Stu Eli from Greatest Hits Records & Books shares reggae, jangly indie punk, more for Ears We Trust

Greatest Hits Records & Books in Media is known for its records and books. Duh. But recently the shop released one of the most iconic records of all time (to Philly-area residents at least): The Sounds of Delco Vol. 1. Featuring 92 tracks such as “Dropping a Krimpet in the Wawa Parking Lot,” “Going Down the Shore,” and “Delco Women Discuss Who’s Bringing The Deviled Eggs,” the record truly captures the idiosyncrasies of Delaware County and its accent, now world famous thanks to HBO’s hit series Task and Mare of Easttown.

But what are the folks at Greatest Hits listening to? We asked co-owner Stu Eli to share songs he’s spinning lately for this week’s Ears We Trust. See his selections below!

De La Soul — “Oodles of O’s”

Oof, I’ve been hooked on this one lately. De La is up there in my top five artists, and those early albums are full cover-to-cover listens for me, especially De La Soul Is Dead. The groove on this one is so good—head-nodding and playful and like so much De La, incredibly laid-back at the same time. It’s one of those songs I can put on and immediately want to hear again.

The Clean — “Anything Could Happen”

The late ’70s, and dipping into the early ’80s, is my sweet spot for early indie and late punk, and The Clean checks all the boxes for me. I love how simple and scrappy this song is—jangly, repetitive, a little messy, but completely infectious.

John Andrews & The Yawns — “Something To Be Said”

This one feels very Beck to me in the best way—kind of scrappy guitar, lo-fi, loose and easy. There’s nothing overly polished about it; super simple and I think that’s what I like so much. It just has this really effortless feel.

Duke Reid, The Tennors — “Weather Report”

I’m always digging around in Jamaican music from the ’60s and ’70s, and this one has been on repeat lately. It’s a loose adaptation of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Only Living Boy in New York,” which I didn’t realize at first and makes me love it even more. They take the original and turn it into something completely their own.