On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, the boys discuss the season that was. We re-rank the albums, talk about winners and losers, and what albums really stood out to us this year. We also get into albums from previous years! On a less fun note, we also discuss some changes for Season 4. Will their be laughter? Will there be tears? Come along and find out!
Here's our Top 10s
Bell:
Jamie:
Adam:
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Adam's last pick for the season, Lupe Fiasco's "Samurai". Released in 2024, it was his ninth studio album. The whole concept for the album is based around a voicemail Amy Winehouse left her producer, stating that she kept coming up with battle raps, and Lupe Fiasco makes the quote a reality. Coming in at a tight 30 minutes in length, the album explores themes such as the struggle artists face, fame and self doubt. But will the boys like these really neat, very beautifully alliterated little battle raps? Come along and find out!
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Jamie's final pick for Season 3, The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds". Released in 1966, it was a monumental work that influenced many artists. Inspired by the Beatles' 1965 album "Rubber Soul", Brian Wilson, the creative head of The Beach Boys decided to make an album that surpassed it in every way. The pursuit of perfection meant that the band didn't actually play on many of the songs and instead enlisted many session musicians to complete the album. Initial reactions to the album were decidedly mixed, with fans and critics alike not understanding the new sound and direction for the group. Retrospective reviews of the album are much more favourable, with many citing it as one of the greatest albums of all time. But where will the boys place this album on their rankings? Come along and find out!
Hey it's your buddy Jamie - sorry we've missed a few uploads here and there lately, all of us have been very busy!
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Bell's last pick for this season, Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black". Released in 2006, it was her second and final studio album before her death in 2011. Propelled by the singles "Back To Black", "Rehab" and "You Know I'm No Good", the album hit #1 in 19 countries. At the 2007 Grammy Awards, it won Record of the Year , Song of the Year for "Rehab", and Best Pop Vocal Album. Winehouse herself won Best New Artist, and the producer of the album, Mark Ronson, won Producer of the Year. The album has a sound that is both modern and reminiscent of ages old Jazz as well as pop and soul recordings of the 60s. But what will the boys think? Will they say 'no, no, no'? Or will they find themselves "Addicted"? Come along and find out!
Echoes
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam are joined by their friend Reece to talk about Adam's next pick - Joey Valence & Brae's "No Hands". Released in 2024, it was their second album. With a sound that is a callback to hip-hop of days past, the duo raps with a style reminiscent of the Beastie Boys, which we've covered before in our episode on their album "Paul's Boutique". The group's ability to go viral on platforms such as TikTok has allowed them to skyrocket in popularity in a short period of time. But what will the boys think of the album? Will they say its "OK" or will they say it's "THE BADDEST"? Come along and find out!
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Jamie's next pick, AC/DC's "Back in Black". Released in 1980, it was their seventh studio album. Following the death of their lead singer, Bon Scott in February 1980, the band sought out a new singer and selected Brian Johnson who was formerly of the band Geordie. The album was recorded quickly and released in July 1980 to tremendous success. It is the second-best selling album with an estimated 50 million records sold, following Michael Jackson's "Thriller", which has an estimated 70 million sold. The album spawned four hit singles and their tour in support of the album was one of the most successful in rock history. Additionally, many metal and rock groups have cited the album as influential. But - will the boys like it? Come along and find out!
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Bell's next pick, Limp Bizkit's "Significant Other". Released in 1999, it was their second studio album. Following the success of their previous album "Three Dollar Bill, Y'all", the band was invited to perform at Woodstock '99. The band's performance has been widely criticized as having further instigated violence at the festival, particularly during their performance of the song Break Stuff. Controversy surrounding this appearance propelled the sales of this album, and led to further mainstream success of the band. But will the boys be able to cut through the controversy and ask the album to "Show Me What You Got"? Come along and find out!
On this special episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam are joined by their friend and former host, Plouffe! Plouffe's pick for this week is "Demon Days" by Gorillaz, a call back to our first episode, which was their album "The Now Now". Released in 2005, it was their second album. Propelled ahead by the success of the singles "Feel Good Inc", which later won the Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration and "DARE", the album is their most successful in terms of sales to date. The album discusses a number of dire things plaguing humanity, such as our propensity to violence, our willful destruction of nature and greed, making it somewhat of a concept album. But what will the boys think of this Plouffe pick? Come along and find out!
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Adam's next pick, Deafheaven's "Sunbather". Released in 2013, it was their second album. The album was critically well received, with many reviewers noting its ability to unite elements of other genres and styles into one cohesive sound. On year-end lists for 2013, it was listed as one of the top albums of the year, with many publications saying it was the best Metal album of that year. But will this be the best metal album of this podcast? Will the boys find it "Irrestible"? Come along and find out!
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Jamie's next pick, Carole King's "Tapestry". Released in 1971, it was her second studio album. By the time of the release of this album, Carole King was already an established songwriter, having written or co-written dozens of hit singles. This album won 4 Grammy Awards in the following year, including Album of the Year. It is one of the highest selling albums of all time, with over 25 million copies sold, and holds the record the most consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 by a female artist. It remained on the Billboard 200 for 313 weeks, which is second only to Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon", which we have previously covered. But what will the boys think of this album? Will they feel the earth move, or will they be left saying "It's Too Late"? Come along and find out!
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Bell's next pick, Mother Mother's "O My Heart". Released in 2008, it was their second album. A band local to us in Vancouver, they got their start on Quadra Island, which is between the mainland and Vancouver Island. In 2020-1, several tracks off of "O My Heart" went viral on TikTok, leading to a resurgence of interest in this album. But will the boys have a resurgence of interest in listening to this album again? Will they instead try to throw this record into a "Burning Pile"? Come along and find out!
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Adam's next pick, Wilco's "A.M." Released in 1995, it was their debut album. The band was formed following a series of disputes between Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar of Uncle Tupelo, with Tweedy going on to form Wilco and Farrar going on to form Son Volt. Both "A.M." and Son Volt's album "Trace" were highly anticipated because of the turmoil in Uncle Tupelo. Ultimately, "Trace" became the more critically respected album, and Wilco eventually moved on from the alt-country/country-rock sound of this album, producing two extremely well received albums in the 2000s, "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" in 2001 and "A Ghost is Born" in 2004, which won two Grammy Awards. But is this album a relic of an acrimonius split in a well respected group? Will the boys think "I Must be High?" Come along and find out!
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Jamie's next pick, Peter Gabriel's "So". Released in 1986, it was this fifth studio album after leaving Genesis in 1976. This album is his highest charting, most critically well respected and most awarded. Five singles from the album charted, with the most successful being Sledgehammer, which we covered in the Season One episode Hot Singles in Your Area. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards, but lost to Paul Simon's classic "Graceland". But will the boys think this is the album of their year? Come along and find out!
On this inaugural episode of CD Consensus, Bell, Jamie and Adam explore the magic world of music played by lasers! Adam brings Weird Al’s album Straight Outta Lynwood, released in 2006. Bell brings the soundtrack to the 2015 game Life is Strange. Jamie brings the Foo Fighters The Colour and the Shape, released in 1997. Just like our previous incarnation as a vinyl record podcast, the choices could not be more different! Come along as we discuss the compact disc!
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Bell's next pick, NxWorries' "Why Lawd?". Made up of the duo of Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge, this is their second album, released in 2024. Following Anderson .Paak's painful divorce, the album touches on a number of related emotions and thoughts. Critically well received, the album was praised for Knxwledge's intricate production work. At the 67th Grammy Awards, the album won Best Progressive R&B Album. But will the album be well received by the boys, or will they say "MoveOn"? Come along and find out!
On this special epsiode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam ask their sisters to pick an album from their collection. Bell's sister Ashley picks Bill Withers' "Just As I Am", released in 1971. The album was critically well received upon release and was home to the hit single "Ain't No Sunshine", which won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year. Adam's sister Karen picks twenty one pilots' "Vessel", released in 2013. The album received mostly positive reviews upon release and is considered one of the duo's strongest work. Lastly, Jamie's sister Steph picks Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours", released in 1977. The album received rave reviews upon release and has been named one of the greatest albums of all time.
As is par for the course for topic episodes, the albums could not be more different! Will all three picks be a winner? Come along and find out!
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Adam's next pick, King Crimson's "Red". Released in 1974, it was their seventh studio album, and the last King Crimson album until the group was re-formed by bandleader Robert Fripp in 1981. The album has been cited as an important work in both progressive rock and heavy metal, influencing a multitude of other artists, such as Kurt Cobain. But what will the boys think of the album? Will they describe it as "One More Red Nightmare" or will it influence them as well? Come along and find out!
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Jamie's next pick, Paul McCartney & Wings' "Band on the Run". Released in 1973, it was his fifth album since leaving The Beatles in 1970, and his third album with his new group, Wings. To date, it is his most successful post-Beatles album in terms of sales and critical rating. Recorded partially in Lagos, Nigeria with final overdubs recorded in London, the album won Best Engineered Non-Classical Album at the 17th Grammy Awards in 1974. But what will the boys think of the album? Will this be a rare quorum or will they have "No Words"? Come along and find out!
On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Bell's next pick, Pezz's "Watoosh!". Released in 1999, it is the only album from Pezz, because as it turns out, there was another band called Pezz already. The band later changed their name to Billy Talent and is now one of Canada's most successful artists. "Watoosh!" is reminiscent of a number of albums we have covered previously because it is a little bit of what you might hear on a Tony Hawk soundtrack. But what will the boys think of the album? Will it have them "Absorbed" or will it all fall apart after the "Recap"? Come along and find out!
