I've always dug this album. Certainly not my favorite, but in hindsight definitely ranked towards the top of the catalogue...

http://magazine.vinylmeplease.com/magazine/roots-phrenology-vinyl/

Closest thing we got to a Thought solo.

I rejoined to grab both.

i always loved this album. probably top 5 for me of theirs. i am very tempted to rejoin for it. if it doesnt sell out come pay day i might do it.

Mind you, I actually signed up for the El-P reissue (wanted to cop Phren but seems like it's already sold out). Is this like on some BMG/Columbia House ish?

I probably should have read the terms and condition BEFORE signing up but here I am.

is going to school your wallet if you didn't read the fine or large print beforehand.

In all seriousness, I hope you only signed up for the short term deal and didn't anchor yourself for that annual agreement. If you did, I hope the records that are available for you suit your needs and tastes.

You sign up for 3, 6, or 12 months and a track that you're interested in (Essentials, Rap/Hip-Hop, or Classics) each month they select and Album of The Month for that track. It began as only one track "Record of The Month" but that became Essentials when they added the other two tracks. So, for each month you're subscribed they send you the record they've selected. Essentials had typically leaned Indie or Alt Rock, but that's has changed since they added the other tracks (now it can be anything from Jorge Ben to Queens of The Stone Age to Miles Davis to Artic Monkeys). Rap and Hip Hop is obvious. Classics are Jazz/Soul/Blues albums from before 1980. The records are always a VMP exclusive pressing. What that means varies. Sometimes it's just a colored variant of an album. Sometimes it's the first time it's been pressed on vinyl. It's often the first pressing in a long time. Last year, for example they pressed Southernplayalisticcadillacmuzik and it was the first time the entire album, the full tracklist has been pressed. They also did Tical... which was just a colored variant of a widely available release. With the Classics track, it's almost always something that's been out of print for a long time.

Their product is always top notch, great sounding records. If you don't like a record of the month you're scheduled to get, you can swap it out for a past ROTM or for something else in their store. The store is a combination of their ROTMs, other albums they've done exclusive pressings of (usually less that 2000 copies pressed) and some other commonly available records. They do a lot of exclusive pressings. Some for up-and-coming artists, some for new releases (usually a colored variant). Some for rare and/or our of print records. Some of those go really fast and end up selling for a lot on the resale market. For example last year they pressed De La Soul is Dead.... limited to 1000 copies I believe and it sold out in minutes. Resale price is around $80. Sometimes they press really cool stuff.

That being said, in late November/early December they upgraded their web platform and it has caused a massive shitshow that they seem to finally be recovering from. People weren't getting their orders, were getting things they didn't order... one person was sent 25 copies of their exclusive pressing of The Infamous while other people who ordered it were told it was sold out. Like I said, they seem to be getting a handle on that now, but the next few months might still be a little shaky.

I've been a member for going on 3 years now.
And I don't see Phrenology as being sold out. You should be able to "add a track" from your membership page for $23.

Thanks.

I signed up for the 3-month deal (to get the El-P reissue), but wouldn't mind that Phrenology one, either. But not about to pay an additional $23 just to get that if it's not on my "track" and I'm not up for a swap this month.

so $23 for The Roots seems pretty reasonable to me. And as a member you get free shipping. You are eligible for swaps, but if you don't like the pick for the March R/HH ROTM you could potentially swap for Phrenology then. Potentially. Tons of people signed up in November when Queens of the Stone Age was the Essentials ROTM, there'd has been really high demand for that record for years (and it was the first reissue in 20 years/first since the original pressing), so the track sold out. Those people were locked into 3 month subs, which would have expired last month, but the subscription automatically rolls over, so I would bet that a lot of people are still subscribed and so there may be some danger that Phrenology sells out before March. Can't be sure. But if you're so-so on that album, I get that. And if you decide you want it later there are always plenty of copies on the after-sale market, albeit for significantly more.

I wonder (from afar mind you because Vinyl Me Please is a bit too rich for my blood) how durable that cover is. Seems like a good idea in theory, but I wonder how quickly that cover will degrade.

It's completely different than all their others. BT was amazing on that album, Quills is one of my favorite Roots tracks

The shit never made sense. FWMJ hated on this record so hard, he somehow Jedi Mind tricked his way into Questo’s inner circle. I still don’t like Kweli’s guest verse, but other than that, this is a good record. Shrug. Maybe it’s because Break U Off (Musiq version) is probably the weakest single they’ve had (my opinion). Maybe people weren’t ready for Thought singing hooks? Shrug.

>I've always dug this album. Certainly not my favorite, but in
>hindsight definitely ranked towards the top of the
>catalogue...
>
>http://magazine.vinylmeplease.com/magazine/roots-phrenology-vinyl/


Peace,

Spirit (Alan)
http://wutangbook.com