mcpherson123

1 hour ago, Why not Shelby said:

Says who?

Yeah, we literally have no idea how many of these will be manufactured. The TMV box was supposedly 5000 world wide according to Clouds Hill. So far I've only seen the phrase "limited edition" plastered all over the listings for FI Deluxe. But then again, pretty much every single vinyl release for the last ten years or so has included that phrase even if it kept getting replenished.

2 hours ago, Why not Shelby said:

I had 3 preorders from popmarket just never get fulfilled on things that were straight up in stock on other websites. They suck.

I've only had good luck with them. I haven't had a ton of orders but they've all come through.

Amazon price jumped up to $169.98 as of this posting.

On a more positive note of inquiry, is anyone else interpreting this stock product photo to be insinuating that there are 3(?) different outer casing cover art variants? Or am I not understanding the way that is made up?

22 minutes ago, rrd said:

im sorry but you're wrong on this one

if i'm paying for a record, the artwork is absolutely part of it, and there's a reasonable expectation it should be undamaged. by your logic all bands should just release albums in plain white sleeves since it apparently doesn't matter. i can tolerate minor dings and seam splits, but when you have a full 2 inch gash right through the band name on the spine that is fully visible on my shelf, i can't abide by that. at the very least a partial refund should be offered if you don't have the product to replace it.

I never said the artwork wasn't part of what you paid for. And I don't think you have interpreted my logic as I intended it. I never insinuated it didn't matter. I'm a huge proponent of the record sleeves as a canvas for accompanying visuals to a piece of music. What I actually said is that it is unreasonable to expect that the gashes your record sleeve suffered are somehow a liability of the label or the customer. It is a consequence of the physics of motion and the resiliency of the materials you are purchasing. It has happened to me as well. It sucks and believe it or not I hate that it happened to your record but unless you can make a case for how the shipping  department didn't take proper protective measures to avoid the damage, then its just a case of misfortune with ordering a product made of materials that are susceptible to these problems which don't always occur but do occur sometimes. This is one of those times.

And even if you're correct about their liability but they don't have any replacement sleeves to satisfy your request, you really believe you deserve money back for a the consequences of a scenario that caused damage after the package left their hands? I'm really NOT trying to be rude or aggressive. I've been in that same mentality that you are coming from and I also left that mentality behind because it was actually toxic for me and caused me undue stress over an issue that simply cannot be guaranteed to be avoided all the time.

I do appreciate the enthusiasm you have for the propriety of being delivered what you purchased, with the expectation that the object will be in tact to enjoy the aesthetic of seeing it on the shelf,  and how that enthusiasm is driving your argument and I get it. Its just been my discovery, in my own journey, that learning to live with less than favorable condition when no other rectification is being granted is going to be better for your own peace of mind. No hate. I'm sorry if I came off aggressive. In the end all I can offer you is that as advice. I realize you didn't necessarily ask for my specific advice but I chimed in and here we are.

4 hours ago, SNEAKORDS said:

that would be incorrect though, the package is a part of it. would you accept a book with the cover torn off? it's not like you're reading the cover. or basically any collector shit, action figures, collector cards, fuckin forget about retaining value of sneakers if you don't have the box or the box is crushed. If record sleeves don't count as "the goods", why even both printing them, just send them out in a generic cardboard slipcover.

If you're paying for something, you're paying for the FULL package, otherwise you shouldn't be paying full price.

Its called reasonable expectation. Jackets were initially made to merely protect the LP. That was their whole function and in the meantime credits and identifying images were printed on the jackets. Then aesthetic and creativity got waxed into the mix as the format grew. Yes, I love when the art in the form of record jackets is in tact especially when purchased new but I'm not going to bother a label over the jacket edges being cut by the product inside it. I've grown to expect that possibility and live with it when it occurs.

Let's be real, this is not the same as the cover being torn off a book. I don't believe there is a comparable analogy between a book and a record wherein the existence of the media inside of its covering experienced enough inertia to cause damage to its outer layer. This wasn't someone tearing up the record jacket through either intention or negligence. This is a pitfall of shipping records in small quantities and dealing with the varying levels of work ethic around shipping and packing records by the vendors.

It sucks but I don't believe its a reasonable expectation to get replacement for a form of damage that is purely happenstance due to the conditions of the composition of the item which is the "goods" in question.

8 minutes ago, Rob-o-cop said:

I don't even see this listed on Amazon anymore.

1 hour ago, fish said:

Thanks, i'll bite at that price.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09T8F2ZQF/

This link still works but the page says the item is "Temporarily out of stock"

7 minutes ago, jhulud said:

Well. If the price is supposed to $169.98 & Amazon made a snafu, they best honor their price. 
 

 

I think its just the standard Amazon undercut.

Just now, Adam10647 said:

Same. I sold my soul to buy a record.

Niiiiiiice...

3 minutes ago, morfiend said:

Negative Nelly today lol

I know... 😔  I can't help it.

Anticipating most of the Amazon fulfillment going the way of the TMV box set...

8 minutes ago, Eliminator Jr. said:

There’s no shortage of better music with way more reasonable price tags out there. Just, you know, skip this record or fuck this band or whatever, really.. 

That's fair. I'm a Tool fan unfortunately for me but with this record, I would probably skip that G side altogether. If there was a reasonable edition available, I'd be happy to add it to my collection and play it when the mood strikes. The album is legit but I haven't been blown away by a Tool album since Lateralus. Not that they've had a ton of efforts since then. But having only a $170 to $180 option makes it hard to keep up with maintaining a full LP collection for this band and the premise is that I would like to do just that.

They could easily put out a standard 2xLP or 3xLP in a standard gatefold and not feel the need to reinvent the physical music wheel and we could buy their pretty good record for about $35 to $45 and not feel nervous handling the set when we wanted to play it. At the end of the day no one is going to congratulate or reward them on their revolutionary packaging (OK maybe the Grammy's will but what is that really worth?) especially when it all drives the total cost to purchase A SINGLE BODY OF WORK  in the form a roughly 80 minute album up to nearly $200 after tax. Its still just one album.

I guess I'm just one of those vinyl playing crazies who likes to own the records that I like... on vinyl.

6 minutes ago, bgdesign said:

It's available on all streaming formats. Tool really doesn't do anything that's not over the top.

Cute but no. I'm tired of these excessive packages. I just want to play the album on my turntable and NOT spend $200 per record to do it.

14 hours ago, V3XED said:

Preface here... I really dislike the practice of shoving the blame/liability for damaged goods on the consumer.

But, the 'reality check' here is that unfortunately that is the state of things at the moment, so I am willing to cave and use "route" shipping protection offered by merchnow and others, and would go as far as recommending it as long as you can stomach basically bending over and giving up on fair treatment from labels. 

I have had multiple orders now where that extra $1.50 meant my corner ding turned into a free record.
Doesn't actually fix the problem but has probably saved me 2x as much as I have spent on the feature. 

Food for thought anyways. 
 

I agree about the ethic of not blaming the customer but that's not what I did. I said you have to accept the physical reality that labels putting out high volume of mailed records aren't going to take the same time and care into packing a record as I do necessarily where I sell approximately 1 to 5 records per year.

And this isn't damaged goods. I like record jackets as much as the next guy but the "good" is NOT particularly damaged when the record itself is still fully functional and undamaged. I had my phase of needing absolutely every centimeter of my record jackets to be perfect or I was going to freak out. I got over that pretty quick. Even the greatest packing could potentially leave the record or jacket susceptible to some unforeseen trauma. This is just a risk we take when we buy records online. It sucks when multiple edges get cut through by the jostling of the LP but that's not a reason to get a refund or replacement. You just roll with it and hope next time is better.

37 minutes ago, ntslash said:

No one is buying this for the music. It's a collectible. 

Then where is the version that I can buy for the music?

33 minutes ago, rrd said:

well got this message in response to asking for a replacement sleeve

"Unfortunately, since these LPs were 9 months in the making, in an already backed up industry, we were not given any replacement sleeves, and there are none available. As stated at the checkout, MerchNow is not responsible for items damaged in transit; we can only refund or replace in the instance the actual vinyl itself is damaged/won't play. If the issue is the sleeve or packaging of the vinyl there is nothing we can do."

and cause the pre-order was so friggin long ago its too late to claim any kind of buyer protection, ugh

I mean, those splits are about a 50/50 chance when you order LP's online that get delivered through the mail. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. I can't imagine getting a replacement from any label for those. I try to avoid that factor when sending records by using enough padding and squeezing the mailer extra tight to prevent the LP from sliding inside its own jacket. But every label doesn't pack records like I do, but I don't sell nearly as many records as a label.

Sucks but it happens.

22 minutes ago, Justinadamk said:

https://www.mainebiz.biz/article/bull-moose-becomes-employee-owned#:~:text=After more than 30 years,of the board of directors. 

Thank you for the article!

1 hour ago, Why not Shelby said:

Not sure what the joke is supposed to be but it's owned by a group of 140 employees now.

Yo! Thank you for that. I turned my back on that store after the union-busting scandal of last Summer but you're saying they have reformatted into a co-operative???

7 minutes ago, mameeshkamowskwoz said:

Looks like they're ALSO dropping a  Blu-Ray of something called Opiate2 (Opiate Squared) that is supposed to be a short film of a re-imagined version of the single final song off their first EP. Sounds like a joke, but I'm sure the details will be a hoot. When did actual Tool become a toolshed.down.net April first post from Kabir?

Yo, honestly! That is a great way to put it. This all feels like Kabir's obvious prank posts come to life.

It has been added:

https://www.discogs.com/release/22253038-Tool-Fear-Inoculum

3 minutes ago, Why not Shelby said:

Exactly, I've been arguing this for years now but there's always someone who thinks 180g does something. That's a whole ass nother record they could have pressed for every three and a half 180g records. Such a waste.

Did we just become best friends?

I'd argue its another record's worth of material for every two 180g records (relying that the weight is actually accurately that high) since I'd be happy with 120g per record and possibly even less.

2 minutes ago, Why not Shelby said:

I'm surprised this FI is "180g" since that isn't a thing this year anymore. They either have the clout do do it like you said or they're lying for the buzzword. But that will backfire when someone weighs them. 

 

Down for that dream though I want Lateralus pretty bad

I'm actually happy to see the weight drop on releases in general. It is basically a total waste of raw materials that could be used to press more copies of other or the same records in the long run. I have heavy records and light records. Some of the heavy ones have warps and some light ones have warps. Doesn't seem to matter. If you're worried about stabilization of the LP on the platter, use a rubber slipmat or a lightweight clamp. I have experienced no benefit from records being 180g or above and it literally just sucks up excesses of the PVC that we could have in reserve to again, keep records in print.

But yes, I also hope there is a new pressing of Lateralus (AND Ænima, for that matter) and I really hope they get their act together and cut it in the proper CD track sequence, on 2xLP, non-picture, high quality vinyl.

2 minutes ago, Why not Shelby said:

Nah it's the same issue as every other normally in print record right now. No resources to keep up with demand. I've seen records that normally cost $20 the last 10 years go for $200+ because they go out of print for months/years now. You'll see more picture discs when they finish a new repress this year or next year I'll bet on it haha.

Yeah, I've noticed the same trends. Was just hoping that since they managed to manufacture this vinyl wasting 5LP monstrosity in this climate of resource scarcity, maybe they would have also had the clout to get their other releases reissued but without all the useless glitz. I know its a pipe dream but so was a FI vinyl release for years.

14 minutes ago, fish said:

This got me thinking that I never got around to buying Lateralus. Decided that I should just deal with the pic disc and snag one since I've seen it available forever, and if it ever does get repressed properly it'll be a joke like this. When did that go out of print? All of a sudden it is $100+?

Damn. I didn't realize yet another Tool vinyl release fell to the second hand market beast.

Hopefully this will prompt them to put out some basic ass, newly well-mastered reissues.

LOL.

Guys, I just thought of something...

T(r)ol.

5 minutes ago, kannibal said:

I am not surprised. I am also not in the target market for this limited signed edition. These days, I don’t think a standard LP release even appeals to me if it’s going to be 5LP w/etchings on each side in a box. (Maybe $99 at best?) Not only do I despise etchings, but it’s the QC of vinyl that concerns me the most. And no, I don’t think “it’s so much worse these days.” All the flaws of vinyl playback have always been around. It all just gets accepted due to the love of vinyl or the improved mastering used for some LPs. This isn’t the kind of album that I’d like to roll the dice on and hope that there’s no recurring noise in the middle section of a song due to a pressing flaw.

Yeah, I was thinking something similar when I first saw this. Its like, just spend the money on the mastering process and make sure there's not a hint of goddamn silibance and make sure the high end doesn't distort across the soundstage.

Instead of a complex etching on every other side and a holographic box with hardbound album case to house the 5 single LP's w/etching, spend the time and resources guaranteeing a stellar playback and just put it on a normal quantity of LP's that appropriately accommodate just the music.