Happy new year! Things get off to a quick start with some great new vinyl releases and reissues this week so here is a quick rundown! Many grains of sand left in the hourglass for the eternal legend IGGY POP, who's back with a typically spunky new pop album called 'Every Loser', with cover art from Raymond Pettibon. Miley sibling NOAH CYRUS delivers her debut album of emotionally resonating folk-pop on 'The Hardest Part', and we get a third pressing of the modern classic 'Long Time Coming' from SIERRA FERRELL, this time on gold vinyl. Playboi Carti affiliate DESTROY LONELY sees his 2022 album 'No Stylist' finally land on vinyl.

The remastered vinyl edition of ELLIOTT SMITH's 1995 self-titled album is back in print, featuring some of his most memorable songs, like 'Needle In The Hay', 'Clementine' and 'The Biggest Lie'. TORI AMOS' classic album 'Little Earthquakes' turns 30 years young with a fresh edition. Erstwhile (and current) Chili Pepper JOHN FRUSCIANTE's 2009 album 'The Empyrean' stands out in his oddball solo catalog, a veritable prog-pop opus, and back in print for the first time in years, alongside the album that more or less kicked the whole country-rock trend off back in the very American year of 1968, THE INTERNATIONAL SUBMARINE BAND's 'Safe At Home', featuring a young Gram Parsons on the mic.

A banner week for jangle rock is ushered in by 'Jingle Jargon' a great new record from FREE TIME, a new-ish Melbourne band featuring members of Scott & Charlene's Wedding and The Twerps. I hadn't heard of GOLD DUST and based on an internet search I may not be alone, but that doesn't mean that the posthumous compilation 'The Late Great Gold Dust' can't find room on your shelf. Lovely artwork on this slab, which reminds heavily of The Lilys and/or Woods, plus liner notes from Parquet Courts' drummer! Midwest melodic rockers FOR AGAINST's 2002 album 'Coalesced' is unjustly overlooked in their lovely discography, likely because it hasn't been on LP until now, plus we've got a restock of the incredible reissue of Michigan dream-poppers AUBURN LULL's 99 debut 'Alone I Admire'.

We independent record shops owe a lot to the longtime standard bearers for quality tunes over at Rhino Records. Every year they roll out a nice selection of essential reissues on limited color wax to start off the year. This week we get the mighty JOHN COLTRANE's early stylistic shift 'Ole Coltrane', the prog-pop perfection of GENESISes 'Selling England By The Pound', the fan-favorite album 'Fragile' from the proto-Animal Collective outfit YES, and a new edition of ZZ TOP's 'Eliminator', ensuring us that 2023 has got legs.

Dig yourself into a proper Sco-hole with elusive vinyl copies of some nice ones from guitarist JOHN SCOFIELD. His 2022 album of solo guitar compositions is now here on vinyl, and the Tone Poet series brings his supergroup with DAVE HOLLAND, JOE LOVANO and AL FOSTER to vinyl for the first time. The heady early 90s had lots of folks experimenting with guitar noise, including none other than PAT METHENY, whose one-off improv album 'Zero Tolerance For Silence' gets a slightly unofficial pressing on vinyl for the first and likely last time. German pianist BENJAMIN LACKNER makes his ECM debut as a leader on 'Last Decade', with Manu Katche on drums.

Emotionally expressive ambient composer CLAIRE ROUSAY's relatively (for her) early cassette release 'A Heavenly Touch' gets a vinyl edition this week, alongside an incredible live document from European percussionist VALENTINA MAGALETTI on 'Batterie Fragile'. A collection called 'Prophet' collects rare recordings of SUN RA's only recordings on the crucial early synthesizer, and Strut delivers a fresh edition of a complete stormer from Afrobeat legend FELA KUTI called 'Afrodisiac'.

Colombian vocalist ELA MINUS teams up with producer DJ PYTHON for an incredible EP of fleet-feeted techno-pop which hopefully previews a much longer release from the pair. The ever-on-top-of-it BROWNSWOOD label puts us on a fresh batch of unheard artists across jazz, electronics, and afro-pop on 'Future Bubblers 6.0'. All BOARDS OF CANADA records are essential, but the one you truly must have is the pitch perfect 4-tracker 'In A Beautiful Place Out In The Country', back in stock for the first time in years! It's been ten years since the release of DJ RASHAD's 'Double Cup', and sadly about the same length of time since his tragic passing. That time has made one thing certain: 'Double Cup' is easily the most influential dance album of the 2010s, its effects rippling through club music and hip-hop production to this very day. We haven't had stock on this beauty for many years so now is the time!

A couple of absolute gems come thru from the local label Nudie Records! Madison's NON TRAVELLIN BAND features Strictly homie Joey Tucci, brother Lue, and former 608-er Luke Gasper. 'Rest In Peace, Hippie' sports not only one of the better album covers (and titles) we've seen in a long time, its also a primo sesh of Pure Phase-styled spiritualization. Gasper is known better in many parts as DEAD LUKE, and we've got his silvery, Revved-up new solo record, 'Hazy Visions Of Bliss', as well. The pivotal punk movie DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION is packed full of early tracks from LA punk legends like Black Flag, the Circle Jerks, Fear, and X, plus we've got a reissue of the doom/noise epic 'Christs, Redeemers' from THE BODY.

In this week's Used Vinyl Alert, we get things started with a nice spread of Jazz, spanning many different eras - you'll find LPs from Jackie McLean, Jack DeJohnette, Chick Corea, Freddie Hubbard, Azteca, Eddie Harris, Bobby Hutcherson, Grassella Oliphant, Jan Garbarek, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Stan Getz, Charles Lloyd, Irakere, Cal Tjader, Thelonious Monk, George Duke, & lots more!

Rock must-haves are in from Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Rush, AC/DC, Beach Boys, Queen, Eric Burdon & War, Bob Dylan, Black Sabbath, & many others, along with some 80s pop / synth pop / industrial from Ministry, The Smiths, Meat Beat Manifesto, & Tones On Tail. Soul is in from Ben E. King, Sam Cooke, The Commodores, Sly & The Family Stone, Mary Jane Girls, & Pointer Sisters (R.I.P. Anita Pointer).

A fantastic selection of blues & folk LPs hit the bins as well, from names like John Fahey, Muddy Waters, BB King, Memphis Slim, Big Bill Broonzy, Billy Faier, King Biscuit Boy, Junior Wells, John Prine, along with a sweet stack of local early bluegrass & country titles.

Staff Top Tens for 2022

Yes, we are still buying! Call Ron to schedule (608.213.3610).