Portland, OR | The 3 best vinyl record shops in Portland: Got a need for vinyl records? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top vinyl record sources in Portland, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of the best spots to venture next time you’re in the market for vinyl records. Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. 1. Bull Moose: First on the list is Bull Moose. Located at 151 Middle St., the video game store, which offers music and DVDs, vinyl records and more, is the highest-rated vinyl record spot in Portland, boasting four stars out of 43 reviews on Yelp.
IE | 7 of the best record shops in Ireland: Taking our cue from Red Bull Radio’s Counter Intelligence show, we look at some of Ireland’s best record stores. If you’re a regular listener to Red Bull Radio, you’ll be aware that Counter Intelligence – the show that highlights the stories behind both some of the most famous and most obscure record stores around the globe – is a cracking listen. (And if you’re not a regular listener, get on it, stat.) Taking that show as our cue, we’ve put together a list of some of the best and most interesting record stores in Ireland that are worthy of their stories being shared – and at the very least, worth checking out for myriad reasons, which you’ll read below. In no particular order…
Pasadena, NL | Welcome to the Vinyl Garage, a small-town rec room turned live music venue: Jan Stephen opens his home, decorated with music memorabilia, to host concerts and live his dream. On a quiet cul-de-sac in Pasadena, N.L., a yellow home with a white covered veranda looks like any other, but sometimes when the sun goes down, it turns into a rocking live music venue. Jan Stephen has been living his dream for the past two years hosting live acts right out of his own home. He calls it the Vinyl Garage, but don’t be fooled into thinking this is some glorified shed party. In fact, it’s not even a garage. “This room, originally in the house plans, was supposed to be a car garage,” said Stephen. “[But] instead of putting in a garage door at the front, they put in a bay window and turned it into a rec room.”
Verona, IT | Inside Mother Tongue – Europe’s newest pressing plant: A visual tour of the Italian vinyl outpost. As demand for vinyl has increased in the last ten years, so has the number of pressing plants, whether in high profile affairs such as Jack White’s Third Man in Detroit, or a number of independent operations pressing records for niche audiences. One of these operations is Mother Tongue. Located in Verona, Northern Italy, the pressing plant was launched by producer Patrick Gibin and a group of friends – with the help of an EU grant – in early 2019, and encompasses a record label, online shop and distribution service. Tackling the complex and finely tuned nature of the record pressing process, Gibin has enlisted Andrea Pasini to take care of manufacturing, utilising the plant’s sole Pheenix Alpha AD12 press – a modernised upgrade of original the Swedish-made Toolex Alpha AD12. Mattia Cristofoli, Carlo Grossule and Pietro Battista complete the team, managing administration and technical duties.
Review: The +RECORD PLAYER, A Compact All-In-One Audio System With A Pro-Ject Turntable And Killer Sound: Serious fans of vinyl and audiophiles who want the ability to listen to records tend to avoid all-in-one record players like the plague. These systems are very popular. They combine a turntable, amplifier, speakers and additional features like Bluetooth wireless in a single wooden cabinet. The vintage appeal and compact size (compared to separate components) keeps them flying off shelves. However… With prices typically $200 or less, no-one is going to mistake these systems for a premium offering. The “wood” is usually fake, the audio output is tinny, the record player often exhibits distortion from the speakers, and the inexpensive stylus used in many of these systems can actually damage records. Those who know better stick to a high quality turntable connected to decent audio components. That leaves a big gap in the market, though.
Elton John’s Historic 1979 Show In USSR For Release As ‘Live In Moscow’: The show, broadcast by BBC Radio 1 at the time, has been remastered by Bob Ludwig in 2019 from the original BBC analogue tapes. Elton John’s landmark performance in Russia in 1979, with percussionist Ray Cooper, will be widely released on album by UMe on 24 January. Live From Moscow, which was broadcast by BBC Radio 1 at the time, has been remastered by Bob Ludwig in 2019 from the original BBC analogue tapes. The show, which made Elton the first major Western star to play behind the Iron Curtain. The record was an immediate sellout when it appeared as a limited pressing for Record Store Day 2019, and will be released in the new year on 2LP vinyl, plus 2CD and digital formats. The concert came at the end of the artist’s A Single Man tour, which followed his 1978 album of that name. It featured him playing completely solo sets on his Steinway grand piano and the electric Yamaha CP80, then returning for a second half accompanied by the larger-than-life figure of percussionist and longtime Elton collaborator Cooper.
Pearl Jam Announces Their 1992 MTV Unplugged Performance Is Set for First-Ever Vinyl Release on Record Store Day Black Friday: Wouldn’t it be thoughtful of Pearl Jam to release a vinyl edition of their 1992 MTV Unplugged performance? The seven-song vinyl will be released via Legacy Label as RSD exclusive release on this black Friday on November 29. Pearl Jam confirmed the release on Twitter. Pearl Jam’s 1992 MTV Unplugged performance was recorded after the band was fresh off the first American tour in support of their debut album, Ten. Released in 1991, Ten was an important album that broke grunge and alternative rock into the mainstream. It was fused by Pearl Jam’s guitar-riff-heavy rock of the ‘70s with the grit of ‘80s post-punk, which earned a remarkable favor from radio stations and MTV at that time. The first-ever vinyl release of Pearl Jam’s MTV Unplugged performance includes a soundtrack “State Of Love and Trust” from the 1992 film, Singles, and consists of six tracks from album Ten, including “Even Flow,” “Alive,” “Black,” and “Jeremy.” Pearl Jam won video of the year for “Jeremey” at 1992 MTV Music Video Awards, where Neil Young joined the band to perform a classic act on the stage.
