CD, Vinyl Sales Are Up By 12.8% For UK Recorded Music Industry
VINYL
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The Best Vinyl Releases Of January 2022
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 January below.
Jonny Greenwood — The Power Of The Dog
When Jonny Greenwood isn’t fulfilling his Radiohead duties, he’s become prominent in the scoring world. He provided the music for the Netflix film The Power Of The Dog, for example, and now his score is getting a vinyl release, which features a printed disc sleeve and the album pressed on high-fidelity black vinyl.
Get it here.
Burial — Antidawn EP
Burial kicked off 2022 with the Antidawn EP, which really veers into full-blown album territory with its 43-minute runtime. The vinyl edition is available on Bandcamp, which means that aside from the physical LP, you’ll get a digital download of the album to enjoy when you’re away from your turntable.
Get it here.
David Bowie — Toy Box
Toy, a previously unreleased David Bowie album, is legendary among fans, and now it’s finally widely available, as it got an official release earlier this month. It arrives as part of the Toy:Box set, the vinyl edition of which is pressed on six 10-inch vinyl records, which include the album, B-sides, and more extras.
Get it here.
Grimes — Visions (Vinyl Me, Please Reissue)
As Grimes readies her Book 1 project, now isn’t a bad time to look back at what got Grimes to this point with a new Vinyl Me, Please reissue of Visions, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. VMP even got Grimes to write new liner notes for this exclusive edition. For example, she wrote of “Infinite Love Without Fulfillment,” “Wow, i can hear myself learning how to make music in this song. I remember doing the vocal over the drums and then randomly trying that baseline and being like whoa! And kinda spiralling into this experiment.”
Get it here.
Bonobo — Fragments (Vinyl Me, Please Edition)
Bonobo has established himself as one of this century’s most beloved electronic artists, and now he has returned with his esteemed seventh album, Fragments. If you want an uncommon edition of the LP to highlight your record shelf, Vinyl Me, Please has an exclusive version that’s pressed on gorgeous orange and red swirled vinyl.
Get it here.
PJ Harvey — Let England Shake (Reissue) and Let England Shake – Demos
For a good while now, PJ Harvey has been going through her back catalog to give her albums fresh vinyl reissues, accompanied by companion albums that feature demos and other goodies. Now, Let England Shake, her revered 2011 album, has gotten the same treatment. While some releases (like the Bonobo one you just read about) come with vinyl pressed in fancy colors, the standard black LP is actually the perfect visual accompaniment to the monochrome album art here.
Get Let England Shake here. Get Let England Shake – Demos here.
The Weeknd — Dawn FM
The Weeknd has one of the year’s biggest albums so far with Dawn FM, and now fans can secure their own uncommon piece of it: The album has gotten an exclusive vinyl edition that’s only available at Target and features alternative artwork and silver translucent vinyl.
Get it here.
Cat Power — Covers (Indie Exclusive Colored Vinyl)
Cat Power is one of the best cover artists we have, and she has nailed it once again on her latest collection of other folks’ songs, aptly and simply titled Covers. This edition of the album is pressed on gold vinyl, which looks lovely when paired with the denim-clad cover art.
Get it here.
Tkay Maidza — Last Year Was Weird Vol. 3
The Zimbabwean-Australian singer wrapped up her storied Last Year Was Weird EP trilogy this month with the final installment, and if you were hoping to get a nice pressing of that for your collection, here we go. This is a real meat-and-potatoes edition, which comes pressed on classic black vinyl housed in a full-color printed inner sleeve.
Get it here.
Speedy Ortiz — The Death Of Speedy Ortiz & Cop Kicker… Forever
double LPs for ‘The Death of Speedy Ortiz & Cop Kicker …Forever’ are officially out today! i unboxed it; just getting into the box took 10 minutes; had to fast forward 3000% lol. @carparkrecords is long sold out but there’s still some “tour” stock at: https://t.co/d182mx9vto pic.twitter.com/FDEY7ljVEp
— speedy ortiz ÷ sad13 ÷ sadie dupuis ÷ haunted guy (@sad13) January 28, 2022
The Death Of Speedy Ortiz & Cop Kicker… Forever is a great collection for longtime Speedy Ortiz fans, as it compiles the band’s first album and EP (the ones mentioned in the release’s title) and some other goodies. As for what those goodies include, nobody can explain it better than Sadie Dupuis herself, and thankfully, she made an unboxing video that you can check out above.
Get it here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The Best Vinyl Releases Of December 2021
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 December below.
Bo Burnham — Inside (The Songs)
Is Inside (The Songs) a comedy album? If you’re the Recording Academy, you might not think so. Regardless, the album and its parent Netflix special were some of the year’s most talked-about pop culture, and now the music is available on vinyl. That means you can listen to songs about the internet on a format that pre-dates it.
Get it here.
Fucked Up — David Comes To Life (10th Anniversary Edition)
Matador has spent a good chunk of the year reissuing some beloved releases from across their catalog, and the latest album to get that treatment is Fucked Up’s David Comes To Life. This 2-LP edition is pressed on “lightbulb-yellow” vinyl, and if that isn’t enough, the group is embarking on a brief tour in January, during which they’ll perform the album in full.
Get it here.
The New Pornographers — Mass Romantic (21st Anniversary Reissue)
Speaking of Matador, here’s another rerelease from the label, of The New Pornographers’ Mass Romantic. That LP turns 21 years old this year and this new edition of it comes with a bonus 7-inch, Letter From An Occupant, that includes two rare B-sides, “The End Of Medicine” and “When I Was A Baby.”
Get it here.
Cults — Cults (Deluxe 10th Anniversary Reissue)
Cults had a hit on their hands with their 2011 self-titled debut album, and now the beloved LP is ten years old. The band is celebrating that milestone with a special anniversary vinyl edition that features, alongside the original album, three bonus tracks pulled from the original recording sessions. The reissue is limited to just 1,000 total copies spread across three distinct pressings: 250 copies on gold vinyl, 250 on black and milky clear colored vinyl, and 500 on standard black vinyl.
Get it here.
Marvin Gaye — What’s Going On (50th Anniversary Edition)
There’s not much more to say about What’s Going On, as essentially every music fan knows how excellent and important the legendary Marvin Gaye project is. The album turned 50 years old in 2021 and this new anniversary edition is now the best way to enjoy the project on your turntable. The 2-LP release features direct-to-analog mastering and four rare tracks making their debut on vinyl, including a previously unreleased “stripped” version of the title track.
Get it here.
Pom Pom Squad — Ow EP
Ow, the 2019 EP that preceded Pom Pom Squad’s 2021 debut album Death Of A Cheerleader, wasn’t released on vinyl, but that changed this month. It comes pressed on cream white vinyl with a red label, a simple but striking visual accompaniment to the album art.
Get it here.
Fela Kuti — Vinyl Box #5
Partisan Records is working through a massive Fela Kuti reissues series, and they got Coldplay’s Chris Martin on board to help with the fifth installment. He helped curate this new collection, which features Why Black Man Dey Suffer, Noise For Vendor Mouth, Kalakuta Show, Excuse O, Ikoyi Blindness, Original Sufferhead, and Overtake Don Overtake Overtake. Each album is presented here with meticulous detail, as the art for all of them was carefully re-created from the original vinyl pressings.
Get it here.
Aeon Station — Observatory
The Wrens released The Meadowlands in 2003 and fans have been waiting for its follow-up ever since. Well, this month, one sort of arrived, as Kevin Whelan made (with help from Greg Whelan and Jerry MacDonald) a new album called Observatory, under the name Aeon Station. While this may not be the continuation of The Wrens that fans had in mind, its at least something and the striking blue vinyl will look real sharp spinning on a turntable.
Get it here.
Danny Elfman — Big Mess
Danny Elfman stays busy as one of the most esteemed purveyors of film and TV scores in the industry, but 2021 brought Big Mess, his first non-classical solo album since 1984’s So-Lo. Now he has wrapped up the year with a massive box set version of the project, a 4-LP edition that’s limited to just 1,500 copies. Aside from the core album, it includes Elfman singing a duet on “True” with Trent Reznor, as well as goodies like a life-size light-up model of Elfman’s hand, a 60-page hardcover art book, and more.
Get it here.
E-40 — The Hall Of Game (Vinyl Me, Please Reissue)
As the year comes to an end, take a minute to be thankful for Vinyl Me, Please, who have spent 2021 and the years preceding it busting out exclusive vinyl reissues of some classic releases. Their current hip-hop album of the month is a winner: E-40’s The Hall Of Game. This edition is pressed on exclusive 2-LP “Rapper’s Ball Red” Galaxy vinyl and comes with a booklet of listening notes.
Get it here.
Gorillaz — Gorillaz (20th Anniversary Reissue)
Damon Albarn has been dominating the virtual band space for two decades now with Gorillaz, meaning the band’s self-titled debut album celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, the band has unveiled a super deluxe vinyl box set, which includes early demos and rarities, along with a “previously unknown 27-page DMC dossier of leaked documents, memos, faxes, and some early Jamie Hewlett drawings.”
Get it here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Here Are Some Black-Owned Record Stores That Are Helping Vinyl Have Its Biggest Year In Decades
This year was a huge year for vinyl records, far bigger than anything the industry has seen in the last three decades. Billboard reports that 2.11 million vinyl records were sold between December 17 – 23, the most since MRC Data began tracking music sales in 1991. It also marked the first time that vinyl sales crossed the two million mark in this period. This comes after the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) reported last month that vinyl sales accumulated $467 million in sales by mid-2021. This more than doubles the $207 million in sales that were generated halfway into 2020 while opening the door for a billion-dollar year in the vinyl record industry.
There are plenty of reasons for this jump in vinyl sales, with most having to do with consumers increasing interest in the novelty and vintage item that’s still connected to today’s music. This interest is catered to by record stores all over the country as well as the annual Record Store Day campaign. While big artists like Adele, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and more are responsible for a heavy percentage of vinyl sales, the companies that go above and beyond with their consumers also played a large part in this. Stores that seek to do more than sell vinyl, and instead, build themselves as staples in their communities will always have old customers coming back while piquing the interest of new ones.
Plenty of stores across the country do this, but there’s a specific uniqueness and communal aspect that’s present in Black-owned record stores. So here are six Black-owned record stores across the country that helped to give vinyl sales its biggest year in decades.
Moodies Records (Bronx, NY)
The Bronx’s Moodies Records remains a cultural stamp in New York. From its inception in 1982, late founder Earl Moodie provided a limitless collection of vinyl records with a focus on reggae, dancehall, rocksteady, and other Jamaican music. This past fall, Earl Moodie passed away at 69 years old after being sick for a few years. “There was not a sad day to him,” a longtime customer said to Brooklyn News 12 about the late Moodie and his store. “If you went in there sad, he would give you that light. I don’t know how he did it, but he was such an inspirational person.”
Brittany’s Record Shop (Cleveland, OH)
Brittany’s Record Shop will pretty much give a decent selection from multiple genres to pick from. Whether it’s hip-hop, reggae, soul, or jazz, you’ll find it at the Cleveland, OH shop. Their selections get more specific with crates dedicated to Brazilian, Latin, and Afro-funk. However, selling records is just half the job for Brittany Benton. She handpicks every vinyl in the store and helps guide shoppers to new sounds — consider her the Spotify of vinyl records. “When I can make a recommendation that really sticks,” she says in an interview with Cleveland’s Spectrum News, “it definitely validates me, because I know I’m doing the right thing.” Brittany’s Record Shop is temporarily closed at the moment, but a reopening is planned for some point in 2022.
JB’s Record Lounge (Atlanta, GA)
Many of the biggest records in the music world today come from artists based in Atlanta. Whether it’s rappers (Lil Baby), singers (Summer Walker), or pop stars (Lil Nas X), the city has something for you. It’s also the home of JB’s Record Lounge which is far more than you’re typical record store. The company started as a quarterly crate-digging party in owner Jonathan Blanchard’s basement. What began as a collection of 1,000 records quickly grew to 13,000 records leaving all while maintaining the liveliness and community bonding that helped it grow. It also allowed Blanchard to carry a bold claim about his business. “I also will be carrying some of the best vinyl this side of the Mississippi,” he said in a GoFundMe video according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Out Of The Past Collectibles (Austin, TX)
Charlie Joe and Marie Henderson are the proud owners of Austin, TX’s Out Of The Past Collectibles store, and they have been since its opening 35 years ago back in 1986. It boasts a massive collection of jazz, blues, soul, pop, old and new school R&B, and hip-hop vinyl that span the store’s ten rooms, filled with over a million items. Out Of The Past Collectibles isn’t just limited to vinyl though. They also carry antiques, CDs, DVDs, cassette tapes, 8-tracks, and more. Long story short, as their listing on Visit Austin’s website reads, “If we don’t have it, you don’t need it!”
Fivespace (San Diego, CA)
If you happen to live or find yourself on the West Coast and want to get lost in a collection of hip-hop vinyl, San Diego’s Fivespace has just what you’re looking for. Cassettes and select vintage clothing can also be found at the North Park location as the store aims to cater to “consumers interested in vintage design and music products.” During an interview with SD Voyager, owner Sir Frederick promised that a chat with him or the other owners of Fivepsace will result in “a whole new world of styles, artists, and genres to discover that are tailored to your individual tastes.”
Offbeat (Jackson, MS)
In a few years, Phillip Rollins (aka DJ Young Venom) will celebrate the tenth anniversary of his Jackson, MS record store Offbeat. Since its opening in 2014, Offbeat has grown into a home for new and old releases, reissues, and used records that buyers can sift through and choose. A collection of collectibles, pins, apparel, and more can also be found at Offbeat. For Rollins, the store is a visual representation of his goal to “create a space that would have a lasting effect on the state of Mississippi,” and the store’s website reads. Influenced by art from all unconventional aspects of the world, Rollins is doing a great job of highlighting the overlooked corners that his store helps to bring attention to.
Kid Cudi Celebrates As His ‘Man On The Moon III’ Vinyl Sets A 30-Year Record
Vinyl is back in a big way after a decade of streaming’s dominance, with Billboard reporting that vinyl sales have actually hit a 30-year high this past week. Americans purchased 2.11 million vinyl records in the week ending on December 23rd (perhaps in the pursuit of a last-minute Christmas gift?), which is the biggest sales week since 1991 when SoundScan first began tracking such things — long after vinyl had begun to lose popularity compared to other physical media like cassette tapes and CDs.
As part of that dominance, one of hip-hop’s most popular artists saw his own resurgence. Last week, Kid Cudi’s Man On The Moon III: The Chosen broke the record for the biggest rap album in Nielsen history. He’s also the male artist with the biggest sales week, with 41,500 sales of the vinyl. “This is HUGE,” he wrote in celebration on Instagram. I wanna thank everyone who went out and copped the vinyl! This is all because of YOU! I LOVE YOU ALL.”
Man On The Moon III, which was initially released December 11, 2020, featured appearances from Pop Smoke, Skepta, and Trippie Redd. Cudi recently said he plans to follow that album with two more in 2022, meaning more opportunities for him to defend his new record. Meanwhile, the best-selling vinyl overall was Adele’s 30, which sold 59,000 copies and capped Billboard’s vinyl chart for the fifth week in a row along with the overall albums chart — a testament to her decision to turn it in several months early to allow time to prepare the vinyl.
Rihanna Announced An Epic, Catalogue-Spanning Vinyl Collection Dubbed The ‘RIH-ISSUE’
Rihanna fans, rejoice! She’s turned her attention back to music, at least briefly. And well, it might not be new music but at least it’s a start. The pop icon announced a career-spanning, limited-edition vinyl collection today, the ship date for all of the reissues is November 11, so it’s coming up quite soon.
The newly-minted billionaire has been notably more focused on her other business ventures of late, and Fenty Beauty, Fenty Skin, and Savage Fenty are all part of what has turned her into one of the richest women in the world. But fans of her music are still clamoring for more. And to be fair, it has been a whopping five years since Anti came out — so they’re not even being dramatic.
Anyway, perhaps the chance to own some exclusive Rihanna vinyl and merch will be a balm. According to a press release the collection offers “a special limited-edition packaging of the first eight albums” with “vinyl records [that] have been re-pressed in unique colorways and paired with album-specific, exclusive apparel items. Each set comes carefully enclosed in packaging curated by Rihanna and will be a must-have addition to any record collection.” Here’s the video Rihanna shared on Instagram with more details:
And check out some images of the record reissues and accompanying merch below.
Pre-order the collection right here.
The Best Vinyl Releases Of September 2021
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
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 Blacklist here.
Cold Cave — Cherish The Light Years
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.
Get it here.
Buena Vista Social Club — Buena Vista Social Club (25th Anniversary Edition)
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.
Get it here.
Vince Guaraldi — It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
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.
Get it here.
My Morning Jacket — Live 2015
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.
Get it here.
Pixies — Trompe Le Monde (Anniversary Edition)
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.
Get it here.
The Milk Carton Kids — Prologue (10th Anniversary Box Set)
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.
Get it here.
Elvis Costello — Spanish Model
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.
Get it here.
Three 6 Mafia — When The Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1
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.
Get it here.
Various Artists — VMP Anthology: The Story Of Philadelphia International Records
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.
Get it here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Vinyl Me, Please Announces Its Stacked Fall Slate With Records From Usher, Clipse, RZA, And More
Vinyl Me, Please has established themselves as an essential ally to vinyl collectors over the years, as they regularly offer exclusive editions of revered albums, pressed in unique colors and accompanied by delightful extras. There are only three months left in the year, and today, VMP has shared the roadmap for how they’ll be handling their monthly releases for October, November, and December.
October’s albums of the month are Grizzly Bear’s Veckatimest (as the month’s Essentials release), Teddy Pendergrass’s Life Is A Song Worth Singing (Classics), Three 6 Mafia’s When The Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1 (Hip-Hop), and Sam Hunt’s Montevallo (Country). Following that in November will be Usher’s Confessions (Essentials), Freddie King’s My Feeling For The Blues (Classics), Clipse’s Hell Hath No Fury (Hip-Hop), and Gram Parsons’s Grievous Angel (Country). Closing the year in December are The Meters’s Rejuvenation (Essentials), Roberta Flack’s Quiet Fire (Classics), RZA’s RZA as Bobby Digital In Stereo (Hip-Hop), and Buck Owens & His Buckaroos’s Carnegie Hall Concert (Country).
All of the releases are bound to be special, and in particular, Usher’s Confessions represents something new for VMP, as Alexandra Berenson, their Head of A&R, notes, “We’re really excited for the opportunity to run a record like this because we haven’t really done a massive R&B crossover hit in our Essentials. It’s a very cohesive album and it has been totally underserved on vinyl. It hasn’t had a reissue since it first came out and we figured, ‘Let’s give this the VMP treatment. Let’s try to make the most definitive version of this record that we can.’”
Learn more about the upcoming Essentials releases here, the upcoming Classics releases here, the upcoming Hip-Hop releases here, and the upcoming Country releases here.
The Best Vinyl Releases Of August 2021
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 August 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 August below.
Billie Eilish — Happier Than Ever
Billie Eilish had a lot riding on her second album, and so far, she has delivered. It has spent multiple weeks at No. 1, spawned hit singles like “Therefore I Am” and “My Future,” and has otherwise kept Eilish in the conversation as one of music’s finest. The vinyl edition of the album is one you can feel environmentally good about owning, too, as it’s pressed on 100-percent recycled vinyl.
Get it here.
The Beach Boys — Feel Flows: The Sunflower And Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971
The Beach Boys’ defining output came in the mid-’60s, but now they’re honoring a pair of their also-excellent early-’70s albums, Sunflower and Surf’s Up, with a giant new box set. There are 135 tracks in total, with 108 of them being previously unreleased tracks, live recordings, demos, alternate versions/mixes, instrumentals, and a capella tracks.
Get it here.
Foxing — Draw Down The Moon
Draw Down The Moon marked a change in direction for Foxing, who embrace genres like pop and rock like they never really have before in their mostly emo-leaning discography. Now, one of the year’s finer rock albums is available pressed on lovely yellow, blue, and green vinyl, which also comes with a 24-inch by 36-inch poster.
Get it here.
The Knife — Deep Cuts (20th Anniversary Reissue)
The Knife enjoyed a tremendous run as a beloved electronic act in the 200)s, and while they broke up in 2014, they’re celebrating their 2001 sophomore album Deep Cuts. As the record turns 20 years old, it has gotten a limited edition reissue pressed on magenta vinyl, which pairs gorgeously with the colorful album art.
Get it here.
Olivia Rodrigo — Sour
Earlier this month, Rodrigo shared a video of herself in awe as she examined the vinyl edition of Sour for the first time. It turns out that’s an experience a lot of her fans replicated, as Sour had not just the biggest vinyl sales week of 2021 so far, but the second-largest of the past 30 years. So, if you don’t already have this one, the market has shown that it’s worth picking up.
Get it here.
Various Artists — Another Side Of John Coltrane
John Coltrane is a headlining act without question, but throughout his career, he also played a supporting role on works by fellow jazz greats like Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and Sonny Rollins. Now some of those collaborations have been compiled on Another Side Of John Coltrane, which is available digitally. The 2-LP set, though, has the whole package, as it includes two vinyl-exclusive songs: “Nutty” (from Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane) and “Birks’ Works” (from Soul Junction by the Red Garland Quintet featuring Coltrane and Donald Byrd).
Get it here.
LCD Soundsystem — The Long Goodbye: LCD Soundsystem Live At Madison Square Garden (10th Anniversary Reissue)
It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years since LCD Soundsystem’s “farewell” show (which of course preceded the band’s reunion). Now the soundtrack album is back in print as an expansive vinyl edition, made up of five LPs, a print of the original concert poster, and a 10.5-inch by 7-inch full-bleed risograph photo print by longtime band photographer Ruvan Wijesooriya.
Get it here.
Wu-Tang Clan — Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (Reissue)
Enter The Wu-Tang has gone down as one of hip-hop’s most important and influential albums, and now it has gotten a shiny new reissue via the fine record purveyors at Vinyl Me, Please. Pressed on “gold galaxy”-colored vinyl, this edition comes accompanied by an art print as well as a listening notes booklet.
Get it here.
Public Enemy — Fear Of A Black Planet (Reissue)
Vinyl Me, Please was on fire this month, especially in the hip-hop department. They’ve also dropped a new edition of the Public Enemy classic Fear Of A Black Planet, and this version of the group’s biggest release comes pressed on sharp-looking blue and brown vinyl — or “Us and the Damned”-colored, as VMP puts it.
Get it here.
Big Red Machine — How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?
Big Red Machine is built on collaboration, as the core of the project is the coming together of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and The National’s Aaron Dessner. On top of that, the duo’s latest album also brings into the fold Taylor Swift, Fleet Foxes, Sharon Van Etten, and a host of others, and now they’re all available together on vinyl.
Get it here.
Spice Girls — Wannabe25
Spice Girls know what you want (what you really, really want): They’re celebrating the 25th anniversary of their hit single “Wannabe” with a new limited-edition EP, Wannabe25. Aside from the original 1996 single, this vinyl release also includes a remix of the song by Junior Vasquez (which was originally a bonus track on the 1996 “2 Become 1” CD single), the original demo of the song, and a demo of a previously unreleased track called “Feed Your Love.”
Get it here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.