Automatic for the People by R.E.M

This Version
1992, USA, Black Vinyl, Standard Weight, WB, 093624505518

About the Album
Sandwiched between Out of Time and Monster, this album is nothing like them. The songs are mostly mid-tempo, with tons of atmosphere. There is no way I can listen to Everybody Hurts without picturing the people in traffic from the music video. The production by Scott Litt and R.E.M. is crisp and slightly bass-heavy, working perfectly for Drive. It sounds so. good. on vinyl. No wonder it yielded six singles.

Quite unfortunately, Nightswimming has some funny lines running across it on my copy, and the piano (only the piano), sounds warped. I imagine it to be a factory defect, but I'm curious if anyone else has this problem.

One side of the inner

Other Versions

There are 1992 versions from the UK, Germany, Korean, Ecuador, Croatia, and Brazil. There is a reissue, but I am unclear the country of production. Check out Discogs.com for details about a lot of the versions.

Scarcity

The UK and German originals appear to be more common than the US version.  Check here for how much it has sold for on eBay recently.  The current reissue is approx $20 on Amazon.

Back cover

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Dilate by Ani Difranco

This Version
2013, USA, Black Vinyl, 180g, 2LP, Righteous Babe Records, RBR008-V

About the Album
Beginning with 2005's Knuckle Down, Ani released several albums on vinyl (with the exception of Little Plastic Remixes, which has recently been released in different-colored vinyl). 1996's Dilate is the first of her older albums she has decided release for the first time on this format. This album was her highest-selling and has several of her most well-known tracks, such as Untouchable Face and Napolean. It's dark, edgy, catchy, and simply awesome; a great album to choose if deciding to re-release more titles on vinyl. Most vinyl releases sound very good, but the sound of this production is fantastic. It pops off the speakers, crisp and clear. So Ani, please release more early titles. Please, please, please.


The Packaging
This boasts a gatefold jacket with a two-panel poster. Very cool. No other inserts. The inner sleeves are paper; I recommend placing the records in other sleeves for best preservation.

Scarcity
Not scarce. Still available on Amazon for +/- $25. Also available on Ani's website for $20.

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MTV Unplugged in New York by Nirvana

This Version
1994, USA, Black, Standard weight, DGC 24727

About the Album
This album shocked the hell out of me, and I'm sure many others too. Kurt Cobain's lyrics can be heard, there's no overwhelming distortion, there are Leadbelly and David Bowie covers, and the band strips away their shock value by allowing us to hear their roots. But the most surprising thing was that the album is completely awesome. One of my greatest music pleasures is hearing Cobain scream through the end of Where Did You Sleep Last Night. I expected this album to be some sort of marketing ploy, being that it came out so soon after Cobain's death. And though it certainly may have been, the genius in this is unquestionable.
Certainly no notable problems with the quality of sound on the original press.

Presentation
Has an inner picture sleeve, with credits on one side. Pictures are black and white.

Other Versions
1994 - USA, Germany, Canada, Brazil -- There are white vinyl versions
Simply vinyl has a gold vinyl edition from 1998, as well as pressings in 2000 and 2009
Picture disc pressings are available -- these may be unofficial
2006 Japan
2009 - USA 180g Black, USA 180g Red
2013 Germany

Scarcity
2013 pressing available on Amazon for $20-something, and I just saw it at a local shop. Older versions are difficult to find in shops but can be found on Amazon and eBay for varying prices. I saw a white vinyl pressing in a local record shop.
Average price sold on eBay (Aug-Sep) -- $80 (shipping included - and this includes sealed copies)

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