When the CD made it's debut it was hailed as a technological wonder. They were smaller than an album and more durable than a cassette with an audio quality that would surpass both mediums. However vinyl aficionados would, and still do, argue that the digital process compromises the warmth of the analog signal. I'm not here to argue that point but I will say that the CD is a cleaner sound, there is no tape hiss or turntable rumble, but there is one thing that the CD fails to do is keep the segue of the tracks. The segue is a seamless transition between songs but the CD puts the standard two second delay between tracks. This gap in the music, in my opinion, mars the purity of what the artist is trying to convey. These are the albums from the 60's to the 80's that I feel should be heard on vinyl to fully enjoy the feel of the music.
At the top of the list is Pink Floyd's, Dark Side Of The Moon, it is by far the best album to hear on vinyl. As one song transcends into the next you are propelled into it's world, but the pauses on the CD breaks that spell. Wish You Were Here, The Wall and Ummagumma are also best served on vinyl. The Beatles have several albums that are great on vinyl, Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and The Beatles, (a.k.a. the white album). The Cars debut album "Bye Bye Love" segues into "Moving In Stereo", which segues into "All Mixed Up". Alice Cooper's albums, Welcome To My Nightmare, "Devil's Food segues into "Black Widow" then the Love It To Death album, "Second Coming" to "Ballad of Dwight Fry" into "Sun Arise" and on his Killer album, "Dead Babies" segues into "Killer".
Other albums to enjoy on vinyl would be:
Paul McCartney's, Venus and Mars
Led Zepplin's debut album
Elton John's, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Kraftwerk's, Autobahn
Rush 2112
The Who, Quadrophenia
Jethro Tull, Thick As A Brick and A Passion Play
Yes, Roundabout
Queensryche's, Operation Mindcrime
Electric Light Orchestra, Eldorado
Neil Young's, Harvest
Not only are these albums worth listening to for their musical continuity they should also be included in any vinyl collection of rock music.
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