More iconic album covers

Kelly Burke, your last column really struck a chord with me. It brought back memories of my vinyl collection, a treasure trove of personal connections and musical nostalgia. Among the titles, my dad’s “Revolver” album stands out, a testament to our shared love for music. 

You also mentioned The Doobie Brothers in your column. Fun fact: In the late ’60s, my dad was a teen and played in a garage band in San Jose, California. That band went on to become The Doobie Brothers. The one thing keeping my dad from super-stardom was my grandfather; he hated rock and roll music and made him quit the band.

My vinyl journey started after I graduated college. Fresh off the heels of a paycheck from working my first real job, I wanted to treat myself. I went to downtown Grand Junction, Colorado and stopped at a store called Triple Play Records. There, I bought my first record player and started my spark for collecting, a passion ignited by the unique sound and tactile experience of vinyl. 

My first vinyl I remember was a gift I got at a Stryper concert sometime before. The opening act was an indie Christian metal band named Cleanzed Soul. They were giving away 45s at their merch tent, so I snagged a copy of their breakout single “Slave to the Flesh.” After that, I hit up Triple Play with nearly every paycheck buying my turntable and vinyl, as well as snagging a few freebies from the “free” box outside.

Admittedly, my music taste is more modern. A sizeable portion of my collection is vinyl releases from newer bands and artists, but sprinkled in the mix are a fair amount of vinyls from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.

Some of my favorites in the vintage department are “Business as Usual” by Men at Work, “Eye in the Sky” by The Alan Parsons Project, “Rumours” by Fleetwood Mac, “Toto IV” by Toto, and, of course, “Revolver.”

While I am usually a Spotify fan, there’s something about firing up my record player, putting down a disc, tangibly feeling the needle grab onto the grooves, and playing the tunes. Since moving to Warner Robins, I haven’t had too many attempts to fire up the record player, but I’m looking forward to having my setup in the living room. I like to have it going while I’m reading.

I am a huge data nerd. I made spreadsheets for fun, categorizing all kinds of things from my childhood and, admittedly, into adulthood (my Spotify top songs and nail polish collection ring a bell).

I decided to go back to my data nerd roots and statistically examine my vinyl collection. This gave me some interesting insight into which albums I love enough to buy, revealing patterns in my music taste and the emotional connection I have with certain records.

I have 47 records in total (vinyl can be expensive), which I know is small compared to other collections, but it certainly has character and music from various artists. Only four artists have multiple records from their discography in my collection: The Beatles, DIIV, Lana Del Rey and Eagles. 

The genres are varied, with one or two records each from Christian, classical, comedy, country, disco, electronic, folk, indie pop, jazz, metal and soul. Up next are a few soundtracks, which have all been gifted to me for some reason: “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” “Stranger Things,” “The Greatest Showman,” “Rocketman,” and “Miami Vice.” Indie rock takes up a sizeable part of the genres, coming in at 13% of my albums. Then pop and rock take up the rest and the largest portion. 

As expected, the most considerable portion by decade was the 2010s, reflecting my indie rock phase in college. Also most vinyls I’ve been gifted are newer, except “Revolver.” The ’70s came in second, the ’80s falling closely behind. My newest record was the Rocketman soundtrack from 2019; the oldest is a classical piece from 1957.

Finally, I was on a mission to find my all-time favorite album covers. I scoured through my collection (and Spotify) and found plenty that were eye-catching and some that I consider iconic.

Without further ado, here are my (slightly more modern) top 10 favorite album covers:

• 10) “Tubthumper” by Chumbawamba (1997)
• 9) “Deceptive Bends” by 10cc (1977)
• 8) “Coexist” by The xx (2012)
• 7) “The Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance (2006)
• 6) “Dreamatic” by FM Attack (2009)
• 5) “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” by The Smashing Pumpkins (1995)
• 4) “Revolver” by The Beatles (1966)
• 3) “AM” by Arctic Monkeys (2013)
• 2) “Oshin” by DIIV (2012)*
• 1) “Unknown Pleasures” by Joy Division (1979)

*Writer’s note: “Oshin” has three different album covers. My favorite is the original release.

I surveyed family and friends, and they also had many favorites: “Yellow Submarine” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” by The Beatles, “Awake” by Skillet, “Reckless” by Bryan Adams, “A Night at the Opera” by Queen, “Nevermind” by Nirvana, and “…Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears.

From the nostalgic appeal of classic albums to the modern allure of indie rock, each record represents a chapter in my musical journey. As I continue to expand my collection, I look forward to discovering more iconic album covers and adding new favorites to the mix. Cheers to the memories and melodies that spin on my turntable, each album cover telling a story of its own. Keep the records spinning and the music flowing!