In Part 1 of My Vinyl Collection we went through some classic albums, if you haven't checked that out then definitely have a look at that through here. In this section we will be finishing off the A's and venturing into the B's, This ones a must read if you're an Arctic Monkeys fan.
Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare
This artwork is the most annoying out of all the Arctic Monkeys because it's the only one that actually contains any band logo on it, which is really annoying because it looks out of place when hung on the wall with the other covers. It is, however, great artwork nonetheless.
If you open up the gatefold you are met with this really nice artwork, which I think may be what the inside of the house on the cover looks like, it has really cool 60's feel to it and it just presents itself differently to the artwork on the cover.
The record is pressed really nicely and I have no qualms with that whatsoever. The sleeve notes are something that really annoy me because it makes more sense in the day and age of vinyl being £20 a pop to print them on the record sleeve and put more effort into it. But overall I absolutely love this album notable tracks being the pounding Fluorescent Adolescent and D is For Dangerous. Give this record a listen.
Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See
Arctic Monkeys come through with another fantastic album cover, the simplistic design with the album title printed in the middle in small writing is simply brilliant. I love minimalistic album covers and this is no exception. What you are unable to see on the photos however is the fact that writing actually pulls away from the cover a bit thus meaning you can feel the writing when rubbing your hand over it.
Of course the album is a gatefold, much like every Arctic Monkeys release with the exception of their first album, which is excusable because they probably didn't have the budget. Thephotograph within the album is exceptionally beautifully in my opinion, the stretching desert with the band members looking across it is a stark image and could have made a fantastic cover if the band had decided to take this route.
Arctic Monkeys - AM
Now THIS is one of my favourite album covers of all time and one of my favourite albums of all time. The simple soundwave stretching across the black background has become almost iconic since its 2013 release. It seems that every hipster from here to Timbuktu has this on a T-shirt. This album has some of my favourite songs on it and I can't pick just a few, you have to listen to every single one.
The Arctic Monkeys love for simplicity is furthered in the inside of the gatefold, where the band sit glumly in their white shirts and black ties. It's almost an eerie portrait but striking nonetheless, it's a tad annoying that nothing was put on the left side of the gatefold. I didn't pick up the deluxe vinyl version because I felt that the addition of a 7" and a picture booklet did not really warrant the extortionate price tag.
This is one of my favourite pressings, it's crisp and sounds almost exactly how you expect records to sound. This is one of my favourite things about Arctic Monkeys records, they are always wonderful pressings (I don't have Humbug so I can't speak for that). I have to say that this is probably my most played record, I'm surprised I didn't wear it out when I first bought it, but i thoroughly reccommend whether you have a record collection or are looking to start to purchase this record.
The Beach Boys - 20 Golden Greats
I have to say I got into the Beach Boys extremely late, it's only really this past year or so I've delved into their back catalogue rather than the singles. I saw this record for only £4 at a small record store in the heart of Birmingham, called Swordfish, if you're ever in the area I thoroughly recommend that you check it out. I love the cover aswell, it sums up the California band perfectly
I've not had chance to give this record a spin yet because I bought it quite recently and I've been wearing another record out in that time, however the vinyl is quite flimsy which is annoying but acceptable considering how old this is. The record is in perfect condition for something that appears quite worn out on the outside, for me this was an absolute steal and will be getting many spins in the future.