This is inspired by 
My vinyl collection is not massive. Some of it dates back over 40 years, but there have also been some additions in the last 10 years. I have most of my music on the computer, but it makes a change to use the old deck.
First up is The Fierce and the Dead. I bought this EP on CD a while back and have a signed copy, but when they sold off the last few vinyl copies I could not resist. It is a very good record. Stuart Marshall's drumming is excellent.
It is a single sided disk with some nice artwork on the reverse.
Here is one track from it.
Next up is Steven Wilson. I bought the expensive special edition of his 'to the bone' album that came with a big book, an extra CD and a 7" single of an instrumental tune called Antisocial. This is also single sided and a lot heavier than most singles. I am not totally sure I have listened to it before. It is in a similar vein to more aggressive parts of the album. I am not sure I will buy his latest one as he has taken a different direction lately.
The track is online of course.
Frost* are a band that ought to be better known. They could be considered prog, but there is a pop aspect to them too with keyboardist and main writer Jem Godfrey having written some big pop hits. I have seen them twice live. Once was a double header as the Scala in London with It Bites. Guitarist John Mitchell sings and plays in both bands. I bought this on clear vinyl and it came with a CD too. I saw them do it live at the Portland Arms in Cambridge, which is a tiny venue.
Here is the video for one of the songs.
The final selection for today is by no means a new album as it dates back over fifty years. I like Frank Zappa, but only have a tiny selection of his massive output. I put Hot Rats on my wish list and my better half bought it for my birthday a year or two ago. She managed to buy the LP rather than the CD, but I did not mind so much. I have Peaches En Regalia on a CD collection, but there are some other great tunes on here with amazing playing.
The Gumbo Variations is an extended jam.
I am listening on our old Technics SL-B210. I had to replace the belt in it a few years ago as it had perished with age. The audio takes a somewhat convoluted route to the speakers. The deck is plugged into an old Technics receiver with a phono preamp. That outputs to my Samson mixer and then into my M-Audio mixer that is connected to my powered monitors by Studiospares. I think the audio quality is great despite all that. I use the mixer so I can do my music recording from various sources. I could use it to record my vinyl too, but have not done so yet.
Rock on.
