The Best Vinyl Releases Of October 2020

Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.

Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of October below.

Tom Petty — Wildflowers & All The Rest

Warner Records

This reissue of Tom Petty’s 1994 solo album has been about as successful as rereleases get. His Twitter account summed it up best a few days ago: “Wildflowers & All The Rest debuts at #5 on the @billboard 200 in its first week! The release surpasses the original Wildflowers which peaked on the Billboard 200 at #8 in 1994. Thank you for all bringing Tom’s long-awaited album to life.”

Get it here.

Beastie Boys — Beastie Boys Music

UMe

The surviving Beastie Boys have been doing a lot of looking back lately, and part of that process has included the release of a new compilation, Beastie Boys Music. The collection, a companion to their documentary of the same name and the book Beastie Boys Book, features 20 classic tracks, including favorites like “Sabotage,” “Paul Revere,” “Fight For Your Right,” and others.

Get it here.

U2 — All That You Can’t Leave Behind (20th Anniversary Reissue)

Island Records

With singles like “Beautiful Day” and “Elevation,” All That You Can’t Leave Behind was a huge album for the band following Pop. This 20th anniversary reissue of the album has a new remaster of the record, and the Super Deluxe Box Set has a hardcover book, 39 bonus tracks, and other goodies.

Get it here.

Erykah Badu — Mama’s Gun (Vinyl Me, Please Reissue)

Vinyl Me, Please

Vinyl Me, Please are regular purveyors of quality releases (like underappreciated Julien Baker albums), and one of their records of the month is an Erykah Badu classic, Mama’s Gun. This exclusive rerelease of the 2000 album has been totally remastered and is pressed on 2-LP scarlet and gold vinyl.

Get it here.

John Lennon — Gimme Some Truth: The Ultimate Mixes

UMe

October 9th would have been John Lennon’s 80th birthday, and his estate celebrated in a big way. Gimme Some Truth: The Ultimate Mixes features 36 of his most beloved solo songs remixed completely from scratch. The set comes in two and four-LP editions, with the latter box set featuring an eight page booklet, fold-out double-sided poster, two postcards, and a bumper sticker.

Get it here.

Linkin Park — Hybrid Theory (20th Anniversary Reissue)

Warner Records

Hybrid Theory is a defining nu-metal album, and now it’s 20 years old. To mark the occasion, the band has re-released the album in a number of editions, which include rarities like unreleased art, videos, and even a song, “She Couldn’t.”

Get it here.

Sade — This Far

Legacy Recordings

Sade’s career has been legendary, and now she is offering a box set that serves as a comprehensive look back at it. This Far features all six of her studio albums, which have been remastered, pressed on 180-gram black vinyl. That makes this the first complete collection of her studio work… so far.

Get it here.

Oasis — (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? (25th Anniversary Reissue)

Big Brother Recordings

“Wonderwall” is the most popular song of the ’90s, at least when it comes to streaming: It recently became the first song from the decade to eclipse a billion Spotify streams. This happened in the same month Oasis released a 25th anniversary edition of its parent album, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?, which has been freshly re-mastered.

Get it here.

Okkervil River — A Dream In The Dark: Two Decades Of Okkervil River

ATO Records

In 2019, storied indie group Okkervil River launched a digital subscription series of twelve live albums spanning the band’s career, and it was called A Dream In The Dark: Two Decades Of Okkervil River. Now some of the best tracks from the series have been compiled into a 24-track, 4-LP compilation of the same name that includes performances from “sweaty dive bars, lavish concert halls, and festival stages across the world.”

Get it here.

The Rural Alberta Advantage — Hometowns (10th Anniversary Reissue)

Paper Bag Records Vintage

Fans of Canadian indie music know The Rural Alberta Advantage well, and now their beloved breakthrough EP, Hometowns, is getting a 10th-anniversary reissue. The album went on to earn critical acclaim and get the band signed to Saddle Creek Records, and now’s a great chance to own a limited edition release of it on vinyl.

Get it here.

Chavez — Gone Glimmering (25th Anniversary Reissue)

Matador

Matador has been celebrating some of their most legendary releases all year with fresh vinyl releases, and now it’s Chavez’s turn. The band’s debut album, Gone Glimmering, has been newly remastered and includes four extra tracks taken from the Pentagram Ring EP, which have never been available on vinyl before.

Get it here.

Beach Fossils — Beach Fossils (10th Anniversary Reissue)

Bayonet Records

Beach Fossils’ Dustin Payseur reflected on the band’s debut album for its anniversary reissue (which comes with a limited edition “Vacation” 7-inch with previously unreleased song “Time”), saying, “For me, this record was about escapism. In my mind I was escaping New York, I was escaping loneliness, I was escaping hunger. I was burned out and needed to write songs that made me feel better. I felt like the world was a cold, hard place and I knew a lot of other people felt that way too. I was meditating a lot and learned that meditation could teach you to be at peace with these feelings, so with this album I wanted to create an environment where people could disappear and get lost for a little bit.”

Get it here.

Motörhead — Ace Of Spades (40th Anniversary Box Set)

Motörhead

No conversation about hard rock is complete without at least one mention of Motörhead and/of their album Ace Of Spades. It’s been four decades since that iconic record was released, and now there’s a big anniversary box set to celebrate, which features the remastered album, previously unheard concerts, an EP of unreleased instrumental tracks from 1980, and a lot more.

Get it here.

Rilo Kiley — Rilo Kiley (Reissue)

Little Record Company

Rilo Kiley’s self-titled debut album can be hard to come by, especially since it was originally only released on CD at the band’s early shows and has been out of print since its initial run 21 years ago. Now, though, the band has reissued the album, both digitally and in a colored vinyl edition.

Get it here.

Herb Alpert — Herb Alpert Is…

Herb Alpert

Herb Alpert Is…, a documentary about iconic trumpeter Herb Alpert, premiered earlier in October, and not long after it came a career-spanning box set. The collection includes five LPs, three CDs, a coffee table book with vintage photos, liner notes, and other goodies that makes this one of the most appealing Alpert releases ever.

Get it here.

Flogging Molly — Swagger (20th Anniversary Reissue)

SideOneDummy Records

Flogging Molly is one of the most recognizable Celtic punk groups, and their debut album, Swagger, is a quintessential release. The expansive 20th anniversary 2-LP edition of the album has a lot of goodies too, which press materials exhaustively list: “a bonus version of ‘Sentimental Johnny’ en Español as ‘Juan El Sentimental,’ a bonus LP featuring three live songs recorded in 2001 at Denver’s famed Bluebird Theatre plus a Traditional Irish Set (recorded with Steve Albini in ‘one take with no overdubs’), a never-before-seen DVD documentary from 2000 including a full live performance, an expanded Lyric Booklet featuring photos from the band’s personal collection, Flogging Molly logo vinyl slip mat, embroidered patch, and four badge Swagger button pack.”

Get it here.

Joni Mitchell — Early Joni — 1963 and Live At Canterbury House 1967

Rhino Records

A new Joni Mitchell Archives collection has launched, and there are a pair of winners available now. Live At Canterbury House 1967 documents an early-career performance at University Of Michigan and is limited to just 1,500 copies. Then there’s Early Joni — 1963, which goes back even further in the archives to unearth a previously unreleased recording of a 19-year-old Mitchell at CFQC AM in Saskatoon. Both are released in multiple versions, including pressings on black, white, and clear vinyl.

Get them here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. .

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