Joseph Neff

Winchester

Senior Editor at The Vinyl District

Film Manager @AlamoWinchester. Senior Editor @VinylDistrict. rye chip enthusiast he/him

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Articles

Graded on a Curve: Herbie Hancock, Maiden Voyage - The Vinyl District

2 weeks ago | thevinyldistrict.com | Joseph Neff

Celebrating Herbie Hancock in advance of his 85th birthday tomorrow. —Ed.The short description of Herbie Hancock’s gorgeous 1965 LP Maiden Voyage, is that it’s the ’63-’64 Miles Davis Quintet with Freddie Hubbard subbing on trumpet. But as nicely as that reads, it’s actually much more. Hancock’s fifth and best record as leader, to this point it was also his most ambitious, and was additionally something of a rarity in jazz terms; a wildly successful and delightfully peaceful concept album.
Graded on a Curve: The Animals, The Best of The Animals - The Vinyl District

2 weeks ago | thevinyldistrict.com | Joseph Neff

No single album can encompass the range of The Animals’ ’64-’65 run, but ABKCO’s recent vinylization of the ’88 compact disc The Best of The Animals comes pretty close. Gathering all the early hits without neglecting the enduring appeal of their R&B core, it sports the same cover photo as MGM’s 11-track ’66 LP while slightly modifying and significantly expanding the contents.
Graded on a Curve: Little Richard, “Try Some of Mine: The Brunswick Recordings” - The Vinyl District

2 weeks ago | thevinyldistrict.com | Joseph Neff

A groundbreaking force of nature in the original rock ‘n’ roll explosion, Little Richard kept on doing it, often to surprising artistic success, long after his heyday as a hitmaker had waned. For a tidy example of his undying musical potency, one need look no further than “Try Some of Mine: The Brunswick Recordings,” an EP available April 12 for Record Store Day from ORG Music.
Graded on a Curve: Carla Thomas, Sweet Sweetheart - The Vinyl District

2 weeks ago | thevinyldistrict.com | Joseph Neff

Regularly praised as the Queen of Memphis Soul, Carla Thomas is a Memphis Music Hall of Famer who scored numerous hits throughout the 1960s both solo and in duets with her father Rufus Thomas and her Stax Records labelmate Otis Redding. As the 1970s began, Thomas visited American Sound Studio in her home city and cut a batch of songs for a record that, with the exception of one single, remained unreleased until 2013.
Graded on a Curve: Muddy Waters, The Best of Muddy Waters - The Vinyl District

3 weeks ago | thevinyldistrict.com | Joseph Neff

Remembering Muddy Waters, born on this day in 1913. —Ed.Where to start with the music of that sly titan of 20th century music Muddy Waters?
Graded on a Curve: The Nightingales, The Awful Truth - The Vinyl District

3 weeks ago | thevinyldistrict.com | Joseph Neff

On April 4, veteran UK post-punkers The Nightingales, led as ever by vocalist Robert Lloyd, return with The Awful Truth, an appropriately bent reaction to the sorry state of the world. It’s available on red vinyl and compact disc from Fire Records. Joining Lloyd in The Nightingales are Andreas Schmid on bass, Fliss Kitson on drums, and James Smith on guitar.
Graded on a Curve: Weird Herald, Just Yesterday - The Vinyl District

3 weeks ago | thevinyldistrict.com | Joseph Neff

It’s still early, but Guerssen Records’ lovingly assembled collection documenting the obscure Los Gatos, CA-based late 1960s outfit Weird Herald is poised to be one of the major archival discoveries of 2025. Just Yesterday is offered as an 11-song LP accompanied with a download card rounding up 11 more selections; the CD corrals 18 of the tracks. Both sets situate Weird Herald as far more than just another hunk of unearthed gristle thrown to salivating obsessives of ’60s psych rock.
Graded on a Curve: Herb Alpert’s Tijuana Brass, Whipped Cream & Other Delights - The Vinyl District

3 weeks ago | thevinyldistrict.com | Joseph Neff

Celebrating Herb Alpert on his 90th birthday. —Ed.Herb Alpert is often praised as a veteran bigwig of the record industry who possessed a measure of taste alongside his business acumen. He’s even more notable for his trumpet playing and leadership of a crucial if not necessarily hip 1960s outfit; Whipped Cream & Other Delights is the most popular LP from Herb Alpert’s Tijuana Brass; it’s also their best. Let’s get it out of the way right up front; nobody in the Tijuana Brass was from Mexico.
Graded on a Curve: The Turtles, It Ain’t Me Babe - The Vinyl District

4 weeks ago | thevinyldistrict.com | Joseph Neff

Celebrating Chuck Portz on his 80th birthday. —Ed.On the subject of The Turtles, the first thing to cross many people’s minds will be “Happy Together,” their huge hit from 1967. They scored other hit singles, some bigger than others, but they also had some LPs, and the initial four all portray a distinct point in the group’s development. Their 1965 debut It Ain’t Me Babe features a young band striving to find an individual voice while attempting to capitalize on their first hit.
Graded on a Curve: Ben Webster, At the Renaissance - The Vinyl District

4 weeks ago | thevinyldistrict.com | Joseph Neff

Remembering Ben Webster, born on this day in 1909. —Ed.As one of the greatest of tenor saxophonists, Ben Webster amassed a sizable discography across a long career. His live performances were also extensive and on occasion, those nights were recorded. Released posthumously in 1985, At the Renaissance is a fine introduction to Webster’s full-bodied, mature style as he stretches out with a sharp band.