Vinyl Verdict

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Jamie's next pick, ZZ Top's Eliminator. Their eighth studio album, Eliminator was released in 1983 and marks a departure from their earlier blues influenced sound to something very in keeping with the 80s. The album featured the use of drum machines and synthesizers, with guitarist Billy Gibbons saying he took inspiration from bands such as Depeche Mode and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark for this change in their sound. The album was a hit, due largely to heavy rotation of the music videos for Sharp Dressed Man, Gimme All Your Lovin' and Legs on MTV. Eliminator was also well received critically, with many reviewers praising the new direction for the band. Will the boys give this album all their lovin or will this album be tossed out like old T.V. dinners? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Bell's next pick, Ween's The Mollusk. Their sixth album, The Mollusk was the first album done in a traditional recording studio and with an expanded lineup, adding a drummer in place of a drum machine used on previous albums. Like the Audioslave album we covered a couple weeks back, the album cover was designed by Storm Thorgerson, who had previously done album covers for bands such as Pink Floyd. The album was a great influence on the creator of Spongebob Squarepants, who later requested a song from Ween for the show and featured the song Ocean Man on the Spongebob Squarepants Movie soundtrack. The album was well reviewed, with several publications including it on their year-end best of lists. Will this album take you by the hand and lead you to the land of sweet musical enjoyment? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe talk about their favourite holiday records! Plouffe and Jamie bring two Christmas classics with Bing Crosby's Merry Christmas and Percy Faith's Music of Christmas. Bell brings a Hannukah themed album with the soundtrack to Eight Crazy Nights. Along the way they discuss holiday memories such as "having the tree". What does that mean? Come along and find out, and Happy Holidays from the three of us at Vinyl Verdict!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Plouffe's next pick, Audioslave's Audioslave. Like the self-titled release from Boston we covered a few episodes back, Audioslave came out of the gate hot. Made up of Chris Cornell from Soundgarden on vocals, and everyone who isn't named Zack de la Rocha from Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave was one of the 21st century's first supergroups. The album spawned five singles, propelled by the loud and often weird guitar sounds from Tom Morello and has since gone platinum several times over in the US and Canada. However, the album was critically panned on release, with many reviewers saying the lyrical content was often gibberish and the album was overly long. Regardless, the band rode the success of this album right to the bank. Will the boys think this album has license to print cash or will they relegate it to the dollar bin? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Jamie's next pick, Miles Davis' Workin'  With the Miles Davis Quintet. Recorded in two sessions in 1956, Workin' is part of a series of albums - Workin', Steamin' Cookin' and Relaxin'. All four albums are considered staples of 50's jazz and are widely regarded as some of the best jazz albums of all time. Will the boys discover that jazz is around every corner? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Bell's next pick, Begonia's Fear. Hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Begonia was formerly a member of Juno Award winning band Chic Gamine, before starting a solo career in 2017. Her first album, Fear, was shortlisted for a Juno Award. Will the boys fear this album, or will they be living on the ceiling after listening to it? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe are joined by Adam Sondergard to talk about his pick, Sleep's Dopesmoker. Their third record, Dopesmoker  was recorded in 1996 and was supposed to be their major label debut, but it all went wrong. When the band presented this as their album, London Records balked at releasing an album that was a single long song. It went unreleased until 1999, when Earache Records released it as Jerusalem in a slightly different configuration. This version of the album was released in 2003 by TeePee Records, and the exact version Adam brought was released in 2012 by Southern Lords Records. An extremely heavy doom metal/stoner metal album, Dopesmoker is around an hour at its shortest and 75 minutes at its longest, all in a single song. Will the boys drop out of life with song in hand, or will the Weedians proceed to hate on the album? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Plouffe's next pick, The Mars Volta's The Mars Volta. Their seventh studio album, The Mars Volta represents somewhat of a clean slate for the band and a clear departure from their earlier, more progressive rock sound. Released to critical acclaim, the album reached #6 on the Billboard Alternative chart. Will the boys also critically acclaim the album? Will Jamie finally enjoy anything by the Mars Volta? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Jamie's next pick, Boston's Boston. Their self titled debut album, Boston marks the culmination of years of home recording by Tom Scholz, the lead guitarist and founder of the band. Recorded in both Scholz' basement, and in Los Angeles, the album was released in August 1976 and became an overnight hit. It was first picked up by a single radio station in Cleveland, and then the following week had made it to 392 stations throughout the US and Canada. By November 1976, the album had sold over a million copies and has since sold nearly 20 million copies to date, making it one of the fastest selling and most successful debut albums of all time. Will the record catch on with the boys? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Bell's next pick, Radiohead's In Rainbows. Their seventh studio album, In Rainbows was originally released as a digital download with the payment of any amount getting you a copy of the album. It later received a worldwide release on CD and vinyl. Spanning several genres including Art Rock, Alternative and Electronica, In Rainbows was named as one of the best albums of 2007, and later one of the best albums of the 00's. In 2020, Rolling Stone listed the album as number 387 of the best 500 albums of all time. Will the boys name it one of the best albums of this podcast? Come along and find out!