It’s weird how the vinyl resurgence has turned from a super niche thing cultivated by the absolute worst types of performative elitist to, like, the standard way to buy physical music.
Yeah, obviously mom and dad still like their compact discs, but when’s the last time a friend of yours dropped 10 bucks for a CD copy of the new Adele or something? It just doesn’t happen anymore. Meanwhile, I can routinely find stuff like Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, and the soundtrack for Call of Duty games at record shops (not joking.) And nothing encapsulates this weirdness more than this press release I got last week.
These motherfuckers are putting out a double LP version of The Dutchess. Which, if you remember, served as the vanguard for Fergie’s solo career, with songs like “Fergalicious,” “Glamorous,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and the somehow still baffling “My Humps.” Fergie is in that special class of pop star with Flo Rida where despite general, undeniable success, the artist seems completely soluble in our greater cultural storylines.
Still, someone is pressing a 10-year old Fergie record on vinyl. Is it a PR move? Is it a loss-leader? Is it a pure vanity project? Will people buy this? Is it going to be a limited run? In 2037 is this thing going to be selling for like $700 on discogs?
I have no idea. But it really makes me laugh that soon, people will be able to find Fergie right next to The Feelies and Fugazi.