Customguitars87

This is just a stock photo but I snagged one of these for about $100 a while back, they seem to go for close to $300 now. It's my favorite album of all time so I didn't mind spending the benjamin on it. 

Can't go wrong with good ole Expedit.

It's a shame that this band has become the stoner metal version of Kiss. I met them after a show back in 2009 and got all my stuff signed for free in 10 seconds. I can probably get a grand on EBay for all the stuff I have. They used to be a very fan friendly band but lately it's all been a huge money grab. I understand everyone needs to make a living but I think they're doing just fine without the need to gouge the fans.

$70 for a double vinyl is laughable.

Porcupine Tree's Deadwing. There's a copy on Discogs now for $500+shipping (used, by the way). Insanity.

FYI guys, and this is just MY personal experience so I cannot guarantee this'll work for you...

I realized that my Act 3 was screwed up and wasn't going to get any worse, so i tried out an experiment. I have the typical cookie cutter cleaning equipment: Vinyl Styl solution and cleaning pad. I put a BUNCH of the cleaner on the stuck-on glue/jizz, and put in some elbow grease with the cleaning pad. 95% of it came off, and now instead of it skipping on the same three words it plays through perfectly minus a bit of extra static in the spot where the glue line was (not louder than the music). So, basically this fixed my albums problems by about 95%. 

I still obviously want a copy that doesnt have any inherent quality issues, but this at least softens the wait so I can still enjoy the record.

Quick bump...anyone hear back? Last I heard they were contacting the company for a repress possibility. I would love a working copy of the album I paid for....

I don't really bother getting records signed, i much prefer getting posters autographed. The jewel of the collection is probably my Dio-era Black Sabbath poster signed by the whole band, including Ronnie who signed it for me and sadly passed not too long after that.

Another really awesome one is a poster for Dream Theater's Scenes from a Memory album, signed by everyone. Their original drummer Mike Portnoy told me a story about the poster...apparently it's a misprinted one and worth quite a bit of money. He joked about charging me for his signature, haha.

shit, i haven't even opened my act III yet. all this defect talk is making me nervous.

Things could be worse. You could be the guy bidding $150+ on the bundle on Ebay and have a defective Act III inside. Which no one will exchange...

The lady from customer service who responded said that they'd send along a postage paid mailer thing so I can send my Act 3 back. Should be simple

Just realized my ACT III has a weird strip of glue or something on it on both sides!

You and many of us...looks like a probable defect. Im waiting on a replacement copy.

I REALLY hope that's shill bidding or something. Aren't those still available for less than that?

180G bundle is completely sold out. And I assure you it's not shill bidding. I knew this would happen too.

beggars belief!

"I recently found the originals and do not need 2nd copies of these."

Hahah how convenient for him! Fancy that, just finding them.

I think he means found as in purchased on EBay etc but still. Clearly someone who bought 2 copies to resell one lol

And hereeee we go...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181347737222?redirect=mobile

On one hand, excited cuz it's a great album. On the other hand, considering how bad the Afterman albums sound on vinyl (easily the WORST sounding vinyl I have ever heard/owned), I'm definitely hesitant...

Got mine yesterday, stoked to have Acts I & II finally. Not a fan of the new artwork, but whatever. I paid for all three by selling my original Act III on Discogs, so I have no complaints!

Sweet! I'm holding on to my original Act 3. The artwork and the way the gatefold is done is way too nice.

Suppose we can agree to disagree.

While your points hold weight, I just can't fully agree. Casey is a great musician; I never questioned that. Its just the direction he's going in just seems funny. Whether its all a cash grab or not, at least we can agree that the music is all to some degree good. I suppose every band has their "blemishes". I've said the same for fun., but that's besides the point.

Anyways, I'm still sad.

I hear you. And you're right, that's the point I was making...no band has album after album that's going to perfectly appeal to you and be equal in quality. We're lucky that people like Casey exist whose music, even on a bad day, is 10X better than the best stuff many other bands can come up with.

That said, I'm pretty sure the continuation of the Acts will absolutely slay.

Ikea FTW. $65 and nice solid vinyl storage. Saved me a ton of space too from having the turntables on top.

Okay. Listening to this all over again, I've realized something. I haven't listened to the Acts in a LONG time. And it's so much better than I remember! I just don't know how he went from this to Migrant, you know? Like, every sound and lyric is so meaningful and deliberate with these songs. They feel like they have so much more weight. It's great storytelling with complex, incredible music; not just "Don't look back ... k, its over." The songs evolve and are so intricate. I remember, I used to call this my "favorite experimental band". Now, The Dear Hunter is just different. Not entirely bad, but definitely not the same. I seriously think he's realized his full potential of his talent and is exploiting it. I don't think he tries as hard as he used to. Cause if you knew that you could barely try and everyone would love it, wouldn't you coast on that for as long as you could? I've got to say, I'm kind of worried about what Act 4, 5 and 6 will bring... That makes me sad.

 

Honestly, I think that's nonsense. Allow me to address this point for point...

1. Yes, the "storytelling" is far more complex and interesting in the Acts series vs. Migrant. Know why? Because Migrant is not a concept album the way that Acts 1-3 are. Common sense to anyone who understands varying genres/ways of writing music. TCS is also not a concept album persay (at least, not with a cohesive directed storyline...the EPs have in common just the fact that each is representing a color).

2). It's not "exploiting" the full potential of your talent (which isn't really a negative, how does one exploit his/her own talent?) to release an album that does a different thing, or tries to reach a different audience. Yes, maybe you didnt like Migrant as much as the Acts...I agree with that, and I think the Acts are stronger musically. But to say he doesn't try as hard just because this album is somewhat simpler and has a different feel...

3). No, you would not "coast" if you knew that people loved everything you did. What happens as a musician is you feel that much more pressure and work that much harder to create something that will interest the listener, change things up, take them by surprise, and inspire. The mentality for any musician I've ever heard of in this situation is not "Sweet, my last album did really well. I guess I can just put out whatever now". It's "Oh man, how do I top (previous album)?"

4). What "lack of quality" do you see in this release? The vinyl sounds fantastic. It's music, not a painting to hang on the wall. You got all the Act albums for $60 instead of spending $300-$400 on Ebay on older pressings. You don't like the artwork...that's not a "lack of quality", that's you not liking the photos chosen for the album art. And yes I agree the typos/lyric-sheet issues should've been caught, but none of us knew about those until we got the LPs in hand. So, it has nothing to do with us "eating it up" no matter what is released.

Anyway, I don't mean to come off as rude. It's just that I found this post particularly ridiculous. Casey is a tremendous musician, and holding a musician's current work up against what's considered their "masterpiece" will always be unfair and disappointing. I really don't know why people can't just enjoy things on their own merit. Migrant has a ton of great songs like Shame, An Escape, etc. Do I play it as much as the Acts and TCS? No. But do I think it means Casey's music is going downhill? Absolutely not. It's just a different album, and I have friends that think it's some of the best, most honest music he's written. It's just an alternate flavor of things for when you're in the mood for something different.

Just my two cents.

I think Casey confirmed when someone asked that it's the same as far as quality goes, and said if you have the original pressings this won't be anything you need to get. It's more for the people who didnt get a copy the first time around.

It's not sold out, is it?

It's been sold out on vinyl for a while I think. And apparently the yellow vinyl is rare? I got my copy from a local big name shop for $13 and I see them on eBay for like $80 now....

I personally think Red hands is overrated. Great song, but I'm partial to Dear Ms Leading. The lyrics, the vocal lines, and that freakin solo...

Gotta hand it to MerchDirect..one record from act 3 arrived with two big ass scratches (mirrored on each side, so obviously something that happened before it got to me). So I contacted them and they said they'd send a replacement and a postage paid sticker so I can send the damaged one back. Quality service, it seems!

I feel the same, Act III, Act II, then Act I. Which is kind of cool because how many musicians/bands do you know that get BETTER over time rather than worse?

Man, these are incredible. Bought 2 copies of the 180G bundle. Amazing, amazing music.

Have my copies waiting at home. Probably going to do a marathon tonight of all 3 records. Glad to hear they sound great, though I'm not surprised.