
Introduced in 1948, vinyl is one of the first media used for reproduction and storage of sound. After a sharp decline of appreciation in the 80s and 90s due to the introduction of audio cassettes and CDs, today vinyl is back, a choice for connoisseurs, but not only, that comes from love for listening.
Vinyl, in fact, stands out for its peculiar timbre, different from that obtained by today’s digital systems, more natural, authentic and involving in the music reproduction, which allows the listener to better appreciate the nuances of sound. It is a support that perfectly matches the warm Voice of Sonus faber and creates a magical atmosphere that makes every listening unique.
This is why we propose a list of 10 vinyls to start your collection, even if you’re a newbie. The selection includes many different musical genres, ranging from jazz, to rock, to classical music. All the albums here below have been chosen because they marked the history of music and can be considered pioneers of important stylistic evolutions.
- Boléro, 1928: Spanish dance born in the eighteenth century, was composed from scratch by Maurice Ravel, commissioned by the Russian dancer Ida Rubinštejn. This piece is particularly appreciated for the use of different sounds and complex instrumentation.
- Kind of blue, 1959: a milestone in the history of jazz, created by Miles Davis, one of the most original and influential American trumpeters ever. In 2003 the famous music magazine Rolling Stone, in its ranking of the 500 best albums of all time, pointed to Kind of Blue in 12th place.
- Abbey Road, 1969: the rock beat pop album with one of the most famous covers in the history of music, the last one recorded by The Beatles before their winding up. On the A side there are famous pieces like Come Together or Here Comes the Sun while the B side includes a very long medley.
- What’s going on, 1971: the soul music album of Marvin Gaye, deals with issues such as drug abuse, poverty and the Vietnam War, not very common for this genre, but they determined the commercial and critical success of the album.
- The dark side of the moon, 1973: the eighth psychedelic experimental rock album by Pink Floyd, which boasts the record for the longest stay in the 200 top-songs in America. The lyrics focus on aspects that escape the rational control of the human soul, hence the “dark side”, to which the title metaphorically refers.
- Thriller, 1982: one of the best-selling albums ever, Michael Jackson’s masterpiece, which marked the history of music so much to receive a total of 101 platinum records, 17 diamond records and 8 golden records. Michael Jackson admitted that he was inspired by Hot Space, which, however, was a flop for the Queen.
- Electric Ladyland, 1968: among the greatest masterpieces by Jimi Hendrix, the guitarist who marked the history of rock with his unique and inimitable style. The album immediately had a remarkable success, reaching the 1st place in the American charts, the only album by Hendrix to conquer the top of the rankings.
- The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, 1972: the fifth album by David Bowie, an avant-garde artist with an eclectic style, that ranges from pop to rock. It is considered the album that declared Bowie an established and coherent artist, an album defined as the “logical climax of glam”.
- Sticky fingers, 1971: considered one of the best albums of The Rolling Stones expression of a combination of rock and blues, capable of remaining at the number 1 position for five weeks in the English charts and for four weeks in the American one.
- Random Access Memories, 2013: fourth album of the French band Daft Punk, exponent of electronic-house music. Anticipated by the single Get Lucky, the album has been released 8 years after their previous album and it received many plaudits from music critics.