Gatefold packaging
Includes insert with photographs and band Q&A
Audio Quality: 4/5
Song Quality: 4.75/5
Packaging: 4.5/5
I just bought this record a couple of days ago at the Warsaw Brooklyn Record Riot show, or whatever you would call it. I bought a few cheap things I
had been looking to grab, but this was the only big ticket item I came across. I saw a sealed copy of this record, got excited, and picked it up. Then I saw the price tag and put it down. The man working the booth saw this, and told me that it was way out of print and hard to find. I told him I knew that, but it was a bit out of my budget. 
He offered to knock off some of the price. I said I'd keep looking and think about it. After a couple minutes, I decided it was still a bit pricey so I told the gentleman thank you anyway. Then he offered it to me for just about HALF of the price tag. He drove a hard bargain, and I walked away with the record. So I'm sorry to people who read this review and then want to buy the record, because you're gonna have a hard time.So I'm definitely a Belle & Sebastian fan... they have that wonderfully rare ability to seemingly craft the PERFECT pop song over and over again. However, I think that The Life Pursuit might be their most consistently great effort. Either this or Dear Catastrophe Waitress... I don't know. Either way, it's an excellent collection of songs, and, in this writer's opinion, a great introduction to this Scottish pop ensemble.
Determining sound quality on this record actually gave me some trouble. I put it on and it immediately sounded really nice. A clear and warm record with a wide sonic spectrum. It
sounded like that for the first two tracks (the second of which, "Another Sunny Day," is a definite album highlight), and then on track 3, "White Collar Boy," I started noticing some high-end distortion, specifically in the huge crash cymbal hits in the choruses. This bummed me out a bit. But on the next track, the mellow "Dress Up In You," great sound resumed, with an incredible sounding trumpet performance. One of the most pure and gorgeous horn sounds I've ever heard recorded, as a matter of fact. I was back on board. But then, regrettably, my favorite song on the record, "Sukie in the Graveyard," the high distortion returned, even worse than before. WTF??? I began to investigate the album information to see if there were perhaps two different mixing or mastering engineers that could explain such a discrepancy.As it turns out, this issue turned out to simply be that the record was so new that it was playing back hotter than it should. I went back and listened to "Sukie in the Graveyard" two more times, and by the third listen, it was finally warming up and sounding as nice as its peers. It also makes sense that it would be that track and "White Collar Boy" over the others because they are a bit more rambunctious. So there you have it. Definitely a nice sounding record... it just took a little time to get comfortable on my turntable.
The packaging is pretty nice. Very attractive gatefold set,
with the lyrics printed inside when you open it up. The two LPs are stored in generic white sleeves, and it comes with a two-page insert consisting of artwork and a Q&A session transcript the band did with their fans. I wish it had come with a download or the CD... c'est la vie.Again, I'm sorry to say that this record is currently out-of-print. I saw a copy recently sold on eBay for something like $25. Amazon.com has a USED copy for almost $100. I don't advocate spending that much on a record, but keep your eyes open for a copy of this one. If you can find it for a reasonable price, it is more than worth a spin.
Buy the LP for far too much money at Amazon.com
Search for Belle & Sebastian vinyl on eBay
Tomorrow: Tom Waits - Mule Variations
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