Tor Johnson Records is a label from which I’ve happened to get a couple releases for review over the past couple years. Over the course of that time, I’ve gone from being a curious outsider to an actual fan of what the label’s putting out.
Their Ten Year Anniversary Omnibus compilation 7-inch was something for which I’ve been waiting for ages. While I got my download pretty much instantly after ordering the record, the actual physical vinyl took a while to get here.
However, now it’s out, and it’s worth snagging. Firstly, the download is worth having for the massive number of bonus cuts (including an unreleased single from The Defeat), as well as the ability to throw the tunes on your portable music player of choice. That being said, the actual vinyl sounds so much better. Honestly, most of the time I buy vinyl because used records are cheaper, or it’s worth paying an extra three bucks to have something tangible, rather than just a selection of files on my hard drive.
In this case, though … basically, just take a listen to Saint Jude‘s cut, “The Great Finality.” As a download, I was intrigued, but the mp3 didn’t really grab my ears over the course of the nearly five minutes the song runs. It seemed a little plodding and humdrum. Upon getting the 7-inch in the mail, I of course had to throw it on the turntable immediately. It’s what you do when the mail comes, right? That cut will grab your ears and pummel them. The depths and nuances you hear on the 7-inch don’t appear at all digitally. It might as well be two totally different songs.
It’s only five bucks for this record in the Tor Johnson store. It comes with a hand-screened cover, cut from some bargain bin LP (in my case, ABBA!), as well as being wrapped in a screened Tor Johnson paper bag that doubles a pretty great poster. Five bucks is a steal. Hop on this (if nothing else, Now Denial‘s Misfits cover ought to tip this over the edge).