On April 24, the Rolling Stones teased an upcoming release on their social media platforms. The very next day, the Stones and UMe announced The Studio Albums Vinyl Collection 1971-2016, a new limited edition vinyl box set, featuring 15 albums across 20 LPs to be released on June 15, 2018. It’s available to order here in the U.S. and here in the U.K.
From the announcement: “The Studio Albums Vinyl Collection 1971-2016 presents this monumental era in rock ‘n’ roll history in a highly bespoke, lenticular mounted, limited edition box set housing the 15 studio albums from Sticky Fingers through to Blue & Lonesome in faithful and intricate original packaging replications. Every album has been remastered and cut at revelatory half-speed at Abbey Road Studios, from vinyl-specific original tape transfers designed to get the very best possibly sound from the format. Each album is pressed on heavyweight 180-gram black vinyl and includes a download card for HD digital redemption of the catalog and includes a numbered certificate of authentication.
“Cut at half speed, these are among the highest quality vinyl pressings that these classic Rolling Stones albums will have ever received. Half-speed mastering and pressed to a very high standard ensures top notch sound quality for the listener.”
Watch the unboxing trailer
The announcement notes that packaging is being held to the same high standards, with “detailed artwork reproduction” for each album including Some Girls, which comes housed in the replica design including 20 cut-outs on the cover, while the sleeve of Sticky Fingers is presented as Andy Warhol’s original design, complete with a working zipper with a hidden image underneath. Exile On Main St comes with a set of 12 original postcard inserts. (See details on the individual titles below.)
Still more from the announcement: “Abbey Road Studios’ engineers have been cutting grooves into discs since the studios first opened in 1931. In 2013, award-winning engineer Miles Showell joined their existing mastering team, bringing a wealth of disc-cutting experience with him.”
The Studio Albums Vinyl Collection 1971-2016
Sticky Fingers (1971) LP sleeve presented as Andy Warhol’s original design complete with working zip and hidden image beneath
Exile On Main St (1972) (2LP) Original style gatefold sleeve complete with inner-bags and set of 12 perforated postcards
Goats Head Soup (1973) LP in gatefold sleeve with two inserts
It’s Only Rock’n’Roll (1974) LP with original heavyweight inner sleeve
Black And Blue (1976) LP in gatefold sleeve with original inner bag and lyric sheet
Some Girls (1978) LP housed in replica design including 20 cut-outs on the cover
Emotional Rescue (1980) LP with original sized poster
Tattoo You (1981) LP with original heavyweight inner sleeve
Undercover (1983) LP with original heavyweight inner sleeve and lyric sheet
Dirty Work (1986) LP with original heavyweight inner sleeve, red shrink wrapping and bespoke sticker
Steel Wheels (1989) LP complete with original inner sleeve and sales insert
Voodoo Lounge (1994) (2LP) Gatefold sleeve with original lyric inners
Bridges To Babylon (1997) (2LP) Original lyric inners
A Bigger Bang (2005) (2LP) Gatefold sleeve with original lyric inners
Blue & Lonesome (2016) (2LP) Gatefold sleeve with original inners
1 Comment so far
Jump into a conversationNot being vinyl compatible, are there any plans to release a CD box set or at least make the albums available as high resolution FLAC files? Doesn’t limiting the box set to only vinyl limit sales and deprive STONES fans of this great collection?