vinyl archeology

The First Record: Aretha’s Gold
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The First Record: Aretha’s Gold

By
 / 17 August 2018

The concept album that is Aretha's Gold follows the chronology of Aretha Franklin's hits, all released in 1967 and 1968, apex years of the decade not just in terms of numbers but also as an apogee of its cultural and political zeitgeist.

The Classic Shanghai Divas and the Unintended Exoticism of the Taiwanese Bootleg
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The Classic Shanghai Divas and the Unintended Exoticism of the Taiwanese Bootleg

By
 / 10 January 2018

What does the record collector collect when the desired product is too expensive? Perhaps a bootlegged version shunned by the fussy connoisseur.

On Discovering the In-your-face Glory of the Slits’ Album, ‘Cut’
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On Discovering the In-your-face Glory of the Slits’ Album, ‘Cut’

By
 / 21 September 2017
The iconic cover plus hybrid punky-reggae establishes the Slits' Cut as a significant variation on the British late '70s DIY ethos.
Dancing the Tango Through Mao’s Cultural Revolution With Argentinian Pancho and His Orchestra
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Dancing the Tango Through Mao’s Cultural Revolution With Argentinian Pancho and His Orchestra

By
 / 15 August 2017
On Shanghai dance halls of the late '30s and a vinyl tango artifact that survived Mao’s Cultural Revolution.
The Teddy Charles/Teddy Cohen Jazz Map of Random Finds and Significant Directions
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The Teddy Charles/Teddy Cohen Jazz Map of Random Finds and Significant Directions

By
 / 25 July 2017
I take a chance on the unknown used records of Shenzhen and Los Angeles and unwittingly connect the dots, opening up the wide but previously obscured vistas of post-bebop history.
Mind Blowing: Leroy Smart in the Heady Days of 1977
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Mind Blowing: Leroy Smart in the Heady Days of 1977

By
 / 15 June 2017
In 1977, reggae music burst out of its Caribbean confines and found its way to a record store in Cambridge, Massachusetts. That's the first time I met "The Don", Leroy Smart.
Adolescent Awakening: KC and the Sunshine Band’s “Get Down Tonight”
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Adolescent Awakening: KC and the Sunshine Band’s “Get Down Tonight”

By
 / 17 May 2017
In 1975, an aimless teenager goes to an obscure discothèque in Boston and discovers “Get Down Tonight” -- just the kind of funk he's looking for.
The Personal Find: Bill Doggett’s “Honky Tonk Parts 1 & 2”
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The Personal Find: Bill Doggett’s “Honky Tonk Parts 1 & 2”

By
 / 5 April 2017
A jump blues song that sold over a million copies was nowhere on my sonic horizon until I discovered it in a dusty box at the back of a thrift store.