Record Collector Of The Month - June 2019
Tell us a little bit about yourself!
Name: Brant Bell
Age: 38
Location: New Albany, Ohio
Profession: Web Developer
Fun Facts: The first CD purchase I made with my own money was Sheryl Crow's Tuesday Night Music Club. I also owned and loved MiniDiscs when they came out which coincided with the rise of Napster and Limewire.
Hobbies: Playing golf, coaching my son's baseball team, playing video games, acting as a taxi driver for my kids.
Favorite album: Weezer (Blue Album) by Weezer
First album: My first vinyl record was a Christmas gift from my wife -- Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by the Smashing Pumpkins. I didn't even have a record player at the time!
Favorite Enjoy The Ride or Enjoy The Toons release: All the Ozma reissues, but specifically Rock and Roll Part Three. The original pressing was a picture disc so the reissue was welcomed with open arms. A close second would be Phantom Planet's The Guest.
Favorite album artwork: Mondo has some of the best artwork in the industry when it comes to vinyl releases. The Fight Club soundtrack that makes you rip apart the outer sleeve to get to the record is both awe-inspiring and cruel at the same time. Their artwork for The Fifth Element and Batman Returns soundtracks are gorgeous, but my pick would be Mondo's release of the Home Alone soundtrack. The gatefold artwork incorporates the various traps used in the movie to go along with the sleeves that can make the house appear well lit or dark from one side of the sleeve to the other. It pays perfect homage to the movie which is a testament to its thoughtful design/creation.
Any albums//songs in your collection remind you of Summer? Dave Matthews Band reminds me of summer and concert season in general. I'm lucky enough to have all the Live Trax sessions that have made their way to vinyl so far along with the RSD releases they've done of Live at Red Rocks and Live at Luther College.
What are your favorite local record shops, in case any readers are traveling through your town? I'm lucky to live and work close enough to the Ohio State University campus which has an abundance of amazing stores. My favorites range in this order: Records Per Minute, Used Kids Records, Spoonful Records and Lost Weekend Records.
Favorite record shop you've stumbled upon while visiting another town? Finders Records in Bowling Green, Ohio and Culture Clash in Toledo, Ohio are both highly recommended.
What have you been listening to more frequently lately? I've been listening to a wealth of female artists lately. The list of EPs that I've enjoyed lately include: Elley Duhe, Sasha Sloan, SHAED, Maggie Lindemann, Lennon Stella and Kiiara. Meg Myers and Amy Shark both released full albums last year that I still have in rotation. Lizzo's Cuz I Love You is a stellar summer album for sure.
Have you discovered any new artists lately? (Doesn't have to be someone new on the scene, can be new to you!) There have been a ton of up-and-coming artists that I wish could break big enough to gain national attention, but I'm pulling hardest for Dermot Kennedy. His sound is familiar, but unique and rock/pop enough to get airplay across various stations. Think of Damien Rice, but less moody and more uptempo. His arrangements, vocal phrasings, Tiny Desk concert, covers, etc. showcase a talent that could explode if he maintains his current output.
What are some of your favorite albums you have in your collection? I have all of Bob Dylan's records including the magnificent Bootleg Series which was quite an undertaking. My favorite of his is still Blood on the Tracks. Fortunately, my favorite records from the 90s have found their way back to vinyl through represses over the years so I'm happy to own Everclear's first two records, Bjork's Post and Homogenic and even things like the Home Alone soundtrack.
Any specific albums you wish you had on vinyl? I wish I had Beck's Midnite Vultures and Dave Matthews Band's Before These Crowded Streets on vinyl. Both have been rumored to be getting repressed, but nothing has materialized.
What album would you like to be pressed on vinyl? The first two Rentals albums (Return of the Rentals and Seven More Minutes), the Toadies' Hell Below/Stars Above, Everclear's Invisible Stars, Rob Dougan's Furious Angels, Once a Tree's Phoenix and Dave Matthews Band's Before These Crowded Streets and Busted Stuff albums to go along with Dave's solo album Some Devil.
Scenario time! Lets say you decided to sell most of your possessions + live in a tiny house for the remainder of your years. You can only take 7 records. What are they (Here's the catch - for each person you live with, you have to make one of those choices their favorite album - the more people you live with, the less choices are yours. Yes, this includes tiny humans)? My wife would take the Grease soundtrack while my son would take Dermot Kennedy's Keep the Evenings Long. My daughter would be a little more unpredictable (she's a teenager) so I'll guess Taylor Swift's 1989 for her. That leaves me with four choices so I'll take: Weezer's Blue Album, Smashing Pumpkin's Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Daft Punk's Tron: Legacy soundtrack and Burial's Untrue.
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