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 December below.
Beyonce — Homecoming: The Live Album
Homecoming was one of the biggest things to hit Netflix last year, and on top of the film, Beyonce also released an accompanying live album of her 2018 Coachella performance. Now it’s also available as a new 4-LP vinyl release, which features some gorgeous large photography from the performance.
Get it here.
Billie Holiday — Lady Sings The Blues (Vinyl Me, Please reissue)
Vinyl Me, Please always deliver wonderful releases that aren’t available anywhere else, and in December, one of their offerings was a new edition of a late-career gem from Billie Holiday. It’s pressed on “Trav’lin Light Blue” vinyl, and it features fresh new liner notes and a clean remaster based on the original analogue tapes.
Get it here.
The Kinks — Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround, Part One (Reissue)
Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround, Part One was a concept album that was ahead of its time upon its 1970 release, and now it’s being properly honored with an expansive 50th anniversary box set. There are multiple editions available, and between them are a 60-page hardback book with quotes and photos, CDs containing bonus unreleased tracks, and much more.
Get it here.
The Coathangers — The Coathangers (Reissue)
The story of The Coathangers’ debut album is an unconventional one: The band formed a band to play a house party, despite not having any prior musical experience. After those humble beginnings, they found themselves releasing a self-titled debut album in 2007. This rerelease pressing has only 1,000 copies, with 500 of them on Confetti Crush Splatter Vinyl and the remaining 500 on Neon Strawberry Banana Pinwheel Vinyl.
Get it here.
Yusuf/Cat Stevens — Mona Bone Jakon and Tea For The Tillerman (Reissues)
Yusuf/Cat Stevens recently dropped Tea For The Tillerman², a reimagining of his classic album after which it is titled. That was in celebration of the album’s 50th anniversary, and he also marked the occasion with reissues of both that album and Mona Bone Jakon. Perhaps most notably, the releases feature a pair of previously unreleased songs, “Can This Be Love?” and “I Want Some Sun.”
Get Mona Bone Jakon here. Get Tea For The Tillerman here.
Gang Of Four — Gang Of Four: 77-81
You may have seen this one on our 2020 holiday gift guide. To reiterate, though, it features remastered editions of the albums Entertainment! and Solid Gold, along with goodies like a double live album, a collection of early singles, a book, a cassette of demo recordings, and other goodies you’d find in a box set as expansive as this one.
Get it here.
London Music Works — The Essential Games Music Collection Vol. 1
Some of the most memorable music of all time doesn’t make it onto lists of the best albums or songs, and that’s video game music. For decades, iconic tunes have come from the gaming community, and this collection from London Music Works features classic tracks from game franchises like Call Of Duty, The Legend Of Zelda, and World Of Warcraft.
Get it here.
The Black Keys — Brothers (Deluxe Anniversary Edition)
The Black Keys kicked off an era of mainstream stardom with Brothers in 2010, and now that album is celebrating ten years. To mark the occasion, the band is released a big new deluxe version of it, which features a new remastered edition of the album, three bonus tracks, a 60-page book featuring archival photos, a limited edition poster, and new liner notes.
Get it here.
Sturgill Simpson — Cuttin’ Grass Vol. 1 — The Butcher Shoppe Sessions
The chameleonic country star followed up a rocking 2019 with a pair of surprise bluegrass albums, which featured reinterpretations of tunes from throughout his discography. Uproxx’s Steven Hyden noted that the album “is exactly the sort of down-home, deeply traditional record that many Simpson fans would have preferred to Sound And Fury, or even A Sailor’s Guide To Earth.”
Get it here.
Marvin Gaye — Live At Montreux 1980
Gaye is on any worthwhile list cataloging the best singers in music history, and while hearing his vocals live today isn’t possible, a concert album will have to do the trick. Indeed, this one does. The audio comes from a 1980 show, so most of his beloved songs had already been released at that point, meaning a bunch of his hits are included in this stellar set.
Get it here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.