Everyone knows that vinyl records are classic. They look classic. They sound classic. They feel classic. They even smell classic. You tear open the packaging of a brand new record, excited to see what the album art looks like, to find what extra inserts have been included for you, and most importantly, to pull out that glossy black record that holds the promise of great sound. But as classic as that black disc is and always will be, the artists realized that they could make art out of the vinyl itself. And so began the emergence of some crazy vinyl colors, shapes, and sizes. For now, we’ll mainly be covering the rainbow of colors that records can come in, but you can find some funky-shaped records, like an astronaut, cheese, or even Pee-wee Herman.
Just a tiny bit of background for the record newbies out there: records are created by melting down polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pellets and pressing them into a flat, grooved disc. You can find a more in-depth explanation of the process in this History Channel “Modern Marvels” clip. What’s neat about this process is that not only can the colored PVC pellets be melted down to make solid-colored records, but the colors can also be mixed to make a tie-dye effect. Using different colors during the manufacturing process can also create something called transitional vinyls, where leftover remnants of the previously used color are stamped in with the current color for the first few records. These unintentionally added swirls of color make transitional vinyls unique and collector-worthy.
Here are some of the fun colored records we hold near and dear to our hearts here at Altavoz:
1) Banana Yellow
Radio Beats
Ready to Shake
Listen here!
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2) Spattered Olive
Red Red Red
New Action
Listen here!
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3) Marbled Turquoise
The Lost Sounds
Memphis is Dead
Listen here!
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4) Bright White
Hollywood
Stunts
Check them out here!
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5) Grey Swirl
Sweet Japanese American Princesses
Virgin Vibe
Listen here!
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6) Cool Clear
Baseball Furies
Throw Them to the Lions
Listen here!
Retailers: Interested in carrying any of these albums in your store? Check them out at http://altavoz.com!
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