Audiophile Releases from A Perfect Circle, Dr. Dre and More
With the huge resurgence in the popularity of listening to music on vinyl many vinyl fans are seeking out audiophile copies of their favorite releases so that they can experience their most-beloved tunes in the highest quality sound available. Record labels are reacting accordingly and here we spin new audiophile releases from Interscope, Impulse and Verve Folkways, all members of the UMG family of labels.
Dr. Dre - The Chronic - (Interscope Definitive Sound Series One Step)
Dr. Dre is without question one of the most influential rappers of all time and 1992's
The Chronic, Dre's first solo album after leaving N.W.A., is among the most influential releases in the rap genre. And the album gets the honor of being the first release in Interscope's new audiophile Definitive Sound Series One Step line. Pushed along by the hit singles "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang," "F--- Wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')" and "Let Me Ride"
The Chronic went triple Platinum. Dre had lots of his pals on hand too; Snoop Dogg, Bushwick Bill, Kurupt, RBX and Nate Dogg are among the contributors. And now fans can hear all of this in crystal clear quality, like the guys are spitting right in front of you. The album comes in a quality package too; two discs pressed on 180 gram vinyl in a heavy duty gatefold jacket and then packaged in a heavy cardboard slip-in jacket, box set style. Only 3,000 of this version of
The Chronic are available, each is individually numbered and each comes with a certificate of authenticity.
A Perfect Circle - Mer de Noms - (Interscope Definitive Sound Series One Step)
Super group A Perfect Circle --- Billy Howerdel (Ashes Divide) on guitar, Maynard James Keenan (Tool, Puscifer) on vocals, Paz Lenchantin (Pixies) on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen (Queens of the Stone Age) on guitar and Josh Freese (the Vandals, Devo) on drums --- get the Interscope DSS One Step audiophile treatment for this awesome version of their debut album from 2000,
Mer de Noms. The album is heavy but fans will especially appreciate this audiophile pressing on songs like "Magdalena," the quirky "Rose" and the searing "Judith," all of which have instrumentation that really leaps off the groove on the DSS One Step version. The album's 12 songs are split evenly three per side on the 2-LP set and fans take note: the version of "Sleeping Beauty" found on the C Side is about a minute longer than the version on the original release. As with the Dre record,
Mer de Noms is pressed on 180 gram vinyl and is housed in a deluxe gatefold sleeve and then inside a slip-in jacket. There are only 3,000 copies (individually numbered) available and each has a certificate of authenticity.
John Lee Hooker - It Serve You Right to Suffer - (Impulse Acoustic Sounds Series)
The Acoustic Sounds Series is UMe's audiophile vinyl series and who better to kick off the slate of 2025 releases than the legendary blues man John Lee Hooker. Originally released in 1966,
It Serve You Right to Suffer starts off with the swinging "Shake It Baby," a cut that is a perfect example of the notion that "the blues had a baby and called it rock 'n' roll; it features a groove that countless rockers have since mimicked. Hooker's voice and guitar playing style are both instantly recognizable, and this music, now nearly 60-years old, does not sound dated at all. Other Side 1 cuts include the slow blues moan of "Country Boy," the amusing "Bottle Up and Go" and the swamp blues of "You're Wrong." Hooker saves the title track for the end of Side 2 and he deals out "It Serve You Right to Suffer" slow and simmering, almost as if he's savoring the dis; there's a cool, intricate guitar solo to go with the pain too. This audiophile reissue is pressed on 180 gram vinyl and is housed in a deluxe gatefold jacket with liner notes within.
Lightnin' Hopkins - Lightnin' Strikes - (Verve/Folkways Acoustic Sounds Series)
Here's another classic title released by a legendary blues man in 1966. Singer and guitarist Hopkins is backed here by bass man Jimmy Bond, drummer Earl Palmer and Harmonica player Don Crawford and with this new audiophile version of
Lightnin' Strikes every note they play comes through clear as a bell. Crawford's harp takes the lead on Side One's opener "Mojo Hand," a cut where Hopkins sings about keeping his woman at home; it's a sharp contrast to the country blues of "Take Me Back Baby" (I guess that mojo hand didn't work!) The steamy "Really Nothin' But the Blues" closes the first side, and Side Two opens with "Hurricane Betsy," a fairly quiet storm about a very loud hurricane that hit the Gulf Coast in 1965. "Guitar Lightnin'" is a four minute instrumental with fancy but mostly understated guitar work; the rollicking "Shake Yourself," another instrumental, closes the record and harp man Crawford again gets a spotlight. Pressed on 180 gram vinyl and housed in a deluxe gatefold jacket with liner notes on the back and photos within.
