Vinyl Me Please Rap & Hip Hop

Just look at the Phoenix release and you can pretty much apply that to this and any other future release that fits a similar bill.
Phoenix was a remaster that was supposedly AAA although I'd be surprised if there was no digital step in the original recording. Hope they at least put a great engineer on a remaster for this. If it is just a GZ DMM I really don't know why they picked it.
 
Phoenix was a remaster that was supposedly AAA although I'd be surprised if there was no digital step in the original recording. Hope they at least put a great engineer on a remaster for this. If it is just a GZ DMM I really don't know why they picked it.
And I'm reading that lots of Phoenix seem to have the usual shit GZ pressing issues of crackle towards the end of the side?
 
I mean, great album but... what are they gunna do to justify the price for some thing this readily available? 2 LP 45? I mean sure but why? Doesn't really need it, don't think it would add much...
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If I recall correctly, the masters that were submitted for Tical were like backup dat tapes? cause like 1/2 the album or more was lost in a flood? something to that effect.. so there really isn't much that can be done for re-mastering.. that's what I mean. There's really no point for this record other than a new color variant.
 
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If I recall correctly, the masters that were submitted for Tical were like backup dat tapes? cause like 1/2 the album or more was lost in a flood? something to that effect.. so there really isn't much that can be done for re-mastering.. that's what I mean. There's really no point for this record other than a new color variant.
That's some solid inside scoop info with @Clint Howard .
 
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If I recall correctly, the masters that were submitted for Tical were like backup dat tapes? cause like 1/2 the album or more was lost in a flood? something to that effect.. so there really isn't much that can be done for re-mastering.. that's what I mean. There's really no point for this record other than a new color variant.
Yeah I'm pretty sure a lot of the beats on Tical were either sourced from shoddy backups or were hurriedly re-created after that flood. Inspectah Deck basically lost an entire album from that flood - Meth and RZA were able to basically re-do Tical without too much of an issue, but Deck's album was just demolished, and they basically had to start over from scratch. Pretty sure that's why his solo debut didn't drop till 1999, and also wasn't that great. Easily one of the biggest, if not THE biggest, missed opportunities in Wu history
 
Phoenix was a remaster that was supposedly AAA although I'd be surprised if there was no digital step in the original recording. Hope they at least put a great engineer on a remaster for this. If it is just a GZ DMM I really don't know why they picked it.

Just look at the Phoenix release and you can pretty much apply that to this and any other future release that fits a similar bill.

I think that Phoenix release was taken the wrong way. Based on what I’ve seen online across a few articles the record was recorded in Pro Tools then mixed on an analog console down to a two track tape. Personally I think Phoenix easily justified the price, especially since pulling and shipping the tape and paying for speciality AAA mastering actually costs a good bit of money compared to the GZ mastering.

The lazy VMP releases this month are the OutKast and UGK. There really was minimal effort put into the OutKast. Sure it’s cool that the OutKast is the full track listing but achieving that is as simple as sending the existing CD master to GZ. When they did the same thing for the Wayne album they sent it to Sterling, so why not do that for OutKast? I don’t get it, but clearly many people just care more about the color and thus they can recoup some profit on this track.

Hoping this release of Tical proves me wrong about the track. Even if the master is shoddy DATs as I expect I’d rather see it in competent hands of someone who loves the album and will master with care.
 
I think that Phoenix release was taken the wrong way. Based on what I’ve seen online across a few articles the record was recorded in Pro Tools then mixed on an analog console down to a two track tape. Personally I think Phoenix easily justified the price, especially since pulling and shipping the tape and paying for speciality AAA mastering actually costs a good bit of money compared to the GZ mastering.

The lazy VMP releases this month are the OutKast and UGK. There really was minimal effort put into the OutKast. Sure it’s cool that the OutKast is the full track listing but achieving that is as simple as sending the existing CD master to GZ. When they did the same thing for the Wayne album they sent it to Sterling, so why not do that for OutKast? I don’t get it, but clearly many people just care more about the color and thus they can recoup some profit on this track.

Hoping this release of Tical proves me wrong about the track. Even if the master is shoddy DATs as I expect I’d rather see it in competent hands of someone who loves the album and will master with care.
Yep, on the same page except I refuse to accept that ~$27 is a bargain for proper cutting and pressing when plenty of reissues (including many AAA) have been released under that price. Sure, maybe pressing quantity comes into play, but that's why I won't complain about that price, as opposed to thinking it should cost more.
 
The lazy VMP releases this month are the OutKast and UGK. There really was minimal effort put into the OutKast. Sure it’s cool that the OutKast is the full track listing but achieving that is as simple as sending the existing CD master to GZ. When they did the same thing for the Wayne album they sent it to Sterling, so why not do that for OutKast? I don’t get it, but clearly many people just care more about the color and thus they can recoup some profit on this track.

Yeah, was pretty disappointed with the UGK packaging. It literally looks like they just grabbed 300x300 pixel images from a google search and used it for the jacket.
 
VMP need to hire me
I know what we need! records that aint pressed or extremely hard to find! vote for me! haha

I can see why many of you are disheartened with the method man.
It is common af.
But I didnt have a copy yet so I will get a copy of VMPs. (If i did have a copy id sell it and still get VMPs)

shruglife_fullpic_1.jpg
 
Yep, on the same page except I refuse to accept that ~$27 is a bargain for proper cutting and pressing when plenty of reissues (including many AAA) have been released under that price. Sure, maybe pressing quantity comes into play, but that's why I won't complain about that price, as opposed to thinking it should cost more.

I slightly empathize with not always using tape as labels don't always send out the analog masters, and even with them there can be drama like what Intervention ran into with their planned release of Starfish by The Church. Totally feel that if all VMP has to work with is high-rez files, it's imperative they send it to a proper engineer (they have used many of the good ones in the past) rather than sending it to GZ and cutting two corners at once.

Unfortunately I think this lazy approach to hip-hop reissues is just passing the low bar set over the years by Get on Down (who gets a pass due to their scale IMO) and emulated on bigger reissue series like DisRespect The Classics. On the other hand, the VMP Classics track is competing with MoFi, AP, Music Matters, Tone Poet, Pure Pleasures, Speaker's Corner etc, so they have to up their game to compete for the attention. It's just kind of frustrating as a hip-hop fan to have to choose between second-rate reissues or $50–$200 clean OG copies.
 
I slightly empathize with not always using tape as labels don't always send out the analog masters, and even with them there can be drama like what Intervention ran into with their planned release of Starfish by The Church. Totally feel that if all VMP has to work with is high-rez files, it's imperative they send it to a proper engineer (they have used many of the good ones in the past) rather than sending it to GZ and cutting two corners at once.

Unfortunately I think this lazy approach to hip-hop reissues is just passing the low bar set over the years by Get on Down (who gets a pass due to their scale IMO) and emulated on bigger reissue series like DisRespect The Classics. On the other hand, the VMP Classics track is competing with MoFi, AP, Music Matters, Tone Poet, Pure Pleasures, Speaker's Corner etc, so they have to up their game to compete for the attention. It's just kind of frustrating as a hip-hop fan to have to choose between second-rate reissues or $50–$200 clean OG copies.
This is exactly why my hip hop collection is so stunted. Almost every time I research a reissue I have a hard time justifying the price and end up just hoping I can find an OG for cheap on eBay. Unfortunately used seems way worse lately. I used to see ATLiens and The Infamous going for mid 20s a good bit and now they seem to be a lot higher. I was trying to shave every penny back then and get it for 20 or less, oops!
 
This is exactly why my hip hop collection is so stunted. Almost every time I research a reissue I have a hard time justifying the price and end up just hoping I can find an OG for cheap on eBay. Unfortunately used seems way worse lately. I used to see ATLiens and The Infamous going for mid 20s a good bit and now they seem to be a lot higher. I was trying to shave every penny back then and get it for 20 or less, oops!

My law of $20.is that in most places $20 is the cost of a lap dance. And i think back in my youth on how many lap dances i got and if i really missed that money, and if a record for $20 can give me more value than the lap dance did, i do it.
 
My law of $20.is that in most places $20 is the cost of a lap dance. And i think back in my youth on how many lap dances i got and if i really missed that money, and if a record for $20 can give me more value than the lap dance did, i do it.
Ha! Well if I could afford all the good/decent pressings I wanted, I'd have a lot more shitty pressings.
 
This is exactly why my hip hop collection is so stunted. Almost every time I research a reissue I have a hard time justifying the price and end up just hoping I can find an OG for cheap on eBay. Unfortunately used seems way worse lately. I used to see ATLiens and The Infamous going for mid 20s a good bit and now they seem to be a lot higher. I was trying to shave every penny back then and get it for 20 or less, oops!

Ahhh I relate to this heavily, as I also have a small hip-hop collection as I slowed after hitting so many bad reissues. ATLiens has been pretty evasive for me too as I was similarly cheap, and generally dislike buying online. It recently seems to have jumped to be a $65 record in VG+ I should have bought it when it was at $40... oh well. I've been lucky with my OutKast over the years, getting a NOS Aquemini and a lighlty used promo Stankonia for good prices from local sellers. I've only ever run across an OG Hell on Earth in the wild, but that was a bit more than I wanted to pay. Recently I must admit I've started shelling out more cash for these hip-hop OG issues, as it seems unlikely good reissues are going to come for many titles. I'm up to a $60 limit on must-haves now lol.
 
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