Vinyl Me, Please: 100 Albums You Need in Your Collection

by Vinyl Me, Please

Brought to you by the subscription club of the same name, Vinyl Me, 100 Albums You Need In Your Collection is a vibrant visual guide to curating must-have records for any music lover’s shelf.

Celebrating artists as varied and influential as Bikini Kill, Aretha Franklin, Wilco, and beyond, each entry includes an album’s artwork, a short essay from a contributing music writer, and further suggestions to help you expand your taste and build your collection. This sleek compendium even includes recipes for possible cocktail pairings to complete your listening experience.

Perfect for both new collectors and die-hard wax-spinners, Vinyl Me, Please revels in the album as art form and exudes the style, expertise, and passion that all crate-diggers share.

Genres: Music, Pop Culture, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

Published April 4, 2017

Reviews

[Matt Shaqfan · Rating 1 out of 5]

JK JK! I didn't read this. I'm just here to be a jerk.

If you want to collect records, you should just buy the stuff you like. It's pretty simple. If you need a book to show you how to make these kinds of life decisions, you're already doing it wrong.

[Christopher Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The monthly subscription service of the same name has curated a selection of LPs that any aspiring record collector should consider adding to their collection. While I may not agree with all of their choices, there's bound to be something for everyone in this book

[Aric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I occasionally get into what I call "collection fits" . Music is a frequent monkey on my back. I had accumulated hundreds of compact discs over the years which morphed into gathering digital files from every place I could find allowing me to slowly give, sell or just plain lose those CDs over time.
Now that I have my own place again, I decided to pull the trigger and pursue what had seemingly been in the back of my mind for years...going back to vinyl.
Even before getting a turntable, I financially injured myself at record stores and on the keyboard online shopping.
I think it paid off in the end however. I am listening again after music had become relegated to background noise.
With that aside, I am looking to spread my wings some more. One fault I hate about myself is that I assume too much. I allow first impressions and snap judgements to narrow my thinking.
It's why I am reading books like this. It lists 100 albums alphabetically by artist/band and explains the reasoning why the staff at Vinyl Me, Please (a record subscription club where they puck and send an album out to their members) think one should have their choices in your collection. They list three other albums for one to consider if you like that particular record selection.
Some of the picks are also paired with a suggested cocktail.
The picks cover multiple genres but lacking in blues and what are lumped into what some call "jambands". I think any mention of those fall under the three recommended follow-up albums they note.
No Allman Brothers Band? B.B. King? Buddy Guy? Phish?
Ok, I don't like Phish either so I can let that slide. The book does a decent job making me consider some changes. I don't have the income any more to pursue temptations as heartily as I used to but I now have some music to perhaps try to listen to once more with hopefully a bit more of an open mind.

[Kandace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the concept of this book and the fact that it is square like a record. I picked this up at the library and loved going through the music writing for my new hobby of record collecting. This is a very male-centric round up of must have music, but you know, I guess I'll just wait for the feminist version. All I know is like my book collection, my record collection is going to skew women, queer and BIPOC because that's how I roll. I didn't do a statistical analysis but groundbreaking records by women artists seem few and far between on the pages of this book. Though I agree with the message of the collectors at the end of the book, about noting that our tastes are that, tastes that can shift and change and shouldn't necessarily be imposed on others in a hierarchical (i know better than you) kind of way.

[Todd Glaeser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Very much an art book. A beautiful book with great graphics. Textually a little slight, nothing i hadn't heard or thought before.

[Don · Rating 1 out of 5]

Everyone has their own opinion of what they like and what they don’t like. This book is more of the same.

In my own opinion, some people’s tastes are up their backsides and there are plenty here to verify that. Of all the 100 releases I’d recommend maybe only 10 to 15%.

Many, many albums that should have been mentioned are not even considered it seems. Steppenwolf ‘Monster’ or ‘Seven’, Mike Oldsfield ‘Tubular Bells’, Deep Purple ‘In Rock’, Three Dog Night ‘Suitable For Framing’ so on and so forth… Instead there’s plenty of releases I’d consider as sheer crap and lots of them are included within. But as usual, what is thought great by some is terrible by others. This book really provides that case.

Good for a browse through and nothing more. With the cost of vinyl records these days, going out and purchasing something recommended in any trash publication (like this one) and then discovering that you have wasted money thanks to some ‘option’ is a real eye opener.

Stay away from books like this is a good start and use your own judgement. Or ask someone who you trust.

[Petty Lisbon · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
I guess a list of albums that sound better on vinyl is a more creative idea for a music list (even if, as others pointed out, it's from a company that sells them) but there's a small variety of genres and generations. I went into it expecting it to be generic rock bands but at least this book explains what Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska album was about or helps you differentiate your Wilcos from your TV On the Radios (perhaps poptimists can use it as opposition research for "oh you only like manufactured pop stars instead of real musicians who work on their own songs!" style debates. Ha, kidding). Each album also had 3 other recommendations, and some albums had drink recipes included. I like that at least that shows their commitment to how a vinyl is supposed to be a "world" as opposed to just a playlist. I think they could've include more women and people of color but I still liked the ones they included (I did not know the history behind Marvin Gaye's divorce album).

[Stuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to The XX by XX, the final album in the book. It’s not really a genre I’d usually gravitate towards, so it’s not one I’d add to my collection. I then read Geoff Rickly’s glowing review and closed out the book with Tyler Barstow’s afterword, where he asks readers not to become vinyl snobs—he actually uses the word elitists—though he also says not to become an arsehole, so I think I’m justified.

All in all, it’s a fun book that introduced me to new music I hadn’t heard before and reminded me of some classics I’d forgotten about. I’ll no doubt return to these reviews if and when I decide to buy an album featured here.

[Matthew Marcinowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many fine selections discussed in the book not included in most other coffee table 'albums you need' tomes and, for that, I commend the undertaking. I'm pretty stoked to check out the albums I'm unfamiliar with. I also shouldn't forget to mention the beautifully embossed cover, unexpected cocktail recipes and passionate writing from a wide array of writers. When the time comes for a second go I'm pretty sure this'll get the bump to 5 stars.

[Mike Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, diverse list of albums. I do subscribe to Vinyl Me, Please and part of me feels like this is just a way for them to sell what they stock. I don't agree with some of the choices for particular artists (Led Zeppelin III; Radiohead's Amnesiac) but of course these are the individual writer's opinions. Overall, this is an interesting set of articles and may lead a reader to discover some new music.

[Corey Vilhauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine little book on good records written by a record distribution company, so it's a bit skewed (it feels) toward records you can or have been able to buy from them. Some interesting additions, some obvious choices, but all in all a decent list of good music.

[cat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting compilation of vinyls were presented...a lot of newer music too, which surprised me.

[Kevin Hodgson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eclectic and interesting ... the varied collection of artists here will spark the need to listen more closely, not just to these records of the past but also to the present musical landscape ....

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excuse me, I have some used vinyl to track down....

[Ashley H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of hipster nonsense but I expected as much

[Barry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Factually inaccurate and unreliable. Lacking any real info about release dates, labels, even track listings. This is aimed at a casual newbie collector with little to no knowledge of the music contained within.
Only good for a casual read through then discard.

[Barry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't waste your money.