The first two are brand spankin' new, and still have that 'fresh from the plastic' smell. As well as the manufacturing debris that requires immediate cleaning. All I ever do is bitch and moan. Poor baby has to clean his records before he listens to them....I could be donating my record funds to the starving and disease-ridden peoples of third-world nations. Nah.
I'll begin with the Radiohead 12" single release of "Supercollider" b/w "The Butcher". Released by Ticker Tape/XL and pressed on a beautiful slab of 180 gram, this sum bitch sounds exquisite. It's the perfect continuation of King of Limbs, and recommended for any Radiohead fan out there with a turntable. Granted, the digital versions accompanied the deluxe release, but having a beefy physical copy sure looks pretty next to it on the shelf. Also, note the extremely clean bass on both tracks. Well produced, again, much like the aforementioned album.
Radiohead 12" Single on Black 180 gram
Radiohead - King of Limbs 2x10" on Clear Standard - Newspaper Edition Set
Next, I have for you the AMAZING new Beastie Boys release entitled, Hot Sauce Committee, Part Two. This set includes two 180 gram white vinyls slipped in sturdy paper stock sleeves featuring full lyric sheets. As an added bonus, a white 7" is included, with the tracks "Pop Your Balloon" and "B-Boys in the Cut." And, an additional digital download code as well as an iron-on t-shirt image are included. BONER! For about $20, this set cannot be beat. Speaking of beats, this album has 'em by the handful. See what I did there? White street cred, bitches. Sounds good, by the way.....excellent for people that hear and/or hipsters that can only relate to those that lived through the 80s.
Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee, Part Two 2x180 gram on White with bonus 7" and Iron-on
Digging into the summer stacks, I decided to get my soundtrack fill. And fill I did get....I have no idea what that fucking means. Anyhoo, I kicked off my cravings with some good old Ennio Morricone, the master of scoring Spaghetti Westerns. Featuring whip-cracking, cowboy chanting, lonely harmonicas, and glorious horns--oh, the beautiful horns--on both A Fistful of Dollars and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Yet, I continue to search for the one remaining Leone/Morricone missing from my collection....Once Upon a Time in the West. One day you will be mine. One day.
A Fistful of Dollars OST on Standard Black
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly OST on Standard Black
And finally, the tour-de-force that is Stand By Me. What an amazing summer movie and a fantastic compilation of 50s rock and bubblegum pop. I don't want to get too reminiscent here, but the goddamn movie changed my existence and the music always takes me back to a place where friends were actually friends, problems were fleeting, and leeches on your balls was the most horrifying thing ever. Kicking off with Buddy Holly and ending with Ben E. King, this LP is essential...each track a bygone classic.
Stand By Me OST on Standard Black