The most poetic albums: The 10 best vinyl deals available on Amazon this week
Welcome back to Far Out’s weekly vinyl corner feature, where we look to 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. In celebration of UNESCO’s World Poetry Day, which took place earlier this week, we’ve collected some of the most poetic albums in music.
Vinyl sales grew for the 15th consecutive year in 2022, rising to 5.5million units, the highest level since 1990, when …But Seriously by Phil Collins was the year’s biggest-selling studio album. The return to plastic has steadily climbed since the invasion of streaming services in the late 2000s. While the weightless, highly accessible and practical format is great for discovering and consuming swathes of new music while you’re out and about, there’s nothing like coming home to a bit of vinyl.
Fellow collectors will agree that if there’s an artist or album you love, there’s always a good reason to have the turntable at the ready and a 12″ slot reserved on the shelf for inevitable expansion. 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. The list includes a selection of modern classics from Arctic Monkeys and Big Thief alongside folk classics by Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell.
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:
Leonard Cohen – Songs of Love and Hate
Leonard Cohen is one of the most poetic of the 20th century’s eminent recording artists. Before the Canadian wordsmith set his sights on a musical career in New York City, he had pursued the notoriously difficult career path of poetry. Cohen was recognised for his talent as a student and won the Chester MacNaghten Literary Competition for his poetry entry in 1951.
Of all Cohen’s marvellous albums, 1971’s Songs of Love and Hate marks his pinnacle both musically and lyrically. With poetic highlights like ‘Famous Blue Raincoat’, ‘Avalanche’, Joan of Arc’ and ‘Last Year’s Man’, this album is sure to keep your mind working.
Available for purchase here for £17.00.
Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde
Bob Dylan’s most prolific and artistically potent era was undoubtedly the mid-1960s. A trilogy of albums between 1965 and ‘66 reached a climax with Blonde on Blonde. Combining blues, folk and classic rock styles, Dylan released a double album of immersive lyrical depth.
At this stage in his career, Dylan had befriended the famed Beat poet Allen Ginsberg; the legendary word arranger appeared to have had quite the impact on young bobby. Blonde on Blonde is home to some of Dylan’s most admired lyrical creations, including ‘Visions of Johanna’, ‘Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again’ and ‘Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands’.
Available for purchase here for £26.49.
Joni Mitchell – Blue
Joni Mitchell surfaced as one of the greatest singer-songwriters in North America during the late ’60s and early ’70s. After achieving success besides the likes of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez at the Newport Folk Festival, Mitchell launched a highly successful solo recording career.
An early peak for Mitchell came in 1971 with Blue, her fourth studio album. It displayed some of her most poetically rich and poignant lyrics following her breakup from the Hollies’ founding Graham Nash. Blue is home to classic hits such as ‘A Case of You’, ‘River’, ‘California’ and ‘Little Green’.
Available for purchase here for £25.99.
Arctic Monkeys – AM
Arctic Monkeys formed in Sheffield in the early 2000s and surged through the UK charts with their early singles and debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’M Not, in 2006. What placed the group at odds with their contemporary indie rivals was Alex Turner’s impressive lyrical command.
In 2013, Arctic Monkeys released their fifth studio album, AM. The album showed the group’s sound evolve into something more anthemic but retained Turner’s poetic edge. Amid the tracklist is a cover of John Cooper Clarke’s musical poem ‘I Wanna Be Yours’, hinting at where Turner might have absorbed some of his genius.
Available for purchase here for £26.50.
The Velvet Underground – White Light/White Heat
Following their 1967 debut LP, The Velvet Underground & Nico, the Velvets opted to mix things up a little. Having shaken off Andy Warhol and Nico, Lou Reed and John Cale led the band towards an even less radio-friendly sound.
The 1968 follow-up, White Light/White Heat, was home to very few songs people would describe as pop, with the 17-minute’ Sister Ray’ and, ‘The Gift’, Reed’s short story as read by Cale. This album is a true literary feast.
Available for purchase here for £22.64.
Big Thief – U.F.O.F.
U.F.O.F., with the last F standing for ‘Friend’, is the name of the highly praised third album by Big Thief. The songs’ immersive lyrics explore emotional bravery and a reality that weaves intimate relationships with the listener, a phenomenon that has made them one of the most widely-respected bands on the modern indie scene.
Since 2019’s U.F.O.F. Big Thief have released two further spellbinding albums of equal poetic beauty, but it’s impossible not to find oneself returning to this work of art with its highlights including ‘Cattails’, ‘UFOF’, ‘Orange’ and ‘Strange’.
Available for purchase here for £21.90.
Patti Smith – Horses
This powerhouse was released as the debut studio album of New York proto-punk poet Patti Smith. Expertly produced by former Velvet Underground multi-instrumentalist John Cale, Horses boasts lyrical gravity befitting of Smith’s distinctive vocal delivery.
The album is home to many of Smith’s most commercially ad critically lauded hits, including ‘Gloria: In Excelsis Deo’, ‘Redondo Beach’, ‘Kimberly’ and ‘Free Money’. This album is a true milestone of rock history and deserves a spot in any discerning record collection.
Available for purchase here for £21.28.
The Doors – The Doors
Throughout the late 1960s, Californian psychedelic blues-rock outfit The Doors established a global following, secured by Jim Morrison’s poetic lyrical talents. Morrison was a particularly literary addition to the psychedelic scene, naming his band after Aldous Huxley’s non-fictional account of his psychedelic drug experiences, The Doors of Perception.
The Doors released their masterpiece debut album in 1967. It premiered the group’s uniquely poetic blues style with essential hits like ‘Break On Through (To the Other Side)’, ‘The Crystal Ship’, ‘The End’, and ‘Light My Fire’.
Available for purchase here for £25.50.
Eminem – Marshall Mathers LP
Marshall Mathers, the American rapper better known as Eminem, rose to prominence in the mid-1990s and garnered a healthy following with his first two albums, 1996’s Infinite and 1999’s The Slim Shady LP. However, it was 2000’s Marshall Mathers LP that saw Eminem’s biggest breakthrough.
Eminem collaborated with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and many of his D12 bandmates for his masterpiece third album. The release includes the brilliant Dido featuring ‘Stan’, ‘The Way I Am’, ‘The Real Slim Shady’ and ‘Bitch Please II’, among many other essential hits.
Available for purchase here for £32.75.
Kate Bush – The Kick Inside
Kate Bush reached the first peak of her career in 1978, at just 19 years of age. Her debut single of that year was the wonderfully literary ‘Wuthering Heights’, a pop song unlike anything we had encountered before. The single was an instant hit, reaching the top spot on the UK charts and making Bush the first female artist to do so with a self-written song.
‘Wuthering Heights’ was the lead single taken from Bush’s debut album of the same year, The Kick Inside. The album reached number three in the UK Albums Chart, bolstered by other essential tracks like ‘The Man with the Child in His Eyes’, ‘Them Heavy People’, ‘Moving’ and ‘Kite’.
Available for purchase here for £21.99.
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