Today we are launching the first day of a Record Store Day countdown to the annual vinyl celebration of indie record stores, that occurs this year on April 20, 2024. Each day you can look forward to a different vinyl release that I will dive into with exclusive pictures, reviews of the packaging and material, as well as a brief write-up of what to expect on the recording. Kicking things off is Filter with their Craft Recordings compilation known as The Very Best Things (1994-2008).
Filter’s latest compilation features a cool, metallic blue and silver theme throughout the packaging. The hype sticker mentions several key singles from Filter’s discography including “Hey Man Nice Shot,” their Top 40 breakthrough smash of “Take A Picture,” “Welcome to the Fold,” and many more.
The tracklisting is spread out fairly evenly over two LPs, and I kind like the fact that the band chose to not do their hits in chronological order here. It makes the album playing experience feel like seeing the band live, and hearing them play the setlist of their choosing.
The inner liner notes feature a cool metaphor about lead singer and primary songwriter, Richard Patrick, and his ability to use music as an outlet for coming to terms with everything he has experienced. The right side of the liner notes also features a nice essay by writer Bryan Reesman that talks about these songs as well as Patrick’s upbringing. It brings a full sense of completion to this era of Filter in a tasteful manner.
The LPs themselves are standard weight and while advertised as a “Mercury Swirl” color, it really is more a marbled silver/blue variant that truly shimmers on the turntable. The audio quality is top notch on this set of songs that have been pressed to vinyl for the first time.