At some point in every rap fan’s life, there comes the day when you have pretty much every album worth owning but realize that all those late eighties and early ninties albums that were designed to fill up a 74 minute compact disc were doomed to whisper-quiet single vinyl pressings that you could only hear if you playing them in a submarine or a bomb shelter. Then you realise that most of said ‘old faves’ have since been officially reissued on 2LP or were at some point released in double vinyl in Europe, either in legitimate or bootleg form.
By 2007, things really started heating up when Traffic began releasing 4LP pressings of Cold Chillin’ classics, complete with bonus remixes and demos, which was great, but more importantly it meant that I could finally get a loud pressing of G Rap’s ‘Kool Is Back’ and ‘Men At Work.’ But is it worth forking out for all these old albums again just for louder pressings? Kinda. In some cases, the original album wasn’t that long to begin with so the 2LP versions just throw on a bunch of b-sides and remixes to pad out space. I can’t vouch for the sound quality on some of these since I don’t own them all, but here are my recommendations based on how shitty the original pressings were and how many songs were left off. P.S. Fuck a 3D lenticular cover.
Essential:
Organized Konfusion – S/T (bootleg)
Organized Konfusion – Stress: The Extinction Agenda (bootleg, official version coming soon)
Main Source – Breaks The Atom (bootleg)
O.C. – Word…Life
Ultramagnetic MC’s – Critical Beatdown (bootleg)
Akinyele – Vagina Diner (bootleg)
Showbiz & AG – Runaway Slave
KMD – Mr. Hood
Brand Nubian – One For All
Lord Finesse – Return of the Funkyman
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo – Road To The Riches 4LP
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo – Wanted Dead or Alive 4LP
Master Ace Take A Look Around 4LP
MC Shan – Down By Law 4LP
Biz Markie – Goin Off 4LP
Jungle Brothers – Done By The Forces of Nature
De La Soul – 3 Feet High and Rising
Big L – Lifestyles Ov Da Poor and Dangerous
The Beatnuts – Street Level
A Tribe Called Quest – Low End Theory
Black Sheep – A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing
Dr. Dre – The Chronic
A Tribe Called Quest – People’s Instinctive Travels…
Boogie Down Productions – Sex & Violence
EPMD – Business As Usual (bootleg)
Public Enemy – It Takes A Nation…
Beastie Boys – Licensed To Ill
LL Cool J – Mama Said Knock You Out
Notorious B.I.G. – Ready To Die (was released a few months after the first pressing but still counts)
Fat Joe – Represent (bootleg)
Worth Considering:
Kurious – A Constipated Monkey
Leaders of the New School – A Future Without A Past
A Tribe Called Quest – Midnight Marauders (Europe only)
Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique
Stetsasonic – In Full Gear
JVC Force – Doin’ Damage
Public Enemy – Yo! Bumrush The Show
Del – I Wish My Brother George Was Here
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo – Live and Let Die
Grand Daddy IU – Smooth Assassin
Marley Marl – In Control, Vol. 1
Jungle Brothers – Straight Out The Jungle
Souls of Mischief – ’93 ‘Til Infinity
NWA – Straight Outta Compton
EPMD – Business Never Personal (Europe only)
Redman – Whut Thee Album
Boogie Down Productions – Criminal Minded
Redman – Dare Iz A Darkside (bootleg)
Casual – Fear Itself
Mobb Deep – Juvenile Hell (bootleg)
Ultramagnetic MC’s – The Four Horsemen
Ultramagnetic MC’s – Funk Your Head Up (bootleg)
Cypress Hill – S/T (Europe only)
Common – Resurrection
Black Moon – Enta Da Stage 6LP
Snoop Doggy Dogg – Doggystyle
Run DMC – Raising Hell (bootleg of the deluxe CD with demo versions)
The D.O.C. – No One Can Do It Better (bootleg)
Don’t Bother:
Stetsasonic – On Fire
Original Flavor – This Is How It Is
Jazzy Jay – Cold Chillin’ In The Studio (best tracks on the promo EP)
The Genius – Words From The Genius (the best track is available on 12″)
Ice Cube – Death Certificate (Europe only)
KG The All and Tony Crush – Troopers (album was short to begin with)
Ice Cube – The Predator
NWA – Efil4Zaggin (has 100 Miles and Running on the last side)
Eazy-E – Eazy Duz It (last side is the 5150 Home 4 The Sick EP)
Ice Cube – AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted (second LP is the Kill At Will EP so not even a real 2LP)
Albums That Still Need 2LP Versions:
3rd Bass – The Cactus Album
Hard Knocks – School of Hard Knocks
Big Daddy Kane – It’s A Big Daddy Thing
Tim Dog – Penicillin On Wax
Willie Dee – Controversy
The GETO Boys – S/T
Boogie Down Productions – Edutainment
Threat – Sickinnahead
Digital Underground – Sex Packets (with the bonus cassette tracks, as suggested by Lamar Clay in the Facebook comments)
Stetsasonic – Blood, Sweat and No Tears (with the bonus cassette tracks)
Naughty By Nature – S/T
mo’ albums that still need 2lp versions:
d.o.c. “no one can do it better”
slick rick “great adventures…”
Would like Ilmatic on 2lp with no extra tracks
I think we need to harass someone like Get On Down to do the Sex Packets reissue. I want triple vinyl, cassette bonus tracks and 12″ remixes.
Every album should sound as loud and forceful as Dr. Dre’s-The Chronic album.
No doubt! Really too bad that tracks like Raw Fusion’s “Sounds of the Underground” didnt make it to later releases of this classic album from one of hip hop’s most shamefully slept on groups. Shock G is the man!
D.O.C. 2LP is out on bootleg
Stetsasonic – On Fire , don’t bother ? I think it’s a tight album
I’m in full agreement with everything said here and I’m grateful for the recommendations. Time to get some £ spent!
I bought a cork and rubber turntable mat last year to replace a felt slipmat. This had a big effect on the sound of all records, even super-compressed ones like Future Without a Past, Mr Hood and 3 feet high.
Essential post. My original copies of Cactus Album and In Full Gear sound pretty loud though.
Allow me to suggest the first Naughty By Nature album, sounded terrible (at least the European pressing did)
rob I thought you were done with vinyl and tapes? or is that only the context of the stone’s throw crowd?
@Wankman: It’s great, but it’s short enough to still sound good on one LP.
@ceedub: Great call on NBN.
@doughjoe: I relapsed.
@Chris: Cork slipmats eh? Haven’t tried that trick yet.
I have a double vinyl pressing that I picked up early 2000s of midnight marauders… I am sure it is euro. It is awful. Quiet and poor sound quality. Could be the pressing or a previous owner used kerosene to clean it.
I second cactus reissue with some of those remixes.
And surely whoever releases hard knocks as a double lp is onto a guaranteed money spinner.
any over 15 min per side could be worth a recut
Wu-Tang – Enter
Method Man – Tical
EPMD – Strictly / Unfinished Business
D-Nice – Call Me
Ed O.G – Life Of A Kid
Outkast – Southernplaylistic
Extra Prolific – Like It Should Be
Public Enemy – Fear
etc.etc.
“illmatic” under dont bother so far.
lavish 10 track 2lp just because.
or make it a 5lp cut at 45rpm.
Need pressings/CDs of instrumental-only albums of both N.W.A albums, but more so the second one, as the production is groundbreaking, but the lyrics are reprehensible.There are some instrumental reworkings off the second album on Youtube, but they show why they should be officially or bottlegged released in their entirety.
There also needs x2 pressings of all the Eric B and Rakim albums on MCA. The vinyl was poor quality ,so were the CD pressings.
Where’s 36 Chambers?
Just -Ice’s Back to the old school,cause the original pressing is awfully mixed.Turbocharged sounds like it was mixed in an oil drum with Just in another room submerged in water.
YZ-Ghetto’s been good to me.Mixed by deaf 4 yr old with ADHD.
Everything on B Boy records.Tall Dark and Handsome/BDP sampler was a gem but mixed on a budget of zero.
@ziploc: Tall, Dark & Handsome album had a few killers on it.
The ‘Stunts Blunts..’ Boot 2x lp plain red labels black sleeve with sticker ive had since it dropped as i could never find an OG on release in the UK. Works for me I still play it sounds ok, worth coping.
Can anyone vouch for the sound quality of Dare Iz A Darkside on double LP? I’m thinking of buying it on either double LP or the Back to Black 180g issue.