Vinyl Verdict

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Jamie's next pick, The Jimi Hendrix Experience's "Live at Monterey". A 1:1 recording of the group's debut performance in the United States, it was for many years only available in part. Like our second episode covering The Who's "Live at Leeds" album, this concert is of some historical significance and captures the live performance of a legendary group. But is it something that you had to be there to experience? While the recording captures all of the sound checks and stage chatter, it loses out on the theatrics of a Jimi Hendrix performance - the playing with his teeth, behind his head and lighting the guitar on fire. Will the boys be satisfied or will they be left wanting more? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Bell's next pick, Blarf's "Cease and Desist". His only album to date, it is produced entirely of samples and noise. Clocking in at just under 28 minutes, the experience is over quickly. The existence of this album raises questions such as: "who or what is Blarf?", "why isn't it available on any major streaming service?" and "what did I just listen to?". To find out the answers to these questions, come along and find out!

On this special episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe dive into the topic of picture discs. Bell brings George Ezra's "Wanted on Voyage", Plouffe brings Hail Mary Mallon's "Bestiary" and Jamie brings Tool's "Lateralus". Once again, the albums could not be more different -- Bell's pick is a folksy bluesy record, Plouffe's pick is a rap album and Jamie's pick is a very long progressive metal record. What is a picture disc? Why don't we own more of them? How do you know when someone likes Tool? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Plouffe's next pick, Smash Mouth's "Fush Yu Mang". Their debut album, it went to number 19 on the Billboard 200 and spawned two hit singles. One of these singles - "Wallkin' on the Sun" went to #1 in the US and Canada, and propelled sales of the album. To date, "Fush Yu Mang" has sold over two million copies in the US alone. But will the catchy blend of pop-punk and ska win over ska-skeptical duo of Bell and Jamie? Will this Plouffe pick be the one? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Jamie's next pick, Ray Charles' "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music". Released in 1962, it was an immediate success, bridging the big band and jazz sound that Ray Charles had pioneered during the previous decade, with hits from country music. The album is made up of twelve covers of songs previously made famous by artists such as the Everly Brothers and Hank Williams. Three songs from the album were released as singles, with "I Can't Stop Loving You" being the biggest hit, going number one for five weeks. The single was also nominated and won the Grammy for Best Rhythm and Blues song at the 1963 Grammy's. Many country artists, including Willie Nelson, have cited this album as a turning point in expanding the appeal of country music and have noted it influenced their careers as well. Will the boys find this album impactful to the podcast? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Bell's next pick, U2's "Songs of Innocence". Released in 2014, it is their 13th album. It was released following the Apple Event to announce the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch, with Apple making the album available to all iTunes users at no additional cost. Within a month, the album had been listened to by 81 million users and downloaded 26 million times. However, many artists were upset by the way the album was released, with some saying that giving the music away for free cheapened the art form. A great many iPhone users were upset that the album was automatically added to their phones, and Apple had to release a webpage to remove the album from users' accounts. Critics were also polarized by the issue, as well as the musical content itself, with many saying the album was very bland and middle-of-the-road.

What will the boys think of the album? Will they all try and acquire it for their record libraries or will they have to have Bell exorcise it from their ears? Come along and find out!

Merry Christmas from the Vinyl Verdict crew! On today's episode, we review the Christmas album our company put out -- way back in 2015. How did this certified Christmas banger get a vinyl release? A fan had two pressings made up and one was given to previous guest Dan Besser. We borrowed this from Dan, who is apparently hard at work remastering the album as well. How does this album stack up against such Christmas greats like we covered last year? Come along and find out! And then come back next week for our regular programming!

On this special episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe get together to talk the artists they own the most albums by in their collections.

Starting the episode off, Jamie brings the Beatles album "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band". Their eighth album, released in 1967, the band began work on this album shortly after retiring from touring in 1966. Many publications have cited this album as being a masterpiece in the Beatles catalogue, and Rolling Stone has named it both the #1 (2003, 2013) and the #24 (2020) album of all time.

Bell's pick, Dan Mangan's "Being Somewhere", is his seventh studio album, released in 2022. A nice mix of folk and indie rock, the album was produced by OneDirection guitarist Drew Brown. The single "Fire Escape" had a music video that accompanied it featuring the actor Steven Ogg, perhaps best remembered for playing the character Trevor Philips in Grand Theft Auto V.

Finally, Plouffe's pick, the Red Hot Chili Peppers "Californication", their seventh album, released in 1999. An album that was an unfortunate victim of the Loudness War of the late 90s to mid 2000s, the album was the first to include the guitarist John Frusciante in several years. After coming back to the band after nearly dying from a severe drug addiction and a house fire, John's return marked a new period of activity for the band, and they went on to record two more highly regarded albums in the next six years. From this album, the single Scar Tissue earned them a Grammy award.

What can we glean about each host from the artists they religiously collect? What will the boys have to say about each record? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Plouffe's next pick, Streetlight Manifesto's "Everything Goes Numb". Released in 2003, it was their debut album. A ska album, the songs have the speed and tone of the Punk genre, combined with the large horn sounds of Ska. Critics have called this album one of the most important albums from the Third Wave of Ska, and reviews for it were largely positive. Led by lead singer, guitarist and the producer for this album, Tomas Kalnoky, the band has gone on to release four more albums and continues to tour to this day. Will the boys like the lively, upbeat music paired with, frantic, downbeat lyrics? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Plouffe listen to Jamie's next pick, The Kinks - "Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One". Released in 1970, this was their eighth album. A scathing critique of the British music industry, music contracts and royalties, the eventual success of the album led to the Kinks being able to negotiate a better contract and continue recording for many years. Buoyed by the hit singles Lola and Apeman, the album sold well and was critically well received. Will the boys give it a good v-i-n-y-l verdict? Come along and find out!

And as Bell noted, you can give to our local foodbanks here in Canada at https://foodbankscanada.ca/