I was reminded last weekend of the day five years ago that was our last gig using vinyl in the city, at Union Square Ballroom, lugging crates of records downstairs there. Obviously the biggest factor is carrying the records, and you’d need a truckload of records to equate a sizable 10,000 or so MP3 song collection, but another factor was them getting destroyed. I could live with an AC/DC or Motley Crue album getting a little worn and torn, ones where tens of millions of copies were printed and wouldn’t be a big deal to replace, but once the rarer stuff like some of the latin soul and salsa from the sixties and early seventies soul albums were getting too worn it was time to hang them up. 
A couple of specific records came to mind when
I was going through the 1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die book again and can’t believe they were left out. The first, John Coltrane Live at the Village Vanguard 1961, and the second is Curtis/Live! recorded at the Bitter End in 1971. This record is so good I would even go so far as to say it’s Curtis Mayfield’s best album, with Roots a close second. And on par with the best late 60s/early 70s soul music. To think that this was his debut album as a solo artist is just incredible, I can’t think of anything coming out today that would even come close.
Listen – Mighty Mighty
April 16, 2009
Funk, Music, roots funk, soul