Today is September 21, which means that, as is the case every year, Earth, Wind & Fire will be on a lot of minds: The band’s classic 1978 single “September” starts with the lyrics, “Do you remember / The 21st night of September? / Love was changing the minds of pretenders / While chasing the clouds away.”
The big question, though, is what’s so special about the 21st of September? What happened on that date? Why did the band choose it for the song? It turns out Allee Willis, who co-wrote the song alongside Al McKay and Maurice White, has already answered that question.
“We went through all the dates: ‘Do you remember the first, the second, the third, the fourth…,’ and the one that just felt the best was the 21st. I constantly have people coming up to me and they get so excited to know what the significance was. And there is no significance beyond it just sang better than any of the other dates. So… sorry!”
In a Wall Street Journal interview in 2019, though, Willis noted she was told by White’s widow Marilyn that September 21, 1978 was the due due date of White’s son Kahbran, so that may have been a contributing factor to the lyric.
Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.
Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of September below.
Alex G — God Save The Animals
Domino
Uproxx’s Ian Cohen recently declared that God Save The Animals, the just-released new Alex G album, is the artist’s best. He wrote in part, “Folky Alex G, abstract Alex G, slowcore Alex G, rawk Alex G, it’s all here, but God Save The Animals manages to circle back to his origins placing the vocals higher than they’d ever been since Race or Rules.”
John Denver — Rocky Mountain High (50th Anniversary Reissue)
Windstar Records/Secretly Distribution
Rocky Mountain High is without a doubt one of John Denver’s defining albums and now that it turns 50 years old here in 2022, it’s getting a fresh rerelease. This limited edition is pressed on blue vinyl and in case you’re unfamiliar with the album, it of course features the famous title track as well as the underrated album-closing “Season Suite.”
Summer just ended, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to start thinking about Christmas, Hanukkah, and the other end-of-year holidays. If you want to get your vinyl library ready, the new Holidays Rule collection is for you, as it features holidays tunes from Paul McCartney, The Shins, Sharon Van Etten, and a number of others.
With all the talk about the upcoming Barbie movie, now is a perfect time to revisit the classic Aqua hit “Barbie Girl.” There’s a terrific new opportunity to do that for vinyl lovers: Aquarium, the song’s parent album, turns 25 this year and has therefore gotten a new vinyl reissue, including a striking pink pressing.
The War On Drugs — I Don’t Live Here Anymore (Limited-Edition Deluxe Box Set)
It’s been nearly a year since The War On Drugs dropped their latest album, 2021’s I Don’t Live Here Anymore. To mark the occasion, they have a limited-edition deluxe box set available now, which includes unreleased tunes “Oceans of Darkness” and “Slow Ghost” on a 7-inch. They’ve even gone through the trouble of making an unboxing video for the release, so check that out above for more details about what’s included in the expansive set.
At 30 million copies sold, there are only a handful of albums that have ever outsold the ABBA Gold compilation. Well, more sales are incoming, as the best-of album just got a new 30th-anniversary reissue, pressed on lovely gold 180g vinyl and of course including all the hits that millions have come to love over the decades.
Sun Ra — The Futuristic Sounds Of Sun Ra (60th Anniversary Edition)
Craft Recordings
For folks who have heard of jazz icon Sun Ra but haven’t yet taken the dive, this reissue of the 1963 album The Futuristic Sounds Of Sun Ra is a good place to start. The project is considered one of Ra’s more accessible and this particular edition of it includes remastered audio and artwork.
Dead Kennedys — Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables (2022 Mix)
Manifesto Records
Dead Kennedys started their run as one of the defining ’80s punk bands with their 1980 debut, Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables. Now, the 42-year-old album has gotten a facelift via a new “2022 Mix,” which was made using the original multi-track tapes. Additionally, it comes with a 28-page booklet featuring rare archival photos and interviews.
Roxy Music put out a lot of worthwhile tunes during their run and they brought the best of them together under one roof on the 2011 compilation album The Best Of Roxy Music. Now they’ve reissued that collection on vinyl and it’s a great summation of the band, as it includes at least one song from each of their eight albums.
Bruce Springsteen — Nebraska (Vinyl Me, Please Reissue)
Vinyl Me, Please
Nebraska, one of The Boss’ most esteemed albums, turns 40 this year. So, the folks at Vinyl Me, Please have come through with a striking reissue, mastered at half-speed and pressed on a lovely black smoke vinyl. As VMP releases do, this one also comes with a listening notes booklet.
Kid Cudi reveals a new Netflix series, new album, and new event are coming on September 30. All the upcoming releases center around Cudi’s new series, Entergalactic, which is executive produced by Kenya Barris (Black-ish), that released a couple of trailers last week. Watch the trailer below,the serieswill follow two young musicians as they balance love and success in New York City.
The adult animated series stars Timothée Chalamet, Vanessa Hudgens, Jaden Smith, Ty Dolla $ign and Macaulay Culkin all lending their voices to the show.
“I have been waiting 3 long years for you all to see what I’ve been working on all this time,” he explained in an Instagram caption that previews the series. “My greatest achievement. This project will move you, it will take your heart places and make you fall in love again. I am so proud of every single person involved who helped bring my vision to life. From the animators but more specifically Fletch Moules, to the voice actors, my BEAUTIFUL team at Netflix: The mega awesome cool guy Mike Moon and the ever so lovely and sweet Elizabeth Porter, everyone showed up with their A game and delivered. I LOVE YOU ALL!!”
Last Friday, Cudi released the new song “Do What I Want” that is set to appear on his upcoming album, also called Entergalatic, which is also set to release of September 30. “‘Do What I Want’ was the first song I did w Day Trip and I locked in w them heavy shortly after to make MOTM3,” he wrote. “I’m really happy u’ll finally get to hear it.”
Heading to his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio for this trio release. Cudi plans to honest an event called “Moonman Landing.” “Cleveland…where we goin? The moon,” Cudi wrote on Twitter, Wednesday.
Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.
Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of September below.
Metallica — Metallica (Remastered) and The Metallica Blacklist
Blackened Recordings
Over the past 40 years, Metallica earned themselves a legion of fans and proved that their appeal spans genres: Their self-titled 1991 album is perhaps their least thrash metal-influenced effort and is their most commercially successful. To celebrate the album’s anniversary, not only did the group release a remastered edition of it, but they also got dozens upon dozens of artists to cover its songs for the massive Metallica Blacklist project.
Get Metallica (Remastered)here. Get The Metallica Blacklisthere.
Cold Cave — Cherish The Light Years
Matador
Cold Cave’s sophomore effort has been out of print for years now, and finally, new physical editions of it are available once again. The occasion is the record’s tenth anniversary. This edition comes with the previously unreleased track “Believe In My Blood” and is pressed in a variety of bright monochrome-colored vinyl, making for a bold complement to the black-and-white cover art.
Buena Vista Social Club — Buena Vista Social Club (25th Anniversary Edition)
World Circuit Records
Buena Vista Social Club’s self-titled (and only) studio album is a landmark release in Cuban music, and for the 25th anniversary of the 1997 album’s recording, we’ve been treated to an expansive reissue. There’s a lot here for fans to sink into, like previously unheard tracks from the 1996 session tapes, new liner notes, art prints, and more.
Vince Guaraldi — It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Craft Recordings
While Charlie Brown having football-related difficulties and Snoopy sleeping on his doghouse are iconic Peanuts elements, of similarly lauded value is the music in the Peanuts TV specials. Just in time for spooky season, the It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown soundtrack has been pressed on orange, pumpkin-shaped vinyl, which will be an aesthetic highlight in any collector’s vinyl library.
As good as My Morning Jacket’s albums are, the band is especially potent as a live force, which makes their new MMJ Live vinyl series all the more appealing. The series begins with Live 2015, which collects 16 previously unreleased recordings from the band’s 2015 tour in support of The Waterfall, all pressed on crisp-looking white vinyl.
Pixies ended their original run with 1991’s Trompe Le Monde, and now that the album is 30 years old, the group is celebrating the record with a gorgeous limited marbled green vinyl reissue. While the band eventually reunited, Trompe Le Monde represents the end of an era, and this new edition of it is one of the best ways to celebrate its legacy.
The Milk Carton Kids — Prologue (10th Anniversary Box Set)
Milk Carton Kids
The Milk Carton Kids earned a Grammy nomination in 2013 for their album The Ash & Clay, but its predecessor, Prologue, set the stage. Prologue celebrates its tenth anniversary this year and the band is marking the occasion with a fancy new rerelease. The 3-LP box set includes the remastered album as well as early demos and live performances. There’s also a fan-pleasing disc that traces the evolution of “Michigan” and “New York,” two of the group’s most beloved tracks.
Elvis Costello’s 1978 album This Year’s Model has gone down as a classic, and now he has taken an interesting approach to celebrating it. Instead of a traditional rerelease, he got a host of Latin pop and rock artists (like Juanes and Luis Donsi) to sing over the original instrumentals for Spanish Model. All in all, it’s a clever way to appreciate and breathe new life into an iconic 40-year-old album. We even chatted with him about it.
Three 6 Mafia — When The Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1
Vinyl Me, Please
Vinyl Me, Please recently announced their slate of monthly vinyl reissues for the rest of 2021, and the October hip-hop release is a great one: Three 6 Mafia’s When The Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1. This 2-LP orange-and-black edition is the first wide vinyl release of the album and it comes freshly remastered, making this an audiophile-preferred way to enjoy the record.
Various Artists — VMP Anthology: The Story Of Philadelphia International Records
Vinyl Me, Please
Speaking of Vinyl Me, Please, aside from their monthly releases, they also bust out larger projects, the latest being a tribute to the influential soul record label Philadelphia International Records. The Story Of Philadelphia International Records is a fantastic historical document, as it features eight premier album’s from the label’s heyday in the ’70s, by artists like The O’Jays and Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. The goodies included here go beyond the physical, as there’s also a four-episode podcast series that serves as a guide to the albums.
