Songs that acknowledge you're listening to a record

The CD of Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend includes silence and vinyl needledrop sounds at what would be the side two break.

 

That is the one I immediately thought about

 

Clifford T. Ward - We Could Be Talking

"...The chances are she's home,
Go on, pick up the phone, and
You could be talking by the time this record ends."

A beautiful song:

 

ELO then repeated a similar trick of referencing the fact you had on one of their records in a far less direct manner throughout Secret Messages. The unlisted opening sequence, also heard at the end of the album in reverse, has elements that make sense in both directions. When combined, these say "welcome to the show - and again," first inviting the listener in before imploring them to repeat the process. If you flip round the introduction to Stranger, there is a sped-up voice that points out "you're playing me backwards," while Rock 'N'Roll Is King (the final song of this LP) is preceded by "thank you for listening," albeit reversed.

Of course, the earlier Face The Music opened with a sinister-sounding backmasked voice that mocked the controversy of supposedly demonic phrases being hidden on Eldorado. In reality, this was drummer Bev Bevan giving the band's fans a warning their needle was likely about to fly off the edge of the record as a result of them attempting to figure out this particular speech, which is "the music is reversible, but time isn't... turn back... turn back... TURN BACK!"

 

"Wind Up Working In A Gas Station" by Frank Zappa :

"This here song might offend you some..."

I'm sure there are other ones by Zappa.

 

"Earache My Eye" - Cheech & Chong

 

While XTC's "Spiral" is not strictly referring to itself, it does apply to records in general:

Spiral

Spiral, torn from the tone arm
Waking up the track
Dormant in the black valley of the vinyl
Spiral, dug by the diamond
Running it around, turn it into sound
Entering my spinal

Got to play all my favourite 45's
Stacked way up high
Well everyday I spin away my 45's
Help me to fly
Spiral

Spiral, ripped from the record
Roll into the room, dissipate the gloom
Happiness eternal
Spiral, pulled from the plastic
Angel choirboys, devilish the noise
Heavenly infernal

Got to play all my favourite 45's
Ten thousand times
Every day I spin away my 45's
Help me to climb up
Spiral

Spiral, torn from the tone arm
Waking up the track
Dormant in the black, valley of the vinyl
Spiral, dug by the diamond
Running it around, turn it into sound
Entering my spinal

Got to play all my favourite 45's
Oh how they give
Every day I spin away my 45's
How else do I live?