Vinyl Me Please Rap & Hip Hop

NewsFedora said:
So it’s looking like VMP sealed the deal on Shades of Blue with Blue Note, then some time later Blue Note announced it as an upcoming BN Classic. Bummer.
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So I just relapsed and rejoined VMP (for Freddie Roach) and would like to upgrade my crappy 75th Anniversary copy of Shades of Blue. Just to be clear:

BN Classics: Mastered by Kevin Gray, Pressed at Optimal, Black Vinyl, Gatefold* (Promo photo looks like it), $38 MSRP, Ships June 15th

VMP: Mastered by Cicely Balston, Pressed at GZ, Coloured Vinyl, Widespine* (At least the promo photo looks like it), $36 as an add-on, Ships in Early-mid June.

I'm leaning heavily toward the BN Classics, but am I missing something?
 
TCell said:
So I just relapsed and rejoined VMP (for Freddie Roach) and would like to upgrade my crappy 75th Anniversary copy of Shades of Blue. Just to be clear:

BN Classics: Mastered by Kevin Gray, Pressed at Optimal, Black Vinyl, Gatefold* (Promo photo looks like it), $38 MSRP, Ships June 15th

VMP: Mastered by Cicely Balston, Pressed at GZ, Coloured Vinyl, Widespine* (At least the promo photo looks like it), $36 as an add-on, Ships in Early-mid June.

I'm leaning heavily toward the BN Classics, but am I missing something?
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Did you end up going with BN Classics or VMP ?

Anyone else have any input?
 
NewsFedora said:
Just dropping this here because I'm inevitably gonna forget, but Storf confirms O.C.'s Word...Life is set to be a ROTM... in 2024 for the album's 30th anniversary.
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HHV/90stapes just recently put out a reissue of this, so I think it's possible you'll see other US hip-hop outlets drop their own copies too.
 
roffle24 said:
Did you end up going with BN Classics or VMP ?

Anyone else have any input?
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I don't know, I keep flip flopping. I'm leaning BN classics, but that's more because in my opinion Optimal/Gatefold/Black is better than GZ/Widespine/Coloured vinyl, but Idk. I might wait and see if someone A/Bs them to compare before I decide.

Mather said:
I'm not sure how much better it can really get in terms of any of these.
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I know the 75th Anniversary Edition is the worst. Guaranteed. I went through two copies. Mastering was fine, but absolute garbage pressings both.
 
TCell said:
I don't know, I keep flip flopping. I'm leaning BN classics, but that's more because in my opinion Optimal/Gatefold/Black is better than GZ/Widespine/Coloured vinyl, but Idk. I might wait and see if someone A/Bs them to compare before I decide.


I know the 75th Anniversary Edition is the worst. Guaranteed. I went through two copies. Mastering was fine, but absolute garbage pressings both.
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Yeah I mean I'm spinning the MOV limited edition press right now and it's a near perfect press by Record Industry, good size stage, sounds like a sampled hip hop beats album, which it is. Great low end, nice separation, pressed from the OG metal parts. I guess I could see how KPG could maybe clean up the clarity on the samples, but like, they're samples, they aren't supposed to sound like you're listening to a live jazz record. There's natural vinyl noise all over it, pops and clicks, but they're a part of the recording, the press is dead quiet. I dunno, I'm sure the KPG will be a good master but for me the MOV sounds just right and it bangs.
 
TCell said:
I don't know, I keep flip flopping. I'm leaning BN classics, but that's more because in my opinion Optimal/Gatefold/Black is better than GZ/Widespine/Coloured vinyl, but Idk. I might wait and see if someone A/Bs them to compare before I decide.


I know the 75th Anniversary Edition is the worst. Guaranteed. I went through two copies. Mastering was fine, but absolute garbage pressings both.
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If I had to pick one, I'd go with MOV or BN Classics.
 
The MOV is flat as a pancake and has zero noise that's not from the samples. Madlib now mainly produces on an iPad (don't know what he was using back then) but probably digital so no big deal about AAA. I usually end up sending 50% of BNC back for pressing flaws lately, so there's that.
 
avecigrec said:
I reckon @Skalap means half the price of the VMP version
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I mean, it's not though...

Retail is 37.98
store.bluenote.com

Madlib - Shades of Blue 2LP (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series) - Blue Note Records

The sound of Blue Note Records has been embedded in hip-hop since the music’s early days with artists like A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, J Dilla, Beastie Boys, and more mining Blue Note’s rich catalog for inspiration and sampling from tracks by Grant Green, Lou Donaldson, Lonnie Smith, and...
store.bluenote.com store.bluenote.com
 
Lee Newman said:
I mean, it's not though...

Retail is 37.98
store.bluenote.com

Madlib - Shades of Blue 2LP (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series) - Blue Note Records

The sound of Blue Note Records has been embedded in hip-hop since the music’s early days with artists like A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, J Dilla, Beastie Boys, and more mining Blue Note’s rich catalog for inspiration and sampling from tracks by Grant Green, Lou Donaldson, Lonnie Smith, and...
store.bluenote.com store.bluenote.com
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OOoof. $60.99 over here. Damn.
 
avecigrec said:
OOoof. $60.99 over here. Damn.
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Kind of why I went with VMP on this one. Shipping is murder, then likely to be hit with duties on top of it. There's a good chance it will show up in locals, but figured I know I'm going to snag it this way. Took a gamble on the six months with the three bonus albums to ease the sting.

Yeah, FOMO may have won this round I admit, but I'm hoping for a good string of at least one album from the tracks being great.
 
bdrummond said:
Kind of why I went with VMP on this one. Shipping is murder, then likely to be hit with duties on top of it. There's a good chance it will show up in locals, but figured I know I'm going to snag it this way. Took a gamble on the six months with the three bonus albums to ease the sting.

Yeah, FOMO may have won this round I admit, but I'm hoping for a good string of at least one album from the tracks being great.
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Yeah $60.99 is at one of my semi-locals (Vancouver, rather than Victoria, but I have friends who travel over often, so I can avoid paying shipping and just have to typically wait a little bit longer.) Brutal.
 
If you’re patient you’ll probably eventually find the BN Classics Shades of Blue on sale somewhere (I just ordered Donald Bird’s Places & Spaces for $10 from Acoustic Sounds, for example). No telling how long the VMP version will be around for or if it’ll ever make it to a sale, though.

I’m kind of curious to hear the reviews comparing them before I make a final decision. I have an ‘08 reissue that sounds fine to my ears, so I’m not even sure if I’ll even need to double dip.
 
Lee Newman said:
I mean, it's not though...

Retail is 37.98
store.bluenote.com

Madlib - Shades of Blue 2LP (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series) - Blue Note Records

The sound of Blue Note Records has been embedded in hip-hop since the music’s early days with artists like A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, J Dilla, Beastie Boys, and more mining Blue Note’s rich catalog for inspiration and sampling from tracks by Grant Green, Lou Donaldson, Lonnie Smith, and...
store.bluenote.com store.bluenote.com
Click to expand...

To be honest I didn't look for BN Classics for a while. I remember these were in the 20ish for single LP and 30ish for double LP. I am still in the BN Classics camp and would wait for a 3x2 deal or sales, which will probably happen.
 
Q3 RotM Clues:

July: Queens, Year of artist’s debut: 1999
August: Minneapolis, Year of artist’s debut: 1997
September: Long Island, Year of artist’s debut: 1997
 
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