In the days before CDs and digital downloads, the regular format of records was vinyl. Albums came in glorious 12 inch format double sided with one of the by-product attractions being the often intricate and magnificent cover artwork. But it did not stop there as vinyl offers flexibility and collectability thanks to the ability to make the discs themselves available in different colours or even picture disc format where the record itself looks just like the cover artwork. This gives coloured vinyl records and picture discs some attraction to both fan and collector alike with the potential to increase in value.

Coloured vinyl and picture discs were very popular in the 1970s and 1980s before CDs came along to take the market share away. Record companies would often create limited editions in the alternative formats as a ploy to get the fans to buy two (or more) copies of the same album. The regular boring black vinyl and the great looking coloured or picture disc as a collectible item they’d treasure. All sorts of recording artists had their stuff out in the various vinyl formats and different colours.

As the popularity increased so did the collectability of coloured vinyl and picture discs with the limited numbers available immediately adding to the resale value via record fairs and collectors’ fairs that spring up. The rarer items would sell for good sums of money and that’s even more the case today with well cared for alternative format vinyl records being much in demand on the collectors’ circuit.

This is still very much the case today with the resurgence in popularity of the genre as people recognise that the traditional twelve inch slab of vinyl and accompanying artwork is much more luscious than a CD cover or digital download. The collectability value is still very much there with more and more artists’ latest releases being made available as a coloured edition or a picture disc and also back-catalogues being re-issued in those formats also.

This means that the music fan who fondly remembers the glorious days when vinyl ruled can reconnect with albums they used to have back then but may have sold or lost over the years and the newer fan can discover the delights of the format by starting their own collection which can increase in value.

But it’s not just colour that the flexibility of vinyl allows. Some more intricate things which have appeared over the years are “shaped” discs. The playing surface itself is still round because it has to be due to the grooves, but the disc itself is shaped differently. For example Tangerine Dream’s Warsaw was in the shape of Poland.

To the music fan of any age or genre, there’s nothing quite like the look and feel of a traditional slab of twelve inch vinyl. Even in today’s digital age the old format still has its place as shown by the new and re-issues available for sale. Hunt out the coloured vinyl and/or picture disc formats and not only do you have something fascinating to look at together with the full sized cover artwork, you also have something which, if cared for well, can potentially increase in value over the years due to the inherent collectability surrounding it.

Bad Company’s success started when they signed to Led Zeppelin’s record label, Swan Song. They also had the same manager as Led Zeppelin, which didn’t hurt. Their self-titled début album was certified platinum 5 times over.

The band’s energetic, classic hard rock music brought them hit after hit of pure musical magic. Paul Rodgers vocals kept fans listening for many years. My trivia question to you is: Before Bad Company, Paul Rodgers was the founder and lead singer for what classic rock band? I will give the answer after I name my choices of Bad Company’s greatest hits.

Can’t Get Enough was from the band’s epic 1974 self-titled debut album. This song kicks off the album with a bluesy rock fury. Reaching number 5 on the billboard 100, this was their most popular song and it introduced us to their style and what was to come from the band.

Bad Company was also from their 1974 album. This is their self-titled theme song. With its down and dirty references, the popularity of this song has spread to other artists and has been covered by Tori Amos and many other cover bands.

Feel Like Makin’ Love was from their second album released in 1975. It was one of the top hit singles from the album and it had the perfect 70′s groove. This band has influenced many artists with this song as it also was covered by many of today’s artists. This is a definite concert favorite.

Silver, Blue and Gold is my favorite Bad Company song. Released in 1976, it is a song about hope and inspiration and it gives us one of the best lyrical themes the band ever recorded. The musical groove to this song proved that the band can deliver whether it is a hard rocker or a beautiful, slow ballad.

Young Blood is a cover song originally recorded by The Coasters. Although it never reached high chart numbers for Bad Company, they made it their own and managed to take this 1950′s song and give it a modern feel, adding their own bluesy rock style to it.

The band’s songs can still be heard on classic FM radio today, keeping rockers happy from the past to the present. Going solo, or with other bands, Paul Rodgers continues to entertain us with his music, bringing the songs of Bad Company back to the stage and into our lives.

Now for the answer to my trivia question. Paul Rodgers was the lead singer and founder for the band Free before forming Bad Company.

Great White formed in 1977 out of Los Angeles. They got extensive airplay on MTV for their music video, Once Bitten Twice Shy. The band continued to release music in the early 90′s, yet none of their songs charted in the U.S.

Jack Russell’s vocals and Mark Kendall’s guitar work, along with great determination and persistence to the radio stations worked well for the band. Great White gained more coverage to become a leader in being the opening acts for high-powered bands like Kiss, Bon Jovi, Dokken and many more.

The band did a cover song on their début album, called Substitute. My trivia question to you is: Who was the original band that sang Substitute before Great White covered it? I will give the answer after I name my choices of Great White’s greatest hits.

Once Bitten Twice Shy was an Ian Hunter cover song that the band had great chart topping and video success with. The band does this rocker justice and it is a fan favorite and the biggest concert highlight to this day.

Rock Me comes from the band’s 3rd album in 1987. This song features some of Jack Russell’s best vocal ranges. He proved with this song that he was one of rocks best vocalists as he can deliver a punch equal to or better than most of his hard rock peers.

Lady Red Light is the hard rocker that kicks off the Once Bitten album. It was the perfect song to start off with as it mixes the hard rocking guitar riffs with some bluesy rhythms and melodies that won’t soon be forgotten.

Save Your Love, released in 1987, gives us the more melodic styles of this classic hard rock band. With it’s Zeppelin style influences, this song is written with classic rock perfection. It truly shows the many talents of this musically diverse band.

House Of Broken Love comes off their 1989 release, Twice Shy. This is a very bluesy song with some of the band’s best guitar work. It peaked out at number 83 on the billboard 100 and is one of their concert highlights also.

The band had many line-up changes throughout their career. Jack Russell continued touring as Jack Russell’s Great White. There was major tragedy when the pyrotechnics used by the band’s crew started a fire at a Rhode Island nightclub in 2003, killing 100 people including guitarist Ty Longley. There have been ongoing arguments over the years as to the name Great White and who has the legal right to use it.

Even with all the problems throughout the years, Great White still made music that has kept us hooked to this day. Now for the answer to my trivia question. The band that originally sang Substitute was The Who.