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5 classic Cleveland albums every vinyl collector should own

Troy Smith

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Album cover of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's "E. 1999 Eternal" with four men standing in front of a dark, apocalyptic cityscape. Two red and white splatter vinyl records are beside the cover. — "Eternally thugsta, East 1999!" Photo: Troy Smith/Axios

There is no shortage of Cleveland-related records for vinyl lovers to add to their collections.

Here are five albums every local music fan should look to get their hands on:

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony – "E. 1999 Eternal" (1995)

🎙️ Bone Thugs' second album put the group from Cleveland's eastside on the national hip-hop map.

The version pictured above is a special "red-n-white" colorway released by the subscription service Vinyl Me Please in 2023.

Nine Inch Nails – "Pretty Hate Machine" (1989)

🎛️ Trent Reznor recorded parts of NIN's debut album at Cleveland's The Right Track studio.

If you can't get your hands on the original TVT Records pressing, the 2011 reissue is a solid option.

Pere Ubu – "The Modern Dance" (1978)

🤘 Pere Ubu's debut album, recorded at Cleveland Recording Company and Painesville's Suma Recording Studio, was a landmark of the post-punk era.

The album has been reissued by Fire Records in standard black and a special white colorway.

Michael Stanley Band – "Stagepass" (1977)

🎟️ MSB's music was never experienced better than in a live setting, as evident by the recording of the band's 1977 show at Agora.

You'll have to search hard for a quality version of the original double-LP, but it's worth it.

Raspberries – "Raspberries" (1972)

🎹 The Raspberries, who rose out of the ashes of local bands the Choir and Cyrus Erie, made their mark on the national power-pop scene with the band's debut album on Capitol Records.

The Sound of Vinyl released a limited, red-vinyl version in 2017.