collecting albums. In this series of posts, I plan to highlight one of the pieces of my collection. This is not meant to highlight any rare items or expensive albums, you would be disappointed. My collection isn't so much based on expensive rarities, but instead, considering the short time I've been building the collection and a student's budget. My aim is not to own as many vinyl albums and singles as I had CDs, but instead to be more selective, to obtain great releases for great prices; not necessarily seeking out particular titles, per se, but instead looking patiently through the racks and letting the collection come to me. This is the first entry with hopefully many more to come.



ELO - Out of the Blue

There is no more of an appropriate title to find in this serendipitous manner than the aptly named Out of the Blue. For a pittance I was able to purchase this double LP, original U.S. release from 1977 (not a reissue), complete with a gatefold poster and an intact perforated cardboard sheet with pieces to assemble an ELO UFO. Yeah, awesome, right? While Out of the Blue might not be the highest critically rated ELO record, it is a landmark album. True, as a double album it's perhaps not as consistent as others int he catalog, but the inclusion of "Sweet Talkin' Woman," "Turn to Stone," and the now ubiquitous "Mr. Blue Sky" makes it well worth purchasing, especially for the price I got. ELO's "Beatles meets space age opera" sound is maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but it sure is mine. I have fond memories of singing their later hit "Don't Bring Me Down" with school friends upon its release in 1979. This album would have been worth it for me to buy even without the surprise extras it came with, but those goodies merely added to the value. This particular album has it all in what I look for in a vinyl purchase, some sentimental value, a great cover (especially important in this larger format), nostalgic credibility, songs I love, and more than affordable.