Tattoo icon, makeup guru and musician Kat Von D recently appeared on an episode of AXS TV’s Vinyl Obsession podcast to pick her five favorite vinyl records of all time.
During the episode, Von D revealed that she’s been collecting vinyl since she was a young teenager, and her collection is now “in the hundreds.” She initially started buying records after getting into punk rock, and she discovered a lot of other artists through the punk bands.
The artist admitted that she purchased several albums solely because she liked the artwork on the cover, and they were typically hit or miss. She cited KISS’ 1976 record Destroyer as one where the artwork doesn’t exactly look the way the music sounds, as the band looks more intimidating on the cover than their songs are.
Keep reading to see the five albums Von D chose as her favorites.
The Cure, ‘Disintegration’ (1989)
The Cure Disintegration album cover
Von D picked The Cure’s eighth studio album Disintegration as her first choice, as she thinks it’s perfect from the beginning through the end.
“I’m a huge Cure fan, I feel like there’s not a Cure album that I don’t like. But this one has always been my favorite,” she explained, naming the title track in particular as “the perfect rainy day song to listen to.”
The artist praised Robert Smith for his poetic songwriting and how relatable his lyrics are.
Depeche Mode, ‘Songs of Faith and Devotion’ (1993)
Depeche Mode Songs of Faith and Devotion album cover
Von D noted that while she often likes most bands’ early material more than their later albums, she said the opposite is the case for her with Depeche Mode. Songs of Faith and Devotion was their eighth album, and she prefers this era of the band the most.
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“I love that Dave Gahan’s vocals are just so human, there’s a soulfulness to it,” she said. “They’re one of those bands that aren’t afraid to show imperfections, that’s actually part of it. You kind of look forward to the cracks in the voice.”
She also enjoys the album’s biblical references.
Motorhead, ‘Ace of Spades’ (1980)
Motorhead, ‘Ace of Spades’ (1980)
Lemmy Kilmister would have been happy to hear that Von D considers Motorhead a rock ‘n’ roll band, despite many others lumping them in with metal groups.
“I love everything about this album. The artwork, the music — everything,” she asserted.
Von D recalls hearing Motorhead for the first time sometime between her transition from punk rock to metal, when she was also discovering groups such as Iron Maiden.
“[Lemmy] was one of my favorite people on the planet and I miss him everyday.”
Bjork, ‘Homogenic’ (1997)
Bjork Homogenic
“This album, I feel like people still haven’t cracked the code to it,” Von D suggested of Bjork’s third album Homogenic, and compared the darkness of the lyrics to that of a black metal album.
“Her voice and her delivery is so specific,” the artist added, putting the uniqueness of Bjork’s voice up there with Morrissey and Axl Rose.
Bauhaus, ‘In the Flat Field’
Bauhaus In the Flat Field album cover
From Bauhaus’ In the Flat Field, Von D said that “Double Dare” and the title track are two of her favorite songs of all time, describing them as “tribalistic.”
She doesn’t recall the first time she heard Bauhaus, but believes it was around when she really got into The Cure and Depeche Mode.
To hear more about why Von D loves these albums check out the full episode below.
Kat Von D Picks Her Five Favorite Vinyl Records of All Time
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