grogg album nucleus

1958 Transition OG Pressing

• An incredibly rare favorite; plus the labels are still attached to the LP, which is one of those weird quirks that makes it that much more sought after.

1959 Columbia OG mono

• One of my favorite albums of all time in extraordinary condition.

1959 Mercury OG (no banner over Martha White flour

• Cover is signed by Flatt, Scruggs, and Curly Seckler

1960 New Jazz first pressing

• Gigi Gryce was such an underrated alto player. I grew up playing alto/tenor/bari sax, so the subject is near and dear to my heart. Plus the cover jumps off the shelf at you.

1963 Impulse! OG mono pressing

• The greatest third stream/big band album of all time?

1963 Phillies first press mono

• I grew up watching Letterman, so Darlene Love holds a special place in my heart. That makes Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) the greatest Christmas song of all time.

1965 Blue Note first press mono

• This is a mono Love Supreme. The tapes were destroyed in a fire. This is a museum piece that's only brought out for special occasions. The best possible pressing of the best jazz album of all time. Life-changing.

1965 Blue Note OG mono

• Sometimes I look at this list of albums I kept from my collection and feel weirdly guilty about how many of them are Blue Notes. That doesn't make any sense, though. This once again checks the boxes of a personal favorite that often gets overlooked in the absolute flood of incredible releases in the storied catalog.

1966 Blue Note second press mono

• Hits that sweet spot of rarity/condition/incredible album. Plus the cover is iconic.

1966 Blue Note second press mono

• My favorite Joe Henderson and one of the rarest Blue Notes from my collection.

1967 Blue Note second press stereo

• A really catchy, overlooked album.

1969 Atlantic first pressing with the RL and SS stampers

• LP is VG+, which is hard to find. Cover is so unique that I made a reddit post about it that didn't go anywhere (because the vinyl subreddit is jaded and hates fun)

1970 Warner Bros. White Label Promo

• I'm a big fan of ephemera, so the reason I held on to this (other than it being a great album) is that this copy came with a promo letter from WB addressed to a local Portland radio station introducing the band.

1970 Columbia OG pressing

• For a long time, maybe a decade, I held the belief that Bitches Brew marked the end of jazz. I eventually came around to free jazz, listening to numerous 70s albums, before giving this another shot. And gosh, I'm glad I did, because it's the best album in Miles' catalog. This serves as proof that my tastes and mature; that change is possible.

1970 Harvest UK first press of Things May Come And Things May Go, But The Art School Dance Goes On Forever

• Not available to stream, so check out the YT link. Quite simply my favorite prog album of all time.

1972 Black Jazz OG press

• The best of the Black Jazz catalog? Probably a bold statement, but it's monumental.

1972 Muse OG Promo of The Free Slave

• Had to pick a different Brooks album here, as The Free Slave (YT link) isn't available on streaming services. This is one of my top 3 favorite Muse albums, and promos are rare as hens teeth.

1975 RCA OG press

• Transcends genre to enter the conversation as one of the greatest singer-songwriter albums of all time. Hugely influential for me.

1976 Muse first pressing of Cosmos Nucleus

• Once again, I have to link to a different album because this LP isn't streamable. Here's the YT link. Long live physical media. This one has a unique provenance because this it was part of Ira Gitler's collection, who received it as a gift from famous producer Joel Dorn. I bought it directly from Ira's son. That means a lot to me because I've spent many hours cataloging Gitler's writing at The Jazz Tome.

1976 Muse OG press

• Gets my vote for greatest live jazz album. The vibes are immaculate, as the kids would say. (I think? Maybe vibes are no longer hip, not sure)... also I'd like to point out that the album cover for the digital version is lame as hell. Click on the discogs link to see the real deal.

2001 RCA UK pressing, with NYC Cops

• I listened to this album constantly between my freshman and sophomore years in college, back when all good things were still possible and the future was bright. Ranks right up there with The Bends, Californication, and By The Way for rock albums that capture a specific place in time for me.

2005 Asthmatic Kitty first pressing with the balloons over Superman

• Was super hyped on this album in college and remember buying the CD on release day at Hastings in Manhattan, KS. I think the CD was only out a couple of weeks before the Superman cover was withdrawn; the early batch of LPs hadn't reached the shelves yet, so they were able to simply put a balloon over Superman to avoid a lawsuit. The music itself is incredible, too. You find something new every time you listen.