Classic ISKCON Vinyl for you!
I’ve always been interested in the early vinyl recordings that Srila Prabhupada and the devotees did. I started collecting them about three or four years ago and I’ve done pretty well for myself here. I had NO idea that this many records were released! I couple of years ago, someone (maybe on Sampradaya Sun?) Did a couple of articles on Hare Krishna music. They included pretty much anything that was even influenced by devotees (like Alice Coltrain).
That’s not really my focus.
As a rule, I’m trying to stick to the more traditional bhajan and kirtan recordings. Releases like “Change of Heart,” the Michael Cassidy recordings and those wacky Hansadutta records wouldn’t make it into the list. This is all (or mostly) traditional.
Because there is no way to be sure if I have “everything,” I’m hoping that devotees will come out of the woodwork and give me a heads up on some of the pieces that I’ve missed.
I know that I don’t have everything. Heck, my entire collection won’t even fit in the above pic. So here’s a list of what I have, broken down by record label.
There is a reason I’m doing this, bare with me.
Apple Records
- 1810 – Hare Krsna Mantra (7″ Single)
- 1821 – Govinda (7″ Single)
- SKAO3376 – Radha Krishna Temple LP
Golden Avatar Productions
GAP 1001 – Every Town and Village
GAP 1002 – Gopinatha/Ohe Vaisnava Thakura (7″ Single)
Gopi-108 – Govinda
Hare Krsna Records
12″ LPs
- 1002 – Hare Krsna Festival Part II
- 1003 – Hare Krsna Festival
- 1004 – The Beautiful Hare Krsna People
7″ Singles
- 2001 – Hare Krsna Festival
- 2002 – Hare Krsna Festival
- 2003 – Hare Krsna Festival Amsterdam
Productions Parampara
- RPI 101 – Temple Radha Krishna
- RPI 102 – Vrindavana
- RPI 103 – Goddess of Fortune
Radha Govinda Productions
- 20072 – Radha Govinda Productions
Radha Krsna Productions
- 1001 – India
- 1003 – Krsna Meditation (Double LP)
- 1004 – Hare Krsna Festival
- 1005 – Krsna Meditation
Other records
- A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami – Krishna Consciousness
- Benediction Moon
And that’s my collection. So … what? Am I just bragging? Totally.
Ok, not really. I’m starting a new feature here on my blog. Each Ekadasi (I hope), I’ll feature a new recording. I wish to Krish that I could put up the entire record, but I don’t have nearly the band width for that. (Can anyone help me there?) I’ll pick a track or two and put them up in a low-fi MP3. Y’all can have a listen-to that-a way.
Each post about this will feature extensive pictures and a review/write up by yours truly. I won’t go in order and I probably won’t do “the famous George Harrison’s Radha Krishna Temple.” Because we all have that.
Also, if you know of other records that would fall into this category, please let me know. I am pretty sure I have everything that I know exists (except for the Visnujana Swami 7″ with the Dallas gurukula – must find that somehow). I know I’m missing things (like whatever Radha Krsna Productions #1002 was).
I’ll start this on the next Ekadasi, October 6th (here, anyway). I, of course, reserve the right to do it more often and also randomly.
