Vinyl records have been making a surprising comeback in the last decade. According to Forbes, sales of records have been steadily increasing since 2016, entirely surpassing that of CDs. Personally, I can see why. I love my spotify account but music streaming has nothing on vinyl records. I don’t care how obsolete they become, there’s just something about the sound and aesthetic that my phone speaker cannot compete with.
My own small record collection consists mostly of Billy Joel, Hall and Oates, and Queen. I tend to stick exclusively to 70’s pop/rock, but have always wanted to see what else is out there beyond the iconic names I’ve come to love. With that in mind, I decided to take a trip to a place saturated with obscure (and sometimes wacky) vinyls: the thrift store.
The task was simple. My roommates randomly selected six records, which I listened to in their entirety and documented my thoughts. The findings were as follows:
1. 12 Great Guys
Release Date: 1964
Genre: jazz/pop
This music made me feel like I was in a classy restaurant or maybe a 1950’s movie. Very jazzy. The songs got a tad repetitive after a while, but overall not a bad aesthetic. My favorite ‘Great Guys’ ended up being Eddie Fisher, Ed Ames, Al Hirt, and Chet Atkins.
Overall Rating: 7/10
2. 101 Strings — A Night in Vienna
Release Date: 1958
Genre: classical
I avoid classical music at all costs, but this immediately gave me old Disney movie vibes—like I was waltzing at Cinderella’s ball. Very magical. I actually really enjoyed it! It has some really nice instrumental sounds and was very calming at times. It also included such icons as “Blue Danube”, which I guarantee you’ve heard even if you didn’t know what it was called. The essence of this music is officially my new favorite aesthetic.
Overall Rating: 9/10
3. Harry James — Our Leader!!
Release Date: 1967
Genre: jazz
The music wasn’t all too bad but there were hardly any vocals so the songs were almost identical. Most of my rating is for the cover art alone, which depicts cursed-looking stuffed animals playing a variety of instruments. What do these creatures have to do with jazz music? Why on earth do they look like that? Why is one of them playing a saxophone with its tail? These questions alone keep me intrigued enough to bump up the album’s score more than I would have otherwise.
Overall Rating: 6.5/10
4. Dick Contino — Something for the Girls
Release Date: 1956
Genre: folk/pop
I was a little skeptical of this one at first. The cover, which depicts three identical white women swooning over the accordion artist himself, was definitely the cause for suspicion. I can’t say I’ve listened to much accordion music, but it was surprisingly pretty classy. Most of it reminded me of the Ratatouille soundtrack.
I also boosted my rating significantly after reading up on Dick Contino in this New York Times article, which gave me a newfound respect for the man. He was imprisoned for running away from his army station after being drafted, appeared in multiple B-movies (including one titled Daddy-O in 1958), and later rejoined the army to entertain other soldiers with his mad accordion skills. This man had a wild life. I recommend reading up on him just for fun.
Overall Rating: 7/10
5. The Robert DeCormier Singers — Walking in the Sunshine
Release Date: 1967
Genre: folk/pop
This was probably my least favorite of the bunch. My roommate described it as ‘creepy’. I have a hard time describing it myself. Maybe country showtunes? The beach boys if they were folk singers? My favorite song was “Dang Me”, which was honestly catchy, and the occasional random banjo solos were certainly something to hear. Otherwise, many of the songs were a little too perky, and the whole folk choir aesthetic got to be a little much after the third song.
Overall Rating: 6/10
6. The Lettermen — Hurt so Bad
Release Date: 1969
Genre: Pop
This album was the one that most closely aligned with the rest of my vinyl collection. I had high hopes, and was not disappointed. It was no Hall and Oates, but I enjoyed it well enough. “Here, there, and everywhere” would probably be my favorite. My biggest gripe was the subject matter—sappy love songs. My brain can only handle so many songs about being broken-hearted before I start to feel like I’ve been trapped in a room with Taylor Swift.
Overall Rating: 9/10
It was surprisingly difficult to find a wide assortment of genres, though the store I visited had an unusually large record section. It seemed as though the most popular names, especially those of the 1970s and 80s, were long gone. Hence why nearly every one chosen was from the 1960s. Despite this, the experience was a valuable one. It was really interesting to listen to different genres and artists that I otherwise never would have. I usually think of myself as someone who doesn’t like certain genres like jazz or classical, but haven’t ever actually listened to this kind of music. Now I have, and I don’t regret it.
