Dem Vinyl Boyz – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of Dem Vinyl Boyz, we begin our deep dive into Stevie Wonder’s iconic album Songs in the Key of Life, released in 1976. This two-part series starts with Side One of the double album, where we explore the timeless songs that set the tone for Wonder’s masterpiece. Known for its expansive musical range and socially conscious lyrics, Songs in the Key of Life is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums ever recorded.

In Part 1, we take listeners through unforgettable tracks such as "Love’s in Need of Love Today," "Village Ghetto Land," and the celebratory anthem "Sir Duke." We’ll dive into Stevie’s creative process, the inspiration behind these songs, and how he skillfully combined elements of soul, jazz, and funk to deliver music that resonates across generations.

Join us on Dem Vinyl Boyz as we celebrate the brilliance of Stevie Wonder, discussing the themes, intricate arrangements, and profound impact of the first side of Songs in the Key of Life. Get ready for a journey into the heart of one of music’s greatest achievements!

In this episode of Dem Vinyl Boyz, we dive into one of the most influential albums in music history—The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, released in 1966. Often regarded as a masterpiece, Pet Sounds redefined what a pop album could be, blending lush harmonies with complex production techniques and introspective lyrics that transcended the surf rock sound The Beach Boys were known for.

Featuring timeless tracks like "Wouldn’t It Be Nice," "God Only Knows," and "Sloop John B," Pet Sounds captured Brian Wilson’s genius as a producer and songwriter. The album's orchestral arrangements and emotional depth set it apart, influencing countless musicians and marking a turning point in the evolution of popular music.

In this episode, we’ll explore the making of Pet Sounds, discussing Brian Wilson’s innovative recording techniques, the challenges the band faced during production, and the album’s impact on the music industry. We’ll also reflect on how Pet Sounds continues to inspire artists across generations and remains a beloved album among fans.

Join us on Dem Vinyl Boyz as we celebrate Pet Sounds, an album that pushed the boundaries of pop music and remains one of the most revered records of all time.

In this transformative episode of Dem Vinyl Boyz, we dive into the revolutionary sounds of Kanye West's debut album, "The College Dropout," released in 2004. This album marked a significant shift in the hip-hop landscape, introducing Kanye West as a formidable force in music, blending sharp lyricism with innovative production.

"The College Dropout" features an array of hits that resonate with both personal introspection and social commentary. Tracks like "Through the Wire," "Jesus Walks," and "All Falls Down" showcase Kanye's unique ability to fuse soulful samples with compelling narratives about faith, struggle, and resilience. Each song reflects his journey from producer to artist, capturing the essence of his groundbreaking style.

Throughout this episode, we'll explore the creation of "The College Dropout," discussing Kanye's journey leading up to the album, the production techniques that set it apart, and its critical and commercial success. We’ll also delve into how this album broke the mold of contemporary hip-hop, influencing a new generation of artists and redefining the genre’s boundaries.

Join us on Dem Vinyl Boyz as we celebrate "The College Dropout," an album that not only launched Kanye West’s illustrious career but also changed the face of hip-hop. This episode is a tribute to Kanye's visionary artistry and the enduring impact of his debut masterpiece

Dem Vinyl Boyz drop the needle on a rock record this week that ended up teaching us so much about this band. You will find out that GnR' was not a band from California, they were from Seattle, Indiana and Cleveland and only met in L.A. In an era of bad-boy rockers who weren’t terribly bad and wrote music that sounded too good, Guns N’ Roses were the genuine article. Their songs echoed with the love for rock and roll and the spirit of rebellion. When Geffen Records A&R man Tom Zutaut signed the band he had no idea what he had gotten into. No one else wanted GN’R because they were viewed as a liability, a band as likely to miss the show as perform a gangbuster set. Yet what Zutaut heard from vocalist Axl Rose, guitarists Slash and Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler was inspiring and seemed to have the potential to be a profitable signing if they didn’t all die in an alcohol or drug related mishap. Appetite for Destruction is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. It was released on July 21, 1987, by Geffen Records. The album was released to little mainstream attention in 1987. It was not until the following year that Appetite for Destruction became a commercial success, after the band had toured and received significant airplay with the singles "Welcome to the Jungle", "Paradise City" and "Sweet Child o' Mine". The album peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200 and became the seventh best-selling album of all time in the United States, as well as the best-selling debut album. With over 30 million copies sold worldwide, it is also one of the best-selling albums of all time. Although critics were originally ambivalent toward the album, Appetite for Destruction has received retrospective acclaim and has been viewed as one of the greatest albums of all time. In 2018, it was re-released as a remastered box set to similar acclaim.

(1989) 2 Live Crew - As Nasty As They Want to Be Dem Vinyl Boyz Review (Episode 08) recorded August 2022 Shakin' what ya Mama gave ya this week on Dem Vinyl Boyz Episode 08 "As Nasty As They Want To Be" from 2 Live Crew. This historical album features dope classics such as "Me So Horny", "C'Mon Babe" and "Dirty Nursery Rhymes"!!! The 2 Live Crew consists of Chris Wong Won aka "Fresh Kid Ice", David Hobbs aka "Mr. Mixx", Mark Ross aka "Brother Marquis", and Luther Campbell aka "Uncle Luke", aka "Luke Skyywalker", aka "Captain D" aka "Luke"!!! Luther Campbell was the Quarterback for 2 Live Crew. he is synonymous with Miami. It’s the city where he was born and raised. He first gained attention as one of Liberty City’s premier DJs. If you had $50, Campbell happily showed up to spin records. “I did parks, car washes, wedding receptions, baby showers, street corners,” Campbell tells SPIN from his Miami home. “I was available.” Those early sets would mostly feature Herbie Hancock, ‘70s British funk band Olympic Runners, and some reggae records. “Miami’s not really the South,” he says. “It’s a melting pot of Bahamians, Jamaicans, Cubans, Dominicans, and Puerto Ricans.” Campbell himself is the son of a Bahamian mother and Jamaican father. Then hip-hop came along, down from New York. Campbell was instantly hooked. “I started playing these records at the parks and skating rinks,” he says. Campbell then came across a California duo called 2 Live Crew. The early iteration of the group was very different from what the group would become. Their first single “Revelation” and didn’t contain a single bad word. “It was a ‘conscience’ record,” Campbell remembers. The record’s uplifting message wasn’t exactly setting the charts on fire. Not to mention the group’s lack of showmanship. “These guys were boring on stage,” he says. The 2 Live Crew’s “As Nasty as They Want to Be” is a watershed album in hip hop history. It stands to this day as arguably the dirtiest record ever laid to tape, or at least one that millions of kids heard. What made it relevant, aside from the fact it contains enormously catchy beats and rhymes (albeit stolen for the most part), is it was for a period of time declared “legally obscene.” In their infinite wisdom, the state of Florida made the act of selling this album an arrest-able offense, an enormously controversial measure that exploded in their faces like a Luther Campbell facial once they realized people will automatically defy the norm and acquire anything they are told they cannot have (the “banned” album moved 2 million copies) 

This week Dem Vinyl Boyz are back with another classic “‘The Dark Side of the Moon’" . Revered as one of the greatest rock albums of all time, “Dark Side” — which tackles weighty themes of greed, conflict, religion, mortality and mental illness — was first released in the U.S. March 17, 1973. Despite only reaching the No. 1 spot for one solitary week, the album continues to hold the record for the most weeks charted on the Billboard 200 (over 800 weeks!) and was a constant feature on the Billboard 200 from its initial release until 1988 – returning to the chart in late 2009 after Billboard revised its chart eligibility rules regarding older releases. It is estimated to have sold over 45 million copies worldwide, while its artistic legacy is arguably even greater. The Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 1 March 1973 by Harvest Records. Primarily developed during live performances, the band premiered an early version of the suite several months before recording began. The record was conceived as an album that focused on the pressures faced by the band during their arduous lifestyle, and dealing with the apparent mental health problems suffered by former band member Syd Barrett, who departed the group in 1968. New material was recorded in two sessions in 1972 and 1973 at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) in London.

This week's 12" inch piece of vinyl shows Slim Shady sitting on the porch of the home in which he lived as a teenager. The album sleeve visuals are in black and white but the sounds touch on different colors and sexual orientations. The Marshall Mathers LP is the third studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on May 23, 2000, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album was produced mostly by Dr. Dre and Eminem, along with The 45 King, the Bass Brothers, and Mel-Man. Recorded over a two-month period in several studios around Detroit, the album features more introspective lyricism, including Eminem's thoughts on his rise from rags to riches, the criticism of his music, and his estrangement from his family and wife.  Next week tune in to hear Pink Floyd's Dark Side of Moon. Honoring and examining the greatest vinyl of all time. Give us a review in the app store and send any feedback to [email protected]

Dem Vinyl Boyz going CRAZY for Prince (aka the symbol) and his legendary album from 1984. Purple Rain is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Prince, released on June 25, 1984, by Warner Bros. Records and the soundtrack to the 1984 film of the same name. Purple Rain was musically denser than Prince's previous albums, emphasizing full band performances, and multiple layers of guitars, keyboards, electronic synthesizer effects, drum machines, and other instruments. Much of the album had a grandiose, synthesized, and psychedelic sheen to the production and performances. The music on Purple Rain is generally regarded as the most pop-oriented of Prince's career, though a number of elements point towards the more experimental records Prince would release after Purple Rain. The music video for the album's lead single "When Doves Cry" sparked controversy among network executives, who thought its sexual nature was too explicit for television. The risqué lyrics of "Darling Nikki" raised complaints from Tipper Gore and the Parents Music Resource Center and contributed to the implementation of Parental Advisory stickers and imprints on album covers. Prince designed Purple Rain as the project that would make him a superstar, and, surprisingly, that is exactly what happened. Simultaneously more focused and ambitious than any of his previous records, Purple Rain finds Prince consolidating his funk and R&B roots while moving boldly into pop, rock, and heavy metal with nine superbly crafted songs. Even its best-known songs don't tread conventional territory: the bass-less "When Doves Cry" is an eerie, spare neo-psychedelic masterpiece; "Let's Go Crazy" is a furious blend of metallic guitars, Stonesy riffs, and a hard funk backbeat; the anthemic title track is a majestic ballad filled with brilliant guitar flourishes. Although Prince's songwriting is at a peak, the presence of the Revolution pulls the music into sharper focus, giving it a tougher, more aggressive edge. And, with the guidance of Wendy and Lisa, Prince pushed heavily into psychedelia, adding swirling strings to the dreamy "Take Me With U" and the hard rock of "Baby I'm a Star." Even with all of his new, but uncompromising, forays into pop, Prince hasn't abandoned funk, and the robotic jam of "Computer Blue" and the menacing grind of "Darling Nikki" are among his finest songs. Taken together, all of the stylistic experiments add up to a stunning statement of purpose that remains one of the most exciting rock & roll albums ever recorded. Enjoy this week's episode. Be sure to rate and review our podcasts. Thank you for listening.

This week The Vinyl Boyz celebrate one of the greatest rock albums of all time. Metallica's Black Album. Metallica is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica. Released on August 12, 1991, by Elektra Records, it is commonly referred to as The Black Album because of its packaging design. Its recording took place at One on One Studios in Los Angeles over an eight-month span that frequently found Metallica at odds with their new producer Bob Rock. The album marked a change in the band's music from the thrash metal style of their previous four albums to a slower, heavier, and more refined sound. Metallica promoted Metallica with a series of tours. They also released five singles to promote the album: "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", "Nothing Else Matters", "Wherever I May Roam", and "Sad but True", all of which have been considered to be among the band's best-known songs. The song "Don't Tread on Me" was also issued to rock radio shortly after the album's release but did not receive a commercial single release.

This week the Vinyl Boyz drop the needle on the 90s classic hip-hop record from A Tribe Called Quest titled Midnight Marauders. Released on November 9, 1993, by Jive Records. John “Q-Tip” Davis a.k.a. Kamaal Fareed, Malik “Phife Dawg” Taylor, and Ali Shaheed Muhammed had already earned the adoration of dedicated hip-hop heads and fans of other genres with their previous projects. But with Midnight Marauders, they cemented their legend. Tribe were in a difficult position when working to put together Midnight Marauders: how do you follow up literally one of the best hip-hop albums of all time? Following their debut People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths Of Rhythm (1990), their sophomore LP The Low End Theory (1991) showcased the group’s vastly improved production chops and rhyming abilities. With their second album, they created perfect music to chill and vibe out to. It was a masterful artistic achievement. This album we reviewed this week is ranked in the top 5 of all time when discussing the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. Commercially, Midnight Marauders is the A Tribe Called Quest’s highest selling album. The album sold over 1,000,000 copies within it’s first year, making it a platinum hit. It also peaked #70 on the UK album charts, #8 on the Billboard 200, and took the top spot Top R&B/Hip Hop chart. A lot of the album’s success is due to its timeless classic of a single “Award Tour” which peaked at #47 on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s influence has spanned decades with the track being referenced by the likes of Wale, Kanye West, Common, Azealia Banks, and Justin Timberlake. Recording sessions for the album occurred at Battery Studios, Platinum Island Studios and Scorcerer Sound in New York City. Its production was mainly handled by Q-Tip, with contributions from Skeff Anselm, Large Professor and the group's DJ, Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A culmination of the group's two previous albums, it features an eclectic, gritty sound based on jazz, funk, soul and R&B samples, in addition to socially conscious, positively-minded, and humorous lyrics. Thanks for listening. Next week we will be reviewing Metallica's Black Album from 1991. Please subscribe and tell your friends about us!