The Gold Box spotlight deal of the day over at Amazon today is on what they’ve dubbed the “Essential MP3 Albums for Your Collection” sale, where there’s 20 MP3 albums available for only $3.99-$4.99 each.

Here’s a sample of the selection:

– Pearl Jam – Ten
– Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
– Nirvana – Nevermind
– The Ramones – Greatest Hits
– Journey – Greatest Hits
– The Beastie Boys – Licensed To Ill

There’s also albums by The Black Keys, Daft Punk, Johnny Cash, Usher, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Beyonce, and more, so be sure to browse all 20 albums in this sale, as well as the 100 albums on sale this month for only $5 each.

August 12th was Vinyl Record Day, marked by the date Edison invented the phonograph in 1877, so it’s become a day to celebrate the old time traditions of sonic yesteryear, and spin your favorite tunes on those old 33 1/3, 45, and 78 sized spherical objects made out of wax called “records.” And I’m here to give you my Top 12 favorite vinyl records of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, along with a bunch of honorable mentions, but before we get to that, let’s talk a little bit about this thing called “vinyl.”

Up until the mid 1980s, when CDs started to become the musical norm in how one listened to their music proper, records were the norm of the people; not just a communally popular way to hear songs, but it became a giant subculture of the fabric of life, a hobby, a key element in creating parties, in creating gatherings and get-togethers, a source of fun competition in who would have more records than whom and who would have the rare cool records, in essence, vinyl hoarding was a collector’s and layman’s dream for decades upon decades.

With its outer cardboard casings known as “sleeves,” bands and musicians of all musical genres were able to express themselves not only in the music they created, but by the art that was presented on the front and back covers, which spawned an entire new artistic medium in a sense. In a way, every day should still be a Vinyl Record Day in some regard, and as the way music is bought and downloaded these days, in binary coded “bitted and byted” digital forms, not only has the way of the vinyl passed in essence, but also all the visual accoutrements that came with it. It has become a relic of the past like a rotary telephone or a CB radio, a dinosaur’s regime, which ultimately is hence even a more urgent reason to preserve the memory and image of the record alive in the 21st century.

As part of Amazon’s monthly $5 MP3 album deals for August 2012, The Ramones‘ Greatest Hits is on sale for only $5. If you would like a physical copy of The Ramones Greatest Hits, the CD is available for only $7.60.

Young or old, no matter who you are, you’ve no doubt bopped your noggin to the beat of a Ramones tune at least once in your life. It’s an autonomic reaction to the infectious beat created by a ragtag group of ne’er-do-wells sporting matching black hair, who sprung up out of Forest Hills, Queens, NYC in 1974 as a reaction to the lame pop music of the times. They had no particular message, no impressive musical ability – just the doo-wop velvet voice of Joey Ramone and four simple chords that literally anyone can play all sped up in 4/4 time by a simple backbeat and hard driving bass. Greatest Hits is an essential album for everyone’s collection and includes such popular songs as “Blitzkrieg Bop,” “Rockaway Beach,” and “Rock “˜N’ Roll High School.” If you don’t already own at least one of the 14 studio albums The Ramones recorded over the 21 years when they were an active touring band, then you must buy Greatest Hits right now. (Today actually marks the 16th anniversary of the band’s final performance together.)

Browse all 1,000 albums on sale this month for only $5 each, as well as several albums on sale this week for only $2.99 each.

The MP3 album deal of the day over at Amazon today is Rocket To Russia by The Ramones for only $4.99.

Rocket To Russia, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, contains 14 tracks, including standouts “Teenage Lobotomy,” “Rockaway Beach,” “Cretin Hop,” “We’re A Happy Family,” and “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker,” which right there justifies the $5 price tag for this album. The album also includes two covers the band is known for doing, “Do You Wanna Dance?” and “Surfin’ Bird.”

If you’d like a physical copy of Rocket To Russia, the CD is available for only $7.99, and contains 5 bonus tracks.

Artist Nathan Stapley created an awesome mash-up of punk rock legends The Ramones meeting The Warriors, the NYC gang from the movie The Warriors

Stapley piece, titled “The Ramones Meet The Warriors,” was part of a Gallery1988 Venice art show and is a selection from the artist’s “Same Gang” series.

You can check out more artwork in the series, which includes another piece with The Ramones, as well as paintings featuring popular robots, famous dads in entertainment, and more, over at Nathan Stapley‘s official site.