A- Punk (7 Inch Vinyl Record w/ Sleeve Limited Edition of 1,000 Made) [Limited Collector's Edition, B-sides included]

Vampire Weekend (Author) | Format: Vinyl

Product Details

• Vinyl
• Format: Limited Collector's Edition, B-sides included
• Label: XL
• ASIN: B001837BY6
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #649,240 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2008 7 inch vinyl record (not CD), THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY LIMITHED EDITION with ONLY 1,000 MADE WORLDWIDE. THIS WAS MADE BY XL Recordings. IT FEATURES 1 RARE REHERSAL VERSION track. The A side is: A- Punk B Side is: Oxford Comma (REHERSAL VERSION).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars You can skip it easily, May 18, 2008

By 

Jeffrey Thames "King of Grief/KPFT 90.1 FM" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A- Punk (7 Inch Vinyl Record w/ Sleeve Limited Edition of 1,000 Made) (Vinyl)

At the time of this review, the "A-Punk" 7" is listed as out-of-print and going for nearly thirty dollars here on Amazon. The funny thing is, I purchased this very single for FAR less at an independent record store in Dallas about a month ago, and they didn't appear to be hurting for copies. Either a month made all the difference with this release, or I just got lucky.

Or did I?

The A-side is exactly as it appears on Vampire Weekend's debut (which I give an easy four stars), so if it's just a question of owning that number, I'd opt for the full-length, which is readily available on vinyl. (The LP also comes with a coupon for free mp3 downloads of each track, a trend among vinyl issues I'm happy to see.)

The flip, a "rehearsal version" of "Oxford Comma", was recorded either with poor equipment, poor mic placement, or both. I honestly thought something was wrong with my needle, the recording's that fuzzy. To toss off a bootleg-quality rough draft for your own personal use is fine. To slap it on actual product when most people would find it unlistenable is appalling. And charging ten times its original value (something neither artist nor label can help) is flat out unconscionable. (Again, for the newcomer, the finished "Oxford Comma" can be found on the VW album and will be released as a single itself later this month.)

I did not want my first review of a Vampire Weekend release to be negative...they're weathering an unnecessary backlash as it is. But I felt a caveat was in order, given the shoddy quality of the otherwise-unavailable B-side and the ridiculous price tag. If you see it cheap enough, and you're a 45 collector or a VW completist, it'll meet your needs. Otherwise, try the album instead.

EDIT (May 30): Looks like the going rate has been cut in half to fifteen bucks. Still too steep.