DUKE

I don't even know what 'swag' is and quite frankly it seems to be one more useless expression without any actual meaning to it.

This is also something I thought about. Those websites that offer custom vinyl pressing... well, this is a service intended for DJs or people that make music themselves. What would be sold on here is nothing but one more commercially sold (let's face it) unauthorized release which is no way different to any other illegally distributed bootleg release. Also, let's think about where the source material comes from... I doubt more than two people on here payed for their digital copy of Lana Del Ray A.K.A. Lizzy Grant. I really don't want to be the mood killer, but it can easily be traced back who ordered those vinyls and who sold them as it has been publicly discussed on this forum. Aside from the legal issues, I don't think this forum should be a platform for illegal distribution of copyrighted material (which has been pulled back for a reason and is technically unavailable for the public), despite the good intentions.

Sorry to kill the excitement but there is no way this album fits a 7" vinyl which is used for singles (total of two tracks, one per side) and EPs (with no more than three tracks). Depending on the duration of the recording and the quality you wish to have, you should at least expect one 12" disc. Maybe even two. That's a nice idea and cute for the collection, but please keep in mind that the sound quality of the vinyl will be extremely poor. There is a reason why albums are specially mastered for vinyl releases. The vinyl used for this price (I am talking about the material here, not the album) will also be poor and won't do the sound quality any favors.

My soul is dead. Dead like you.

What is the price you are willing to pay to get an answer to this question?

I finally finished reading all of this... and I am not so sure anymore that I am who I am. In fact, I am doubting everything about life right now.

I think I haven't been very concrete with what I've been addressing with my post so I'd like to explain that now. I'm sorry if you receive multiple notifications but I prefer to explicitly respond to the paragraphs of your post. I do have, like everybody else, my very own association when I listen to a song. Especially with the early videos she edited to songs recorded for Lana Del Ray my vision is tremendously different to hers. That is why I literally cringe when I see her videos for "Brite Lites" or even "You Can be the Boss." The negative things I generalized about her self-made videos mainly apply to those. I should have distinctly mentioned this beforehand. I am really not doubting this. You are perfectly right with this, but I think it is "Kill Kill," "Video Games" and the first "Blue Jeans" video that reflect this truly original quality. And the oh-so romantic and nostalgic vibe she is always accused of, which I see as a sloppy interpretation of her work, by the way, is what is being expressed in those videos. I'd like to emphasize the "Kill Kill" video in this context which I find absolutely stunning. "Video Games" is, as you said, "perhaps the most telling and obvious example." I cannot but simply applaud this part of your post! But I am still having a hard time to believe that her decisions in editing, or rather shooting footage herself, are of conscious nature. However, this is not what you were referring to. A few of her self-made videos really do make me cringe, I just find them extremely painful to look at. But now that I think about it, this is exactly where the genius lies in: she is challenging the aesthetic and perception. She challenges a cinematographic technique which, I have no shame to admit this, is pretty much hackneyed but still very compelling to me. The fact that she pushes the envelope, pushes my buttons, proves that she is relevant as an artist. Thinking about it now in retrospective, I begin to appreciate the subjective awkwardness of "Brite Lites"... Thank you for correcting me and giving me a new perspective. I am sorry that my post was composed in quite an absolute way and lacked thought and input I should have invested in it.

I love Lana, I really do, but her self-made early music videos including shots of herself are cringeworthy. I'm not even sorry to say this. First of all, the camera she uses (probably the cheapest digicam she could grab or maybe even a phone) doesn't do the video's quality any favor, and it is not helpful to have random furnishing from the 1990s in the background when you try to convince the viewer that the overall odd scene is taking place in an ancient, somehow vintage-ish, setting. Next thing: the hooker wigs. What was she thinking? Also, what's up with the lighting? Since when do desk lamps qualify as appropriate light sources for attempted cinematic productions. Quintessentially, I am glad she's now having people around her knowing what they do.

Why are people so keen on the term 'alter ego?' I just don't understand it. To me it seems like ever since Gaga appeared on the scene, every audience has suddenly become obsessed with labeling any artefact the product of one's alter ego. Separating Lizzy from Lana feels so ridiculous for me. It's the very same person, Elizabeth Grant, that wrote those songs, created those visuals - you name it! It's not even like the music varies that much, the quintessence is the same.

Honestly, I don't think any of them applies to the actual story. I know it may sound absurd to some, but I buy her story of "seeking safety in other people." She may have romanticized it a little, but I do believe that she was riding 'round the coast, whatever it is that she says. She surely got intimate with a couple of the guys she encountered, but I doubt she was taking advantage of them, nor was she a prostitute. Art is always subject to interpretation and ambiguity, I know that, but this time, I think, we can take Lana at her word.

I received Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho yesterday for Christmas and I am on the last pages... I don't even have words for this book.

I don't think anyone can or should arrogate to make any assumptions. Don't take offense, but I find such discussions extremely pointless. What do you know about him? Or even more important... what do you know about her? Fans like to make up their very own truth which very often has little to do with reality. And it's unfair on Lana to start hate campaigns against her boyfriend that base on literally nothing but one's imagination.

My advice for her: don't you dare putting on a boring-ass show for that ticket price.

Can I be your groupie?

Did people actually think "Express Yourself" was a cover Lana did? :omgha:

Just like "Dark Paradise"... she performed it once, and I think the reason why she did it once only are fairly obvious.

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Lana+Del+Rey Have fun!

One really must be blind to think that's her.

I don't think it takes drugs to come up with some pretty irritating and nonsense lyrics that could technically mean anything.

My goodness, I just put myself through the torture of watching one more video of him... and this is one obnoxious brat.

The vinyl mastering of Born to Die and Paradise is - excuse me for using this word - flawless. The CD versions sound a little distorted to me. The CD's high resolution kind of causes a falsified reproduction of the intended sound. But on vinyl, the songs sound way better. Her vocals on some Born to Die tracks sound more dynamic to me, too, than on the CD versions.

Exactly... I was just about to say that. I was traumatized, petrified, paranoid and not myself after watching these utterly shocking, disturbing and troubling ten seconds of video footage. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKY0FsUEMyw For me, this is an exemplary case of kids whose parents have never had an eye on their online activity, nor made any efforts to educate them on all things internet. But judging by all the other videos, this set of parents must be punished for a lifetime. I don't even feel sorry for saying that.

I never understood why journalists waste their time asking questions whose answers can easily be researched or found in other places. If you get to chat with someone who rarely does interviews, shouldn't you try to bring new things to the table?

I'd translate it for you guys tomorrow morning... unless somebody else has volunteered already.

Oh... then get ready to marry me because I just gave this album a 10/10 rating...