The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds

Rhino Records co-founder Richard Foos reveals how a scrappy record shop invented reissue culture, chasing master tapes, getting arrested for selling bootleg records, memories of Frank Zappa, Darby Crash and more.
Topics Include:
Foos discusses being called originator of reissue culture, credits early employee's phrase.
Started as a Los Angeles record shop in 1973.
Recalls how scarce and cheap rare records were before collecting culture existed.
Describes hunting records at warehouses, swap meets, and Salvation Army stores.
Notes punk rock's DIY ethos sparked broader music fandom and collecting.
Rhino's shop became a punk hangout; Darby Crash was banned for chaos.
Explains how punk bands pressed 45s since albums were too costly.
James Brown's out-of-print catalog became Rhino's breakthrough first major reissue.
Details licensing process: major labels' passive licensing departments simply approved requests.
Rhino insisted on original master tapes, never secondary sources or stampers.
Engineer Bill Englott restored recordings purely, never altering original mixes.
Some projects stalled without usable masters, like a punk box set.
Nuggets compilation missed "96 Tears" for years due to licensing issues.
Foos explains Rhino's sequencing philosophy: welcoming newcomers, not strict chronology.
Doo-wop box set, initially unpopular internally, became Rhino's best-selling release.
Discusses 20-25 year nostalgia cycles driving collectibility of past decades' music.
Notes scarce 2000s vinyl pressings now make that era highly collectible.
Rhino focused on best listening experience over rarities for rarity's sake.
Foos recounts pre-Rhino bootlegging ties and friendship with bootleg artist Bill Stout.
Reveals he was arrested for selling bootlegs during a warehouse sale.
Discusses how record labels misunderstood fandom, limiting artist output and bootlegs.
Reflects on vinyl's spiritual appeal despite many records never being played.
Compares cassette-era scarcity to streaming's shifting availability of licensed content.
Predicts streaming remains the future, praises YouTube's vast musical accessibility.
Doubts catalog values will keep rising, questions which artists endure historically.
Criticizes a post-Rhino "L.A. Nuggets" box set for prioritizing rarity over listenability.
Recalls Kinky Friedman rejecting a hits compilation over disliking his originals.
Explains publishing hurdles licensing music for Freaks and Geeks and WKRP DVDs.
Describes working with Frank Zappa on Beat the Boots and elaborate packaging.
Shares current work: Shout Factory, wife's Narrative Method, and a new podcast.
High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide
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Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

John McCrea of CAKE discusses their elusive catalogue on vinyl, rarities of the band, upcoming Australian tour, new recordings, record nerdery and more.
Tickets & info on CAKE's Australian tour is here
Topics Include:
John McCrae discusses collecting records, revisiting old favorites like Perez Prado
He describes "chasing goosebumps" — the feeling of rediscovering great music
Shares vivid teenage memory seeing Led Zeppelin at Knebworth, England
Recalls dancing to washing machine rinse cycles as a toddler
Names early formative records: Beatles, Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie
His parents played accordion and folk guitar, shaping his musicality
Discusses his dad's Eastern European minor-key accordion versus polka music
Talks about "Rancho Seco," his first recorded song, a protest track
Song addressed a nuclear plant illegally releasing radioactive steam locally
Connects Dylan influence and poets to his built-in social justice streak
Reflects on growing up near Sacramento, Berkeley, and Nevada City, California
Compares old Bay Area culture to today's flashier Silicon Valley wealth
Describes Cake's early '90s formation, self-financed four-song EP release
EP funded through show earnings and merch, later expanded into album
Album got European distribution and unexpected early popularity in France
"Rock and Roll Lifestyle" got college radio play before wider fame
Cake signed to Capricorn Records, a small Southern rock label
East Bay Ray advised McCrea to fight for keeping album masters
McCrae says most bands don't retain their masters like Cake did
Vinyl of Cake albums historically hard to find, tied up licensing
Discusses 2014 box set now reselling for $700–$1,000 secondhand
New Cake album is finished, awaiting mixing, targeted early 2027
Explains he avoids forced album themes, focuses song by song
Reflects on why Cake albums come infrequently, citing family, industry fatigue
Criticizes modern music industry as increasingly exploitative and financially unsustainable
Explains reduced touring due to travel dislike and environmental concerns
Considers eco-friendly vinyl options and shifting kids' preference toward CDs
Discusses Cake's DIY visual identity, homemade posters, and lino-cut aesthetic
Talks rare live vinyl pressings, including $300 Crystal Palace release
Wraps up promoting Cake's Australian tour dates and Sydney ticket sales
High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide
Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios
Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot
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Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

Neurosis's Steve Von Till reveals how the band secretly rebuilt itself, creating a career-defining album and making future plans for the Neurosis victory-lap that few thought possible.
Topics Include:
The Secret recording of An Undying Love for a Burning World
Neurosis walked away seven years ago under uncertain circumstances
Four remaining members reunited quietly at end of 2024
Aaron Turner brought in to help complete the musical puzzle
Reunion tied to Firekeeper Alliance, a suicide-prevention nonprofit
Heavy music framed as protective factor for indigenous mental health
Steve reflects on tribal rhythms and humanity's forgotten earth connection
Band knew instantly the new material had to be Neurosis
Reunion forced confrontation with ego, identity, and aging as musicians
Firekeeper Alliance's Fire in the Mountains offer pushed them forward
Album written and recorded in secret across three studio sessions
Secrecy maintained even among close friends touring together in Australia
Fan reaction described as unexpectedly emotional, healing, and hope-filled
Steve discusses reduced stigma around vulnerability in heavy music today
Vinyl pressing strategy explained: budget-driven first run, quick sellout
Running Neurot Recordings on a teacher's salary, tight cash flow
Multiple color variants pressed across regional distributors and mail orders
Debate over black vs. clear vinyl sound quality explored
Steve's approach to buying vinyl: music over pressing obsession
Talk turns to Melvins, Hazel Meyer, and DIY label camaraderie
Where the line sits between fan service and variant exploitation
Vinyl side-length considerations shaped decision to make a double LP
Aaron Turner's artwork process detailed, sketched live in the studio
Album title changed at the last minute, forcing new artwork
Neurosis' visual style rooted in myth, symbolism, and Jungian archetypes
Older catalog rights partly held by Relapse and other labels
Steve wants a "forever version" repress of the band's earliest albums
Original master tapes and artwork found corrupted or lost to time
Talk closes on solo tour plans and hopes for Australia
High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide
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Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

Comedian Shapel Lacey discusses the power of music, inspiration and how a 1981 Black Flag video sparked a lifelong punk obsession that shaped his identity, art, and resilience.
Shapel Lacey tour dates  |  comedy special  |  Mad Peaceful band
Topics Include:
Talks local record stores, Amoeba, old Sunset location
Discovers deep-cut Swedish hardcore at Eastside Records, Arizona
Reflects on pre-streaming era, hunting records in person
Notices rosary on Crash's grave, debates his beliefs
Traces punk discovery to junior high guitar class
Friend introduces him to ska punk, then Black Flag
Watches 1981 Target video of Rollins-era Black Flag
Rise Above vocals trigger emotional, tearful revelation
Explains Black Flag filled a void from turbulent childhood
Contrasts Korn/Deftones' anger with punk's empowering message
Credits Rollins with teaching self-understanding and personal growth
Recalls performing onstage with Rollins at Ohio festival
Anger management counselor used Rollins to redirect his aggression
Growing up Black, punk, skateboarding in Arizona desert
Faced criticism from all sides for musical taste
Explored funk, hip-hop, grunge without genre boundaries
Connects N.W.A. and Black Flag's shared themes of injustice
Discusses punk and hip-hop confronting police brutality parallels
Champions open-mindedness across seemingly opposite music scenes
Describes local DIY scene at Mesa's Nile basement
Panhandled for five dollars to attend all-ages shows
Cheerleading came after punk, called "most punk rock" act
Discusses tattoos, straight-edge culture, Minor Threat connection
Shares personal encounters meeting Henry Rollins and Ian MacKaye
Praises Rollins and MacKaye's discipline, historical knowledge, friendship
Draws parallels between punk and comedy's DIY authenticity
Talks band Mad Peaceful, growing sold-out comedy success
Discusses Australia tour interest, interview wrap up
High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide
Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios
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Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon
Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

Blues legend Taj Mahal shares rare stories about Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, and the unreleased Bill Withers song that shaped his stunning new record.
Topics Include:
Taj Mahal discusses his new album, Time, and its origins
Reveals his decades-long friendship and mutual respect with Bill Withers
Explains how Bill Withers heard and loved this unreleased demo
Bill Withers' wife gave final approval before the song's release
Withers walked away from music rather than change his sound
Why the industry pushed Withers to sound more commercial
Taj shares why vinyl beats digital for capturing real sound
Breaks down the "bell curve" problem with digital audio quality
Approaches albums as full journeys, not three-minute singles
Reveals how effortlessly he sequences songs like a live set
Traces his musical roots to a tight-knit 1940s community
Recalls learning piano, clarinet, trombone before finding the guitar
Explains how guitar evolved from rhythm to lead instrument
Names the blues legends who shaped his earliest influences
Credits Ray Charles as one of his deepest musical influences
Shares rare stories of jamming with Jimi Hendrix live
Discusses bootlegs, tape trading, and the ethics of live recordings
Compares the Grateful Dead's bootleg policy to other artists
Tells the wild story of Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus
Recalls dancing Stones and Clapton watching him at the Whisky
Explains how British rockers reintroduced blues to American audiences
Describes his first-class trip to London and Stones' hospitality
Reveals why Labor of Love was released only on vinyl
Shares the surprising stat: vinyl never drops below 6% globally
Talks new tour dates and hopes to return to Australia
Photo by Mike Coeyman
High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide
Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios
Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot
Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon
Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide