Riff Raff (3)
Vinyl Futures

Listening notes

Riff Raff (3) released Vinyl Futures on ATCO Records in 1981, catalogued as ATC 50819. The record sits within the hard rock, heavy metal, and rock genres, placing it among the wave of heavy music that characterized the early part of that decade.

The album carries ten tracks across two sides, running a reasonably balanced program with five cuts on each. Side A opens with "Nina" at three minutes and fifty seconds, followed by the brief "Shades Of Blue" at two minutes and thirty-three seconds. "Treat Me Right" and "I Ain't Gonna Run Anymore" occupy the middle of the side at similar running times, just over three minutes each, before "Mary Lou" closes at four minutes and twenty-six seconds, making it the longest track on the first side.

Side B begins with "My, My" at three minutes and twenty-four seconds, then moves into "Love In Vain," the shortest track on the record at two minutes and thirty-one seconds. "Heroes" follows at three minutes and twelve seconds, with "Time Riff" bringing the runtime down to two minutes and fifty-five seconds. The album closes on "Hall Of Mirrors," which at six minutes and one second stands as the longest track on the record and gives the second side a notably extended conclusion compared to everything that precedes it.

The total running time across both sides comes to roughly thirty-five minutes, a compact but complete statement for a vinyl release of its era. The choice of ATCO Records as the releasing label connects the release to a label with an established presence in rock music during that period.

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