From Target to Best Buy, vinyl records are everywhere, with varying quality. It is hard to wade through the shelves and shelves stacked with “Country Singer/Songwriter #39” to find something actually listenable, and often, you would have to take a trip to one of San Antonio’s many specialty record stores. Luckily, the UTSA bookstore features a selection of records to keep its student body satiated. From the roughly 40 records in their selection, these are some of the ones that stand out amongst the rest. So, whether you are a vinyl veteran looking to expand your collection or a new initiate with a Crosley suitcase turntable in hand, let us take a look at some of my own personal recommendations of great records to enhance your collection.
- “MTV Unplugged In New York” by Nirvana
The tragedy of Nirvana and Kurt Cobain retroactively turns this intimate recording of one of the band’s final performances into a raw snapshot of the lightning in a bottle that was Nirvana. No one at that level of fame would have the gall to skip all their biggest tunes to cover The Vaselines and the Meat Puppets. There has never been, and likely never will be, another Kurt Cobain.
- “The Essential Johnny Cash” by Johnny Cash
“Hello, I’m Johnny Cash” is one of the most iconic openings of any song, period. It may not even be the best one on the record. Johnny Cash’s body of work is staggeringly excellent, and you are doing yourself a disservice if you have not heard this compilation. Yes, every single song on this compilation. They are all great.
- “Led Zeppelin II” and “Led Zeppelin IV” by Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin is one of the greatest classic rock bands. “Led Zeppelin II” and “Led Zeppelin IV” are tied in my mind for the best choice for which to pick up from the bookstore, so just choose whichever number you like better. “Led Zeppelin IV” is probably the better experience from front to back, but you just cannot beat the one two-punch of “Whole Lotta Love” and “What Is and What Should Never Be.” And once you finish these, pick up “Houses of the Holy,” the real best Led Zeppelin record.
- “License to Ill” by Beastie Boys
A perfect definition of the phrase “white boy swag,” Beastie Boys carry their roots as a hardcore band into new territory with their genre-bending debut. This is the perfect record to throw on and spend the next hour screaming along with your friends. The three-track run of “Girls,” the best worst song ever written, the satirical and misunderstood “Gotta Fight For Your Right (To Party)” and the absolute ripper “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” function as the centerpiece to their fiery debut. Just put it on and scream your head off.
- “Gold” by ABBA
Twenty of the greatest songs of all time from the greatest pop group of all time. If you are going to buy an album from the bookstore, make it this one. Every single song on here is a masterpiece of vocals, instrumentals, energy and melody. No one does it like ABBA, and no one ever will.
