Yer Litmus Test Albums
 

I consider these my "coolest" albums. They're like a standard for "cool" for me. I don't mean to sound snobby. But maybe I am anyway.

The Modern Lovers (s/t)

Yoko Ono - Plastic Ono Band

PiL - Metal Box

Trout Mask Replica

White Light/White Heat

no.

No?

most of the time, i play, say, the stooges or sonic youth or velvet underground and people stare at me like a wild freak.

so no, i don't have records to judge if people are cool or not.

basically, i have litmus test t-shirts. ("what's that, a band? what are they? heavy metal? punk? are they like blink 182?")

Good thread!

Yoko Ono - The Plastic Ono band
Sun 0))) - Black One
Wolf Eyes - Burning Mind
Fela Kuti
Laibach
and probably some Smoke Judo and Aki Onda

Ah, YO/POB. That is an amazing album. I see we both agree.

These are what I consider to be my coolest vinyl:

The Associates - Fourth Drawer Down.

Amongst some of the early pioneers of electro/industrial music. But what set them apart was Billy McKenzie's operatic vocals. No one else around like them when this was released in 1982. They later morphed into a more pop based sound but this album was an influential work in its genre.

The Jesus And Mary Chain - Psycho Candy.

This 1984 classic should need no explanation. Essential vinyl.

The Kinks - Well Respected.

I own this original 1966 vinyl in near mint condition. A treasure of mine.

The Velvet Underground & Nico.

I own this VU vinyl pressing in a rare 2nd edition gatefold sleeve featuring the Andy Warhol banana on the cover and also the double lp gatefold edition with Warhol's rendition of the coca cola bottle cover.

The Velvet Underground - Loaded.

Again, original pressing in excellent condition. Another treasured possession.


Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures.

Original 1980 pressing with the faux-leather cover.

I have a whole host of SY and related project rarities that I consider to be my essential stuff, including:

The Velvet Monkeys - Rake 'original motion picture score'

Ciccone Youth - Whitey Album.

SY - Goo, Evol, Sister, Daydream Nation.

But I just love vinyl.

I don't have any litmus test albums. I judge people by their character, not by their music taste.

I agree that character is important.

But you can tell a lot about a person's character by their record collection.

Show me someone who's whole record collection is made up of Take That, New Kids On The Block, BoyZone, Spice Girls, All Saints and countless other lightweight, manufactured pop acts and nine times out of ten I'll show you a person of detestable spiritual qualities and character.

I have records by all but Boyzone. I also have a lot of other records by other people. I don't really like NKOTB or Spice Girls. I stand by Take That, and All Saints had some blinding singles.

The best litmus test for me isn't looking for 'cool' records (by this point everyone and their dog are aware of the Velvets - my copy of s/t has been in my mum's collection for months now, and she's not particularly hip). The secret is asking people what their most 'embarassing' record is. I discovered this almost by accident. I was at a party where there were a lot of 'cool' records being played by the host - your Moby's, Fatboy Slim's, that sort of deal - I asked the host what her most embarassing record was (the one she enjoyed but was afraid to play). She puts on this Huun Huur Tu record, followed by some Finnish yodelling. Much, much cooler.

I know so many people with 'hip' records like Velvets and Joy Division and PiL and that sort of thing. How many people really listen to them? How many people only listen to them because they're 'classics'? How many people realise that Mis-Teeq, S Club 7 and Take That produced some of the greatest pop of the 90s?

Blathering, blathering post. The important thing is - reject classics kids.

So true.

Mr. Glice,

That's why I said "whole record collection"

You may have some of those records, but your whole record collection isn't made up of them.

Good point. However, I would rather spend time with someone who has Abba's greatest hits than someone who has all the Velvets albums. I generally find people with limited, and predominantly pop, taste tend to actually enjoy the music rather than fetishise it, or fetishise something you're 'meant' to like rather than actually like.

I spent years trying to figure out what the fuss was about Joy Division, and then one day it occured to me: I don't actually like them, or many of the so-called 'classics'. Le contrarian, c'est moi.

Yes but Abba were great!

And I think we essentially agree. Someone with a collection of "classics" simply because they think they are so would be just as abhorrant as the aforementioned people I was talking about.

It's a question of having a bit of everything and being able to enjoy it.

I don't consider any of my records that I enjoy "embarrassing" though.

That includes my collection of Adam & The Ants records.

I don't mean that. I mean that I have friends who are not entirely fond of Diamond Dogs and White Light/White Heat that are really cool people and I've had girlfriends that liked that sort of stuff that turned out to be complete bitches.

I can't think of any specific album which you have to like for me to consider someone cool.

Well, I just mean "cool" as in cool with music. People can be cool in other ways even if they're not cool music people.

You can tell a lot about someone by looking at their records and books. And then of course there's always sifting through their trash...

Well, in that respect, I can tell how cool musically people are by talking about eras of music.

If I start talking about the 70's and people talk about Queen, Zeppelin, Floyd, Neil Young, T. Rex and that sort of stuff or if they talk about Kraut Rock or Punk, I can tell they are pretty cool. If they start talking about Boston and Chicago, there is something wrong.

BTW: My most embarrasing records:

All of my Prince albums
My Corey Hart album
and last but not least
my Eddie Murphy album

Now wait a minute. Some Prince stuff is all right. I really like Dirty Mind, fer instance.

Yeah, somebody could come in and pull a bunch of albums off my shelves and decide that I'm definitely uncool. For example: Firefall (anybody from the 70s remember them?), early Fleetwood Mac, Bob Seger, Indigo Girls.

Speaking of Fleetwood Mac, do you have "The End Of The Game" by Peter Green, gmku? That is one cracked piece of underrated weirdness.

I hates me some Fleetwood Mac though; even the "good" early stuff is not really to my taste.

No, I don't.

Frankly, I think some Mac is pretty good. I like Rumours best, and even the s/t one before that though a little less. It's pop rock but it's done well. There's one early Mac album I really like, forget which one, but it has some good Christine McVie songs--I think it's the one with the black cover and the penguin. Again, very pop, but good.

You would do well to check out that Peter Green album. It's been reissued recently too, but I picked up an original for 15 bucks, so it's not a pricey one in any case.

I think the most someone could tell from looking at my collection is the level of nerdiness with which I pursue this interest.
I definitely have some embarrassing LPs in my collection as well.
We all do.

Nothing wrong with Adam and the Ants, and I'll chin the man that says otherwise.

Yeah, Adam and the Ants hardly counts as truly embarrassing.

Will do. I'm due for another record store visit. It's been a good 24 hours or so since my last.

You'll be getting the DTs soon.

Lindsay Buckingham's new one is supposed to actually be good, but then again, who knows with reviews these days being so vanilla.

they would probably the most demented persons in the world and sure fire way to be my friend.

although, if it's just a little soiled, say it has a critically acclaim band in there, then i would know people are poseurs.

Good Thread.

I am certain gmku did not mean that he judges the entire worth of a person by whether they dig Metal Box. I am sure he meant to app,ly this only to someone's musical tastes. when any of us say someone ahs "cool" musical tastes, we just mean that they like generally the type of music we like.

With that said, I have bands that do that for me.

If you do not appreciate the Beatles then you are wasting my music loving time.
if you like sonic youth, and I mean REALLY like sonic youth and not just name drop them to seem hip, then I know there are a ton of other bands we could talk about and enjoy together and get off on it.
If you love the Misfits and know enough to hate the misfits post-1985, then you are allright by me my friend.
If you own any albums by thelonious Monk and/or Charles Mingus, and you do not just listen to the dreaded "jazz vocalists" category, then we can hang and enjoy some good jazz.
if your favorite "punk" band is green day, leave me the fuck alone.

embarrasing albums

I have ABBA "Thank You For The Music" in Spanish.
I have the Herman's Hermits greatest hits. (great to put on at an "indie rock" party and see who has a sense of humor)

Exactly, Rob I. I was, of course, being somewhat tongue-in-cheek. I'm not so shallow as to judge one's worth based on the music he or she buys (or maybe I am... hmm...). Beyond that, all I really meant was it's a fun way to see if you and a bud are on the same musical wavelength.

Psychocandy
White Light White Heat-Velvet Underground
Turn On the Bright Lights-Interpol

sucks

A litmus test album can also be one that is opposite of cool. Like Rumours or the Eagles Greatest Hits or something like that. One you use to test how the other person reacts and what he/she thinks of you for liking something that's "uncool." Know what I mean?

stereotypical much?
all of the music i like is uncool.

which one doesn't belong here? i think this is pretty easy...

one of these things is not like the others,
one of these things just doesn't belong..

i meant that i didn't go for difficult records, and people still don't seem to understand them. people suck.

what he said. adam & the ants fucking rule!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Fine! There! Happy Now!?