VMP Magazine

Soul music combines elements from R&B and African-American gospel music. It is born from the spirit and the secular, having an emphasis on vocalists and making use of a traditional call-and-response between the lead singer and chorus, but instead of strictly spiritual themes, it melds those themes with desire and heartbreak. It began in the '50s with artists like Sam Cooke and James Brown. By the '60s there were more distinct regional sounds like Southern and Memphis soul and Chicago soul with those differences inspired by record labels like Stax, Atlantic, Chess, and Motown (Detroit soul).

Over the last several years there has been a renewed interest in classic soul. Revivalists like Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings and Leon Bridges are keeping traditional soul alive and other genres like hip-hop and pop are doing their best to pay homage to their soul influences. In addition to artists are the fans themselves. As vinyl consumers, our interest in analog is a reflection of our interest in authentic connections with music. And there’s nothing like listening to a classic soul record where you can literally feel how deeply the singers are connected with the songs they’re singing, how the rhythm sections keep time with the melody, helping it stay down-home or lifting it up sky high. To quote the opening lines of one of my favorite classic soul songs by Arthur Conley (co-written with Otis Redding): “Do you like good music? That sweet soul music?” If so, here are 10 classic soul records you absolutely need to hear.

Christmas music lovers everywhere all agree on one thing: one of the best parts of the holiday season is the music. Many of these songs have been recorded a gazillion times, so you’d think it’d be hard to put an original stamp on something so ubiquitous. And it’s true. It is hard, which is what makes it so wonderful. You can’t just phone in Irving Berlin’s classic “White Christmas” or do a decent “Sleigh Ride” and expect must-have sales. Christmas albums and compilations are a dime a dozen, so there’s got to be something extra, some moment that makes a listener say, “Yeah, I want to listen to this every single year!”

Every contemporary holiday album owes a debt to one or more of the albums below. These are the big guns, the trail-blazers and the well-worn shoes, the ones we snatch out of the bins whenever we see that familiar album cover, where popular artists proved holiday songs didn’t always have to be solemn to be enjoyable. These 10 albums are the touchstones of Christmas music.

As we dust off those holiday sweaters and raid the attic for our well-loved decorations, it’s also time to break out our favorite holiday season albums (assuming you haven’t been playing them all year like I have). Christmas music lovers will have many of the heavy-hitters (see our piece here), those beloved favorites that have been around for generations. But what about modern Christmas albums? Are there any albums from the last 30 years that will stand the test of time and become as much a part of the holiday season as A Charlie Brown Christmas?

As any connoisseur will tell you, great holiday music continues to be made – artists love Christmas music just as much as we do (anyone else excited about this year’s contribution from Sia?). They continue to put their own stamp on pop standards, traditionals, and yes, original songs so good they belong in the holiday canon. So string up the popcorn, get the tinsel on the tree, and check out these 10 modern Christmas classics.

Halloween is the time of jack-o-lanterns, fake tombstones and glow-in-the-dark spider webs; a time for horror fans to seek out their favorite movies for each night of October and find a nearby haunted attraction; a time for creatures of the night to don costumes, pull pranks and load up on sweets. As one of the two holidays most marketed towards children, Halloween can often play second-banana to Christmas. Part of the problem is that Christmas music is so ubiquitous. It’s easy to identify and there’s so much of it. Also, let’s face it, it’s pretty damn fun. But Halloween music shouldn’t be sloughed off as small potatoes for the simple reason that it isn’t lyrically confined to All Hallows’ Eve. It can be any type of music that weighs you down with the darkness inside us all or just something fun to put on while we howl at the moon. From gothic punk to campy send-ups, the following are albums that can feed any of your spooky-yearning moods.

So you’ve decided you like jazz. You’ve opened your ears to bebop, hard bop and more. Now with summer practically upon us, you’re ready for something with mucho calor, to leap into what Tito Puente would call “jazz with the Latin touch.” In other words, jazz that incorporates Latin American rhythms.

I don’t think I need to talk about who the Beatles were or what they meant to popular music; about how they helped revolutionize the industry by writing their own songs and added import to the album rather than just singles; about how it’s hard to imagine a rock and roll band bigger than the Beatles. Even at the time of their breakup John, Paul, George, and Ringo had already achieved mythic status. People still love discussing who their favorite Beatle is and why he’s the greatest. I progressed like most any other fan from Paul in high school, John in college, and a love for George and Ringo in adulthood. But really, I love them all. Together they formed the biggest band in the world and apart their talent shone even more.

After the break-up in 1970 each of the four men struggled to shake off the Beatles, to show that they were more than the band and prove to themselves and naysayers that they could do it on their own. This pressure actually proved fruitful in the early 1970s and explains why most of the albums on this list are from that time period. From endearing pop to bitter vitriol, from themes of tearing down false idols to just trying to put out enjoyable music, these 10 albums not only give us a better idea of their individual contributions to the Beatles but they also help provide insight into their state of mind. It wasn’t until one of these post-Beatles efforts that you could actually understand George’s disillusionment, John’s anger, Paul’s ambition, and Ringo’s desire to collaborate with those who take his contributions seriously. Fanatics will refuse to believe it but some of these albums sit up there with the best Beatles albums. Don’t believe me? Read on and then go listen for yourselves.

Like many vinyl collectors, I tend to view greatest hits albums on vinyl with skepticism. Since listening to a record involves a special participation on the part of the listener, placing the record on the turntable, cueing and dropping the needle, it’s an activity made for digesting original albums as a whole rather than selected hits compiled to fill a record label’s coffers or fulfill an artist’s contractual obligation. But there are some special exceptions.

There exist greatest hits compilations that become as important to a career as the best studio album. They can be the beginner’s gateway to an intimidating discography, the end game for a minor fan who prefers nothing more than a concise overview of the artist, or they can act like the perfect mixtape for a super fan. Below are 10 greatest of the greatest, the cream of the crop. The essence of an artist or a glimpse of greatness, your collection will benefit from any one of these albums.

Before we get into the most sensual list that's ever been run on Vinyl Me, Please, some background on quiet storm. The quiet storm genre takes its name from a late-night D.C. radio show in the late '70s, which in turn took its name from a Smokey Robinson album (more on that later) whose title track became a kind of theme song for host Melvin Lindsey. This format became incredibly popular with urban adult audiences and similar quiet storm shows popped up at radio stations across the country. It’s a catch-all term for R&B ballads and pop, a kind of soft soul version of soft rock.

In the '90s quiet storm evolved to include neo-soul, another catch-all label for a style of music that didn’t seem to fit in the R&B/pop of the time. More than just smooth R&B and slow jams, it’s music that unwinds a long day, music that makes us feel human again, when we want to focus on ourselves or have some adult time with our significant other, acknowledging that our needs and desires are important and universal. We love. We feel. We are real. In those intimate moments of alone time or together time, any one of the following albums can help set the mood. If you are looking to unwind or looking to get busy, pour yourself a glass of your favorite beverage and turn down the lights. You’re about to enter the Quiet Storm.

The Rolling Stones have been a band since 1962. That’s longevity, people! These guys love their job so much they’re still out there after 55 years putting on great shows; there’s a distinct possibility that when Mick Jagger or Keith Richards finally kick the bucket, it’ll be on stage. The band took a love of blues, R&B, and early rock ‘n roll, scoffed at their blues purist peers, and spat back out their own version of American-inspired music, setting themselves apart from their British Invasion contemporaries. To further help distinguish the band from those clean-cut groups with their matching suits, the Stones’ then manager carefully cultivated their bad-boy image, emphasizing their scruffiness and antics. Young fans may have wanted to take the Beatles home to their parents, but Stones fans wanted to be with them in the backseat of their cars.

The Stones weren’t so much interested in shining a light on puppy-dog love as excavating the dirty underbelly of lust and vice, trying to stay true to their R&B influences and creating a rock sound that is distinctly their own. I’ll admit that I was once blinded by my Beatles fandom to the brilliance of the Rolling Stones. But then I listened to Sticky Fingers and Let It Bleed and like a thunderbolt I was hit with the knowledge that these guys rock. Like seriously rock. Like this is sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll incarnate and oh my god, is Mick singing about someone creaming all over him (“Let It Bleed”)? With over two dozen studio and live albums to choose from, there are many essential listens ranging from good to holy-shit-spectacular so narrowing down to 10 is no easy feat. But in terms of physical ownership, your collection will thank you for any of the listed ones below. World’s greatest rock ‘n roll band? Judge for yourself.

Heartbreak is one of the hardest things to go through. It manifests itself emotionally and physically, the turmoil seemingly never-ending. As music lovers we turn to music to help us ease the heartache because songwriters also get their hearts broken or their egos bruised or have an all-consuming sadness that only music can exorcise, be it through self-wallowing rock or uplifting dance music (just because it’s got a beat doesn’t make it any less gut-wrenching). The following breakup albums were either inspired by a particular breakup, about relationships in general, or just have that sound that matches what we feel, putting despair or indignation into music that our own pain identifies with.bre

Sam & Dave are known as one of the most successful soul groups and phenomenal live acts of the late ’60s. The story goes that while on the Stax-Volt Revue tour in Europe in 1967, their live show was so high-energy that Otis Redding himself complained at one point that he didn’t want to perform after them, the implication being that Redding didn’t think he could live up to the bar that they set. Not bad for a duo that essentially formed by accident.

To help people who bought VMP Anthology: The Story Of Stax Records dive deep into the catalogs of the artists featured in our box set, we’ve created primers for every artist featured.

Some of the best film scores ever have been made for the horror genre. That genre in particular is ripe for audience manipulation — in fact, it is a moral imperative.

The duets album is that thing of beauty where two artists, who are stellar on their own, come together to make magic. Like a dance, a great duet requires chemistry and fire; someone takes the lead, the other follows, then the rhythm changes and roles reverse, demonstrating the talent of each singer as well as their ability to use that talent to make their partner shine. Any singer can attempt a duet but not all singers have the intuition necessary for the give and take, the art of making listeners believe that perhaps there is something real (be it romance or friendship) behind the scenes. The illusion can make or break it.

There are many fabulous one-off duet songs that have been released over the years (“Under Pressure,” anyone?) but the focus for our piece here is the album: Can the artists generate sparks for an entire longplay? To be considered for this list, each pairing consists of two artists (no various artist pairings) who have had at least one solo album or standalone single under their belt at the time of recording. It was tough to narrow down but here are 10 albums where two voices come together in harmony, love and heartbreak, creating something truly unforgettable.

Since the dawn of motion pictures, filmmakers have sought to visually represent the impossible; to make our wildest dreams and fantasies look real right up there on the big screen. It’s why the science-fiction and fantasy genres fit so well with movies and why the soundtracks paired with these astounding visuals are often the most inspiring and adventurous. In your mind, you know that ship flying through space and shooting futuristic weaponry isn’t real, there really aren’t hobbits living under hills and David Bowie as a goblin king is too good to be true. But when those orchestral swells build or Bowie breaks into song, your heart believes. It also seems film composers and music supervisors are willing to take more chances with sci-fi and fantasy films, resulting in mighty themes and intensely romantic interludes, the more dramatic or whimsical the better. Long story short: sci-fi and fantasy soundtracks are awesome.

The sheer quantity of truly great sci-fi and fantasy soundtracks means I’m going to set down some rules: needs to have been pressed on vinyl, no Star Wars and no superhero movies. You’re shaking your head but admit it, if those were allowed then this list would be stacked with them and that’s just no fun. But if you’re interested, read more about which John Williams scores we like here.

Here are 10 sci-fi and fantasy soundtracks that get the adrenaline pumping, the heart melting and above all, the imaginations soaring.

Synthesizers have been regarded by some as cold and fake because the sounds weren’t made by physical strums of strings or slaps on skins, this despite their prominence since the 1960s. In the ’70s, artists like Brian Eno, Kraftwerk and Can showed the endless possibilities. Groups based in the U.K. and beyond were inspired to create their own electronic music which incorporated more melodic song forms and pop elements. Synth-pop was born. Some devoted themselves completely to synthesizers and drum machines, while others incorporated them alongside more traditional instruments. As punk and post-punk had shown, there were no rules, only imagination.

The perceived coldness of synth-pop was turned on its head by the connection it made with more mainstream listeners in the ’80s through dance beats and catchy melodies. But it wasn’t all pop frivolity. Synth-pop groups, like their post-punk contemporaries, didn’t shy away from social commentary, politics or other artistic ambitions. Pop success was great but the best albums challenged the status quo in some way and made listeners think while they danced or brooded alone in their bedrooms. And it wasn’t a flash in the pan either — synth-pop has had a lasting influence on today’s music. There’s no CHVRCHES, Ladyhawke, Cut Copy or M83 without it. Here are 10 ’80s synth-pop albums that continue to resonate.

Jazz enthusiasts are about as varied as they come in terms of their preferences in jazz styles, favorite instruments, Miles Davis-era rankings, and, yes, whether vocal jazz is as good as instrumental jazz. The answer to the latter is a resounding “Yes!” How can we talk about jazz without talking about the great jazz singers like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald?

The focus of vocal jazz is obviously on the singer; the voice is the instrument. It makes sense, then, that most vocal jazz will be framed in a more traditional song form. Words and lyrics add a structure but this is not necessarily limiting. Rhythmic variation plus the innovations of scat singing (wordless syllables) and vocalese (words are added to instrumentals) meant the voice can go toe-to-toe with even the best instrumental solo with improvisation in phrasing, rhythm and pitch. Thus vocal jazz songs can range between pop/musical standards and more experimental forms. The sky's the limit.

The best jazz singers are the ones who bring you into the song, using their interpretation and delivery to add weight and emotion. They can groove, soar and despair. They’re playful and warm, technical yet loose. They are a significant part of the musical canon and deserve the attention of all jazz fans. Here are 10.

There are some record labels closely identified with a sound—when you hear a song you know without naming the artist where it came from. Labels like Chess, Stax and Motown Records all had this. Motown’s pop version of soul music defined the Detroit sound. Driving rhythms, heavy bass, the near ever-present tambourine that makes you wonder whether that thing had a special place on the wall of the recording studio. Motown inspires images of sharply dressed performers, carefully cultivated public personas and a desire from all involved (from the songwriters to the session musicians like the Funk Brothers to the backing vocalists like the Andantes or the Originals) for pop perfection.

Founder Berry Gordy Jr. was a man on a mission for success. After realizing he wasn’t going to make very much money as a songwriter alone, at the suggestion of friend Smokey Robinson, he decided to form his own record company. He also created a management company (ITM) to manage the careers of the artists he signed and a publishing entity to maintain ownership of copyrights to Motown’s catalogue (Jobete Music)—which is why so many Motown songs got cycled through and recorded by multiple acts. Motown set up a Quality Control team that would decide which songs were good enough to be released as singles. Motown was small, but it was a juggernaut, and as the name of their original main headquarters and studio, Hitsville, U.S.A., makes clear, the goal was to make hit songs that didn’t just appeal to black audiences but that would also cross over to the mainstream.

There are some clearly divided eras in the life of Motown Records. In the beginning the label relied on recordings from more bluesy artists like Mabel John and the irreverent Amos Milburn to stay afloat. But Motown’s eye to the future was clearly on the youth market and when singles from the Miracles, Martha and the Vandellas, and the Marvelettes started taking hold in radio, Mabel John et al. were off the label. The changing of the guard happened again in the late ’60s and early ’70s when artists like the Jackson 5 and Stevie Wonder took over as standard bearers. This list will focus on the classic era in the ’60s when artists like Mary Wells and the Temptations reigned supreme (see what I did there?).

If you’ve been wary of supergroups for all the old reasons—they reek of trying to cash in on name recognition and marketability rather than the substance of the music—your suspicion has been warranted. The last few decades are littered with the remnants of concoctions that sounded great on paper but turned into self-indulgent snooze-fests. It’s an art form, like making up your own mixed drink. Tequila and whiskey are great on their own, so a random person might combine them to make a super drink. But 1 oz of each together over ice is vile, believe me.

Then again, a mixologist friend might, say, add some lime, maybe some sort of sweetener and/or carbonated drink and voilà, you’ve got an almighty Cocktail worthy of a cool name. When great musicians with their own style and way of doing things come together with the right combination of elements—watch out. For our purposes, a supergroup will be defined as an act that produced at least one official full-length album (pour one out for what might’ve been with Child Rebel Soldiers: Kanye West, Pharrell, Lupe Fiasco) and have two or more members from relatively well-known acts. Below are 10 of the best supergroup albums you need in your collection.

The almighty soundtrack is a very special kind of album. When we think of great soundtracks we think of how well a song fits a particular scene or how the score was an integral component to the story, successfully manipulating the emotions of the audience. I like to think of the soundtrack as the mixtape for the movie. Like any mixtape put together for a significant other, the song selection reveals things about the curator. In a soundtrack’s case, it's the filmmakers or music supervisor, and what the curator wants you to think about. The selections provide insight into the characters or scene, more than any amount of great acting and dialogue can tell you. A well-placed score cue lets you know that it’s time to be scared or nervous. A song can get the adrenaline going before the chase begins. It can be the punchline to a comedic scene. Whatever is happening on screen, it’s all there in music.

There are a TON of great soundtracks out there. Some soundtracks transcend the medium and are the best of all time no matter the format. There are also a lot of fantastic soundtracks that get overlooked for one reason or another. Without further ado, here are the 10 best soundtracks to own on vinyl.

There are girl groups and then there are the Supremes. The utmost. The absolute. The paramount. The Supremes do more than personify the ’60s girl group. From sock hops to Las Vegas showcases, they showed that an all-women act can help define a decade. Fashion, style, personality, the Supremes had that something that set them apart from everybody else. With the help of great songwriting (Holland-Dozier-Holland) and great musicians (the Funk Brothers — Motown’s session musicians), these ladies epitomized the Motown sound of adding pop sensibilities to R&B and soul, and showing a different facet to the emergence of black artists in the ’60s crossing over in popularity to white audiences.

When music fans say they love Motown, most people will immediately think of its trademark sound and classic pop hits. But to go further and name Martha and the Vandellas as your favorite Motown artist is to throw down and say that the grittier, soulful girl group, the Vandellas, did it right and did it better than anybody else at Hitsville, U.S.A. The Vandellas were Motown’s first Grammy nominated group, the group with which hit songwriting team Lamont Dozier and Eddie and Brian Holland (H-D-H) started figuring out their “Motown sound,” and are icons to artists everywhere who love getting people dancing to “a brand new beat.”

The Queen of Motown and the label’s first superstar, Mary Wells is as big as Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder in the early days of Motown. And to the Motown fan, maybe even bigger. In her short time at the label she accomplished many firsts, paving the way for the solo artists that came after her, and by the time she left the label she had multiple top 10 hits, a Grammy nomination, and an internationally popular song. Out of all the songs from Motown’s golden era, Wells’s songs like “You Beat Me To The Punch” and “Two Lovers” are the ones that continue to tantalize with their relationship twists and turns. They are indelible, grafted to our collective eardrum, played millions of times and will be played for millions more.

Did Madonna Ciccone know she would be the best-selling female recording artist of all time when she set off for New York City back in the late 1970s? Probably not. Her immediate goal was to make it as a dancer. Stints with various dance troupes, dance classes, working as a backup singer and dancer, going to dance clubs – it was all about dance. That is until she joined a band as the drummer for Breakfast Club. Then it was about creating music. Eventually making the jump to solo artist, Madonna channeled the club scene on her first singles in the early ‘80s, beginning her rise to the Queen of Pop throne.

Madonna made her image just as important as the music, unapologetically using and owning her sexuality, capitalizing on the increasing popularity of MTV. She’s not the first music star to use sexuality, nad she’s not even the first female singer to record songs about sex (listen to Irene Scruggs’ “Good Grindin’” or any dirty blues song), but her commercial success and popularity put it front and center. She asserted her power in a male-dominated music industry that initially dismissed her as a one-hit-wonder. She was both idolized and criticized, her music videos became events, she set fashion trends and cultural benchmarks. Yes, there are many hit singles but her albums themselves are journeys through empowerment, love and loss, spiritual conflict, and the freedom of a dance beat. Defiant. Seductive. One-of-a-kind. Madonna. Here are ten reasons why she reigns supreme.

John Williams… that’s it. Just two words are all that’s needed before images of deserts, aliens, flying men and big-ass sharks flash through your head. The man has amassed dozens of awards, composed a generation’s worth of famous film scores, and his name is as synonymous with movies as those of the directors he’s worked with. You’d think that’d be enough but at 86 years old he’s still composing and conducting live orchestras for concerts across the country. Looking at his impressive discography it’s strange to think about Williams’ early career as a jazz pianist. Just listen to his second album World on a String (1957). Nowhere does it hint at him becoming a musical force of nature and one of the best and most beloved film composers of our time.

There are piles of books about early punk and what it did to popular music. There are books about post-punk, too, and those are the more interesting reads because it becomes clear how nuanced and complex post-punk is as a music genre. So much more interesting music was developed (and inspired) by artists who saw punk and said two things: 1) I can do that, and 2) I can do that better. Whether it is better is up to the listener (hint: it is) and it doesn’t help that post-punk is such a general term for a wide range of music made between 1978 and 1984 that jumped off punk’s cliff and experimented with sound, style, and influence. It combined art’s daring with punk’s wrath but broke beyond the traditional rock ‘n roll trappings, taking from and giving back to genres like krautrock, art rock, jangle pop, hip-hop, folk, funk, etc. Basically, post-punk rules.

Between atmospheric dirges and frenetic dance exaltations, from songs that inwardly burn to songs that outwardly rage, there are dozens of post-punk landmarks that deserve intense study. Here are ten.

With all their success, it’s still difficult to describe the Cure to the uninitiated. To say ‘goth rock’ is just lazy and wrong. That won’t explain why fans range between moody teenagers, art-school graduates, and middle-aged yuppies, and it won’t explain songs like “The Love Cats.” Like a chameleon, bandleader and founder Robert Smith has taken the band from its post-punk minimalist beginnings to drug-fueled sturm and drang, eccentric synth-filled detours, psychedelic spirals, and dizzying dream pop. Then the band does it again for good measure. They’re rock, goth, punk, pop, and psychedelic disco with a fluid lineup that drops to one or balloons to six. The one constant is the only original member currently in the band: Robert Smith himself. Poet, cartoon, artist, and guitar hero, he’s the French-poetry-reading offspring of Nick Drake, Jimi Hendrix, and Pink Floyd in lipstick.

Dabbling in various bands as a teenager, Smith formed Easy Cure in 1977 in Crawley, England which later changed to the Cure and the lineup was pared down to a three-piece with Smith on guitar, Michael Dempsey on bass, and Lol Tolhurst on drums. Their debut, Three Imaginary Boys (1979) is an uneven affair but there are some gems, just as there are on the next twelve studio albums and the many compilations and live albums. And these gems aren’t necessarily the singles. The non-single album cuts are some of their most defining songs and get the loudest cheers when played at shows. You need to sit down and listen to whole albums to understand that. From claustrophobic nightmares to sweeping dreamscapes, there’s a little something for everyone. A die-hard Cure fan will say you need to own them all but here are 10 albums you really should spend time with.

We’ve already said a great soundtrack reveals things about the filmmakers and provides insight into a scene or a character’s emotional state. Selecting songs for a movie gets more difficult when that movie is that most finicky of beasts: the music biopic. When the film is about the life of a musician, the filmmakers are typically limited to that artist’s discography because that’s what the audience is expecting. This difficulty is compounded by the fact that the soundtrack will get boring if all they do is choose the predictable hits—when that’s all it is we might as well just buy one of that artist’s compilations. It’s important there be something special, something different which makes owning on vinyl worth our while. Below are 10 great soundtracks that have that extra something, be it the actors doing their own singing or it just has that kind of irresistible energy that makes you have to have it.

Everyone loves a good comeback story: our heroes overcome all obstacles against the odds, proving their worth and spitting in the faces of the haters. So when a much beloved artist, after a period of decline, a break from the grind, or just plain break-up, releases an album that’s not only good, but, sometimes, better than their previous work, we eat it up. Careers are reinvigorated and legendary status is confirmed in one brief fiery moment of perfection. Whether it’s an album motivated by wanting to prove they’ve still got it, cashing in on a nostalgia craze, or having something to say, a great comeback album is that hallelujah moment where loyal fans fist pump the air and scream out to anyone that’ll listen, “I knew they could do it!!!” Here are 10 such albums that reminded us why these artists rule.

When you become a parent, suddenly your record collections can look very inappropriate for your kid’s ears. Prince? Yeah, no. Nick Cave? Hmmm, probably not. So then you start looking into children’s music, and it can be quite appalling as well. Let’s face it, it’s hit or miss – you either love it or you want to stick knitting needles in your ears. This horror is amplified because we all know that when a kid likes something, they want to do it again and again. You want your kids to have fun and enjoy music, but you also really like our ears. Sure you could just put something on and walk away, but family time is about shared experiences.

Parents also have to balance a desire to share music from our childhood with being open to albums we missed along the way. Passing on our musical and cultural heritage is what connects and reminds us of the past, but kids are their own people and get to pick, too. But there’s no need to fear children’s music. It can be as heartfelt and exciting as any other music. Kids get to learn language skills and learn about movement through rhythms, to recognize different instruments and above all, they get to sing their hearts out. And we can have fun right along with them. Unfortunately not a lot of newer children’s music albums get pressed to vinyl, but there’s still plenty to choose from. Here are ten albums on vinyl that’ll keep the kids happy and keep your ears free from knitting needles.