Vinyl Verdict

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Jamie's next pick, AC/DC's "Back in Black". Released in 1980, it was their seventh studio album. Following the death of their lead singer, Bon Scott in February 1980, the band sought out a new singer and selected Brian Johnson who was formerly of the band Geordie. The album was recorded quickly and released in July 1980 to tremendous success. It is the second-best selling album with an estimated 50 million records sold, following Michael Jackson's "Thriller", which has an estimated 70 million sold. The album spawned four hit singles and their tour in support of the album was one of the most successful in rock history. Additionally, many metal and rock groups have cited the album as influential. But - will the boys like it? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Bell's next pick, Limp Bizkit's "Significant Other". Released in 1999, it was their second studio album. Following the success of their previous album "Three Dollar Bill, Y'all", the band was invited to perform at Woodstock '99. The band's performance has been widely criticized as having further instigated violence at the festival, particularly during their performance of the song Break Stuff. Controversy surrounding this appearance propelled the sales of this album, and led to further mainstream success of the band. But will the boys be able to cut through the controversy and ask the album to "Show Me What You Got"? Come along and find out!

On this special episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam are joined by their friend and former host, Plouffe! Plouffe's pick for this week is  "Demon Days" by Gorillaz, a call back to our first episode, which was their album "The Now Now". Released in 2005, it was their second album. Propelled ahead by the success of the singles "Feel Good Inc", which later won the Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration and "DARE", the album is their most successful in terms of sales to date. The album discusses a number of dire things plaguing humanity, such as our propensity to violence, our willful destruction of nature and greed, making it somewhat of a concept album. But what will the boys think of this Plouffe pick? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Adam's next pick, Deafheaven's "Sunbather". Released in 2013, it was their second album. The album was critically well received, with many reviewers noting its ability to unite elements of other genres and styles into one cohesive sound. On year-end lists for 2013, it was listed as one of the top albums of the year, with many publications saying it was the best Metal album of that year. But will this be the best metal album of this podcast? Will the boys find it "Irrestible"? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Jamie's next pick, Carole King's "Tapestry". Released in 1971, it was her second studio album. By the time of the release of this album, Carole King was already an established songwriter, having written or co-written dozens of hit singles. This album won 4 Grammy Awards in the following year, including Album of the Year. It is one of the highest selling albums of all time, with over 25 million copies sold, and holds the record the most consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 by a female artist. It remained on the Billboard 200 for 313 weeks, which is second only to Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon", which we have previously covered. But what will the boys think of this album? Will they feel the earth move, or will they be left saying "It's Too Late"? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Bell's next pick, Mother Mother's "O My Heart". Released in 2008, it was their second album. A band local to us in Vancouver, they got their start on Quadra Island, which is between the mainland and Vancouver Island. In 2020-1, several tracks off of "O My Heart" went viral on TikTok, leading to a resurgence of interest in this album. But will the boys have a resurgence of interest in listening to this album again? Will they instead try to throw this record into a "Burning Pile"? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Adam's next pick, Wilco's "A.M." Released in 1995, it was their debut album. The band was formed following a series of disputes between Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar of Uncle Tupelo, with Tweedy going on to form Wilco and Farrar going on to form Son Volt. Both "A.M." and Son Volt's album "Trace" were highly anticipated because of the turmoil in Uncle Tupelo. Ultimately, "Trace" became the more critically respected album, and Wilco eventually moved on from the alt-country/country-rock sound of this album, producing two extremely well received albums in the 2000s, "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" in 2001 and "A Ghost is Born" in 2004, which won two Grammy Awards. But is this album a relic of an acrimonius split in a well respected group? Will the boys think "I Must be High?" Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Jamie's next pick, Peter Gabriel's "So". Released in 1986, it was this fifth studio album after leaving Genesis in 1976. This album is his highest charting, most critically well respected and most awarded. Five singles from the album charted, with the most successful being Sledgehammer, which we covered in the Season One episode Hot Singles in Your Area. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards, but lost to Paul Simon's classic "Graceland". But will the boys think this is the album of their year? Come along and find out!

On this inaugural episode of CD Consensus, Bell, Jamie and Adam explore the magic world of music played by lasers! Adam brings Weird Al’s album Straight Outta Lynwood, released in 2006. Bell brings the soundtrack to the 2015 game Life is Strange. Jamie brings the Foo Fighters The Colour and the Shape, released in 1997. Just like our previous incarnation as a vinyl record podcast, the choices could not be more different! Come along as we discuss the compact disc!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Bell's next pick, NxWorries' "Why Lawd?". Made up of the duo of Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge, this is their second album, released in 2024. Following Anderson .Paak's painful divorce, the album touches on a number of related emotions and thoughts. Critically well received, the album was praised for Knxwledge's intricate production work. At the 67th Grammy Awards, the album won Best Progressive R&B Album. But will the album be well received by the boys, or will they say "MoveOn"? Come along and find out!