Spacehog – Resident Alien

Been a fan of this album since it's release. Always wanted a vinyl copy. Showed up too late at the stores on RSD when released to get a copy.

Last week, walked into a record store to pick up a record they advertised on social media, and I find this new in the original shrinkwrap for only $10 more than what it was on RSD. Instapurchase.

Finally playing it this afternoon. First thing I noticed--WHERE IS THE DRIVING BASS ON IN THE MEANTIME???? It makes the song. And it's been pushed deep into the mix. What the heck? Same thing on the second song. Starside--finally, there it is. The bass is finally present.

It's definitely not my system. The Rel T/9i would play it if it were there. It's just not.

So far on the first spin, it's clean and pretty flat. Haven't heard any artifact that other people have said on this page. But yeah--got a feeling this won't get played as much as the CD. It's nice to have, and I'm glad to have it as a fan. And the vocals are very good. But if you have fond memories of the CD, you might be disappointed, because it DEFININTELY sounds different. Vocals are pushed forward. Bass is pushed back.

Real Gone music is doing another pressing of this. Comes out July 9th. Prices on last year's RSD version will probably start dropping soon. If only they'd reissue Spacehog's 3rd album, and then maybe a nice b-sides comp to wrap everything up.

Not as quiet as I would have liked it to be. Fairly decent amount of pops and clicks right out of the sleeve. That being said, the audio quality (when it's not popping) is great and it looks stellar. This is a stand-out album from the mid-90s as noting else really sounded like it at all stylistically. The limited release is cool to have, but I can see where some would rather wait for a mass release on black vinyl. Don't pay a high price for this one. Pay what it is worth to you - but hold out for a drop in the asking prices online.

Yeah, RSD's can be brutal. I went to my local record shop to pick up a copy of Faith No More's the Real Thing and browsed through the leftover RSD titles and found a copy of Resident Alien. Just got lucky.

I love that the store I stood in line to get this from on RSD first-release day didn't have more than 2 copies - so I wasn't able to get a copy. Oddly enough, they posted a copy on discogs just a week ago, for almost twice list price, which seems totally shady, since they claimed it was 'sealed inventory stock'. Regardless, surprising this is still going for around 75, with 37 copies on average for sale at any given time.

Interesting how the price is quickly coming down on this one. It's certainly not in the same league as say, the "Lost in Translation" RSD reissue.

Surprised by the many good reviews, no one is complaining much about vinyl quality. GZ is very much hit and miss, especially with colored vinyl. I normally wouldn't take a chance and pay over retail for a copy knowing GZ was involved.

Notice, if you will, the sellers of this item right now on Discogs. Many are either new sellers or have limited numbers of transactions. Hmmm

Let me start off by saying that I consider myself very fortunate to own a copy of this LP and I feel terribly bad for those who haven’t yet gotten one and still need it. The resellers have gone way overboard with the price hikes on this one and it is truly shameful. My local record store did not receive any copies of it, but I was lucky enough to snag a $70 copy on eBay at 1am on release day. Honestly, I was surprised that the guy shipped it to me and didn’t instead say there was an issue, cancel my order, and then relist it for $150 after seeing what others were pricing theirs for. Anyway, the CD of this album was one of the first rock albums that I purchased as a teenager and I have never lost my love for it. So, needless to say, I had to have this LP and experience it, good or bad. But, I am happy to say that it was a most excellent experience and I am very happy with it. The mastering isn’t flawless and there are some issues with compression distortion artifacts during the loudest sections, but it blends in just enough to not be distracting and everything else lower than the peak levels sounds great. The mix is definitely different than the CD with a wider soundstage, heavier bass (almost too much), and different dynamics that make some instruments and sound effects pop a little more and even bring out some nuances that I’ve never heard before during the million+ playthroughs of my original CD. So, all in all I am quite happy with the sound quality and I look forward to many more listens. The gatefold jacket is very nice quality with surprisingly good looking enlarged artwork complete with silly pictures and lyrics on the interior. The cheap paper sleeves were so strongly clung to the LPs with static that I had just rip them off to avoid scraping the vinyl trying to pull them out. Those sleeves were bound for the trash anyway. The wacky colored vinyl looks terrific, although it is a real tease how the base color looks like it should be glow in the dark, but sadly is not. The vinyl is normal weight, not light or heavy. Overall, everything is excellent quality and I can’t recommend it enough. My only gripe is that side 4 is pretty much a waste with only one short song plus the “hidden track” that plays after nearly an entire side worth of silence. I have always hated the hidden track and I always tried my best to avoid it, so that could have been omitted as far as I’m concerned. But, I do enjoy “To be a Millionaire” and wish that it was just at the end of a full side of other tracks rather than, basically, by itself on its own side. But, whatever. I’m still wildly happy with this release and I hope that they eventually release another run in black or another color so more people can enjoy it and not have to shell out triple the original price or more.

Does anyone who managed to score this album also happen to have a copy of Sire’s “Just Say 50” vinyl boxset? The boxset included “In the Meantime” and I am curious as to whether that song on this new RSD release sounds any better than the prior Sire release.