S/D -- The Numero Group

there were 500 silver sets iirc

gotcha. ha, that's awesome they pressed silver vinyl - it's so hard to describe but i always thought Bob's guitar sound was "silvery" - something about the stereo splitting & combination of the MXR distortion & using 2 harmonizers with one pitched flat & the other pitched sharp, creating that beautiful natural chorus sound.

What's the Pop-Up store like? How deep are the discounts/selection etc.? They're doing it here next week and need justification for re-arranging my schedule to attend.

i got the bedhead box for like $20 last year, it was kind of a fun vibe but a little crowded. don't torpedo your whole day but i'd go like.... 30 minutes out of my way

"cliff hanger for the next project" https://huskerdu.bandcamp.com/album/extra-circus

(I didn't know it was going to be released separately)

Was able to go. Discounts and selection not quite as deep as I'd like, but got there early and landed some neat stuff. Got the last sealed Syl Johnson box they had out for $50, and got some other soul comps.

In a bit of news, the counter guy said the Husker sets should start shipping next week.

Enjoying the Happy Rhodes compilation they put out - an ILX search reveals Tim F and JBR are fans. Post-Kate Bushh singer/songwriter Dream Pop is a nook I don't mind them exploring more!

Anyone listen to that exotica box?

Love the exotica box

Agree on the exotica box. Great to hear different takes on this music that don't involve the usual suspects.

Only five tracks in to the Happy Rhodes comp and it's fantastic so far.

Really reminding me of North Sea Radio Orchestra at times although obviously any resemblance is the other way round.

We're here for the reissue. https://t.co/WX6AvwJYYi

— Numero Group (@numerogroup) August 29, 2018

Forthcoming "Switched-On Eugene" compilation documents a mid-80s cassette label from my hometown:

https://www.discogs.com/label/98558-Eugene-Electronic-Music-Collective

the comp is very good, put together by Doug from Yoga records who also did the "I Am The Center" comp for LITA

http://www.numerogroup.com/products/switched-on-eugene

wide variety of approaches, some Heart of Space type stuff, some minimal synth, some experimental.

cool, thanks for the head's up! I Am the Center is currently on the platter, it's a constant go-to

"basement beehive" is worthy of standing next to "one kiss can lead to another" - praise doesn't come higher than that

I love the Cleopatra label comp, garage-y takes on pretty much every 60's pop genre.

rushomancy otm re: "basement beehive", super bad-ass stuff

quite a bit stranger than "one kiss can lead to another" imo but just as good

i love the cover of the switched on eugene comp

done by local artist Paul Ollswang, RIP

http://www.ollswang.com/

quite a bit stranger than "one kiss can lead to another" imo but just as good

― the late great

i don't know how to gauge "strangeness", particularly on comps - i mean "one kiss" did bring "egyptian shumba" to the internet's attention

Very sad that their subscription service is over. Found out about tons of great music through that, and getting a load of records in the mail meant I was also exposed to some stuff I'd never have bought. Newsletter saying that their streams are up and their music frequently pops up on TV shows now is reassuring for Numero's survival I guess. They've gotta do what they've gotta do, but as I said, for me it's sad.

Sixteen years ago we set out on a journey to compile lost and forgotten recordings on silver discs, packaged in stylish slipcases with overstuffed booklets. In that time we pressed nearly a million CDs, wallpapering many a music cave with our colorful spines. We set a new standard for the format, won a few awards, and somehow managed to squeeze out deluxe 11 and 16 disc sets when the rest of the industry was slimming their entire catalogs down for the truck stop market. It was a great ride, but today we announce that our time in the compact disc trench is largely over. In 2019 we’ve pressed exactly two titles on CD, and there are no plans in the foreseeable future to make any more.

http://www.numerogroup.com/d/satans-cd-sale-6-cds-6-decades-of-music-through-august-6th

Wow - 6 bucks is worth it just for the liner booklet in many of those cases, will def be stocking up

Some of the 2-CD sets, like the Girl Group one, are only 6 bucks. Pretty good deal.

bummed they aren't doing CDs anymore — i guess I'm the only one buying 'em! Big archival sets work better on CD imo and are so much cheaper ...

Glad I picked up Purple Snow when I did, looks like the CD set is no longer available.

Technicolor Paradise is not offered in the sale, but CD hounds ought to pick that one up as well, before it also goes out of print.

fuck, I don't get paid until Thursday

tyler I agree, theres something about the cd format that suits big sets like that, and the price difference between a 2 or 3 CD set and a 4 or 6 LP box is usually insane. The last 12 months I've been having a great time snapping up 2ndhand copies of all the CD box sets that I coveted over the last 10-15 years for peanuts.

yeah, and numero at least put some care/thought into their CD design. maybe they don't look quite as cool on your shelf as the LPs, but they're still cool.

their 24-carat black CD has a handsome all-black embossed slipcase iirc
http://www.numerogroup.com/d/24-carat-black-gone-the-promises-of-yesterday

I'd say a reissue label like The Numero Group saying they are done pressing cds is a another sign that the format is really getting near the end.

Pretty much. Although Numero's stuff is pretty niche, so I imagine justifying the expenses (packaging etc.) going into their CDs isn't something other reissue labels have to consider. OTOH, I have noticed that other Boutique American Indie Reissue Labels recent CD titles are frequently 'unofficial' limited editions, as in they do initial press run, and that's it.

What's weird is that I assumed some of these more niche labels might be the ones to keep CDs going a little longer, but I guess this is another step along the inevitable path of the format's forced death. As tyler points out, it'll be a shame when big archival sets are only on super expensive vinyl packages.

Yeah, but I think they put a bit more into their discs packaging-wise than most other labels (even the majors). They've been very mindful of what their fans actually acquire. They phased out download cards a few years ago, and a couple years back they announced they were scaling back CD production to single press runs on new titles and no represses on catalogue stuff. They've also leaned harder on vinyl and curated streaming playlists, the latter being something few in their field have done to that extent.

They never had download cards in their lps, if that’s what you mean?

Hmm, if it wasn't them, then what label did make a big deal a few years ago about discontinuing them? It was discussed somewhere on ILM.

the Buttons comp is tremendously fun power pop

Well, I just spent a bunch of money.

If you're bargain hunting, don't just stick to the sale page linked above--I found several titles for $6 that were not listed on that page (Express Rising, Los Alamos Grind).

Ah, good tip! Of course, I already have $106 worth of stuff in my cart. sigh

Welp, I just spent $114.

Wish that Willie Wright was on sale, but happy with my haul

Very tempted to buy one of each of the Eccentric Soul discs but limited myself to the two Deep City comps, Bandit, and Capsoul. Found Spirit Free for the sale price in the non-sale section (thanks, Hideous Lump!), and bought a bunch of early Christmas presents for my proto metal and power pop pals. Good sale!

Dang, wish i'd thought to look beyond the sale page! Oh well - I kept myself in check due to spending a fortune on records last week, but picked up the Jackie Shane set, Basement Beehive, Good God: A Gospel Funk Hymnal, and Eccentric Soul: A Red Black & Green Production

If you like salsa or 70s latin music at all, the salsa boricua de Chicago comp is soooooooo good -- excellent liner notes as well, very informative and great photos!!

Express Rising is amazing

Come to me Bedhead live disc

Another unexpected bonus:

They gave me links to download MP3 copies of every CD I ordered. In most cases, if the LP version has exclusive tracks, you get them with the MP3 download.

Again I've never seen a download copy in a Numero LP...?

Oh, I guess you aren't talking about MP3 download cards.

No, they just appeared on an Audio Downloads page on my account. After ordering sale CDs, they sent me this email:

"Due to popular demand, the Numero Group is paying a brief visit to the 21st Century to deliver you these popular packets of bits known as MPEG-2 Audio Layer IIIs, or mp3s as the kids are calling them. Enjoy your digital audio files by logging back into your account and downloading them to your preferred device or brain implant."

they had download cards for the first project 12