Record Collection
As a teenager, and well into my twenties, my most prized possession was my iPod Classic. I was more proud of my iTunes library than anything I produced at school or even undergrad. Sitting at my computer for hours looking for music to download (that's what we did in those days) was among my favourite hobbies. Today though, with the dominance of streaming services, actually 'collecting' music, and taking pride in a collection, has become obsolete. I love listening to music. When I turned thirty in 2022, my friends gave me money that I used to buy a record player, something I'd wanted for years and years. I only have one rule for record collecting, nothing can be bought online. The record must be purchased in a physical store.
Last updated 2025-01-01
Organised alphabetically by artist
All of an artist's albums are then organised chronologically
My record player and my records are safely in storage in North Carolina at the moment, but I'm still collecting while back living in Melbourne. This page is being updated slowly as I add all my records, a brief spiel about them, and where they were purchased.
Arctic Monkeys
Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not
The album that broke the internet. The fastest selling debut album in British music history and an icon of British indie rock. Arctic Monkeys were integral to my teenage years and still remain among my top three or four favourite bands. I found this album at School Kids Records in Chapel Hill and am surprised I haven't worn it out yet. It's a remarkable blend of garage rock, punk and post-punk revival wrapped up inside the conceptual imagery of urban youth culture. My favourite song is the album closer A Certain Romance.
AM
When I look back on my early twenties, this is album that will serve as the soundtrack. I remember the anticipation and expectation leading up to its release. Boy, did it deliver. Alex Turner gave a speech when receiving the award for best British album in which he states "rock and roll will never die, and there's nothing you can do about it". I reckon AM will be one of those albums we look back on in a few decades as one of the best rock albums of all time. I purchased it on the day of its ten year anniversary of release at School Kids Records in Chapel Hill. My favourite song is Do I Wanna Know. It's the album opener and gives a perfect indication of what else is to come.
A Tribe Called Quest
The Low End Theory
This is an absolute belter from Tribe. The verdict is still out as to whether this or Midnight Marauders is their strongest effort. It's my favourite by these guys and one of my all time favourite hip-hop albums. I picked it up at School Kids Records in Raleigh. Hard to pick a favourite song, the album works superbly as an entire collective. But I'll say Verses from the Abstract.
The Beatles
Rubber Soul
There's nothing I could say about any Beatles album that hasn't already been said. Rubber Soul is in my top two or three favourites by the legendary band and was the first LP I played on my record player, being the record I bought when I purchased it. My favourite song is Norwegian Wood.
The Chameleons
Strange Times
It's not often I put a record on never having heard it before. Such is the nature of the world today that everything is at our fingertips. Well, almost everything. Good luck finding Strange Times on Spotify! I knew The Chameleons though, having listened to their debut, Script of the Bridge many times since first discovering it in 2013. Yet this is considered the magnum opus by one of the most underrated rock bands from the 80s. My brother-in-law found it for me for Christmas 2023, having to order it in from the UK because no record stores in the US seemed to stock it. It is a phenomenal album with a remarkable blend of atmospheric post-punk and dream-pop that is rapidly climbing the ranks to sit among my all time favourites. My favourite track from the record is Swamp Thing.
Courtney Barnett
Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit
To say I was excited to see this gem jump out at me at Bull City Records in 2023 would be an understatement. It's always fun to see Aussies well represented in American record stores. Barnett's studio debut featuring deadpan, Seinfeldesque show about nothing lyricism, Aussie accent, and crunching guitar make for a highly entertaining 43 minutes. This was a homesick curer of note. Favourite track is Aqua Profunda!
The Cure
Seventeen Seconds
Not my favourite work by The Cure, but a good example of how collecting records helps one discover more about their favourite artists. I picked it up at School Kids Records in Raleigh and by spinning the LP, I've listened to the whole album (as opposed to just my favourite song, A Forest) many more times than I otherwise might have. I love the darker Cure albums and while Seventeen Seconds feels a bit underdone (it was only their second album after all), you can feel the direction they were heading with this sound which was wonderfully expanded upon in their next full length release, Faith.
David Bowie
Low
This initially seemed an odd choice for my first Bowie record. But I chose it knowing of its significance, without ever having listened to it. It was 2022 and I was reading a Bowie biography at the time. The first of his 'Berlin Trilogy,' it divided fans and critics upon release. Today, despite the experimentation, it's considered among his finest outputs. It took me a few lessons and it's not my favourite of the great man's, but it initiated a snow ball effect that has resulted in something of a David Bowie binge in our household. I purchased a limited edition with bright orange vinyl from School Kids Records in Raleigh. My favourite song is Speed of Life.
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
2024 is the year of David Bowie in my household. I've become obsessed with the guy. On a Saturday afternoon in August 2024 with my, at the time, nine-month-old, I wondered up and down Brunswick Street in Melbourne popping in and out of record stores. We eventually found ourselves in Goldmine Records in North Fitzroy and I discovered this pressing in the second hand section. Considered Bowie's last significant work for decades, it was his attempt to create something more accessible after his preceding Berlin Trilogy proved massively successful artistically, but less so commercially. The album is phenomenal. My favourite song is Teenage Wildlife.
The Doors
The Doors
The iconic 1967 debut by one of America's best known and most influential rock bands. I found this 1987 pressing for a steal in the pre-loved section at Bull City Records in Durham. My favourite song from the album is Light My Fire.
Grimes
Visions
I admittedly don't know much of Grimes' work. Prior to this purchase, I could have named maybe two songs (both from this album). But this is a big part of the joy of record collecting. I remember walking into School Kids Records in Raleigh on the day I bought Visions hoping to spot some of my favourite indie-electro artists like Hot Chip, LCD Soundsystem or Gorillaz. Disappointed they weren't on offer, but needing to satiate an appetite for electronic music nonetheless, I picked this one up. It delivers across the board for exactly what it is, which I've come to learn is something of Grimes' distinctive style. My favourite track is the lead single Oblivion.
Joy Division
Unknown Pleasures
As a fanatic for post-punk and early alternative rock, it would be remiss of me to not have tried to acquire this integral piece early in my record collecting journey. It's amazing in hindsight to consider how such a short-lived band could have such a huge and lasting influence on alternative music. Alas, that was Joy Division. I bought this record brand new at Bull City Records in Durham in 2023. Favourite track from the album alternates between Shadowplay and She's Lost Control.
King Crimson
In The Court Of The Crimson King
It was a happy day when I found a second hand version of this icon of progressive rock in Plan 9 Music in Richmond, Virginia. Second only to Dark Side Of The Moon as the greatest of the genre, according to many. I became enamoured with this record firstly by its charismatic album cover, but then by its multitude of sounds and philosophical lyrics. While I consider Yes my favourite of the progressive rock giants of the late 60s and early 70s, this particular album easily holds its own. My favourite song is Epitaph, which contains some of the most poignant, ominous lyrics I think I've heard in a song.
Kraftwerk
Autobahn
As far as influence on alternative and electronic music goes, this one is right up there. I found a second hand pressing at Hunky Dory in Durham. When I went to pay, the owner of the store called out to a colleague and said, "see?" Turns out they'd had it spinning earlier that morning and anticipated it would be gone later that day. I was happy to oblige, knowing of the album's influence, but never having listened to it before. My favourite song is the twenty-two minute title track that takes up the entire first side of the LP.
MGMT
Oracular Spectacular
It's interesting to retrospectively read up on an album like Oracular Spectacular and be surprised to learn it only received mostly positive reviews. I was convinced that this was a once in a generation album released to overwhelming critical acclaim. But I'm blinded by nostalgia. When it was first released in 2007, I was fifteen and only just discovering my taste in music. Declaring yourself a fan of MGMT meant throwing off the shackles of mainstream music and embracing the sounds of indie / alternative. MGMT was also the first concert I ever went to. My favourite song, Kids (ironically a song about nostalgia) is one of absolute favourite songs ever. No collection of mine could be complete without Oracular Spectacular and I bought my bright pink LP at School Kids Records in Raleigh.
Patti Smith
Horses
Being the fanatic for alternative music that I am, it astounds me that this highly influential piece of that puzzle evaded my attention for as long as it did. I learned of Patti Smith through my love of the band Television and Horses blew me away when I first heard it. Considered by some to be the first punk album, it could have been released in 1995 instead of 1975 and it still would have been ahead of its time. I found this pressing (a brand new one) in School Kids Records in Chapel Hill. My favourite song is probably Break It Up which was co-written by Television front man Tom Verlaine who also plays guitar on the track.
Pete Rock and C.L Smooth
Mecca And The Soul Brother
There was no way I was leaving New York City without some classic hip-hop when I was there with my wife in July 2023. A-1 Record Shop is in the top two or three record stores I've been in. It's tucked away on the Lower East Side and has an insane collection! I love hip-hop, but the classic stuff from the late 80s and early 90s. Mecca And The Soul Brother is one of the finest examples, I can think of, of extremely skillful lyricism and production. An icon of the era that under performed commercially following its release, despite being showered with critical acclaim. I've never seen Pete Rock and C.L Smooth's masterpiece anywhere else and am thrilled I spent more than I want to admit to guarantee I'd have this in my collection. My favourite track, unsurprisingly, is the hip-hop anthem They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y).
The Police
Synchronicity
I wouldn't consider myself a big fan of The Police, although my love for British rock bands seems to imply that it wont be long before I fully immerse myself in the band's work. I knew of this album more by reputation than a particular liking for it. But having now listened to it a number of times, I'm warming to it. More memorable perhaps, is the trip in which I found this LP - a limited edition version on transparent purple vinyl from Paradise Found Records in Boulder Colorado when I ran the Boulder Marathon with my wife and her twin sister. By the way, one of the coolest record stores I visited in the US. Favourite song from the album is the all time classic Every Breath You Take.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
My favourite album by my favourite band. This was also my first ever record, a gift from my mum that ironically, I can never play. It was purchased and framed for my twenty-seventh birthday, three years before I got my record player. Today, it resides mounted on the wall in my home office. Having grown up obsessively listening to these guys, I would say Blood Sugar is the quintessential Peppers record and the one that best embodies the sound that made them the vanguards and stalwarts of alternative rock that we recognise them as today. My favourite song, while difficult to choose, would probably be Under The Bridge.
Unlimited Love
How does one objectively review the new album by their all time favourite band that features the return, after a decade long absence, of their all time favourite musician and guitar player? With difficulty. This is not the Peppers record that the band will be remembered for, but with the John Frusciante hole filled, this did feel like a homecoming. I'm a massive fan of Josh Klinghoffer. There was no one else more deserving to play guitar with this band in the 2010s. But it's no coincidence that the Pepper's most memorable songs all feature Frusciante's contribution. It's very exciting to have him back. I never thought I would ever see him live, but I picked this album up from Lunchbox Records in Charlotte, barely twelve hours after the band's concert. My favourite songs are Black Summer and The Heavy Wing.
Rufus Du Sol
Atlas
Rufus (they'll always be Rufus and not Rufus Du Sol to me) sit in my memory as one of those bands who burst onto the Australian indie scene in my early twenties and as a result, their early songs became anthems reminiscent of a carefree time in my life with no responsibilities. Atlas is their full length debut. A stunning collection of alternative dance tracks that have been played to death in my social circle over many, many long summer nights. I picked up at the record at the band's concert in Charlotte in 2023, which coincided with the ten year anniversary of the album's release. It was wonderful to see them so well supported in the US. My favourite song is Unforgiven.
Tash Sultana
Flow State
Tash Sultana's studio debut. A fantastic one at that. It's amazing to think they started their career as a busker on the streets of Melbourne. It was one of my first LPs. I found it while travelling with my mum and wife in my favourite place in America. Asheville, NC. I picked it up at Harvest Records. This began my tradition of seeking out record stores while travelling to nab a record as a souvenir of the trip. Tash's guitar rocks hard throughout this album. Perhaps no more noticeably than on my favourite song, Murder To The Mind.
Tame Impala
Innerspeaker
The stunning debut from Australia’s Tame Impala. I was slow to the Tame Impala bandwagon, only properly getting on board following the release of Currents in 2015. Acquainting myself with their (which is really all Kevin Parker’s) earlier stuff has been a wonderful ride. I snagged this pearler from School Kids Records in Raleigh in 2022. My favourite track is The Bold Arrow of Time.
Television
Marquee Moon
There's something extraordinarily special about this album to me. Originally released in 1977, Marquee Moon was highly acclaimed by critics despite failing commercially. Today it is considered one of the most influential albums in the development of punk and alternative rock. It is my all time favourite album. I hear its legacy in the sound of many of my favourite bands. I was absolutely delighted to find it in Plan 9 Music in Richmond, Virginia. I bought the most recent pressing on transparent white vinyl. An absolutely delightful record. I don't have a favourite song from the album. For me, it must be played from start to finish in its entirety to fully appreciate its magic.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
II
Venturing into Bull City Records in Durham one morning, I wouldn't have expected to walk out with this piece of psychedelic indie-rock. One of my best friends recommended it to me many years ago after hearing Arctic Monkeys frontman, Alex Turner, say he was a fan. Unknown Mortal Orchestra hail from New Zealand and II was hailed by critics when it was released in 2013. I love its quirky, upbeat sound and cryptic lyrics. I'm thrilled to now own the physical LP. My favourite track is So Good at Being in Trouble.
Yes
Fragile
A masterpiece of progressive rock, sitting right in the screws with the best by Pink Floyd and King Crimson. It was one of the first Yes albums to feature art work by Rodger Dean, who would go on to do most of the band's artwork in subsequent decades. I don't technically own this record, but it resides in my collection currently. My father-in-law, a big fan of the band, lent it to me after I mentioned how much I was enjoying their music. My favourite song is the album closer, Heart of the Sunrise.
Tales from Topographic Oceans
With each track exceeding eighteen minutes (of which there are only 4 in total), Tales from Topographic Oceans became an example of the bloated excess of progressive rock. But I have a soft spot for it, having started listening to it at the time I began my PhD. The long instrumental sections were perfect to listen to through noise-cancelling headphones and it's since become a go-to when needing absolute concentration or something very chilled in the background. Yes were one of my most listened to bands in 2023, but it took until returning to Melbourne in 2024 before I found this album in a record store. A second hand version for a steal in Rathdowne Records in Northcote. I don't have a favourite song as the whole album feels like a single eighty-minute piece.