(Shout to Natalia Mohl’s incredible photography- go check out her dreamy photos at wildbindi, based in Sydney, Australia! With love from a transient Melbournite.)
So say you’ve gotten yourself a record player. Awesome, A+. If you’re like me and part of the dreaded “millenial” generation, when you brought this up to your parents you might have been met with a kind of confusion and bemusement. Also, probably, “Oh, I’ve got records…. somewhere.”
“Somewhere” could be anywhere. In my mom’s case, we have a large, unfinished old barn that consumes all of our storage items. “Somewhere in the barn” generally means: “good luck finding that.” All this to say that your mom’s records are probably out of reach, and while she’s being nostalgic for them, she could be actually listening to the music she loves on vinyl.
So as Mother’s Day approaches in the US, what’s a good “starter set” of albums to get to jumpstart Mom’s new collection? Well, here are my picks!
Enya/Watermark:
For all of your mom’s-feeling-one-with-the-cosmos times. Did you know Enya lives in a castle alone with her cats? Sounds like life goals to me.
Fleetwoood Mac/Rumors:
If your mom is like my mom, there’s a whole lot of shouts of NE-V-ER BREAK THE CH-AIN in your childhood memories. Good to bring them back with this. (Maybe?) Or maybe YOU CAN GO YOUR OWN WA-A-A-A-Y.
David Bowie/Hunky Dory:
Did you go through a lot of Ch-ch-ch-changes as a kid? This is a great Bowie album that’s full of fantastic classic Bowie hits like “Life on Mars?” and “Andy Warhol.” Uh, just don’t let her find “Queen Bitch” and think it’s directed at her.
Eagles/Hotel California:
Another classic album, for painting, for gardening, for doing anything, really. Those guitar licks are just as motivating as they always were.
Beatles/Rubber Soul:
As Beatles are kind of a must-have with any record collection, Rubber Soul was always my mom’s favorite. “Norwegian Wood” in particular with its jaunty little sitar riff.
Bob Marley – Exodus:
Nothing quite light the bounce of steel drums and the proud, soulful words of Bob Marley to put you in a relaxed state of mind. Or fuel a political revolution. You know.
Neil Diamond – All Time Greatest Hits:
Listen, it was really hard to narrow Neil Diamond into one album over his career, so this best-of record is probably gonna cover the important bits, Sweet Caroline. (Coming from a Kentucky Woman.)
