Vinyl Valentines – Sound Suggestions for the Most Romantic Day of the Year

“If music be the food of love, play on.” This quote comes from one of Shakespeare’s most famous romantic comedies, “The Twelfth Night.” And while the words are more than four centuries old, the sentiment remains ageless.

Music has a magical force, one that can serve as a sonic emissary, conveying emotions we might be too shy or tongue-tied to express in words. How many of us have made a cassette or CD mixtape, or, more recently, a Spotify playlist, to court a new partner? And how many more have scoured their music collection to find the perfect soundtrack for a night of romance?

With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, INSIDE+OUT Upstate New York asked local DJs, musicians, club owners, and culture mavens for their picks for the perfect Vinyl Valentine to gift your loved one. Whether your romantic partner likes rock, jazz, classical, world music, the Great American Songbook, or even edgy industrial noise, there’s something here that’s sure to fit the bill. Don’t forget to click on the I+O “Love Frequency” Spotify playlist at the end.

Lee Falco | Live at the Falcon | @liveatthefalcon

For Lee Falco, the top-notch drummer, record producer, and proprietor of legendary Live at the Falcon in Marlboro, Valentine’s Day calls for a classic. “I think the perfect vinyl record to gift your sweetheart on V-Day would be Nat King Cole’s 1965 classic album, L-O-V-E,” says Falco. “It’s full of some of the best love songs ever written, sung by one of the greatest vocalists of all time, floating on top of a swinging band and lush orchestra. What more could you want? Drop this on the turntable, light a fire, open a bottle of wine, and have a happy Valentine’s Day!”

Lee’s Vinyl Valentine:  L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole

Rachael Yamagata | Singer-Songwriter | @rachaelyamagata

Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata recommends a homegrown talent. “I love Entelechy by Sandy Bell,” says Yamagata. “This album is pure love and heart fire in every realm. Sandy is also a local Hudson Valley genius, and her shows are magical. It’s an album of love for the day of love.”

Rachael’s Vinyl Valentine: Entelechy by Sandy Bell

Byron Frayne | Strangehouse Media | @byronfrayne

For Byron Frayne, the promoter who leads Strangehouse Media, who also serves as the music programmer at Woodstock’s popular eatery, Pearl Moon, it’s all about the hard stuff. “Mine is an offbeat choice, I guess, the album White Teeth by Nine Inch Nails,” says Frayne. “This album covers everything in an aggressive facade of drums, guitars, and bass lines that surround Trent Reznor’s usual deep, sensual synth banter. This is not necessarily a lovey-dovey album recommendation, of course. But I’d rather be true and boldly self-confident with my loved ones than suffer in silence, afraid of straying from consumer conformity!”

Byron’s Vinyl Valentine: White Teeth by Nine Inch Nails

MK Scully | DJ MK Ultramatic + Host | @mk.ultramatic

MK Scully (aka MK Ultramatic) is an afternoon host on WKZE-FM and a busy club and party DJ. “My Valentine’s Day disc is Robert Plant’s 2014 solo release, lullaby and…The Ceaseless Roar,” she says. “It’s deeply sexy, not necessarily because of the lyrical content, which mainly draws from the English folk tradition, but because of the vocal performance, production, and overall sexy vibe! Grab it on vinyl, drop the needle, dim the lights, pour the wine, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for quite a romantic evening.”

MK’s Vinyl Valentine: Lullaby and…The Ceaseless Roar by Robert Plant

Mark Zip | Zip’s Ziggurat NY Records Fair | @nyrecordfairs

Mark Zip is the man behind a true paradise for vinyl junkies, Zip’s Ziggurat NY Records Fair. While he is known among serious record collectors for his mail-order business, Zip is infamous locally for his thrice-yearly music yard sales, held in large tents off Route 212 in West Saugerties, over Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day weekends. He’s also well-known for the humorous red-and-white signs that announce this longtime local tradition on light posts and telephone poles for miles around Woodstock in the weeks preceding these events. 

For your Valentine’s Day gift, Zip offers two great selections. “My first is Al Green’s Call Me,” adds Zip. “It was the final entry in his amazing three-album run from 1972–73, which also included Let’s Stay Together and I’m Still in Love With You. It’s a fascinating blend of covers and deep-soul originals—the perfect romantic record to start the evening. I would follow that with Astor Piazzolla’s Tango Zero Hour. Sexy, adventurous, swinging, and avant-garde all at once, this was the result of decades of refinement and experimentation by the tango great. This is the record for late, late in the night.”

Mark’s Vinyl Valentines: Call Me by Al Green  + Tango Zero Hour by Astor Piazzolla

Doug Yoel | DJ Host at Radio Woodstock + Musician | @doug.yoel

For Doug Yoel, the host of Radio Woodstock’s Blues Break and a member of the busy local Bob Dylan tribute band, The Bob Cats, it’s one of John Lennon’s most touching tunes from his solo years, “Woman” off of the album Double Fantasy. Says Yoel: “I chose this because it is such a beautiful, vulnerable love song. It says: ‘I am imperfect, yet somehow you love me.’ I try to sing this at home when my wife is around, and I get choked up every time. This is a record for someone who showed you what it is all about, what the real measure of success is, which, of course, is love.”

Doug’s Vinyl Valentine: Double Fantasy by John Lennon

Judy Steele | Rock da Casbah | @steele.judy

Judy Steele is the co-owner of Saugerties’ Rock da Casbah, a popular restaurant that serves tasty food and great live music on weekends. Her Valentine’s Day selection is one she bought years ago for her chef husband and business partner, Cody Ritson. “It’s Electric Warrior by Marc Bolan and T. Rex,” says Steele. “The lyrics of the songs ‘Jeepster’ and ‘Bang A Gong’ convey messages of love in the grooviest ways. I bought it at Rhino Records in New Paltz years ago, one of the 400 albums now in our collection, many of which were bought at Hudson Valley’s great record stores.”

Judy’s Vinyl Valentine: Electric Warrior by T. Rex

Lon Ballinger | The Stewart House Hotel + 1883 Tavern | @stewarthouseny

Music has been a part of Lon Ballinger’s life for decades. With his brothers, he built a series of successful clubs in Canada before assuming ownership of New York City’s famous Webster Hall for nearly three decades. Lon now runs The Stewart House Hotel and 1883 Tavern in Athens with his wife, Lois, offering world-class cuisine and live music, along with a small selection of boutique accommodations.

“My choice is from an artist I came to know well, one that not enough people know about, Long John Baldry,” begins Ballinger. “It Still Ain’t Easy from 1971 with the song, ‘Don’t Lay No Boogie-Woogie on the King of Rock and Roll.’ Maybe not your classic romantic tune, but it features a wonderful arrangement by Rod Stewart and piano by Elton John, who were both in his band at the start of their careers. He was a tall, skinny guy with great stage presence who played at one of my clubs in Canada a bunch of times. And my pet parrot, Leroy, used to love to nibble his fingers after the show… so that’s pretty romantic!”

Lon’s Vinyl Valentine: It Still Ain’t Easy by Long John Baldry

Ginger Winn | Singer-Songwriter | @thegingerwinn

For singer-songwriter Ginger Winn, there’s nothing more evocative than Radiohead and a duo of tracks from their 2016 album, A Moon Shaped Pool. Winn says, “The second track, ‘Daydreaming,’ feels like drifting through memories yet to be made with someone you’ve loved in every lifetime. It’s a connection on a molecular level. The lines ‘dreamers, they never learn’ and ‘the damage is already done’ describe the only love I believe in. An incurable sickness that heals in the best possible way.”

She continues: “The last track, ‘True Love Waits,’ feels like when love sets in, but challenges still test the relationship. It ends on a high note, and true love does prevail. I’ve played this song live for 10 years; it’s a real favorite. Anyone in love, or wondering what it feels like, should listen to this album on Valentine’s Day. FYI, I’m also releasing my cover of Edith Piaf’s classic, ‘La Vie en Rose,’ that day, which feels like it belongs in the same emotional universe.”

Ginger’s Vinyl Valentine:  A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead

David Baron | Sun Mountain Studios | @davidofbaron

At his Sun Mountain Studios, musician, composer, and record producer David Baron has produced albums and tracks by a bevy of A-listers, including Shawn Mendes, Shania Twain, The Lumineers, and Simon Felice. “My choice is ‘Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby’ by Cigarettes After Sex,” adds Baron. “It’s a romantic song that has a very simple lullaby-like sentiment: ‘I will always protect you.’ It’s a promise wrapped in a soft psychedelic gauze, an atmospheric sweetness that somehow also feels cool.”

David’s Vinyl Valentine:  I. by Cigarettes After Sex

Greg Gattine | DJ Host at Radio Woodstock | @greggattine

For Greg Gattine, the longtime morning DJ of rock-centric Radio Woodstock, the choice is a jazz classic, John Coltrane’s legendary A Love Supreme. Gattine opines: “It’s Coltrane’s love song to God, but it works very well on people too!”

Greg’s Vinyl Valentine: John Coltrane’s legendary A Love Supreme

Tad Richard | Author | @tad.richards

Tad Richard was the longtime President and Artistic Director of Opus 40, the monumental stone earthwork and cultural venue built by his stepfather, Harvey Fite. Music-loving Tad is also an author, and his choice comes from his latest book, Listening to Prestige, a history of this legendary jazz label, just published by SUNY University Press. “My choice comes from two sessions Miles Davis did in 1956 for Prestige to honor the remainder of his contract with the label, a company he was leaving for Columbia Records,” says Richards. “They produced four classic albums, all full of wonderful ballads, which Miles was a master at. My Vinyl Valentine is ‘I Could Write a Book,’ from Relaxin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet, a tune that was actually my wedding song years back when I wed my wife, Pat.”

Tad’s Vinyl Valentine: Relaxin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet by Miles Davis

Katie Cokinos | Upstate Films | @upstate_films

For Katie Cokinos, the Senior Programmer at Upstate Films, the choice is a true old-school classic. “My choice is the song, ‘How Little It Matters, How Little We Know,'” begins Cokinos. “It was written by Carolyn Leigh and Phillip Springer and made popular by Frank Sinatra, backed by Nelson Riddle and his Orchestra. It captures the mystery of falling in love, the rational brain being tossed aside. The lyrics’ how little we understand what touches off that tingle, that sudden explosion when two tingles intermingle’ define the undefinable part of love. It’s all enhanced by Sinatra’s signature interpretation. It was quoted at my wedding, a mere twenty-eight years ago, and my heart still skips a beat when I hear it.”

Katie’s Vinyl Valentine: “How Little It Matters, How Little We Know” by Frank Sinatra

Francesca Hoffman | Unicorn Bar | @francescahoffmanmusic

Francesca Hoffman of the Unicorn Bar’s Valentine fave is the self-titled record by Bonny Light Horseman. “I connected to the opening song, ‘Deep in Love,’ the first time I heard it. The consistent strumming pattern and poetic but apprehensive lyrics convey just the right balance of romance and vulnerability – the kind that comes with giving someone full access to your heart. I find that to be true in most of Bonny Light’s repertoire (one of the reasons I love them so much), and I appreciate their use of lyrical repetition; it really helps to hit the message home.:

Francesca’s Vinyl Valentine: Bonny Light Horseman’s self-titled 2020 debut album

Susan Fraysee Russ | Bethel Woods Center for the Arts | @frayruss

For Susan Fraysee Russ, the head of marketing and communications at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, her Valentine’s Day choice is a fond memory of an album given to her early in her relationship with her husband, Andy. “It was a vinyl copy of an album called, of all things, Have Organ, Will Swing by a keyboardist named Buddy Cole. I’m pretty sure Andy was making a joke, but, then again, maybe it was his way of sending a message!  

Susan’s Vinyl Valentine:  Have Organ, Will Swing by Buddy Cole

Pete Caigan | Utopia Studios Bearsville | @utopiastudiosbearsville

Pete Caigan, the producer/engineer who recently reopened one of Woodstock’s most legendary recording studios, Utopia Studios Bearsville, recommends a true soul-stirrer. “You can’t top Sam Cooke’s ‘You Send Me,'” adds Caigan. “It’s romance and groove all wrapped up in one classic track. This song really gets the vibe right and sets the mood for a perfect Valentine’s Day.”

Pete’s Vinyl Valentine: Best of Sam Cooke by Sam Cooke

Al Olender | Singer-Songwriter | @alolender

When it comes to Hudson Valley musicians, no one may have a greater claim to Valentine’s Day than singer-songwriter Al Olender. Every February, Al marks the occasion with an Alentine’s Day concert. This year’s event will take place at Kingston’s Old Dutch Church, the same day she will release her sophomore album, The Worrier. “My choice would be Love Is Overtaking Me by Arthur Russell,” says Olender. “It’s grief and romance and loss and yearning and want – everything you need for your Valentine’s Day listening! We all need a good balance of sad and romantic in our albums around this holiday. I don’t think that Valentine’s Day is one thing. And Arthur Russell sings so passionately about desire and love. It’s a truly beautiful record.” 

Al’s Vinyl Valentine: Love Is Overtaking Me by Arthur Russell

Rita Ryan | DJ Host at WVKR-FM | @ritaryanlocalmotionwvkr

Rita Ryan is the host of Local Motion, a weekly music and interview show dedicated to Hudson Valley-based musicians on WVKR-FM. “My choice is a new one, Starlit Academy from Rachael Yamagata,” says Ryan. “The album is pure, deeply moving, and personal. The musicianship, her singing, and songwriting are simply beautiful. I believe it’s Rachael’s best album yet and truly a masterpiece that captures her pure essence. It’s a wonderful gift for Valentine’s Day – or any day, really!”

Rita’s Vinyl Valentine: Starlit Academy by Rachael Yamagata

Joe DeVito | The Print House | @printhouseny

Joe DeVito owns The Print House in Fleischmann’s, billed as “the only vinyl music bar in the Catskills.” This restaurant/music venue boasts a collection of 4,000 albums that patrons can spin while enjoying a cocktail or a fine meal, or before watching one of the many local bands and soloists who perform here.  

“My number-one pick for the perfect Valentine’s Day record would have to be Father John Misty’s I Love You, Honeybear,” adds DeVito. “Released around Valentine’s Day in 2015, Honeybear delivers a raw, real story of love and relationships. It is unafraid to explore the darker, more complex nuances of what that looks like and how imperfection and beauty intersect – without falling into the typical ‘love letter’ album clichés.” 

Joe’s Vinyl Valentine: I Love You, Honeybear by Father John Misty. 

Love Frequency Playlist

Inspired by everyone interviewed in this article and their favorite tunes for romance.

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Contributing writer Sal Cataldi is a musician, writer and former publicist living in Hudson Valley NY.