The Seatbelts – Cowboy Bebop (Original Series Soundtrack)

Finally mine arrives.
To not mince words Ill just say that this is simply a way to collect Bebop material and listen to the music on vinyl. One should not go in expecting some revelation in of sound or visual design.
My first gripe since day 1 has always been the rather unimaginative artwork. It does not reflect the show very well and does not work as a display piece. It may be by the original creator but thats a weak defense.
Its also a real shame Green Bird is nowhere to be found.
Soundwise theres nothing particularly wrong here, and sometimes its rather good on the simpler tracks. But the complex orchestrations feel pretty congested, 2D and lackluster in of remastering. Much more care could have been put in highlighting and staging the performances to make a convincing and realistic soundscape. This seems to me largely like a CD pressed to vinyl almost directly. There are few exceptions, particularly on Side D, which is a bit better but the set certainly doesnt start off with great impressions.
It does have decent bass and highs, its just how its all arranged and used that is a bit disappointment when compared to other great Jazz recordings and pressings.
The pressing is quite decent for me however with low surface noise and the odd pop here and there mostly. But those rough card inners should really be lined with plastic if intended to be used.
In the end its nice to have as a fan, but what puts it into perspective best I think is that Id rather have the bootleg for its nicer cover and likely similar sound.

Equipment Used:
Technics SL-1210GR Turntable
ATVM95ML Cartridge
Cyrus 2 Amplifier
System Fidelity SF-3050 Tower Speakers

I think this variant can’t be limited to only 1k copies. It had been on RightStuf’s website for at least six months!

The music on the soundtrack is of course, phenomenal. The artwork on this particular release from Milan is beautiful, from the front and back covers to the inner sleeves, gatefold, and even the labels on the discs themselves. The only problem is some copies of this seem to have some noise throughout. Mine in particular suffers from this on the second record, during the quiet numbers specifically. Still, a great release worthy of adding to your collection.

Awesome and varied soundtrack. Love Space Lion and Rain especially!

Mine has white noise almost on all songs, somewhere more somewhere less. Pot city is very evident, but others too. A bit disappointed from such release.

The orange has a sheen to it that's almost metallic. It's stunning.

Super quiet, sounds fantastic. It seems like most variants of this are no longer limited, so don't shell out anything crazy for it.