10 Vintage Vinyl Records For a Connoisseur
The Art of Collecting: 10 Albums to Add to Your Stash
A solid and dependable vinyl record is always desirable special especially when it comes to listening to your favorite music. From AC/DC and Black Sabbath to Elton John and Michael Jackson — it can be sonic bliss when you spin the wax on some of the world's best turntables.
Whether it’s rock or something else, vinyl beats plastic. Fight me.
Sure, you can download your favorite song, but there’s nothing quite like setting the needle down, rocking out, and then exploring the album packaging for liner notes. You gape at pictures of the band on the vinyl cover and examine the art to cull every single detail.
Here are 10 albums you can add to your collection.
1. Rumors
Rumors includes Fleetwood Mac classics like “Dreams”, “Go Your Own Way”, and “Don’t Stop”, your vinyl collection is nothing without it. Arguably, the Rumors album is Fleetwood Mac’s most famous. Easily one of the best classic vinyl records with its beautiful, sepia-tone cover.
2. Back In Black
More than the album itself, Back in Black is worth being in a collection is its story. AC/DC was on their way up in the ’80s when they released a series of successful records and broke the US with their album Highway To Hell. Set to record the album that would eventually become Back In Black, Bon Scott, their vocalist, was found dead in London. AC/DC announced Brian Johnson as the new singer at the urging of family and friends to continue their music.
3. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Ahh, Bowie. This album commemorates David Bowie’s debut of his most popular and coolest alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. With songs such as “Moonage Daydream”, Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide,” and of course, “Ziggy Stardust” this album is insane. Now imagine the sound as it turns on the record player. Bliss.
4. Paranoid
Heavier, more threatening, and a more nuanced collection of songs — this album from Black Sabbath is a treasure for anyone who likes unsociably loud music. There’s nothing that spells “heavy metal” as much as Sabbath’s second album, Paranoid.
5. The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground is an experimental album that explores taboo topics, from drug abuse to prostitution, and it has since cemented itself as one of the most influential rock albums of all time. Complemented with the haunting yet mesmerizing vocals of Nico and Lou Reed, this self-titled classic record is worthy of being listened to!
6. Live And Dangerous
A double album of live tunes recorded in various locations, Live And Dangerous was recorded in London in 1976, and Philadelphia and Toronto in 1977, with further production in Paris. After Thin Lizzy released seven albums in six years, the hard rock titans decided to rock the world with Live And Dangerous and it.was.a.bomb!
7. Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Brought to you by the Beatles, this genre-blending album infuses a range of influences. Mixing rock ‘n’ roll, vaudeville, avant-garde, and Indian music, this album is a hallmark in music. The iconic album cover artwork is the kind you put in your den where guests can admire the dozens of icons and pop culture figures cramped in it. Rolling Stone magazine has ranked it number 1 in its list of “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”
8. Sticky Fingers
Sticky Fingers was recorded over two years in three locations. The locations include Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama, frontman Mick Jagger’s own country home, and Olympic Studios in London. Sticky Fingers was the first LP by The Rolling Stones to be released on their own Rolling Stones Records. The album is also the first to feature Mick Taylor, who replaced guitarist Brian Jones in 1969.
9. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
With a handful of chart-topping hits, Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road has some of his most famous songs such as “Candle in the Wind,” “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” and “Bennie and the Jets.” With Elton John currently embarked on his very last tour, Farewell Yellow Brick Road which started in Pennsylvania in 2018 and will end in 2023, it would be epic to add this to your collection.
10. Thriller
Google “The world’s best-selling album of all time” —it’s enough reason to make this part of your vinyl record family. Michael Jackson’s Thriller is estimated to have sold 66 million copies worldwide.
Some opinions are that “records have been proven to provide an improved form of sound quality” and “Vinyl records have better sound because they use analog rather than digital”. What we can say is that there is something about the snap, crackle, pop that just makes the experience so much better.
Do you have a specific album in mind? Check out our website, you might find just what you like.