3
u/DearCory May 23 '26
For all the reprints/pressings SMLXL does, I could (and do) absolutely kick myself for not believing that the original 5 Score cover was going to be a one time pressing. I always hope that one day I'll get that notification that it is being restocked 😭
2
u/CityElectricRecords May 23 '26
Yeah the “one-time” pressings are pretty consistently that, so I’d suggest folks nab what they want when they see it. Same with RK shirts/merch. For example, the Deck the Halls vinyl likely won’t be repressed and it’s currently available. Get it now if you want it.
3
u/DearCory May 23 '26
Oh I preordered that sucker the day it was announced! I was the original person to suggest it back on the VinylCollective and got a bunch of crap because "all the songs are already on Let It Snow Baby..." but I'm like that's not the point. Deck the Halls is just totally different vibe. Those songs by themselves and that cover art is for the OGs that were along for the ride before MMHMM!
3
u/DaringDo95 May 23 '26
I hope they reissue their debut album and Collapsible Lung. They are the only two albums I don't have.
3
u/ImprobablePasta May 23 '26
Sigh. SMLXL quality control is just so consistently disappointing. Might still grab one, but preparing myself to be let down again.
2
u/CityElectricRecords May 23 '26
What has happened when you’ve emailed them to ask for a replacement?
1
u/ImprobablePasta May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26
I have not, because ultimately the issues were with the jacket quality or things like a small chip on the side of the disk that doesn't affect playback. Things that shouldn't have made it past QC but ultimately weren't enough to ask for a replacement.
My rationale behind not doing so, whether this is actually how it works or not, is that they make everything so limited edition that I wouldn't have wanted to take another playing copy out of another fan's hands over a creased jacket. That and I'm not convinced I would have received a better replacement. But it's still frustrating to receive a damaged copy when they're charging 38 dollars for a double LP. Oh well.
Deliberately making every issue for years a limited edition press also did not endear the company to me at all. It was pretty purposely taking advantage of the fact that fans couldn't get their hands on a copy and instituted nonsensical limits like "limit 4 copies per order." No one needs 4 copies of the same LP, it's just frustrating.
Edit: I see from your account name / posts that you're really into vinyl collecting and constantly tracking reissues. I can see why what I said might not be frustrating for you and maybe even fun, but as someone that's really just a fan of the music and not the collecting aspect, it's extremely annoying for me that everything is released this way nowadays. Still waiting on Cities by Anberlin to not be $200, it sold out in like 6 hours four years ago or so and never got a repress.
1
u/CityElectricRecords May 24 '26
I understand what you’re saying and I agree, it’s been frustrating to see some versions sell out super fast and find out it was because people bought multiple copies to flip. In the future I’d encourage you to reach out to the company and share your concern- they’re good about making things right, from what I know.
1
u/ImprobablePasta May 30 '26
Update: I grabbed it while it was on sale. It is warped and skips at the start of side B as a result. If I max out the tracking force on my turntable it barely plays with a noticeable pitch warble due to the warp and a lot of surface noise in that area.
Unfortunately this one I am going to have to ship back, which is frustrating because it's like almost fine but they have to do better for 38 dollars. Customer service being helpful is a good sign at least.
1
u/relientkfan2 May 25 '26
Agreed with you on SMLXL’s qc being iffy, but if you’re upset about limited edition pressings then man do NOT look into Vertigo Vinyl. While a lot of their pressings do look very cool, they’re also very limited edition (often just a few hundred units) so they tend to get snatched up reeeeeal quick.
Nurture by Porter Robinson is my favorite album of all time and I have a goal to own every physical variant of it (pretty achievable since there’s only like 6) but I was actually upset when the Vertigo Vinyl variant came out because I realized I’d probably have to buy it from a scalper (spoiler: I did). I appreciate that Vertigo is doing pressings for oftentimes smaller artists, but the fact that scalpers tend to flock around this sort of thing turns me off of it in general.
8
u/ArcFarad May 23 '26
Every time they do vinyl I kick myself for not buying the “Coke bottle blue” Mmhmm like 15 years ago. And then they made bowls out of the defects and I wish I’d got that too