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Jack White's Lazaretto

DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,905 Posts
edited May 2014 in Strut Central
Is stuff like this just a gimmick or the makings of a valuble collectors item? We've all bought records that have many of these features. But I've never seen so many on a single vinyl. Any other good examples?


http://thirdmanstore.com/jack-white-lazaretto-12-vinyl

- 180 gram vinyl
- 2 vinyl-only hidden tracks hidden beneath the center labels
- 1 hidden track plays at 78 RPM, one plays at 45 RPM, making this a 3-speed record
- Side A plays from the inside out
- Dual-groove technology: plays an electric or acoustic intro for ???Just One Drink??? depending on where needle is dropped. The grooves meet for the body of the song.
- Matte finish on Side B, giving the appearance of an un-played 78 RPM record
- Both sides end with locked grooves
- Vinyl pressed in seldom-used flat-edged format
- Dead wax area on Side A contains a hand-etched hologram by Tristan Duke of Infinity Light Science, the first of its kind on a vinyl record
- Absolutely zero compression used during recording, mixing and mastering
- Different running order from the CD/digital version
- LP utilizes some mixes different from those used on CD and digital version
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  Comments

  • BeatChemistBeatChemist 1,465 Posts
    Seems a bit much, but all of those 'gimmicks' are cool in their own right. But so many... seems a bit forced. Then again, that's kinda the whole idea here, right?
  • parallaxparallax no-style-having mf'er 1,266 Posts
    Jack White is a major vinyl fetishist.

    This record *could* end up being worth $
  • BeatChemistBeatChemist 1,465 Posts
    Oh... I'm pretty sure it will sell for big money. However, 'will it be worth that,' is the pressing question!*






    *nopun
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    The gimmicks give it no long term value. In my opinion. At the end of the day the music, the artist and the rarity will give it value.

    - 180 gram vinyl
    This adds a premium to records. If given a choice I would usually choose the non-180 press. I am cheap that way.
    - 2 vinyl-only hidden tracks hidden beneath the center labels
    Never heard of hiding a track under the label.
    - 1 hidden track plays at 78 RPM, one plays at 45 RPM, making this a 3-speed record
    I had a three speed bike once.
    - Side A plays from the inside out
    I remember some big deal collectibles back in the day with this feature. Today I can't even remember what they were.
    - Dual-groove technology: plays an electric or acoustic intro for ÔÇ£Just One DrinkÔÇØ depending on where needle is dropped. The grooves meet for the body of the song.
    I remember some big deal collectibles back in the day with this feature. Today I can't even remember what they were.
    - Matte finish on Side B, giving the appearance of an un-played 78 RPM record
    Cool. Never heard of that.
    - Both sides end with locked grooves
    Annoying.
    - Vinyl pressed in seldom-used flat-edged format
    Ok. So what?
    - Dead wax area on Side A contains a hand-etched hologram by Tristan Duke of Infinity Light Science, the first of its kind on a vinyl record
    Hope to see that some day.
    - Absolutely zero compression used during recording, mixing and mastering
    Ok. Impresses me as much as 180gm does.
    - Different running order from the CD/digital version
    Whatever.
    - LP utilizes some mixes different from those used on CD and digital version
    Better? Or just different?

    When cassettes were competing with vinyl they did lots of extra tracks, different mixes and other bonuses on the cassettes. This was part of the record companies attempt to kill vinyl. You would buy it, and then play it in the machine that made pre-recorded cassettes unnecessary.
  • DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,905 Posts
    I'm curious if this is a limited press. Probably would have been a better buy if this was priced much higher and a limited run and then sold a regular vinyl version for like $15.
  • Hotsauce84Hotsauce84 8,450 Posts
    It's only $20?! Am I reading that right??
  • BeatChemistBeatChemist 1,465 Posts
    Oh wait. It's not a limited run?? Nevermind. Not worth more than the music.
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    Limited to the number they think they can sell.
  • Hotsauce84Hotsauce84 8,450 Posts
    BeatChemist said:
    Oh wait. It's not a limited run?? Nevermind. Not worth more than the music.

    I can appreciate that though. At a time when EVERYTHING'S "limited edition," it's cool to offer something that can and would sell (out) for $50+ be offered across the board at a reasonable price.
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    I don't listen much to new music. I don't listen much to rock music. But I like a lot of what I have heard from Jack White. I really like the Portland song he did with Lorretta Lynn. His music seems minimalist and bluesy, which I generally like.

    So...

    Will any one here say they like Jack White?
  • JectWonJectWon (@_@) 1,654 Posts
    LaserWolf said:

    Will any one here say they like Jack White?

    I enjoy his tunes as well. I don't think I'm a huge Raconteurs fan but I do enjoy his solo work and some of the WHite Stripes stuff is undeniably great...I can't blame him for all the tunes he's made that the radio has played too much.

    I also think this is a cool idea...fuck it, cram all the cool vinyl tricks that you can into a record.
  • DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,905 Posts
    LaserWolf said:


    Will any one here say they like Jack White?

    When I see stuff like this I feel like he's a decent chap.

    http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/jack-white-donates-200-000-for-sound-preservation-effort-20130729

    http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/jack-white-saves-detroit-masonic-temple-from-foreclosure-20130604


    And I think he's talented and like some of his stuff...

    Liked this part in "It might get loud".

  • volumenvolumen 2,532 Posts
    There is no doubt that white boy blues isn't exactly original, but he's keeping a lot of dying art forms going and introducing them to younger audience so that's a good thing. He's definitely pushing vinyl with the records pressed into old x-rays, the fastest song recorded then pressed to vinyl and now basically putting everything into one on this record. I like the novelty of a record with basically every record style and a hologram to boot. Sometimes you just do things to do them.

    White Stripes had some good songs and there is no denying Jack has talent even if he is just re-living the old days of the blues.

    Lazer - Any chance you'll remember those records? I know De La Soul had the double track 12" with Me Myself and I and Brain Washed Follower.
  • caicai spacecho 362 Posts
    DOR said:
    - Absolutely zero compression used during recording, mixing and mastering

    Is this meant to be good? I don't understand this one.
    Can someone please explain why this is meant to make me want the record more.

    The rest sounds cool to me though.
  • volumenvolumen 2,532 Posts
    cai said:
    DOR said:
    - Absolutely zero compression used during recording, mixing and mastering

    Is this meant to be good? I don't understand this one.
    Can someone please explain why this is meant to make me want the record more.

    The rest sounds cool to me though.

    Supposedly compression is everything that's wrong with digital music so you would assume lack of compression is a good thing.
  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    Considering what he could be but is not, I dig Jack White and would love to buy him a beer or a rare blues 45.
  • bennyboybennyboy 538 Posts
    Didn't Monty Python do all of these tricks back in the 70's?
  • JimsterJimster Cruffiton.etsy.com 6,960 Posts
    volumen said:
    cai said:
    DOR said:
    - Absolutely zero compression used during recording, mixing and mastering

    Is this meant to be good? I don't understand this one.
    Can someone please explain why this is meant to make me want the record more.

    The rest sounds cool to me though.

    Supposedly compression is everything that's wrong with digital music so you would assume lack of compression is a good thing.

    IIRC, compression exists because no sound recording equipment, analog or digital, is as good as capturing sound as the human ear.

    So if you want the recording to relay to the listener quiet AND loud sounds, you need to boost the level of the quiet shit and trim the levels of the loudest shit in order to capture them effectively and put them within the dynamic range of the recording equipment, otherwise they will get lost. This is compression.

    So the argument about using zero compression would imply to me that they take the stance that compression sounds artificial, compared to those old timey authentic recordings that didn't have any pin droppings or snares cracking.

    YMMV or I may be talking out of my sphincter.

    I know Thes must be the SS DON regarding this as the Highlighter album was recorded in some super hi-fi codec.
  • FrankFrank 2,379 Posts
    His gimmicky vinyl releases are all so over the top, it's quite obvious that he and his crew are just having their fun. With a probably pretty much limitless budget they're just totally overdoing it without any inhibitions. Why not? Dude obviously has a ton of talent at song writing and a great (for the most part) sense for aesthetics. My wife often plays his stuff in the car and I can't hate on any of it, quite a lot of it is genuinely good. I'm particularly partial to the first Dead Weather album.

    Brilliant rip-off of my favorite Stranglers song:
  • 4YearGraduate4YearGraduate 2,945 Posts
    This is stupid.

    Compression exists, in philosophy, to mimic air's ability to soften transients as they travel from instrument to ear. Not using compression is something no one ever strived for on classic records, ask Joe Meek. Bruce Swedien says he never used compression but he lied, because tape inherently compresses, its the nature of magnetics. Anyhoooo

    Heres a list of cool features my album has:

    LOCK GROOVE AT THE END OF THE SIDE (to keep your needle from sliding across the label - like every god damn record)
    GROOVE GUARD LIP AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SIDE (to keep the needle from sliding off the beginning of the record)

    MUSIC - YES MUSIC (my album has music you can listen to. And you dont have to change the speed of the record while it is playing)

    Novel concepts.

    De LA Soul did dual groove a decade ago.
  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    I'd be fine with this one single gimmick for any record...

    MUSIC DOESN'T SUCK.
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    4YearGraduate said:


    MUSIC - YES MUSIC (my album has music you can listen to. And you dont have to change the speed of the record while it is playing)

    ^this
    The main thing I look for in any record.
  • HorseleechHorseleech 3,830 Posts
    4YearGraduate said:
    This is stupid.

    Compression exists, in philosophy, to mimic air's ability to soften transients as they travel from instrument to ear. Not using compression is something no one ever strived for on classic records, ask Joe Meek. Bruce Swedien says he never used compression but he lied, because tape inherently compresses, its the nature of magnetics. Anyhoooo

    Yeah, the 'no compression' thing is pretty arbitrary because compression is inherent in all recording processes, starting at the microphone. Ironically, there is less of it on digital recording than analog.

    For me, judicious use of compression is one of the best tools an engineer can have, a lot of the characteristics that people like about vinyl/analog are actually caused by compression.
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    I'm glad to see that people are willing to admit to liking JW. If not his gimmicks.

    Way back when the White Stripes were hitting big I remember a lot of hate. I heard over and over "I liked them back before anyone else knew who they were. Too bad they sold out. They suck now."
  • jjfad027jjfad027 1,594 Posts
    I'm not sold unless it has a triple gatefold, pop-up, scratch and sniff cover.




    ;-)
  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    The other day, I was hanging with my cousin who is 10 or so years younger than me and his friends at their place and they were listening to what they thought was great music but what I was hearing as whiny ass pussy music. So after drinking and smoking and playing darts for a while, I fell into old man mode and started asking them if they liked any bands from the 90's, like Smashing Pumpkins or the Pixies who were at times quite whiny but always backed it up with some actual balls. They said yeah, but didn't quite get what I was getting at as they simply don't know any better.

    The next morning in my truck, I threw on The Pixies Trompe le Monde, which might be my least favorite of their core work, but came up with the conclusion that even this second rate Pixies album is way better than anything Jack White has ever done. And I actually like some of Jack White's stuff. Again, I know I sound like a dated old foagie, but what is wrong with these young people nowadays?

    Oh yeah, the other thing I brought up with them, if just for a minute, is how come white American kids quit listening to rap? Yeah, of course there is still the trailer trash element out there doing their best Lil Wyte impersonations. But it seems to me that suburban kids are no longer digging up the good underground ish any more. Maybe it's not melancholy and wimpypseudolumberjackish for them. I really can't call it.
  • FrankFrank 2,379 Posts
    At the time they were around, both, the Smashing Pumpkins and the Pixies were the phoniest and most faux-artsy-fartsy, of all those useless art student alterno pop bands. I had some temporarily misguided friends who took me along to a Pixies show on their Surfer Rosa tour and it was probably the singular most boring thing I had ever seen up until then. They rocked about as hard as a pile of warm, rancid jello. All whine and no grime. So ball-less their scrotum actually seemed to be inverted. Smashing Pumpkins??? I thought only "artistic" girls who like to cut themselves with dull scissors ever listened to this shit?
  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    Frank said:
    At the time they were around, both, the Smashing Pumpkins and the Pixies were the phoniest and most faux-artsy-fartsy, of all those useless art student alterno pop bands. I had some temporarily misguided friends who took me along to a Pixies show on their Surfer Rosa tour and it was probably the singular most boring thing I had ever seen up until then. So ball-less their scrotum actually seemed to be inverted. Smashing Pumpkins??? I thought only "artistic" girls who like to cut themselves with dull scissors ever listened to this shit?

    It's your world, playa.
  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    And what about rap music, Frank?
  • FrankFrank 2,379 Posts
    HarveyCanal said:
    And what about rap music, Frank?
    Don't really know much about it to be honest. There are lots of musical genres I know nothing about.
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