From Blood To Diarrhea: The World's Weirdest Vinyl Records

When Thomas Edison introduced the world to audio recordings in 1877, it’s unlikely even his superior mind could have foreseen how bizarre the humble record would grow to become.

Bobby Caldwell’s Heart-Shaped Vinyl

Heart-shaped vinyl might not be anything new by today’s standards, with various iterations from Taylor Swift, the Jonas Brothers and Father John Misty appearing on record store shelves – but in 1987, it was revolutionary. Rumoured to be the first ever heart-shaped pressing on vinyl, Bobby Caldwell’s yacht rock classic What You Won't Do For Love played an insurmountable role in helping records transition from standard black discs to something much, much weirder.

Breakbot’s Chocolate Record

As an antithesis to limited-edition vinyl releases that are designed to become collectors items, French DJ Breakbot teamed up with Yozik/Wiseband and Because Music to develop a super limited release for his single By Your Side. Cast in chocolate, the single-sided vinyl release – which could only be played once – gave fans an ultimatum: listen and eat, or keep.

Michael Scott Dawson’s Dorito Album

Breakbot is far from the only artist to blend music and food. In 2020, ambient artist Michael Scott Dawson released a limited-edition version of his album Nowhere, Middle Of which had a packet of Doritos pressed between sheets of clear vinyl. A subsequent pressing also included a handful of wheat grains embedded in the vinyl.

The Ghostbusters Marshmallow-Scented Vinyl

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Ghostbusters, Legacy Recordings unveiled a limited run, ‘Stay Puft Super Deluxe Edition Vinyl’ of the official soundtrack. In honor of the terrifying-but-tasty Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, the limited edition white vinyl – which was encased in a puffy white gatefold jacket that simulated the feel and texture of mashmallows – was also designed to emit the smell of candy as it was played.

Ra-X’s Diarrhea Release

At the other end of the spectrum from the Ghostbusters’ sweet, candy-scented release is Dutch producer Ra-X. In 2004, a super limited, but extremely potent version of The Opium Den (Parts I-IV) was released on brown-purple vinyl obtained by mixing hemorrhoid-infected diarrhea into the vinyl mix before pressing. Utilising scratch-and-sniff technology, the record also emitted the smell of human feces when played.

Shout Out Louds’ Melting Release

After going silent for more than three years, Swedish indie pop band Shout Out Louds returned with brand new record titled Optica. In the lead-up to the album’s release, the group released the record’s lead single Blue Ice – a limited seven-inch record that played on ice. Shipped out as a bottle of distilled water (to avoid bubbles) and a silicone mold, fans were directed to create the release at home and experience the new single as it slowly diminished in quality once the melting process began.

Fall Out Boy’s Album Injected With Human Tears

In May of this year, to celebrate the release of their album So Much (For) Stardust, Fall Out Boy announced they would be releasing a vinyl edition of the record filled with real human tears “for maximum emotional fidelity”. Only 50 copies of the vinyl were ever made and the package included one double-sided, tear-filled LP packaged in a gatefold box with a built-in tissue dispenser. It sold out in less than an hour.

Emperor Yes Use Real Space Dust

Unlike most albums that appear on this list, London group Emperor Yes decided to infuse their record with materials that weren’t from this world. For their debut album, An Island Called Earth, the band infused 100 editions with dust from meteorites that landed on the planet in the 16th century.

The Dead Weather’s Triple-Decker Release

Born out of Jack White’s seemingly neverending quest to find new ways to hide music on and inside vinyl records, The Dead Weather released the triple-decker record: a limited edition 12-inch with a seven-inch hidden inside. Asking the questions, “Why do you collect records – to possess an object or to enjoy the music contained therein?” fans had to choose whether or not they would sacrifice a record in their collection in order to hear a secret single, or keep the object intact and never hear the hidden release. It’s not the only time The Dead Weather have left easter eggs in their albums, either. In 2010, the band also hid two singles in the label of their album Sea Of Cowards.

Eohippus’ Piss-Soaked Vinyl

Back in March we reported that Australia’s very own Private Function were set to release an album filled with their own urine. But it turns out they weren’t the first ones to reach this piss-soaked summit. In 2014, Velocity Of Sound announced that one of their artists, Eohippus, would be releasing their new album Getting Your Hair Wet With Pee in a limited run of 100, each containing the band's urine and cuttings of their hair.

Perfect Pussy’s Menstrual Blood

As US band Perfect Pussy were gearing up to release their debut (and only) record, Say Yes To Love, it was announced the group would be opening up pre-orders for a super-limited box set of the record which would be pressed on vinyl mixed with lead singer Meredith Graves’ menstrual blood. With only 180 copies up for grabs, the band also released a subsequent white vinyl that came with a pin – allowing fans to add their own blood, should they wish.

Slightly Stoopid’s Smokable Record

While it seems far more likely that an artist like Snoop Dogg or Wiz Khalifa would be the ones to release a hemp-based record, Californian group Slightly Stoopid beat them to the punch when they announced the release of Dabbington – the first album that you can smoke. Due to the cost of more than $7,000 per unit, only one version has been made… so far.

Bonobo’s Picture Disc

Using pre-animation techniques from the 1800’s, Bonobo released a Zoetrope-style vinyl for his single Cirrus. With a collection of small animations embedded within the vinyl, the lucky few that were able to get their hands on the record could use a small cylinder with slits cut in it to see the music in real time.

The Flaming Lips’ Celebrity Blood Filled Album

No strangers to releasing obscure versions of their recordings –which include albums released on USB and hidden inside skulls – in 2012 The Flaming Lips released ten limited-edition versions of their collaborative album The Flaming Lips And Heady Fwends that contained blood from contributing artists Erykah Badu, Ke$ha, Yoko Ono and Coldplay’s Chris Martin. Each costing a whopping $2,500, the proceeds were given to The Academy of Contemporary Music at UCO and The Central Oklahoma Humane Society.

Star Wars Hologram Vinyl

Far from the first vinyl release to implement a hologram effect, the limited-edition soundtrack for Star Wars: The Force Awakens did manage to somewhat perfect the art. Produced by carving micro-reflectors into the surface of the record in order to create the illusion of depth, those lucky enough to get their hands on a copy were able to see TIE fighters and the Millennium Falcon spinning, soundtracked by John Williams’ original score.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

• Hellmouth’s album Gravestone Skylines, which includes ashes from a burnt 1800s Bible.

• Karen Elson’s 2010 album The Ghost Who Walks, which was released on peach-scented vinyl.

• Barren Harvest’s 2014 release Subtle Cruelties, which had real autumn leaves imprinted in the wax.

• The Ren & Stimpy soundtrack that contained glow-in-the-dark kitty litter.

• The Ghost Wolves’ record In Ya Neck, which had glow-in-the-dark razor blades and gun powder embedded within the molds.

• Honey Disco’s album Do Anything, which was pressed on beeswax.

• The Hey Arnold soundtrack filled with soda.

• Brother O’Brother’s album Monster Track, which was filled with Nerds.