Booze and Vinyl
Background🔗
A couple of years ago, my friend Jeff had an idea to have a “booze and vinyl” party at his place. Truth be told, it wasn’t entirely his idea, since it was based on a book of the same name by André Darlington. In the book, the author highlights 70 albums — spanning almost the same number of years — ranging from rock to dance to chill to “seduce”. Most importantly, two drinks are paired with each album: one for Side A and one for Side B. The drinks are usually (but not always) cocktails and they match the vibe or sound or language of the album in some way. If nothing else, the book is a great collection of cocktail recipes, but I find that the writing encourages the reader to be more curious about music than some new drink ideas.
Fast forward a bit, and a few of us in the friends group have had five of these parties. The guidelines are roughly:
- The host picks three albums, connected by some theme
- Each album has one drink that goes with it
- Before each record is played, the host introduces the album and the drink
- Snacks are probably a good idea
Admittedly, the party never stops after three albums (since that might be only two hours’ worth of music), so there’s always lots of unstructured bonus time, which can also be really fun, since the ideas are really flowing at this point. I will not try to summarize all of the other parties, but rather keep this post limited to just the one that I hosted.
My First Booze and Vinyl🔗
In January of this year, I had a few of the boys over to listen to some of my favorite albums. My theme for the evening: progression. I picked one album each from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s; the idea was to see the progression of music styles and sounds over the years. But it also served as a trip down memory lane, where I could see how my own musical taste has changed. For me, these albums very much represent different periods of my life, from childhood to middle school to my 20’s and 30’s.
INXS – Kick (1987)🔗
For all of these albums, I will shamelessly paste in some AI summaries, since they’re pretty good. Without further ado:
INXS was an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1977 that became one of the most successful acts of the 1980s and early 1990s. The band featured charismatic frontman Michael Hutchence, along with brothers Andrew, Jon, and Tim Farriss, plus Kirk Pengilly and Garry Gary Beers. They blended rock with funk, new wave, and dance elements to create a distinctive sound that appealed to both rock and pop audiences.
Kick (1987) was INXS’s sixth studio album and their commercial breakthrough, becoming one of the best-selling albums of the era. It spawned four top 10 singles in the US: “Need You Tonight” (which hit #1), “Devil Inside,” “New Sensation,” and “Never Tear Us Apart.” The album showcased the band’s ability to craft infectious, danceable rock songs with strong hooks while maintaining credibility as serious musicians. It went multi-platinum worldwide and established INXS as genuine international superstars.
The album’s success was driven by slick production, Hutchence’s magnetic vocal presence, and the band’s tight musicianship. Songs ranged from the funky swagger of “Need You Tonight” to the emotional balladry of “Never Tear Us Apart,” demonstrating their versatility. Kick remains their most iconic work and a defining album of late-80s rock.
My drink here was an old-fashioned made with my special bourbon, which I infuse with dried pineapple, cinnamon sticks, and red chili flakes. It gives the whiskey a little sweetness and a whole lot of spiciness, making the final result an old-fashioned “with a kick”.
Bush – Sixteen Stone (1994)🔗
Next up was an album that was one of the first CDs I ever owned, which got a lot of play time during middle school and high school.
Bush is a British rock band formed in London in 1992, though they achieved their greatest success in the United States. The band was founded by guitarist/vocalist Gavin Rossdale and guitarist Nigel Puxley (who was quickly replaced by Nigel Godrich, then Dave Parsons), alongside bassist Dave Parsons and drummer Robin Goodridge. Bush became one of the most commercially successful rock acts of the mid-1990s, riding the wave of post-grunge and alternative rock that dominated the era.
Sixteen Stone (1994) was Bush’s debut album and became a massive commercial success, particularly in America. The album showcased a grunge-influenced sound with heavy guitars, introspective lyrics, and Rossdale’s distinctive vocals. It spawned several hit singles including “Everything Zen,” “Little Things,” “Comedown,” and “Glycerine” – the latter becoming one of their signature songs and a staple of 1990s rock radio.
The album eventually sold over six million copies in the US alone, going 6× Platinum. While British critics were often dismissive of Bush, accusing them of being derivative of American grunge bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden, American audiences embraced them enthusiastically. Sixteen Stone captured the angst and aesthetic of mid-90s alternative rock and helped establish Bush as major players in that scene, even if they were sometimes viewed as latecomers to the grunge movement.
For this round, I figured a change of pace would be nice, since I already knew the first and third drinks would be cocktails. I decided to go cheeky with this one, and pour everyone 16 ounces of Stone:
This was completely unintentional, but while we were all chatting, I was doing some research online and found a funny quasi-connection between my first two selections. We were looking up the meaning of “Glycerine”, since the name and lyrics seem so random, yet the song feels emotionally very specific. When (frontman) Gavin Rossdale was being interviewed by Howard Stern years ago, he explained that the song was about someone who “was as dangerous as glycerine.” When pressed to identify who inspired the lyrics, Rossdale admitted it was a girlfriend named Suzie. Presumably, “Suzie” was Suze DeMarchi, whom INXS had considered as a replacement for the late Michael Hutchence!
Above & Beyond – Tri-State (2006)🔗
Usually dance music is based around sets and albums are kind of an afterthought, or just vehicles for singles. Above & Beyond’s debut album is the best exception that I know of, where it follows the flow of an album and has a beginning, middle, and end. They poured a lot of creativity into it and it has a lot of musicality. Are there parts good for raving? Absolutely. But there is a lot of melody and heart too.
Above & Beyond is a British electronic music group formed in 2000, consisting of Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness, and Paavo Siljamäki. They’re one of the most influential acts in trance and progressive house music, known for their emotionally resonant productions, euphoric melodies, and deeply connected fanbase. Beyond their music production, they run the influential Anjunabeats record label and have become famous for their epic live shows and the strong sense of community they’ve built around their music.
Tri-State (2006) was Above & Beyond’s debut studio album and is considered a landmark release in progressive trance. The album showcases their signature sound—lush, melodic progressions paired with emotive vocals and intricate production. It features collaborations with vocalists like Zoë Johnston and Richard Bedford, and includes standout tracks such as “Air for Life,” “Good for Me,” and “Alone Tonight.” The album title references the three members’ different home locations at the time. Tri-State helped establish Above & Beyond as major players in the electronic music scene and remains beloved by fans for its cohesive journey through uplifting, atmospheric trance music. The album balances club-ready tracks with more introspective, downtempo moments, demonstrating their range as producers.
For the final (scheduled) drink, I took inspiration from “Liquid Love”, one of the tracks on the album. My version of liquid love is a Negroni with maraschino cherry juice, which gives it a beautiful deep red color.
The Actual Book🔗
Hopefully all of this encourages you to throw your own booze and vinyl parties with friends! If you want your own copy of the book, you can get it from Amazon, where it unsurprisingly has a rating of 4.8. The only thing people like more than drinking is music! The book is honestly a joy to thumb through: every album has a completely different graphic design and the fonts, photos, colors, and page layouts are really fun.
