2016 has been a remarkable year for soul vanguard Maxwell. Back in April, Albumism's Christopher A. Daniel celebrated the 20th anniversary of his 1996 landmark debut Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite. Three months later in July, the Brooklyn-bred singer made his highly anticipated reemergence to the music fold after seven years with his fifth studio release blackSUMMERS’night, the acclaimed second installment in a planned trilogy which began with 2009’s BLACKsummers’night.
To honor Maxwell’s enduring musical achievements, Legacy Recordings, a catalog subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment, has announced that they will release limited-edition 150-gram vinyl editions of the groundbreaking Urban Hang Suite and BLACKsummers’night on October 28th.
For this vinyl campaign, Legacy Recordings is sprucing up the extras for Urban Hang Suite by pressing the 2-LP set on 150-gram metallic gold vinyl, accompanied by an eight-page booklet that contains rare and unused photographs from the original album photo shoot. The booklet also features specialty essays written by renowned music/cultural critic and filmmaker Nelson George and music industry veteran Mitchell Cohen, who during his tenure at Columbia Records as a Senior Vice President of A&R, signed Maxwell to the label and helped bring his artistic vision to fruition. In addition, BLACKsummers’night will be pressed on 150-gram metallic silver vinyl, marking its first standalone US release since its European limited-edition dual vinyl and CD package was originally unveiled back in 2009.
This obviously isn’t the first time the two titles have been pressed on vinyl, as their initial pressings are currently long sought over and commanding high prices. However, longtime fans and music enthusiasts who missed out on the first go-round and have awaited reissues of these albums will be delighted to add these two soulful treats to their music collections, but only for a limited time, as they have been slated to become highly collectible.
Recently, it was announced that the multi-platinum crooner is set to co-headline a nationwide tour with Mary J. Blige, entitled “The King and Queen of Hearts World Tour,” which kicks off its U.S. leg on November 5th at Baltimore’s Royal Farms Arena, following a dozen European dates in October. The full tour itinerary can be viewed here.
Be sure to reserve your copy of these soon-to-be in-demand vinyl reissues and enjoy a few throwback videos from both albums below.
PRE-ORDER Maxwell’s Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite & BLACKsummers’night deluxe vinyl reissues via Amazon here & here
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