STACK #203 Sep 2021

MUSIC FEATURE

CHART Vinyl

I t’s an alluring sight often accompanied by engaging names like sour lemon, marble gold, peach, and cherry pie. Coloured vinyl has never been more popular and, when limited editions are pressed in colour, highly desired as collectable pieces. If well maintained, they can be good investments. Decades ago, coloured vinyl had a reputation for poor sound quality and was generally avoided in favour of its black counterpart. And with good reason – some of the early ‘70s and ‘80s in our collections sound vastly inferior to traditional record black vinyl. But major improvements in materials and technology have turned that preconceived notion on its head. Despite some collectors insisting that certain colours sound SO, WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH COLOURED VINYL?

1. LORDE

Solar Power

better than others, most record enthusiasts would

2. BILLIE EILISH Happier Than Ever

struggle to hear any discernible difference with today’s coloured vinyl. A noticeable drop in sound quality with a coloured disc (we’ve yet to come across one over the last five years) will have more to do with where the record was pressed and the skill of the workers at the plant than the actual material used in the production process. Savvy marketers at record labels now pair colours with the name of the record or band and often this

is reflected in reissues of classic albums. Some mixed coloured vinyl can be incredibly striking. While some vinyl purists will always stick to buying traditional black vinyl, buying coloured vinyl is unlikely to make any significant difference from an audio perspective and you’re left with a far more aesthetically pleasing record on your turntable. And something that could be worth a few dollars down the line.

3. HARRY STYLES Harry Styles

4. HARRY STYLES Fine Line

5. AUSTRALIAN CRAWL Sirocco

6. QUEEN

Greatest Hits

7. THE JUNGLE GIANTS Love Signs

DAVID GRAY WHITE LADDER 20th ANNIVERSARY WHITE VINYL EDITION It may be regarded as a classic now, yet upon original release in late 1998, English folk singer-songwriter Gray’s fourth long-player didn’t even scrape the British charts (although it was massive in Ireland). Upon re-release in 2000, Babylon was plucked as a second single, it took off and the rest is history, with the album spawning several radio hits and selling over three million copies. It’s a collection of down- to-earth love songs that really struck a chord with the masses. The singles are highlights dotted throughout the ten tracks here, from This Year’s Love right through to album closer Say Hello, Wave Goodbye , an acoustic take on Soft Cell’s finest ever moment. TOP TRACK: Babylon FAST FACT: David Gray has something in common with AC/DC, Metallica and Britney Spears, in that his Babylon was one of the top 10 tracks used to torture detainees at the US facility at Guantanamo Bay.

8. TYLER, THE CREATOR Igor

9. ARCTIC MONKEYS AM

10. STICKY FINGERS Land Of Pleasure/Caress Your Soul

On The Record Radar

OUT 12/11

ED SHEERAN = JB HI-FI AU EXCLUSIVE WHITE VINYL, ECO MIX VINYL

COURTNEY BARNETT THINGS TAKE TIME, TAKE TIME

BAKER BOY GELA TRANSPARENT GOLD & YELLOW VINYL

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS B-SIDES & RARITIES: PART II DELUXE VINYL (WITH PART I), BLACK VINYL

JB HI-FI AU EXCLUSIVE BLUE VINYL, BLACK VINYL

OUT 22/10

OUT 29/10

OUT 15/10

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