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Vinyl LPs to Help You Celebrate Summer
Summer’s here! Finally! Like Fourth of July fireworks, summer may not last for long, but it sure is magical while it’s happening. And nothing enhances warm weather and sunshine like the music on these albums, which ranges from exuberant to laid-back to hypnotic. Bonus: when the cold, dreary winter comes back around, these albums will help you recapture the magic of July and August.
Last Splash, by The Breeders
Released in August 1993, Last Splash sounds like the end of the summer: still fun, but a little bittersweet. The Breeders was supposed to be a small side project for Pixies bassist Kim Deal, but they ended up finding the success that the Pixies never did. Every song on Last Splash is a noisy smirk, with just enough pop sensibility and vocal harmonies to cut through the grunge. “Cannonball” illustrates this balance perfectly, and was also the album’s biggest hit. “Saints,” “SOS,” (which sampled for the Prodigy song “Firestarter”) and the quirky “Drivin’ On 9” are three other standouts. If there’s still a restless teenage mallrat buried somewhere inside you, this album will bring it out.
School’s Out, by Alice Cooper
Nothing says summer like the last day of school, and Alice Cooper wrote the definitive track about the bliss of that day. It’s also one of his best songs, although this isn’t a one-song album by any means. From the opening track to the last note, School’s Out is the soundtrack to the kind of all-night rager you throw to celebrate three months of freedom. It’s the wild, uninhibited side of summer vacation, best captured by tracks like the aforementioned title track, the fabulously raw “Public Animal #9,” and “Gutter Cat vs The Jets,” which appropriates part of a song from West Side Story.
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Surfer’s Choice, by Dick Dale
Surf music is inextricably linked to summer for obvious reasons—sunshine, sandy beaches, big waves—and Dick Dale is that genre’s unrivaled master. Mixing the Lebanese music he heard as a child with his own interpretation of the sound of rolling waves, Surfer’s Choice singlehandedly introduced middle America to surf guitar upon its release in 1962. The album starts with “Surf Beat,” which pairs Dale’s trademark double-picking with simple-but-catchy horn riffs, and hits its high points with “Misirlou Twist” (an early version of his most popular song) and “Surfin’ Drums.”
The Chronic, by Dr. Dre
It’s hard to believe that this album was released in December, because the rolling basslines, melodic synthesizers, and almost hypnotic groove were made for hot, humid days when you have no plans beyond staying in the air conditioning and listening to records. It’s also one of the best rap albums of all time, and signaled hip-hop’s ascent in pop culture; after The Chronic, rock ‘n roll was no longer the default option for widely-accessible pop music. For all its charm and mellow production, the album’s lyrics pull no punches (and throw a lot of them), but even the most explicit songs are saved by Snoop Dogg’s laid-back delivery. “Nuthin’ But A G-Thang” and “Let Me Ride” are great examples of this.
Exodus, by Bob Marley
Recorded in London, where Marley was recovering after surviving an assassination attempt in Jamaica, and released in June 1977, Exodus blends his traditional reggae sound with soul, funk, and even traces of British rock, creating a laid-back vibe that’s ideal for relaxing outdoors with friends, preferably with something on the grill. Exodus was a departure from what reggae typically sounded like in the 1970s, but it also propelled Marley to international stardom, so clearly he was onto something. Marley’s smooth vocals provide a charming vessel for his earnest, straightforward appeals for political and social change on the first half of this record, and are pitch perfect for the sex and faith-focused songs on the second half.
The B-52s, by the B-52s
New wave’s upbeat sound and cheerful aesthetics are often associated with summertime, and the B-52s exemplify the genre better than most, if not all, of their contemporaries. Described in 1979 as “the world’s best party band,” their self-titled debut album makes a strong case for that superlative. The band’s bouncy rhythms and trademark call-and-response vocals really shine on “52 Girls” and the delightfully weird “Rock Lobster,” which has since become one of their most enduring songs. This is the album you put on for a dance party in a rented beach house where everyone’s having too much fun to care if they look weird.
Pet Sounds, by the Beach Boys
Talking about the Beach Boys in a collection of summer albums is almost cheating, because they’re America’s perennial summer band. Still, we’d be fools not to mention Pet Sounds, the band’s most ambitious record and a testament to the idea that, yes, pop music can be art. Using experimental arrangements and unorthodox instrumentation (for rock music, anyway), Brian Wilson painstakingly assembled an album that is at once psychedelic and baroque, and very different from the band’s accepted sound up to that point. If you’ve ever taken on a huge summer project and actually finished it, despite all odds, Pet Sounds should be your jam.
Hotel California, by the Eagles
Once known as a hard rock band, the Eagles fully incorporated the country and folk-rock elements they’re best known for today on Hotel California. It was also their first album with guitarist Joe Walsh, whose considerable skills made their sound fit the arenas and stadiums they would end up playing. This album includes some of the band’s most popular songs: “New Kid In Town,” “Life In the Fast Lane,” and, of course, “Hotel California.” The easygoing tempo and bright, calm guitar melodies make this a natural pick for summer albums—plus it’s a nostalgic pick, since your dad probably listened to it on repeat every time it was his turn to drive on family beach trips.
1989, by Taylor Swift
If Pet Sounds is the summer album that recognizes the impermanence of youth, 1989 is one that recognizes, and celebrates, its own youth. Named for Taylor Swift’s birth year, and for the 1980s influence throughout the album, 1989 is her first real pop album, as opposed to the country sound of her previous efforts; “Shake It Off” ignited the internet’s sudden love affair with her, and songs like “Style” and “Blank Space” justify it. Swift claims Madonna, Annie Lennox, and Fine Young Cannibals as influences for this album, and you can definitely hear echoes of all three, but they don’t impede Swift’s reach for a timeless sound.