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Dem Vinyl Boyz — Music
Dem Vinyl Boyz

DEM VINYL BOYZ

Before music lived in the cloud, it lived in our hands.

It came wrapped in artwork big enough to study, tucked inside a paper sleeve, and carried the faint smell of cardboard, dust, and time. You lowered the needle, heard that first warm crackle, and for the next forty minutes, the album had your complete attention.

For years, vinyl lovers were told they were stuck in the past. While the world raced toward CDs, downloads, and endless digital playlists, Dem Vinyl Boyz kept moving at 33⅓ RPM—saving the records, protecting the sleeves, and never forgetting that music was meant to be experienced, not skipped.

Turns out, vinyl never died. It was only waiting for the rest of the world to slow down and listen again.

Each week, Dem Vinyl Boyz pull a classic album from the crates and take you back to the moment it entered the world. From the opening note of Side A to the final groove of Side B, they explore the songs, the artists, the studio stories, the cultural impact, and the little-known details that transformed a collection of tracks into a legendary album.

This isn’t just a review. It’s a musical time machine.

It’s the sound of sliding a record from its jacket. The anticipation before the needle drops. The lost art of listening to an album in the order the artist intended. And the memories that return the moment an old song begins to play.

So put on your headphones, pull up a seat beside the turntable, and rediscover the greatest music ever pressed into wax.

DEM VINYL BOYZ. DROP THE NEEDLE. HEAR THE HISTORY. RESPECT THE TECHNIQUE.

Latest Episodes:

Dem Vinyl Boyz Ep 31 - Back In Black Feb 23, 2023

Show notes

Were back this week with Dem Vinyl Boyz to listen to one of the most well received metal albums of the 80's, ACDC's "Back In Black." Following the bands initial success with hit album "Highway to Hell", they were already planning their next big follow up album. Sadly, around February of 1980, lead singer Bon Scott passed away from alcohol poisoning after a drinking binge. The band decided instead of disbanding, they would bring in Brian Johnson, former singer for Geordie. Fashioned with an all black cover symbolizing the mourning of late band mate Bon Scott, "Back in Black" was an unprecedented commercial and critical success. Based on its commercial and critical success alone, this album can be considered one of the best selling albums in music history, selling over 50 million copies world-wide. Some of the album's success relates to the yearlong world tour supporting the album that cemented them among the most popular music acts of the early 1980s. The album was certified 25× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making it the fourth best-selling album in the United States, and the best-selling album that never reached the top spot on the American charts. The album received positive critical reception at the time of its initial release, and has since been included on numerous lists of "greatest" albums. Thanks for tuning in to Dem Vinyl Boyz, like and subscribe!!

Dem Vinyl Boyz Ep 30 - Minutes to Midnight Feb 14, 2023

Show notes

Dem Vinyl Boyz are back this week to drop the needle on Linkin Parks third studio album, "Minutes To Midnight." This album is the band's follow-up album to "Meteora", and features a shift in the group's musical direction than the 2003 sessions while working with producer Rick Rubin. For the band, the album marked a beginning of deviation from their signature nu metal sound. The album was produced by Mike Shinoda and Rick Rubin, and debuted at number one in the US Billboard 200 and in 15 other countries, including the United Kingdom and Canada. In the United States, the album had the biggest first week sales of 2007 at the time, with 623,000 albums sold, going on to be certified five times platinum in the US. It was also certified double platinum in New Zealand, Italy, Ireland, and Australia and certified platinum in Canada, France, Switzerland and in the UK. In an interview, lead singer Chester Bennington explained that the album is "a mix of punk, classic rock, and hip-hop standards" and that "Rick has brought more of a stripped down, classic-rock and hip-hop kind of feel." The bands goal for this album was to portray themselves in a different way and showcase a new style of their music. Five singles were released from the album: "What I've Done", "Bleed It Out", "Shadow of the Day", "Given Up", and "Leave Out All the Rest". "Given Up" had already charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Pop 100 charts at numbers 99 and 78 respectively in 2007, and "Leave Out All the Rest" had already charted on Billboard's Pop 100 chart at number 98 and Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart at number 17 in 2007. Despite its commercial success, Minutes to Midnight received mixed reviews from critics. Rolling Stone magazine, however, named it the twenty-fifth best album of 2007. Thanks for tuning in to Dem Vinyl Boyz, like and subscribe!!

Dem Vinyl Boyz EP 29 - Illmatic Feb 07, 2023

Show notes

Dem Vinyl Boyz are back diving straight into Nas' debut studio album "Illmatic". This album was released on April 19, 1994, by Columbia Records, produced by DJ Premier, Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, L.E.S., and Nas himself. Nas, who was twenty years old when the album was released, focuses on depicting his own experiences, creating highly detailed first-person narratives that deconstruct the troubled life of an inner city teenager. Nas said in an interview in 2001: “When I made Illmatic I was a little kid in Queensbridge trapped in the ghetto. My soul was trapped in Queensbridge projects.” Styled as a hardcore hip hop album, “Illmatic” features internal rhymes and inner-city narratives based on Nas' experiences growing up in the Queensbridge Houses in Queens, New York City. In a 2012 interview, Nas explains what he wants the take away from his album to be, he says "I want you to know who I am: what the streets taste like, feel like, smell like. What the cops talk like, walk like, think like. What crackheads do — I wanted you to smell it, feel it. It was important to me that I told the story that way because I thought that it wouldn't be told if I didn't tell it." The album debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 63,000 copies in its first week. However, its initial sales fell below expectations and its five singles failed to achieve significant chart success. Despite the album's low initial sales, “Illmatic” received rave reviews from most music critics, who praised its production and Nas' lyricism. Thanks for tuning in to Dem Vinyl Boyz, like and subscribe!!

Dem Vinyl Boyz EP 28 - Billy Joel Greatest Hits Vol 1 Feb 02, 2023

Show notes

Dem Vinyl Boyz are dropping the needle this week from the Franklin Social House taking their vinyl on the road for all to hear. 'Billy Joel's Greatest Hits' was released in 1987 which includes the artist's work from 1973 to 1985 and contains some of his most renowned records such as “Piano Man”, “Uptown Girl”', and “The Longest Time”. The album is certified double diamond and has sold over 23 million units tying Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' for the sixth most certified album of all time in the United States. The album kicks off with "Piano Man," the first disc runs through a good chunk of his early work before arriving at his golden age of the late '70s; some of these songs, including "Captain Jack" and "New York State of Mind," weren't strictly hits, but were popular within his stage show and became radio hits. Over the next disc and a half, there's so many hits, it's inevitable that some are left off such as "Honesty" and "Sometimes a Fantasy" but still includes "Just the Way You Are," "Only the Good Die Young," "My Life," "You May Be Right," "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me," "Don't Ask Me Why," "Allentown," "Tell Her About It" and "Uptown Girl," among many others are present and accounted for. In short, Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 & 2 encapsulates exactly why Billy Joel was one of the most popular singer/songwriters of the late '70s and early '80s and is still described as a legendary artist today. Thanks for tuning in to Dem Vinyl Boyz, like and subscribe!!

Dem Vinyl Boyz EP 27 - Rage Against The Machine Jan 25, 2023

Show notes

Dem Vinyl Boyz are back this week we’re diving into one of the most prolific debut albums that tackles political issues with undeniable conviction, Rage Against The Machine. These guys created this album with a purpose, displaying a photo of the self-immolation of Thích Quảng Đức, a vietnamese monk, on the album cover. He was protesting President Ngô Đình Diệm's administration for oppressing the Buddhist religion and the international attention this photo gained persuaded U.S. President John F. Kennedy to withdraw support for Diệm's government. The songs on Rage Against the Machine all feature political messages with activists such as Provisional IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands and Black Panther Party founder Huey P. Newton are listed in the "Thanks For Inspiration" section. Through this album's success, it remains an essential call to activism and a necessary lesson on how to withstand the opposition. Aside from the album's obvious political themes, the music itself defies the way "normal" albums would be released and offers a genre-bending experience that makes it difficult to categorize as one specific thing. Throwing mixes of rock, funk, and rap throughout the album, it is recognized as one of the first albums to successfully merge the seemingly contrasting sounds of rap and heavy metal. The album peaked at number 1 on the US Billboard Heatseekers chart and number 45 on the US Billboard 200 and has gone on to achieve triple platinum sales certification in the US. Thanks for tuning in to Dem Vinyl Boyz, like and subscribe!!

Dem Vinyl Boyz EP 26 - Doggystyle Jan 17, 2023

Show notes

Dem Vinyl Boys are back droppin' the needle on one of the most legendary Hip Hop albums of the 90's, "Doggystyle", by none other than Snoop Dogg himself. This was Snoop's debut album and also one of his most notable with critics praising Snoop at the time for the lyrical "realism" that he delivers on the album. His distinctive West Coast style of hip-hop that he developed from Dr. Dre's first album continued on "Doggystyle" and was brought forward with this album. It helped introduce the hip-hop subgenre of G-funk to a mainstream audience and made West Coast hip- hop a dominant force in the early-mid 90's. Snoop is something special, with unpredictable turns of phrase, expressive imagery, and a distinctive, addictive flow. "Doggystyle's" unique sound and West Coast G-Funk style lead the album to earn recognition from many music critics as one of the most significant albums of the 1990s, as well as one of the most important hip-hop albums ever released. "Doggystyle" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 806,858 copies in its first week alone in the United States, which was the record for a debuting artist and the fastest-selling hip-hop album ever at the time. Thanks for tuning in to Dem Vinyl Boyz, like and subscribe!!

Dem Vinyl Boyz EP 25 - Like a Virgin Jan 10, 2023

Show notes

Dem Vinyl Boyz are back again to listen to some classic 80s vinyl from legendary pop star Madonna. Her sophomore album 'Like a Virgin' dropped November 12th, 1984 and while making her a household name also came with a lot of controversy because of her overtly sexual lyrics and performances. The album sold over 21 million copies and is one of the best selling albums of all time, often regarded as the birth of pop as we know it today. Madonna went into 'Like a Virgin' wrestling Warner Bros. for more artistic control. After she had negative experiences working with Reggie Lucas, she wanted to have a bigger voice for the production of the album, and she found a winning collaborator in guitarist Nile Rodgers, who’d just worked on David Bowie’s Let’s Dance. “Like a Virgin,” was Madonna’s first No. 1 pop hit. It’s here that she most explicitly tackles sexual politics and explores that whole virgin-whore thing so central to her image. The other is “Material Girl,” a winking gold-digger anthem that can be taken a couple of different ways. Though not as innovative as her debut, the album stands as one of the most definitive pop artifacts from the indulgent Reagan era. Thanks for tuning in and remember to like and subscribe !!

Dem Vinyl Boyz EP 24 - Let's Dance Jan 03, 2023

Show notes

Dem Vinyl Boyz are back again this week to drop the needle on David Bowie's fifteenth studio album, 'Let's Dance'. This was Bowie's best selling album of his career, reaching number one on charts in numerous countries. This commercial success led David Bowie into becoming a major superstar and getting well recognized by the populous. On this album, Bowie apparently chose to only sing and played no instruments, instead he got some new players including Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan playing the lead guitar. Let's Dance has been reviewed musically as a post-disco record, with elements of dance-rock, dance-pop and new wave. It holds three cover songs: Iggy Pop's "China Girl", which Bowie and Pop had recorded together for the latter's The Idiot (1977); Metro's "Criminal World"; and a reworking of "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)", originally recorded by Bowie and Giorgio Moroder in 1982 for the film "Cat People". The album also contained four hit singles that were all commercial successes, but the air play of music videos for "Let's Dance" and "China Girl'' on MTV were one of the main sources for the success for this album. Overall this is one of Bowie's most captivating and successful albums of his career, selling over ten million copies worldwide. Thanks for tuning in and remember to like and subscribe !!

Dem Vinyl Boyz EP 23 - Legend Dec 21, 2022

Show notes

This week Dem Vinyl Boyz are back and dropping the needle on the best selling reggae album of all time "Legend" by Bob Marley. Legend is a greatest hits collection of singles in its original vinyl format. It has sold over 12 million copies in the US, 3.3 million in the UK and an estimated 25 million copies sold globally and in 2003, the album was ranked number 46 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". It also went on maintaining the ranking in a 2012 revised list, but dropping to number 48 in the 2020 revised list. Bob Marley and the Wailers "Legend" was such a massive success that even still as of December 13, 2022, Legend has spent a total of 760 nonconsecutive weeks on the Billboard 200 albums chart—the second longest run in history. Legend is a historic album and remains a compelling introduction to Bob Marley’s music and to reggae as a whole.

Dem Vinyl Boyz EP 22 - Straight Outta Compton Dec 13, 2022

Show notes

Dem Vinyl Boyz are coming straight outta your speakers and into your ears. This week they're dropping the needle on one of the most iconic records of all time 'Straight Outta Compton'. The debut album from late 80s and early 90s rap group N.W.A. set the world on fire depicting the violence you may see on a day to day basis in south central L.A. and even threatening the corrupt L.A. police. It’s a pioneer of the rap industry and was a staple for many of the hip-hop albums you'll hear today. This record sold nearly four million copies and was Gangsta Rap's first platinum record, needless to say it deserves its props. The openers — “Straight Outta Compton”, “Fuck tha Police”, and “Gangsta Gangsta” — are what the album is remembered for and rightly so. They are as prominent a rap group as you’re ever likely to hear, and the flows of Ice Cube, MC Ren, and Eazy-E bounce off of each other effortlessly. The synergy of the group still inspires awe. Together they comprised, as Kendrick Lamar recently put it, ‘the perfect cast of characters.’ This album is still an essential entry for hip-hop and the fact that it remains broadly relevant after 30 years is a testament to its quality. Thanks for listening to Dem Vinyl Boyz. Make sure to like, comment, follow, and subscribe.

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