Vinyl Of The Month – Luno

NOVEMBER: Vinyl Of The Month – Neil Young “Harvest”

luno — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 18:43:11 +0000

This month’s pick earns the spot for three reasons

1. It’s a great album, a bona fide classic. Usually that alone would be enough but….

2. We (that’s myself and Jennifer) just celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary this November 11th and, while the album is one that we both love in pretty much it’s entirety, Heart of Gold has a special place in our hearts as both the song I proposed to her to and the soundtrack to our first dance.

3. It gives us an opportunity to retell Graham Nash of Crosby Stills and Nash’s story about the first time he heard the album. Sure, we install audio systems in bespoke pieces of furniture, Neil Young apparently went a step further;

“I was at Neil’s ranch one day just south of San Francisco, and he has a beautiful lake with red-wing blackbirds. And he asked me if I wanted to hear his new album, “Harvest” And I said sure, let’s go into the studio and listen.

Oh, no. That’s not what Neil had in mind. He said get into the rowboat.

I said get into the rowboat? He said, yeah, we’re going to go out into the middle of the lake.

Now, I think he’s got a little cassette player with him or a little, you know, early digital format player. So I’m thinking I’m going to wear headphones and listen in the relative peace in the middle of Neil’s lake.

Oh, no. He has his entire house as the left speaker and his entire barn as the right speaker. And I heard “Harvest” coming out of these two incredibly large loud speakers louder than hell. It was unbelievable. Elliot Mazer, who produced Neil, produced “Harvest,” came down to the shore of the lake and he shouted out to Neil: How was that, Neil?

And I swear to god, Neil Young shouted back: More barn

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Classic Vinyl Album – Frank Zappa – Hot Rats | LUNO

luno — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 11:28:51 +0000

This tribute to one of the all time greatest musicians, and in my opinion of of his finest albums, won’t even approach honoring this genius’ groundbreaking achievements or introduce him to you in a way in which he deserves. Frank Zappa’s music and his records can only be experienced, any attempts to classify or categorize him, or even describe what the experience of listening to Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats is like will fail miserably. There are so many places we could start with his prolific and amazing catalog of music, but because this is how I learned about him, and discovered what it was he was tapping into, it’s the only way I can leave you a bread crumb trail to explore what remains an extremely visionary recording almost 50 years after its original release. A record and artist so far ahead of his time, that many of us are just starting to catch on after all these years. Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats is an incredibly experimental work, that is almost classically symphonic in nature, and for some who pick up this amazing LP, they’ll liken it more to jazz and rock, but honestly it goes beyond and shatters the conventions of each of those styles, and somehow becomes one of the most immediate and dare I say addictive records you will ever purchase. There are moods and feelings showcased here that are so nuanced and beyond description that the only way to know what I’m talking about is to buy the original vintage analog vinyl album, if you partake in herbal refreshment no one is going to stop you, especially in the states of California, Washington and Colorado, and just clear you mind and be open to let the music take you on a journal unlike any that you’d expect or would be prepared for.

So now that I’ve exercised my evangelical style rant, it’s important for me to point out that this one album is just a drop in the bucket of one of the greatest catalogs of music ever released. His work with the legendary Mothers Of Invention, his collaborations with other incredible artists including Captain Beefheart, Don Van Vliet (who can be heard on Hot Rats), runs a staggering gamut of styles and genres, so much that there are times when you will experience disbelief that all of this music came from the same artist. Do yourself a favor, go out and buy a copy of Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats, play it on an a record console that will do it justice, and make today the first day of the rest of your life.

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Why Vinyl Records are a Big Hit in the UK | LUNO

luno — Sat, 23 Mar 2019 19:05:11 +0000

We know how well vinyl sales in the U.S. have been doing for the past several years, but did you know that vinyl sales in the U.K. are also doing extremely well? According to YouGov, a global public opinion and data company, of the 1,444 people between the ages of 18 and 24 surveyed, 25% bought a vinyl record in the previous month.

Although the 2018 U.K. sales of CDs still led the way in terms of physical music with £289.1 million ($380.7 million USD), sales of vinyl were £91.3 million ($120.3 million USD), which was good enough for second place. It is expected that 4.5 million LPs will be sold in the U.K. in 2019, compared to the 3.2 million which were sold in 2018, and the 3.2 million which were sold in 2017.

So what is the appeal of vinyl among younger people in the U.K.? As popular as streaming services are, they often are not great places to discover new music. Algorithms have biases, and are very good at suggesting music that you might like based on music that you have listened to. Algorithms are not great at helping you discover music that might be in the fringe of your interests that you may feel like you want to listen to. Young people in the U.K. seem to enjoy going to record stores, going through the albums with their creative covers, and finding music that appeals to them.

In an article earlier this month, the Commercial Director at Universal Music, Chris Shiels, noticed this love for vinyl among people in the U.K. between the ages of 18 to 24: “We remain very optimistic about the potential of vinyl. UK music fans clearly love owning music – and especially vinyl,” he says. “At Universal, we will continue to work to bring fans their favourite music with the very best possible presentation that we can, for years to come.”

If music executives are noticing that the love for vinyl is real, and are prepared to offer more vinyl options to consumers, then it’s safe to say that vinyl isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Vinyl records have longevity.

Why not get a HiFi record console?

Order one today at iamluno.com.

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