Be it the lack of an adequate digital remastering, the benefits of vinyl pops and scratches, or simply the satisfaction of watching a record spin around a turntable while magic sounds fill the room, what records are better on vinyl?
I’ll start with all Brian Jones-era Stones albums. The typically shoddy sound and pops and scratches present the band in all its tough, rock ‘n roll glory. Plus you never get distracted by hearing the acoustic guitar and piano on “Satisfaction”.
The Velvet Underground’s Loaded is much better on vinyl because no candy-ass team of engineers did a half-assed restoration of tape that was wisely snipped from “Rock ‘n Roll” and “Sweet Jane”.
Motown’s entire ’60s catalog, because the digital reissues sap the rhythm section of its punch, separating out individual drums, cymbals, and percussion. You shouldn’t be able to easily analyze the rhythm track on a Motown track; it’s for grooving, egghead!
The first Clash album. Nothing was lost in the grooves. Those songs sound terrible, in a good way. Hearing them better only makes them sound worse. Beside, it’s a sign that you were pretty cool if you bought it on vinyl when it came out.
Any one of the classic Neil Young albums. Who wants to hear Young in new jeans?
1950s rock ‘n roll. There’s nothing more to be heard that the original technology didn’t offer, and again, the surface noise adds to the toughness of the records.
