“Welcome 2 America”

At the onset of the pandemic, Johnny Vinyl listened to even more vinyl than usual. But before getting to the top vinyl releases, a special shout-out goes to Peter Walters and all those who helped put on the Pendleton Record Swap & Audio Expo this past October. What a great event!

And after a two-year hiatus, JV presents the year’s top vinyl releases, including several from the latter half of 2021 (No. 8-10).

10. Prince: “Welcome 2 America”Like Jimi Hendrix before him, Prince always had access to a studio and recorded everything. The Hendrix estate continues to release new music 50 years after the guitarist’s death. And with the “purple vaults,” your grandchildren’s grandchildren will still be presented with unreleased Prince music. “Welcome 2 America” provides the first real taste of the vaults’ contents. Tal Wilkenfeld fresh off her stint with the Jeff Beck group and drummer Chris Coleman recorded as a “Hendrix-inspired trio.” It showcases Prince’s rock side. It is also the most politically conscious he has ever been. And that may be the reason it was left in the vaults. Listen to it now! The deluxe version includes a jaw-dropping complete concert from the 21-night run in 2011 at the LA Forum.

9. MONO: “Beyond the Past: Live in London with the Platinum Anniversary Orchestra”Japanese contemporary classical band MONO realize that while their studio albums can be quite spectacular in their own right, where they really shine is in the live setting where they manipulate their sound collage over an extended amount of time. The three LP set gives listeners a capsule of what it’s like to have an entire room of individuals move and sway in unison to the undulating sounds. Best consumed in its entirety!

8. Melvins: “Five-Legged Dog”The Melvins continue to follow the beat of their own drums on their 36th studio album. In what some, like yours truly, believe to be “the” release of the current millennium is Five-Legged Dog. The four LP set with 36 tracks covers their entire catalog completely rearranged and performed acoustically. Leave it to the Melvins to sound heavier and more menacing unplugged. A real love letter to their fans. They have since released No. 37, “Bad Mood Rising.” Long live the Melvins!

7. Porcupine Tree: “Closure/Continuation”Publicly Steven Wilson has stated numerous times that PT had run its course and not to expect anything else — but he’s been working on the follow-up to 2009’s “The Incident” for the last decade.

Fans of “In Absentia,” “Deadwing” and “Fear of a Blank Plant” era (2002-07) will be glad to know the band’s progressive metal side is on full display throughout and the title says it all.

6. Ghost: “Impera”Alice Cooper told an interviewer early in his career that “gimmicks don’t mean a thing if you don’t have the songs.” Swedish metal band Ghost musicians perform as “faceless ghouls” in cloaks that shroud their faces. Vocalist and mastermind behind the phenomena, Tobias Forge performs as a “demonic anti-pope,” currently known as “Papa Emeritus IV.” Huh? All of that means nothing because the music is immediately user-friendly. Bubblegum-metal … maybe but it sure is fun.

5. Rammstein: “Zeit”Rammstein is the gold standard when it comes to rock band stage shows. The Germans continuously stretch the parameters of what can be done to an audience — and what venue insurance companies will allow! Their studio albums seldom come close to matching the heights their concerts do.

They are repetitive and often tedious without their visual component. With “Zeit” (translation: time) they finally have a studio album that stands on its own as a great representation of the variety Rammstein can execute.

4. Painted Shield: “Painted Shield 2”Pearl Jam’s guitarist/songwriter Stone Gossard, folky Mason Jennings, soul singer Brittany Davis and well-traveled drummer Matt Chamberlain together make up Painted Shield. What they create together is at once a contemporary and retro blend of technology and organics with a country lean. Their secret weapon is when Davis and Jennings duet, they conjure a John Doe/Exene Cervenka groove. On a couple of tracks, you’ll swear that Gram and Emmylou are in the room…

3. Bjork: “Fossora”Bjork, the avant-chanteuse from Reykjavik, has hit her stride with “Fossora.” Contemporary classical, techno, industrial and lounge collide and it is simply wonderful. Where else will you find a bass clarinet sextet on the charts?

2. Boris: “W” & “Heavy Rocks”Takeshi, Wata and Atsuo are Boris (named after a Melvins song), the Japanese experimental band. Atsuo is the drummer — they share all other duties. One never knows what form a Boris album takes until it arrives.

They perform the most extreme metal or the most pastoral ambient and every point in between. This is actually two separate releases beginning with “W.” It showcases the Boris’ girl and boys’ quiet side, and Wata’s ethereal wail. “Heavy Rocks” is as it sounds and the guys do all of the singing here … aggressively.

The two albums are the exact same length down to the second. If your system allows, play them simultaneously. Then the real fun begins…

1. Ann Wilson: “Fierce Bliss”At 72, Ann Wilson, one-half of Heart’s Wilson sisters, has made the album of her career. Pretty bold statement but go ahead and put “Fierce Bliss” up against anything she has ever recorded. You’ll find that while it may not surpass some of the highest points, it matches any of them.

I have to admit the real reason I first listened was to see what she did with Robin Trower’s “Bridge of Sighs,” a ’70s guitar masterpiece that most people should leave alone. Not only does she nail it but slows it down a little bit and puts her own spin on it with guest Kenny Wayne Shepherd on guitar. She co-wrote “Gladiator” with Warren Haynes, backed by his band, Gov’t Mule. Wilson and the Mule sound like they belong together. The rest of the album is just as good with an equal number of covers and originals.

She has put together a rocking band that pushes her with a vitality not seen in a while. On several tracks, she lets her inner Robert Plant out in full measure. For a dramatic change-up, she tosses out a delicate cover of Queen’s “Love of My Life,” a duet with Vince Gill, and even it works. A fierce album of audio bliss by one of rock’s greatest voices.

Have a very vinyl 2023!

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