Reissue, 2016
Black Vinyl /??
The original pressing of this record has been an absolute number one want of mine for years and it's a record that regularly commands high re-sale prices on sites like discogs dot com etc. Even old bootlegs go for obscene amounts. I was extremely pleased then when it was announced that "Nola" would be reissued on RSD 2016 for the first time since 1995.
I won't be another party to weigh into the frenzy surrounding Anselmo's questionable opinions. I have always possessed a large fondness of the man as a musician and a person and events over the last few months have been a catalyst for a sad time for me personally, as I would agree that he probably is everything that he is accused of, contrary to what I would like to believe. The evidence is pretty strong anyway.
I won't let his dodgy choices ruin my love for this phenomenal album though. It's certainly the best thing the band has ever produced, and definitely the strongest thing that Anselmo has ever been involved with. Wheras just about everything he had something to do with from around this era has aged horribly (listen to the recording and horrible guitar tones of any 90's Pantera material for an example), "Nola" stands the test of time with straight up flawless song writing, and an unmatched recording quality, both of which wield an influence so wide that it's practically inconceivable.
Not that I have ever seen a hard copy of the original pressing in real life, the impression that I get is that this edition is relatively true to that 1995 version. I suspect that some fans out there were expecting some sort of epic gatefold presentation with new liner notes, photos etc, but I am glad that the label ran with the regular single sleeve. I do find it odd though that they decided to reissue this as a double LP, when there isn't actually any new music included, or even a 45RPM pressing (it's 33). The 180g is a nice touch though.
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