it not that long ago that i bought the first animals as leaders record on clear blue vinyl from a seller from the states. i got the clear blue double vinyl set which prosthetic records pressed two years ago as an exclusive retail version for independent record stores. the sad thing was that this edition came in a slip sleeve instead of a gatefold sleeve with 3d-imagery which all previous pressings had. despite the comparatively low amount of copies pressed - 250 copies made - i wasn't completely satisfied with it.
as chance would have it only some time later i saw prosthetic records announce a silver series pressing for a bunch of classic albums they put out. among them the debut of animals as leaders. i was a little torn as to what to do. the description of this new pressing was a bit vague. it didn't say anything about the sleeve - gatefold or slip sleeve - or if it was musically equal to the encore edition for black friday rsd 2015. because of these obscurities i passed on buying this new version with increased shipping rates from the states.
another some time later i found my usual record dealers offering this silver version and by then i thought the gamble was reasonable and i ordered a copy. in the best case i would get the encore edition with gatefold sleeve and in the worst case i would get the same version as i already have only with a cooler colour-way. i ordered from jpc.de because they offer free shipping for domestic vinyl orders and they simply know how to pack records. again no disappointment.
what arrived at my doorstep was a mix of the two scenarios. unfortunately it is not the gatefold but a slip sleeve instead. fortunately it is the encore edition with another two bonus tracks ("kalimba" and "orea") and the 3d-imagery which graced the inside of the gatefold sleeve comes now printed on a two-sided insert. so all in all i am pretty happy with my decision to grab this version for a reasonable price. 500 copies pressed on double silver vinyl. prosthetic records. 2017.
