10 Vinyl in Desperate Need of a Repress

Until these albums are repressed, this playlist will have to suffice.

This post may be too long for email - to read the full issue, click here.

Thanks for visiting The Wax Museum! Receive your weekly fix of vinyl culture in your inbox every week by subscribing below.

On my never-ending quest to expand my vinyl collection without breaking the bank, there’s plenty of elusive vinyl that’s been on my wishlist forever.

I’ve selected ten of these expensive bastards and curated a list for collectors and those in need of some new tunes. Let's chronologically dive into these albums I'm hoping get repressed, so more of us can enjoy them without the hefty price tag.

---

1. Masayoshi Takanaka – All Of Me (1979)

Many have said you don't go looking for this album, rather it finds you when you’re ready. I say to that, I hope this vinyl deems me worthy and finds me sooner rather than later.

Super guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka is getting three of his classic jazz-fusion albums reissued on colored vinyl later this month, but not his best of compilation All of Me, which continues to elude me. A used 1979 original pressing will cost about $150.

Also this was a fun easter egg: I was just playing this album on Spotify, and when the “Star Wars Samba” came on, the desktop play bar turned into a lightsaber.

---

2. Sade - Love Deluxe (1992)

Love Deluxe is the fourth album from English band Sade; their only 90’s album luxuriates in its atmospheric production, serving as a canvas for Sade Adu's husky vocals. Jazz-infused mood music at its best.

The most recent three Sade albums are tough to find on vinyl; right now Love Deluxe is only available on Sade’s This Far discography box set.

UPDATE: Right before publishing, the vinyl gods heard my prayers as it was announced that all Sade vinyl have been repressed for $32 with a September release. Let’s goooo! One down, nine to go.

---

3. Pinback - Pinback (1999)

Shoutout to San Diego rockers Pinback and especially their first two albums, which strike the perfect balance between creative experimentation and pop appeal.

Their 1999 self-titled and 2001’s Blue Screen Life command eye-watering prices on the collector's market, with the debut fetching as much as $599 and Blue Screen Life priced around $150.

It's a peculiar situation given the enduring acclaim and clear demand for a repress. The one and only pressing on Record Store Day 2014, limited to 2,000 copies, sold out in one day. Perhaps a glimmer of hope is 2024 is the 25th Anniversary, so hopefully we get a fancy re-release sometime this year.

---

4. Beulah - The Coast is Never Clear (2001)

Defunct San Francisco indie rock band Beulah made four gorgeous albums from 1997-2023, and all of them are long out of print and coveted by many. My favorite of the bunch is The Coast is Never Clear (released on 9/11 never forget), filled with meticulously arranged orchestrations, vibrant horn sections, and wistful lyrics.

With only one pressing, it’s a prized possession. Original copies have fetched prices of over $500, while used copies currently hover around $200.

---

5. Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City (2007)

Bloc Party's A Weekend in the City is the brooding sequel to debut Silent Alarm, with its gritty riffs and venomous lyrics expressing disillusionment with the culture. The album starts with an incredible one-two punch of “Song For Clay (Disappear Here),” inspired by Bret Easton Ellis’ debut novel Less Than Zero, and “Hunting for Witches,” a Bush-era takedown of the media’s usage of fear as a means of control.

I would do horrible things to get a repress of this. Current copies are going for around $150+ on Discogs.

---

6. Harlem Shakes - Technicolor Health (2009)

Brooklyn quintet Harlem Shakes’ debut Technicolor Health is one of the most overlooked albums of the blog-rock era and a personal fav. It’s 37 minutes of exuberant indie rock gems, with grand, harmony-filled choruses and catchy hooks hitting your ears a mile a minute. Highlights include the infectious “Sunlight,” the folksy “Natural Man,” and the genre-shifting opening track “Strictly Game,” which also boasts a clever music video.

Technicolor Health is begging for a vinyl repress; the only LP available is an absurd 220 gram picture disc and currently fetches $300. Only 88 people have tracked this in their Discogs collection, so they must not have pressed many originally. I will Go Fund any attempt to bring this to more turntables.

---

7. Sleigh Bells - Treats (2010)

Sleigh Bells burst onto the scene with the short and sweet Treats, an explosion of noise-pop highlighted by distorted guitars, heavy beats, and Alexis Krauss' fierce vocals. Songs like "Crown on the Ground", "Rill Rill," and “Infinity Guitars” pull off the difficult trick of catchy hooks with abrasive noise.

Now the inevitable bad news: you’ll have to shell out triple digits to add this rarity to your collection.

---

8. Donald Fagen - Sunken Condos (2012)

Besides 1982’s acclaimed The Nightfly, the Steely Dan frontman’s three other solo albums have all received just one pressing since their release. 1993’s Kamakiriad, 2006’s Morph the Cat, and 2012’s Sunken Condos (on clear vinyl) all go for over $100 for used copies, and double that for sealed.

Sunken Condos has aged the best in my eyes, with a subdued groove that grows on you after a couple listens until eventually it becomes an old friend. “Weather in My Head” and “Miss Marlene” are Fagen all-timers. And good news for us Fagen heads, as he’s reportedly finished writing his next solo album.

---

9. Pretty Lights - A Color Map of the Sun (2013)

The GRAMMY-nominated A Color Map of the Sun by Colorado EDM producer Pretty Lights is lavish, soulful, and a blast throughout its two plus hour runtime. Despite its acclaim, Pretty Lights hasn’t made an album since. A decade with only one album and no reissues has skyrocketed its value, pushing the price to around $350.

---

10. The Alchemist - Yacht Rock 2 (2019)

The majority of vinyl from The Alchemist’s ALC Records label goes for triple digit resale; the one I want most for my collection is Yacht Rock 2 (currently $295), featuring the likes of Action Bronson, Boldy James, Westside Gunn, and Conway the Machine hopping on lush 70’s jazz samples.

While this remains a white whale, a nice consolation is throwing the nautical visualizer on the big screen.

---

Hey friends thanks for reading! I know you have a white whale or two, drop em in the comments below.

Do me a solid and forward this newsletter to some friends who collect vinyl! 🙌

---

The Wax Museum is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, Wax Museum may earn money from qualifying purchases made by users that were directed to Amazon.com via one of our affiliate links at no cost to you.