Vinyl Verdict

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Adam and Jamie are joined once again by Dan Besser, who this time brings his own pick! Unconventionally, Dan's pick is a maxi-single called Payback Time by the The Dysfunctional Psychedelic Waltons. As far as we can tell, the song was created for an advertising campaign by Levi's Jeans in 2003. The single contains four versions of the song, remixed by different artists. We've never covered the same song, four different ways before, but we did cover singles all the way back in Season 1. Come along with us and have a little fun with Payback Time!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Adam and Jamie are joined by their new friend Wade! Better known as the hands behind the YouTube channel Dankpods, Wade was visiting us all the way from Australia. His pick for this episode, the Avishai Cohen Trio's "Gently Disturbed" was a favourite from when Wade studied jazz in university. Released in 2007, the trio at the time featured Avishai Cohen on bass, Mark Guiliana on drums and Shai Maestro on piano. At the time of recording, Shai Maestro was only 21 years old, and was considered a rising phenom in jazz music, while Avishai Cohen and Mark Guiliana were more seasoned veterans. The jazz press was warm to this album, with the Jazz Times lauding the piano work by Maestro and saying the playing by Cohen cemented him as one of the elite bassists in jazz. But what will the boys think of the album? Will it be a study of the 'structure in emotion', or will it leave them 'gently disturbed'? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Adam and Jamie are joined by their friend and former guest, Sven. This time, Sven is here to talk about Jamie's next pick, Neil Young's 1972 album, "Harvest". Released to lukewarm critical reception, the album went on to be the highest selling album of 1972, and remains Neil's most successful album. Its success was propelled forward by two huge singles, "Heart of Gold" and "Old Man", with "Heart of Gold" being Neil's only #1 single in his career. But what will Sven and the boys think of this Canadian classic? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Adam and Jamie are joined once again by Plouffe to discuss Adam's pick, Geese's "Getting Killed". Released in September 2025, it received nearly unanimous critical acclaim and was ranked highly on many year-end album lists. The album features a lot of surreal imagery and explores a number of themes, such as power and transformation. But what will the boys think of this critically acclaimed album? Will they feel the need to pay their "Taxes"? Will it feel "Half Real?" Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Adam and Jamie talk about Jamie's first pick of Season 4, Dire Straits' "Alchemy". Released in 1984, it was their first live album and their fifth album in total. This album has been requested by our most loyal fan, Dave (sorry Sarah). Clocking in at two LPs and just a hair under 90 minutes in length, "Alchemy" represents the final show of the tour in support of the album "Love Over Gold". Recorded via the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio at the Hammersmith Odeon, the album captures Mark Knopfler at his peak, and the crowd is absolutely eating it up like they're at a Led Zeppelin concert. But is the album more like iron pyrite than actual gold? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, the boys discuss the season that was. We re-rank the albums, talk about winners and losers, and what albums really stood out to us this year. We also get into albums from previous years! On a less fun note, we also discuss some changes for Season 4. Will their be laughter? Will there be tears? Come along and find out!Here's our Top 10sBell:Frank Ocean - Blond(e)Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the MoonMac DeMarco - This Old DogJack J - Blue DesertNxWorries - Why Lawd?Paul McCartney and Wings - Band on the RunPeach Pit - Being So NormalColdplay - ParachutesLupe Fiasco - SamuraiThe Beach Boys - Pet SoundsJamie:Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the MoonDeafheaven - SunbatherFleetwood Mac - RumorsCarole King - TapestryLana Del Rey - Did You Know that there's a tunnel under Ocean BlvdD'angelo and the Vanguard - Black MessiahPaul McCartney and Wings - Band on the RunPeter Gabriel - SoThe Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time OutJoey Valence & Brae - No HandsAdam:Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A ButterflyPink Floyd - The Dark Side of the MoonDeath Grips - The Money StoreDanny Brown - Atrocity ExhibitionD'angelo and the Vanguard - Black MessiahFleetwood Mac - RumorsThe Beach Boys - Pet SoundsThe Rural Alberta Advantage - HometownsCarly Rae Jepsen - EmotionDeafheaven - Sunbather

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Jamie's final pick for Season 3, The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds". Released in 1966, it was a monumental work that influenced many artists. Inspired by the Beatles' 1965 album "Rubber Soul", Brian Wilson, the creative head of The Beach Boys decided to make an album that surpassed it in every way. The pursuit of perfection meant that the band didn't actually play on many of the songs and instead enlisted many session musicians to complete the album. Initial reactions to the album were decidedly mixed, with fans and critics alike not understanding the new sound and direction for the group. Retrospective reviews of the album are much more favourable, with many citing it as one of the greatest albums of all time. But where will the boys place this album on their rankings? Come along and find out!

On this special episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam go see a concert film! In a first for the podcast, we cover Pink Floyd's "Live At Pompeii" film, which was recently re-released to theatres in IMAX format. Along with restored visuals, the films' audio was reworked with a new 5.1 mix by Steven Wilson. Filmed partially inside the Amphitheatre of Pompeii and partially within a studio, the film explores their music prior to the release of "Dark Side of the Moon", and is bookended by a performance of the song Echoes, originally from the album "Meddle". But what will the boys think of the movie? Come along and find out, and be sure to let us know if you'd like us to cover other concert films and their soundtracks in the future!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Jamie's next pick, AC/DC's "Back in Black". Released in 1980, it was their seventh studio album. Following the death of their lead singer, Bon Scott in February 1980, the band sought out a new singer and selected Brian Johnson who was formerly of the band Geordie. The album was recorded quickly and released in July 1980 to tremendous success. It is the second-best selling album with an estimated 50 million records sold, following Michael Jackson's "Thriller", which has an estimated 70 million sold. The album spawned four hit singles and their tour in support of the album was one of the most successful in rock history. Additionally, many metal and rock groups have cited the album as influential. But - will the boys like it? Come along and find out!

On this special episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam are joined by their friend and former host, Plouffe! Plouffe's pick for this week is "Demon Days" by Gorillaz, a call back to our first episode, which was their album "The Now Now". Released in 2005, it was their second album. Propelled ahead by the success of the singles "Feel Good Inc", which later won the Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration and "DARE", the album is their most successful in terms of sales to date. The album discusses a number of dire things plaguing humanity, such as our propensity to violence, our willful destruction of nature and greed, making it somewhat of a concept album. But what will the boys think of this Plouffe pick? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Jamie's next pick, Carole King's "Tapestry". Released in 1971, it was her second studio album. By the time of the release of this album, Carole King was already an established songwriter, having written or co-written dozens of hit singles. This album won 4 Grammy Awards in the following year, including Album of the Year. It is one of the highest selling albums of all time, with over 25 million copies sold, and holds the record the most consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 by a female artist. It remained on the Billboard 200 for 313 weeks, which is second only to Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon", which we have previously covered. But what will the boys think of this album? Will they feel the earth move, or will they be left saying "It's Too Late"? Come along and find out!

On this episode of Vinyl Verdict, Bell, Jamie and Adam listen to Adam's next pick, Wilco's "A.M." Released in 1995, it was their debut album. The band was formed following a series of disputes between Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar of Uncle Tupelo, with Tweedy going on to form Wilco and Farrar going on to form Son Volt. Both "A.M." and Son Volt's album "Trace" were highly anticipated because of the turmoil in Uncle Tupelo. Ultimately, "Trace" became the more critically respected album, and Wilco eventually moved on from the alt-country/country-rock sound of this album, producing two extremely well received albums in the 2000s, "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" in 2001 and "A Ghost is Born" in 2004, which won two Grammy Awards. But is this album a relic of an acrimonius split in a well respected group? Will the boys think "I Must be High?" Come along and find out!

On this inaugural episode of CD Consensus, Bell, Jamie and Adam explore the magic world of music played by lasers! Adam brings Weird Al’s album Straight Outta Lynwood, released in 2006. Bell brings the soundtrack to the 2015 game Life is Strange. Jamie brings the Foo Fighters The Colour and the Shape, released in 1997. Just like our previous incarnation as a vinyl record podcast, the choices could not be more different! Come along as we discuss the compact disc!