It already broke the record for the world’s fastest released record, and now Jack White’s new album Lazaretto is proving that vinyl is a thing of the future, not the past. White and Third Man Records have announced a new Ultra LP version of the Record Store Day-released project, and it has not just a few, but a whole list of state of the art features.
In case you hadn’t heard, vinyl is kind of Jack White’s thing. His independent record label, Nashville-based Third Man Records, lives by its motto, “Your Turntable’s Not Dead.” Through his own material and through supporting the vinyl efforts of other bands, White has made it his mission to keep the old medium alive and well. April 19th’s Record Store Day added to the vinyl hype around the world, and Lazaretto was pressed into seven-inch vinyl three hours, 55 minutes and 21 seconds after White recorded the entire album in front of a small crowd at the record label’s headquarters.
The Ultra LP includes even more interesting features, most notably two hidden tracks, hidden beneath the center labels. The LP will also feature a hand-etched hologram that will be the first ever created like it on a vinyl record. Here’s the full list of features included on the extended version of Lazaretto.
-180 gram vinyl
-2 vinyl-only hidden tracks hidden beneath the center labels
-1 hidden track plays at 78 RPM and 1 plays at 45 RPM, making this a 3-speed record
-Side A plays from the outside in
-Dual-groove technology: plays an electric or acoustic intro for “Just One Drink” depending on where needle is dropped. The grooves meet for the body of the song.
-Matte finish on Side B, giving the appearance of an un-played 78 RPM record
-Both sides end with locked grooves
-Vinyl pressed in seldom-used flat-edged format
-Dead wax area on Side A contains a hand-etched hologram by Tristan Duke of Infinity Light Science, the first of its kind on a vinyl record
-Absolutely zero compression used during recording, mixing and mastering
-Different running order from the CD/digital version
-Utilizes some mixes different from those used on CD/digital versions
Both Lazaretto and the Ultra LP version of the record will be out June 10th. The releases come not long after the start of White’s summer tour, which will take him throughout Europe and the U.S., as well as to a few notable festivals of the season, including Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. You can listen to White and Ben Blackwell discuss the new LP features and what fans can expect with the new release, below.