EVERYBODY'S DOIN' THE VINYL THING
A few of you chumps out there keep asking us, "When are you going to put something out on vinyl?" Well, let's just say your cup is about to runneth over. In fact, you might want to get a bucket. Love Jones' unique amalgam of musical styles arose from an overriding love for pop music, from doo wop and samba jazz to sweet soul and bubble gum AM confections. Naturally, with such a diverse and classic range of influences, the font from which Love Jones drew inspiration had to be vinyl.
A good portion of the Love Jones repertoire can be directly traced to days and nights spent kneeling beside the phonograph, gently placing the stylus upon careworn copies of classic platters from Sergio Mendes, Tom Jones, Earth Wind and Fire and others. (An even greater portion of the Love Jones repertoire can be directly traced to sleepless nights spent partyin' with Jim, Jack, and Hiram, but you already knew that.)
With the concurrent releases of Love Jones' latest studio album, "Powerful Pain Relief" on glorious double 10" white vinyl (fancy!) and a full-length concert recording, "Love Jones Live in Hollywood," the band finally returns the favor to the format that gave them life. "It's the realization of a lifelong dream," said bassist Barry Thomas. "We were really hoping that someday we'd have the opportunity to release vinyl." Thanks to Classic Records' Rock the House Records, that dream is a reality. Now, if only they could find a company that still makes 8-track tapes...
(Incidentally, this isn't the first time the band has appeared on vinyl. An extremely rare 1993 7" of "Li'l Black Book"/"Young Girls" on Chicago's Minty Fresh Records remains a much sought after item for LJ collectors, even members of the band.)
For starters, "Love Jones Live in Hollywood" is available on vinyl only! Start gloating NOW! And remember those early days of the digital era when record companies would stick a bonus track on the CD version of an album to boost sales for their new format? Well, with "Powerful Pain Relief," Love Jones and Classic Records help to turn the tables on that trend. With this album, the vinyl edition contains the bonus track, and it's a beaut... "Melissa" is a lazy love song in the Bacharach tradition that would have been released sooner, but the band was waiting for a special occasion. And this is that day.
In addition to the bonus track, the vinyl edition of "PPR" features the songs in different running order. This was done to achieve maximum sound quality by balancing the running times of each of the four sides. For kicks, the band arranged the sides thematically; there's the groove side, the pop side, the whacky side, and the slow jam side.
If you've already picked up "PPR" on the popular CD or cassette formats, don't let that stop you from owning the album on vinyl. It sounds much truer to the producers' intent (yes, analog sounds like God's music on an analog format). And if you don't own a turntable, so what? The artwork is much more mackin' on full-size vinyl packaging. In fact, some of the artwork is not on the CD or cassette package... check out the gatefold photo inside for proof.