omino71 vinyl records private collection @ Beaverton Roma (Photo credit: OMINO71)

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!