VMP November Record of the Month: Songs for the Deaf

Got the email ten minutes ago. VMP has announced their next three Records of the Month.

October: The Soft Bulletin

November: Songs for the Deaf

December: Never Loved a Man the Way I've Loved You

The only way to get Songs for the Deaf is to sign up for the three month plan pretty immediately, because they expect it to sell out quickly. So basically they've extorted $81 out of me to get Songs for the Deaf, but I like the other records also, and that's far below what that record sells for, so it is what it is.

It's worth noting that their pressing of Demon Days is still pretty readily available at reasonable prices, and that record was arguably even more sought after than Songs for the Deaf. So there's a chance this one will be easy to score later on as well, but I'm not willing to take it.

 

I wish they would specify which version of Soft Bulletin it is...it would have been really cool of them to put the CD version on wax, as I always preferred that version of "Buggin" to the LP version.

 

Ahh damn. I want songs for the deaf. Already own a good pressing of the soft bulletin.
Will have to think this over. Quickly...

 

They just got my $81 dollars too...sigh

 

Yeah, mine too. I swapped the flaming lips record for the VMP Phoenix one that I’d been keeping my eye on for a while now, so I see the Aretha record as bonus. Love her music, so not much of a problem

 

Pretty epic news and a no brainer purchase imo.

 

Welp. Hoping for a 20 year reissue in 2022. I don't want the other LPs just to get this.

 

There’s a couple dozen albums that you can swap in if you’re not into the Lips or Aretha.

 

It's doubtful that will ever happen, as the label hired Peter Mokran to mix three songs against the bands' wishes. Frankly, I like his mix of "Waitin' For A Superman" more than the Lips version. But hearing the album with the original mixes makes a lot more sense to me now. I have grown to appreciate it over time.

 

True

 

Email I got yesterday from the Desert Sessions mailing list noted “Additional vinyl options will be made available and announced shortly.”

Eff VMP and their bullish!t sales tactics.

 

Yeah, I wouldn't expect a Bellman cut to *only* show up as a limited edition club issue, especially for a title that's so high in demand.

 

I honestly don't care about the color--I'd be fine with a black. It would just be nice if this darn thing could be an in-stock unit, not an OOP (but ya cain't, always git, whatchoo want).

 

I’m pretty sure a normal reissue will follow this one. Same thing happened with Demon Days. But well, better safe than sorry, me thinks. And for $36 this isn’t an expensive one, except for the fact that you have to buy two other albums you may or not may want. The Third Man Vault things are way more of an example of bullsh!t sales tactics, in my opinion. But I digress. I am super stoked to getting an official vinyl release of Songs For The Deaf!

 

I wish this outfit would bite the dust. BS that keeps good titles by CB and KG captive by other titles you dont want.

Unless you want to pay double on ebay or discogs.

 

Many of these titles would not be getting the CB and KG treatment unless VMP was licensing and releasing it. If you see something you want, sign up for a monthly account, buy it, then turn off your subscription. That's what I did when they released Fiona Apple's Tidal, but I ended up turning my subscription on and off multiple times since then, and I haven't missed anything that I wanted.

 

Subscriptions are 3-months now, so you're in for at least 3 titles, and hoping that you can swap in titles you actually want...

 

Yep. I ended my subscription because I ran out of things I wanted to swap for.

 

Weird, I had no idea. My account page still shows the monthly subscription as an option. I suppose I was grandfathered in?

 

Yes, if you had a 1-month subscription before you're grandfathered in.

 

Gotcha...

My main point though was that the titles done by Bellman and Gray wouldn't have been released if it weren't for VMP.

 

That might not necessarily be true, though.

 

Nice offerings for the 3 month subscription crowd. Doubly so for people who just want to get their toes wet!

I don't see how anyone could complain about having the OPTION to partake.

 

It was true for Blossom Dearie, Donald Byrd, Nina Simone, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Art Blakey, Ayalew Mesfin, Fiona Apple, Eddie Floyd and many others I didn't even buy.

 

True, but a lot of those are niche titles (apart from the Fiona Apple, of course). I'm betting VMP is, in part, a way for the industry to test interest in titles like these. The Fiona will likely get a repress after the exclusivity agreement ends, and I'd be really surprised if something like SftD didn't.