This is a fairly great sounding repress, it is lightweight but that doesnt affect one bit (as it should, since that only should affect easiness of warping) Found it for like 13 bucks, total bargain.

Yeah, it's a lightweight pressing. I ordered mine from Amazon and to this day kind of feel surprised that mine didn't get warped in the 'frustration-free' packaging (two United-pressed albums I got from Amazon in the past were slightly warped), unless maybe it's because it's a very high-quality EU pressing, and maybe the superior vinyl formulation is more easily able to withstand changing temperatures. Either way, can't complain. This is one of the quietest new vinyl pressings I have ever purchased, which is saying a LOT. This is a premium item with a LOT of attention to detail put into it, from the packaging to the pressing and mastering, so congrats on scoring it for so cheap!

A great, unique album that has stood the test of time really well. I caught big-time Gorillaz fever for the first time in a long while coming back from the recent Toronto concert, and in my neck of the woods, this album has been in regular rotation alongside the likes of Humanz. Both are great albums, but there's something special about this one for me, since it was the first Gorillaz album I ever heard in full (after discovering them during the Phase 2 era through that old Geep simulator online game).Simply put - this album is a beautiful, harmonious, moody melting pot of trip-hop, rap, alternative rock, punk, dub, Latino and what have you. Creative melodies and cryptic lyrics abound, with some truly entertaining slices of drop-dead gorgeous toasting by Del, the rappin' apparition; the ghost who roused countless millions in the classic "Clint Eastwood" with his venting of afterlife as a demonic spirit inside (fictional) drummer Russel Hobbs' head..... before, sadly, he got erased from the canon after Russel's necessary exorcism.Being the first Gorillaz album, this can be seen as Damon Albarn's first daring flirtation with an 'alternative creative outlet', and it truly set the tone for what was to come years later. The key thing that differentiates this album from later Gorillaz work is that the thematic tone of the album - lyrics, style, emotion and just overall feel - has a prevailing sense of pre-9/11 optimism, whereas later releases - despite often being even more energetic, throbbing and dancefloor-ready in nature musically than this album* - pivoted thematically around Damon's angst surrounding world events.*("Starshine" is NEARLY Velvet Underground-like in its druggy gloom. Overall, at this time, Damon's angst had more to do with the slime that oozed out from his TV set, i.e. his disillusionment with what he perceived as the zombie-like blandness of MTV's stars - which was his main motivator for bringing the Gorillaz project into existence - as well as his problems with drug use.)To give an example, nothing in this bag quite oozes sunshine like the stupidly catchy one-two punch of "Re-Hash" and "5/4", one of the finest pairs of album-openers this side of the Atlantic. This album has more of Gorillaz the cartoon band just unwinding and having fun than anything after it, even considering the more intense toe-tappers they would devise in the future (the likes of which include, but are not limited to, "Feel Good Inc.", "Dare", "Stylo", and pretty much all of Humanz).On this album, the happiness is even pinpointed with an ounce of cultural nostalgia. The lyrics that open "19-2000" say it all, really: "The world is spinnin' too fast - I'm buyin' lead Nike shoes, to keep myself tethered to the days I've tried to lose." Nowhere else, other than that one song, is that concept of reviving and celebrating the 80's and 90's in an ever-changing world more apparent than on "Rock the House", Del's authentic, smooth-talkin' tribute to old-school East Coast hip-hop, with stately horns that add an element of romance to Del's already-affectionate delivery.Not to mention the fact that one key 'nostalgic' motif in the Gorillaz canon was the frequent, more-than-subtle ode to the unforgettable kitsch of the late George Romero's zombie movies (as well as theme of demonic possessions being prominent in Gorillaz' backstory) - the punkish "M1A1" being a perfect example of this. It's based around a sample of the opening scene from Day of the Dead, which - alongside Murdoc's Satanism, Russel's unfortunate liability to possession by demonic spirits, and the fact that the band's fictional residence Kong Studios was haunted - certainly lends a spooky air to the atmosphere of Phase 1 & 2-era Gorillaz. No doubt it's this idiosyncratic horror-movie spookiness that has partially caused Gorillaz to win the adulation of fanatics world-over.All things given, this album is the perfect marriage between lo-fi rap, trip-hop and alternative rock. It's a colourful sonic adventure that truly blurred the line between once largely-divided musical worlds, and drew in a diverse fanbase of enthusiasts from all walks of life... a group of fans that have remained fiercely loyal for over 16 years. Gorillaz had something for everyone, whether it be consumers of pop music, Velvet Underground/lo-fi diehards, old-school hip-hop fans, alt-rockers who had already been familiar with Blur, or even the 'scene' types. I'd say this album's broad appeal has never faded in the 16 years it's been out - for this album remains strikingly relevant in a changing musical landscape, even where the funky, club-ready synth grooves of Humanz threaten to usurp all that preceded it.There are so many great songs on this album that it's difficult to pick a favourite among all the standouts, but if I were to single out just one track as a favourite, then strictly from an artistic perspective I'd say it would be "New Genious (Brother)". There's so much going on in this track - the complex, multilayered melange of drum loops gives the song an aggressive, throbbing, pounding hip-hop feel, kept in perfect balance with a distinct atmosphere that's sinister, melancholic and uplifting all at once, sitting extremely well alongside "Clint Eastwood"... the synthesized strings, Damon/2D harmonizing with himself, the groovy melodica solo... every element just fits together and clicks in a synergy that's difficult to concisely pin down in writing. Needless to say, this one song really embodies everything that this classic album is all about.In addition, the flow of the album is inherently well-suited to the vinyl format. "New Genious" is the final track on side one, which further enhances its 'climactic' feel, given the inevitable break involved in flipping the record over before the full-on attack of "Clint Eastwood". The same goes for the drop-dead gorgeousness of "Latin Simone", which appears at the end of side three - having Ibrahim's increasingly desperate, wistful wailing of "que pasa contigo, mi hermano?" ("What's the matter with you, brother?") placed right before the needle trails off into the silence of the runout groove only enhances its emotional effect.Now excuse me while I step out for a fresh of breath air, because I'm gonna go out into full-on vinyl nerd mode....[DEEP INHALATION]On that note, fans of this album will be pleased to know this is a very high-quality repress with beautiful artwork all over. First things first - those of you who only know this album by the regular CD release are missing out on a lot visually. It's great to see all of Jamie's drawings enlarged vastly and in crisp, beautifully-printed detail. The illustrations on the inner sleeves, representing each of the 16 songs on the album, are immensely satisfying extras that can otherwise only be found on deluxe CD editions (and even here they're a lot better slapped together on 12" inserts) with snippets of song lyrics here and there - if you ever had any doubt as to what the words even are in various critical areas on the album, then this oughta clear up a little bit of that confusion for you. Even so, we aren't given the COMPLETE lyrics, so because Damon appears to have decided that some things are best left a mystery, it's up to all of us to decide whether the catchy singalong chorus in "Re-Hash" goes like 'it's the money or stop' or 'it's the money as dub'... Then again, maybe the ambiguity adds to the fun factor, no?In any case, Gorillaz have always been as much about the music as they are about the animated characters and their mythology, and this vinyl release embraces these traits gracefully - it's a physical experience more immersive than the CD (bar the enhanced section with the "key" to Murdoc's winnebago), and considering that this pressing is basically identical to the original 2001 vinyl (outside of a few subtle differences in the copyright notices, since EMI no longer exists), this experience is just as revealing as it would've been 16 years ago.The wax proper is everything I could ask for, quality-wise - a flawless, whisper-quiet pressing brought to you by the venerable Dutch artisans at Record Industry, and a hot, detailed master with earth-shattering bass. My expectations were very high for this repress, and it delivers on all fronts.Remember, also, that this pressing uses lacquers that were cut in 2001. At that time, vinyl was a format mainly used by DJs and electronica/rap artists, so the vinyl mastering sensibilities of the time for artists of Gorillaz' ilk (in addition to pop music in general) naturally leaned towards cutting everything like the typical electronica 12" single - wide, deep grooves, uncompromised bass, and making everything as hot as the groove width allowed without sacrificing dynamic range. So you can naturally expect a vinyl release like this to sound as great as it does.Let's not forget the locked groove on side four that 'hides' the Ed Case remix of "Clint Eastwood". It's not that often when you come across a record that requires you to get up, walk over to the turntable, and physically intervene by gently moving the needle over to the next band in order to hear a hidden track. Even though the song isn't 'hidden' in every sense of the word due to it being listed everywhere on the release, it's a very neat feature.What more can I say? Grab one before they're unable to repress 'em anymore. You won't be disappointed.(Bizarrely, as I was writing some of this, "Sound Check (Gravity)" and "Dirty Harry" were playing in a restaurant I was in.)

Thank you for the feedback! Humanz was challenging for me to REALLY get into at first because I thought it sorta lacked a bit in the moody melodicism of previous Gorillaz work - after all, it has more of a club/party flavour in comparison to previous albums - but after the Toronto concert, I ended up listening to Humanz more closely, and that's when I started to more fully appreciate it. Now I'm convinced that Damon Albarn hasn't run out of spunk yet.In other words, what Humanz lacks in said 'moody melodicism', it makes up for in sheer power and strong collaborative efforts. Granted, there are a lot of people who still don't like it, but songs like "Saturnz Barz" and "Strobelite" have become key episodes in the Gorillaz canon for very good reason.I'm also not a big fan of modern day rap music, but Vince Staples' presence in "Ascension" is not burdensome at all - in fact after so many listens I've found that his flair for clever politically-inclined rhyming and storytelling only enhances the adrenaline rush of the track. It blends well with Damon's production.Seriously - Vince's 45-minute opening act at the Toronto concert was incredibly grueling and intolerable, but I could listen to those three lonesome minutes of "Ascension" all day.So to summarize, in my opinion Humanz is hardly the most accessible album in the world, but deeper listening and further studying of its place in the Gorillaz canon could lead to one appreciating it on the same level as albums like S/T and Demon Days... just like I do.

Can you give your thoughts on humanz before I buy it?

This review was awesome!! Thank you! My copy is coming today via mail and I'm even more excited after reading this!!

Just bought one from amazon.de. The copy seems to match all the identifiers above, except one thing - the hand-etched run-out on all four sides is 'C', not 'B'.

Excellent repress, perhaps better than the original. Would recommend this.

Great sounding repress. I have some isolated clicks and pops here and there in my copy but they don't distract from the songs. They've used the same metalworks from the original releases, the locked groove before the Ed Case remix is still present.

That locked groove is a bear on my 14 year old son's full auto Technics SL-QL1 turntable. The arm is built into the lid so he had a hard time getting to the next track.

Great pressing! Awesome Art, Flat Records, Great Sound! Couldn't ask for more!

Just picked this up. Sounds pretty great to my ears. Definitely getting the lo-fi sound from it. Press is nice and warm and the bass is great also. Recommended.

the labels on my copy of disc one are incorrect. both sides are the labels for side B.

The same thing happened to me. Not sure if this a common mistake.