Erykah Badu: Mama's Gun (180g) Vinyl 2LP

I’ve heard this recording hundreds of times streaming hd / lossless and on cd. The vinyl is exceptional. I hear a lot of nuances on the vinyl that I’ve never heard via other media. Other reviewers have mentioned issues with their vinyl copies (believe me, I’ve had those problems with new vinyl and it’s simply infuriating… ), but the copy of Mama’s Gun I received is a flawless pressing with zero surface noise and no skipping.

The album is great..the vinyl LP is complete trash. Skips in nearly every track so often that it makes me furious.... unless I weigh my record arm down with a penny...and even then it still skips a time or two. I even returned it once to see if I got a bad copy but rest assured that the second one was just as horribly bad.

Came in quality thick plastic cover. It did skip the first time I played it but I wiped in down and it’s perfect now!

This album is a stunning masterpiece. This pressing is just okay. The audio quality is no better than the CD, and the labels are printed in a confusing way. I actually wound up returning one copy because I thought the labels were on the wrong sides of the discs, but the second one came exactly the same way, so it must have been intentional.

This print was terrible. I've returned it because it was so distorted it couldn't play. It would skip, and make a wobbly sound.

Love Erikah, have purchased this cd 3 times. A must have in collection

I had this CD and virtually wore it out playing it so much! It has been in the car, on multiple long distance trips, on planes, at my job, at my home, at friend's homes, in my portable CD player, and over time it got scratched. I went to play it and was so disappointed that the best tracks in my opinion were no longer playable. I would have given this CD 5 stars, but I'm not crazy about the first track "Penitentiary Philosophy" or track 6, "Hey Sugah," but from then on the CD gets progressively better. Like another commenter said the tracks mid to end are the best, beginning with "Kiss Me On My Neck." Classic Erykah vocals and lyrics. My favorites are "Orange Moon", "Time's a Wastin" and "Green Eyes." Buy it or buy it again! If you're a Badu fan, you won't be disappointed!!!!!

So, I don't often take requests, but when fellow Ammy reviewer M. Grayson requested my thoughts on this album I delighted in the challenge. It has been years since I first heard `Mama's Gun' and while my memories were fond, I must admit that I have been a long time removed from Erykah's sound and so I wasn't quite sure what to be anticipating. Upon my first listen of `Didn't Cha Know' I was instantly reminded of why my memories were so fond.Erykah is something uniquely special.For me, this sophomore album highlights what makes Erykah so interesting; her soulfully infectious voice (I totally get the Chaka Khan reference), which is unique and totally her own. In fact, after listening to this album it doesn't surprise me that M. Grayson asked for me to review this after reading my take on Janelle Monae's sophomore album, since the two artists are not without similarities. They both approach music as an art form, refusing to be typecast or pigeonholed into a specific genre. They have their apparent roots, but it is deeper than that with them.`Mama's Gun' begins at possibly its lowest point and ends at possibly it's highest. Considering that the lowest point isn't as low as most artists achieve, this is not meant as a serious complaint. Fact remains that, like Janelle, I find myself at a slight crossroads with Erykah. When she hits it out of the park she really sets it soaring, but there are moments where I just don't `get it' entirely.Thus, the four star grade.Working backwards for me, from least favorite to ultimate highlight, we have `Kiss Me On My Neck' and `Penitentiary Philosophy'. On the albums opener, it's not that the song is `bad', it's just that it doesn't work entirely. It has a funky rhythm but it feels like an unfocused attempt to attain attention. I love the affectations on Erykah's voice, but they seem warbled (intended) and out of place here. `Kiss Me On My Neck' teased me. It started off so brilliantly, but the way it shifts musical focus is unsettling to me. The chorus is just horribly constructed and derails the whole song. It's so uneven, equal parts brilliant and atrocious.It just comes off dumb.`Booty', `Bag Lady' and `A.D. 2000' make up the second tier. `Bag Lady' is the best of the bunch, the albums single and truly a beautifully sung (and I love the poetic nature of the lyrics), albeit familiar tune. It's soft and subtle and a tad forgettable for me. `A.D. 2000' suffers from the same issues, to a slightly deeper degree. `Booty' is kind of genius yet not quite. I'm a little on the fence about the abrasive horns on the musical arrangement, but Erykah really sells it for me.Just a step below perfection.The rest of the album is kind of flawless. `Orange Moon' is ethereal and totally haunting. I love the jazzy throwback, taking the Erykah experience to a whole other level. She just croons with ease and is so comfortable in that area. She makes me melt. `My Life', `Cleva', `Didn't Cha Know' and `Time's A Wastin' are just so infectiously charismatic. This is what I remember about Badu. She has that whole 90's R&B vibe slick and wet and all over these tracks. `Cleva' is my favorite of the batch, totally making superior use of Erykah's vocal styling, and that musical arrangement is inspired and enticing.And that brings me to the trifecta of phenomenal; `...& On', `In Love With You' and `Green Eyes'. `In Love With You', a duet with Stephen Marley, is just beautiful. It has such depth and sincerity. I love Marley's smoky tone as well, and together they make as inspired a pair as Anthony Hamilton and Macy Gray (listen to `Love and War' NOW if you haven't). The closing track, `Green Eyes', is just so amazing. I love the way that Erykah plays with the song, giving it playful yet endearing lyrics that bounce in a childishly amateurish way (it feels almost like muted ragtime) before the song slides into home about two minutes in, shifting gears and playing to Badu's mature vocals and adding a layer of blues that just engulfs me. But, for me (and maybe it's just a personal thing, but isn't all reviewing), the best thing here is `...& On'. I just, well, adore that song. It has such an infectious nature about it, the musical arrangement a perfectly `odd' accompaniment to Erykah's vocal stylings. It just works from start to finish, giving the album edge.So, I recommend this album for sure. It really shines in many areas. Like I said, it's not `perfect' but the majority of the album comes very close.I hope this works for you M. Grayson.:-D

The African influence within this album—if you know about the likes of D'Angelo's 'Voodoo', and Common's 'Like Water For Chocolate'—won't surprise you. 'Mama's Gun' is very different from 'Baduizm' without losing the core and musical elements of Erykah, that she brings. Definitely worth the listen. Much like i consider D'Angelo's first album more favorable to me, than his second, i feel the same with Erykah... but the quality is undeniable; and maybe it's just an album you have to sit and grow with?

brilliant as with everything this lady does

I received a lovely note of thanks with this item which was a pleasant surprise.

Good album

Great album, and great seller! Would recommend