(Hip-Hop) [LP] [24/96] De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead (2 LP) - 1991, FLAC (tracks)

Lineage:
Rega P5 Turntable > Rega Exact2 Cartridge > Rega Brio 3 Amplifier > RCA Interconnects > M-Audio 192 TRS Inputs > Audacity @ 32bit float, 96kHz capture.
Processing:
32bit wav > Run through Click Repair 3.0.1 at 10/0 on DeClick > Volume Boost +4.96/4.96/4.70/4.70 DB > Remove DC Bias > Saved as 24bit WAV > FLAC > Tagged with Discogs tagger through Foobar.
Scans:
600 DPI with Unsharp Mask -> Color Correction in Photoshop CS5 x64.

foobar2000 1.6.10 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2022-02-16 14:58:44
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Analyzed: De La Soul / De La Soul Is Dead
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DR Peak RMS Duration Track
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DR14 -0.15 dB -16.47 dB 3:29 01-Oodles of O's
DR13 -0.81 dB -16.15 dB 2:29 02-Talkin' Bout Hey Love
DR16 -2.13 dB -19.07 dB 5:02 03-Pease Porridge
DR15 -0.74 dB -16.94 dB 3:57 04-A Roller Skating Jam Named 'Saturdays'
DR12 -0.81 dB -15.48 dB 5:39 05-Bitties in the BK Lounge
DR13 -1.25 dB -16.45 dB 4:21 06-My Brother's a Basehead
DR13 -3.01 dB -17.34 dB 3:27 07-Let, Let Me In
DR13 -1.16 dB -16.40 dB 4:02 08-Afro Connection at a Hi 5 (In the Eyes of the Hoodlum)
DR13 -2.17 dB -15.99 dB 4:10 09-Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa
DR14 -2.75 dB -19.36 dB 3:31 10-Pass the Plugs
DR14 -2.90 dB -18.51 dB 5:01 11-Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)
DR12 -1.90 dB -15.18 dB 4:14 12-Shwingalokate
DR12 -1.36 dB -15.74 dB 4:10 13-Fanatic of the B Word
DR12 -1.58 dB -15.95 dB 4:41 14-Keepin' the Faith
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Number of tracks: 14
Official DR value: DR13
Samplerate: 96000 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 2589 kbps
Codec: FLAC
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On their notorious second album, De La Soul went to great lengths to debunk the daisy-age hippie image they'd been pigeonholed with, titling the record De La Soul Is Dead and putting a picture of wilting daisies in a broken flowerpot on the cover. Critics and fans alike were puzzled as to why the group was seemingly rejecting what had been hailed as the future of hip-hop, and neither the reviews nor the charts were kind to the album. It isn't that De La try to remake their sound here -- Dead keeps the skit-heavy structure of the debut, and the surreal tone and inventive sampling techniques are still very much in evidence. But, despite a few lighthearted moments ("Bitties in the BK Lounge," the disco-flavored "A Roller Skating Jam Named 'Saturdays'"), a distinct note of bitterness has crept into De La's once-sunny outlook. On the one hand, they're willing to take on more serious subject matter; two of the album's most powerful moments are the unsettling incest tale "Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa" and Posdnuos' drug-addiction chronicle "My Brother's a Basehead," both true-life occurrences. Yet other tracks betray a brittle, insular state of mind; one running skit features a group of street thugs who ultimately throw the album in the trash for not having enough pimps, guns, or curse words. There are vicious parodies of hip-house and hardcore rap, and the single "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" complains about being harassed into listening to lousy demo tapes. Plus, the negativity of the bizarre, half-sung "Johnny's Dead" and the hostile narrator on "Who Do U Worship?" seemingly comes out of nowhere. Dead is clearly the product of a group staggering under the weight of expectations, yet even if it's less cohesive and engaging, it's still often fascinating in spite of its flaws.