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IN STOCK
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ARTIST
TITLE
The Vinyl Room
FORMAT
2LP
LABEL
CATALOG #
BEWITH 035LP
BEWITH 035LP
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
6/21/2019
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2018 release. Be With Records present a reissue of Sleepy's Theme's The Vinyl Room, originally released in 1998. With powerhouse production trio Organized Noize, Sleepy Brown orchestrated Atlanta's hallmark sound of the '90s; his slow-cooked southern-fried G-Funk providing hits for TLC, Outkast, and Goodie Mob. However, by 1998 and post-Aquemini, his desire was to take center stage. The dizzying result was Sleepy's Theme and their wonderful throwback LP, The Vinyl Room. Their vintage, '70s soul-steeped magnum opus was promptly passed on by Jimmy Iovine at Interscope, released only on CD on a limited scale, and mostly...um...slept on. Be With Records finally present the inaugural vinyl edition of this landmark record as a DJ-friendly double LP. Blending organic instrumentation from one of the tightest, greasiest, yet sophisticated bands in the land, The Vinyl Room presented dreamy melodies, warm synth textures, stately horns and wayward beats. Brown conceived his "garage funk band" as adhering to the sonic touchstones of Blaxploitation and he achieved it. Featuring keyboardist/singer Eddie Stokes, drummer Victor Rico Cortez, guitarist Bill Odum, vocalist Keisha Jackson, and the late Pimp C, the sound was always going to be in the pocket. While it eschewed contemporary trends, the underground sound was nevertheless fresh and grounded in the hat-tip spirit of hip-hop. With Sleepy bragging that there were no samples, The Vinyl Room comprised a richly textured, mesmerizing and confident sound where the recurring themes were women, cars, and weed. The luscious bass grooves, silk-soft cymbal pats, raindrop-drowsy keyboards, and country-fried wah-wah guitar licks conjure Bobby Womack in the lab with Marley Marl, Isaac Hayes laced by Dr. Dre or Curtis Mayfield bring introduced to DJ Quik. "Can't Let Go" with its heist movie aesthetic, morphs into a strung-out love song as Sleepy slurs compellingly throughout. Pimp C's low-riding beat for "Simply Beautiful", a bouncing track brilliantly inspired by Barry White's swaggering "You're The One I Need", is exceptional. Perhaps as a nod to the great Brick, the horn section on "Grind On" is quietly joyous and profound whilst "Curse On You" is a dark groover and features a great vocal from Cee-Lo Green. "Still Smokin'", another rousing track, is a peculiarly laidback anthem; hypnotic, hot and smooth. Perhaps the highlight of the entire piece, "Choked Out Saturday Night" sounds like the old Atlanta. Remastered. Gatefold jacket, adorned with purple foil layer; printed lyrics across two double-sided inner sleeves. 180 gram vinyl.
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