The release of this record coincided with both my growing appreciation for Hot Chip and a resurgent interest in vinyl. This double 200g pressing is numbered and comes with a 7" single that features a couple of bonus tracks.
This version was exclusive The Vinyl Factory who used to release a steady stream of limited edition pressings that were very finely crafted and clearly designed to appeal to collectors.
Today vinyl is no longer a niche product so most labels seem content to get GZ Media to knock out some cheap copies and count the cash. Heavyweight, numbered items like this have disappeared. They certainly don't appear on The Vinyl Factory store any more anyway. Now all their shop seems to list is sold out items, 12" singles for an eye watering £20 or obscure stuff you've heard of (and unlikely to even want to hear).
As you might expect of an album that was cut at Abbey Road and pressed on the EMI 1400 it sounds good. In fact, the first disc is an almost perfect collection of songs that must rank amongst the band's best. Unfortunately the second disc has a couple of more disappointing tracks in the form of the overly long and rather boring "Slush" and the disjointed "Alley Cats".
However "We Have Love" and the uplifting chorus of "Take It In" are quite brilliant and come close to matching the quality of the material on the first record. Neither Hot Chip nor The Vinyl Factory make records like this any more and that makes me sad. 4/5
