New York Special: The 10 best vinyl deals available on Amazon this week
Welcome back to Far Out’s weekly vinyl corner feature, where we bring you a tempting selection of records from some of our favourite artists, bargain vinyl deals to look out for, and unmissable limited-edition releases. This week we’re celebrating some of the greatest musical acts from the Big Apple!
In 2021, the recent vinyl resurgence observed another milestone year as record sales surpassed that of CDs for the first time in three decades. The return of the record has been on a steady climb since the invasion of streaming services in the late 2000s. While the weightless, highly accessible and practical format is great for discovering and consuming lots of new music while you’re out and about, there’s nothing like coming home for to bit of vinyl.
Collectors across the globe agree that if there’s an artist or album you love, there’s always a reason to have a turntable at the ready and a 12” space reserved on the shelf. The sound quality of vinyl brings something more hearty and vibrant with its analogue warmth and crisp definition that there really isn’t a substitute for.
So if, like me, you have a soft spot for these groovy discs of plastic, allow me to walk you through ten hot picks for this week. We have a selection of indie favourites from The Strokes to LCD Soundsystem and some rock classics from The Velvet Underground and New York Dolls.
The following selections have been handpicked by Far Out Magazine, and as a result, we may earn from qualifying purchases.
The 10 best vinyl deals available on Amazon this week:
Simon and Garfunkel – Bookends
Bookends, released in 1968, is the fourth studio album of America’s most beloved folk duo, Simon and Garfunkel. After rising to prominence with Sounds of Silence and Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme and the soundtrack album for the 1967 film The Graduate, they decided to experiment with their sound a little, using the state-of-the-art Moog synthesiser.
What resulted is one of the pair’s greatest triumphs. Bookends is home to highlights, including the Graduate theme, ‘Mrs. Robinson’, ‘Fakin’ It’ and the jewel in its crown, ‘America’, a perfect ode to the land of the free and the Manifest Destiny.
Available for purchase here for £20.99.
The Strokes – The New Abnormal
New York legends The Strokes redefined indie rock in the early 2000s with a run of highly impressive releases highlighted by their debut album, Is This It. After releasing First Impressions of Earth in 2005, The Strokes entered a five-year hiatus preceding two disappointing releases in Angles and Comedown Machine.
Thankfully, Julian Casablancas and co. are back in fighting form following their 2020 release, The New Abnormal, which earned the group the Grammy for Best Rock Album. Highlights of The New Abnormal include ‘The Adults Are Talking’, ‘Selfless’ and ‘Why Are Sundays So Depressing’.
Available for purchase here for £29.99.
New York Dolls – New York Dolls
It doesn’t get much more “New York” than America’s most iconic glam-era act. New York Dolls influenced a host of huge subsequent rock groups such as the Sex Pistols, Kiss, the Ramones, Guns N’ Roses, the Damned, and the Smiths, whose frontman Morrissey organised a reunion show for the New York Dolls’ surviving members in 2004.
The band’s eponymous 1973 album brought the music and an image that would define an era. Within the androgynous realms of New York Dolls, we stumble across some of the band’s most memorable hits, such as ‘Personality Crisis’, ‘Trash’ and ‘Jet Boy’.
Available for purchase here for £24.99.
Talking Heads – Fear of Music
Following their first album in collaboration with Brian Eno, More Songs About Buildings and Food, Talking Heads blossomed into something more refined and conceptually focused in that pointed toward the sound of the band’s 1980 masterpiece, Remain In Light.
Fear of Music stands up as one of Talking Heads’ finest releases boasting punchy hits like ‘Life During Wartime’ and ‘Cities’ as well as some slower, more enveloping tracks like ‘Drugs’ and ‘Heaven’.
Available for purchase here for £19.59.
Jay-Z – The Blueprint
Emerging onto the burgeoning hip-hop scene of America in the late 1990s, Jay-Z sculpted a new direction for rap music alongside East Coast neighbours such as Nas and 50 Cent. The rapper’s career reached a creative peak in 2001 with the fantastic The Blueprint.
The influential release features soul-based sampling and production handled primarily by Kanye West, Just Blaze, and Bink, as well as Timbaland, Trackmasters, and Eminem, who also contributes the album’s sole guest credit.
Available for purchase here for £27.94.
Sonic Youth – Goo
Sonic Youth were well known for some great music, but they also deserve a nod for their fantastic choice of sleeve design. The striking, comic book-style cover art draws you into Goo first, and then the music blows your socks off.
It’s difficult to decide which of Sonic Youth’s albums is the greatest, but with classic hits like ‘Kool Thing’, ‘Dirty Boots’ and ‘Mildred Pierce’, it’s difficult not to give this sixth studio album attention as a contender.
Available for purchase here for £27.94.
LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening
New York electro-rock group LCD Soundsystem’s hit a career peak with their 2010 third studio album, This Is Happening. Musically it was inspired by late 1970s David Bowie and has artwork that directly references the Starman’s classic 1979 album Lodger.
This Is Happening feels inherently “New York” thanks to frontman James Murphy’s David Byrne-esque vocals and the progressive, funky instrumentals. The album is home to some of the band’s most beloved classics, including ‘Dance Yrself Clean’, ‘Drunk Girls’ and ‘Home.
Available for purchase here for £34.51.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Cool It Down [ltd. edition Yellow]
In June, New York-based group Yeah Yeah Yeahs announced that they would be releasing a new album in autumn. The release will mark the band’s first album in nine years. In true NYC spirit, they have named the album Cool It Down after The Velvet Underground Loaded cut of the same name.
So far, the new album has only been teased with one preview single, ‘Spitting Off the Edge of the World’. Cool It Down will be released on September 30th and is available on Amazon now for pre-order.
Available for pre-order here for £22.99.
Suicide – Suicide
Although they barely received any credit at the time, Suicide were inspirational for numerous alternative rock bands in the ’80s. Having originally formed in 1970, Suicide lay dormant for several years before they re-emerged in 1976 at the heart of the punk scene centred on CBGB’s club in New York, where the likes of The Ramones, Patti Smith and Television also found initial recognition.
Four decades later, Suicide’s progressive music sounds just as fresh, and their influence runs deep, with the likes of Nick Cave, Jason Pierce, Depeche mode and The Jesus and Mary Chain all having cited them as a critical muse. None of the NYC band’s subsequent albums rivalled this iconic debut.
Available for purchase here for £21.99.
The Velvet Underground – White Light/White Heat
While it hasn’t stood up quite as iconic or influential as the Andy Warhol-infused The Velvet Underground & Nico, 1968’s White Light/White Heat is considered among many Velvet Underground purists as the band’s greatest achievement.
The album marked the final involvement of multi-instrumentalist genius of the avant-garde, John Cale and pushed even further in the dark and dingy direction of the debut. The album is home to classic rock-outs like ‘White Light/White Heat’ and ‘I Heard Her Call My Name’, the poetic ‘The Gift’ and the closing 17-and-a-half minute epic, ‘Sister Ray’.
Available for purchase here for £18.57.
