The Roots Announce Trio Of Vinyl Reissues Of Classic Albums
The Roots’ iconic discography will be honoured with a series of reissues of their classic albums including ‘Things Fall Apart’, ‘Do You Want More ?!!??!’ and ‘Illadelph Halflife’.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Roots’ groundbreaking album, Things Fall Apart and their other seminal works, Do You Want More ?!!??! and Illadelph Halflife, Geffen, UMe/Urban Legends will be reissuing each of their classic albums.
With Do You Want More?!!!??! celebrating its 25th anniversary next year and Illadelph Halflife turning 25 in 2021, each album will be reissued using the original master recordings, starting with Things Fall Apart, available on 27 September 2019.
Things Fall Apart has been freshly remastered and re-pressed in two lavish triple vinyl configurations. The standard edition features the original album, remastered on double vinyl with a third LP of bonus tracks curated by Questlove, including a 24-page booklet featuring rare images, retrospective essays by Black Thought and Questlove and track-by-track liner notes from Questlove.
The Collector’s Edition features all of the above, but on clear vinyl and a die-cut slipcase with all five alternate covers as interchangeable lithos with foil stamp numbering
“We’re looking forward to going back to the vault to revisit our original recordings from the studio and we’re excited to celebrate these albums by really delivering something special for our fans,” said The Roots.
Originally released on 23 February 1999, Things Fall Apart saw the Philadelphia hip-hop collective poised for a mainstream breakthrough. It marked a sea change in hip-hop, overtaking the gansta rap sound that had ruled the decade and offered a fresh alternative to the bling era. It was a landmark moment for The Roots and remains one of the best albums of 1999 and part of the hip-hop cannon.
“As these Roots’ classics reach milestone anniversaries, we’re revisiting these important albums with fresh ears,” said Andre Torres, Vice President of Urban Catalogue at Urban Legends in a press statement.
“By going back to the vaults, we’re giving these albums the deluxe edition treatment and pulling archival material that’s only been heard by very few people. These remastered music packages provide an unprecedented look at the evolution of hip-hop’s greatest live band and satisfy lifelong Roots fans to casual listeners, and everyone in between.”
While more information on the deluxe Things Fall Apart reissue will be announced in the near future, including pre-order details, Harry Weinger, Vice President of Product Development at Ume also shared his excitement for revisiting The Roots’ iconic catalogue.
“By every metric, The Roots continue to have an outsized global impact on music and culture,” said Weinger.
“We’re thrilled to work with the band to re-issue these seminal albums in a way that will provide a new experience and perspective on the times when they were released and how they continue to speak to the times today.”
The Roots’ Things Fall Apart 3LP edition will be available on 27 September 2019. Pre-order it here.
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