Acoustic Sounds
Lyra
By: Tracking Angle

December 10th, 2024

Category:

News

Rhino Entertainment Launches Rhino Reserves— Another New AAA Premium Vinyl Series

First Up: Allen Toussaint's "Southern Nights" & Eddie Hazel's "Games, Dames, And Guitar Thangs"

(December 10, 2024 - Los Angeles, CA) Rhino Entertainment is proud to announce the launch of a new audiophile vinyl series, Rhino Reserves, offering legendary albums on 180-gram premium-quality black vinyl. Ensuring the highest audio quality, Rhino Reserve will be pressed locally at Fidelity Record Pressing’s brand-new plant in Oxnard, CA, and cut by renowned mastering engineer Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab. For these inaugural releases, however, the lacquers were cut by the highly respected Chris Bellman from Bernie Grundman Mastering, a name synonymous with audiophile excellence.

 Focused on preserving the authenticity of original packaging while delivering exceptional sound quality, each release features heavyweight board jackets, Rhino Reserve branded labels, and a Fidelity-branded poly sleeve. Rhino Reserve titles will retail for $31.98 and be available at Rhino.com and select retail locations.

 “We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the Rhino Reserve series, a new chapter in our commitment to audiophile-quality vinyl. Following the success of our High Fidelity line, we wanted to offer a more accessible option for fans and collectors that still delivers exceptional sound. We’re especially excited to partner with Fidelity Record Pressing for this series. Their state-of-the-art facility and dedication to craftsmanship have resulted in test pressings for our first releases that sound absolutely phenomenal.”

- Patrick Milligan, Sr. Director, A&R Rhino Entertainment

 “We at Fidelity Record Pressing are very excited to be partnering with Rhino for the Rhino Reserve Series,” saysFidelity Record Pressing’s co-owner Rick Hashimoto. “My sons, Edward and Alex, and I have 75 years of cumulative audiophile record pressing experience, and our plant has the most modern presses and infrastructure. These, along with a staff of people passionate about vinyl, are the key ingredients for high-quality vinyl production.

 Kicking off the series are two iconic releases, Allen Toussaint's Southern Nights:

and Eddie Hazel’s Game, Dames And Guitar Thangs:

Both set to hit shelves on January 31, 2025, part of Rhino's Start Your Ear Off Right, officially kicking off on January 2.

 Southern Nights showcases the late artist’s unparalleled ability to blend funk, soul, and R&B in a way that defined his storied career. Originally released in 1975, the album features standout tracks such as “Last Train” and “Worldwide,” along with the timeless title track, famously covered by Glen Campbell and later designated a Louisiana state song.

 Game, Dames And Guitar Thangs, released in 1977, is a masterpiece of funk rock, boasting the guitar virtuoso’s iconic style and smooth vocals. Known for his groundbreaking work with Parliament Funkadelic, Hazel’s album delivers standout tracks like his reimagined “California Dreamin’” with a psychedelic-soul rock blend.

CUT FROM THE ANALOG TAPES AND PRESSED ON 180-GRAM BLACK VINYL

 AVAILABLE AT RHINO.COM AND SELECT RETAILERS

Comments

  • 2024-12-10 02:09:20 PM

    MrRom92 wrote:

    I like the initiative, but you’ll have to forgive me if I, a particularly tuned-in and educated consumer, can’t determine what makes this distinct from the Rhino Hi-Fi line. The brand confusion probably will not work in their favor in the long term.

    • 2024-12-10 03:36:46 PM

      Zaphod wrote:

      Seems like this new Rhino Reserve series is a step below the current Rhino High Fidelity Series. Some are some distinct differences; price point, packaging, who cut the lacquer, doubtful these will be numbered, to just name a few.

      • 2024-12-10 11:07:35 PM

        Michael Fremer wrote:

        I don't see it as a step below in terms of the production. Matthew Lutthans is a top rank cutting engineer who has worked with Kevin Gray for quite some time and he's cutting on Doug Sax's TML lathe out at Chad Kassem's Blue Heaven Studios. The quality should be outstanding. They'll save some money on the jackets and make these more widely available. As for the titles. Great start! The Toussaint record is outstanding. In fact Elvis Costello licensed and released in on his reissue label quite some time ago now....

    • 2024-12-10 05:50:42 PM

      Norman Maslov wrote:

      No confusion as these are not Stoughton gatefolds and are sold at the retail level for $8 less than the HiFis And of course they are different titles.

      • 2024-12-10 10:19:57 PM

        MrRom92 wrote:

        Not stoughton gatefolds is a good differentiator IMO. As is the lack of numbering. I guess what isn’t so clear is what “type” of title goes to which series and why. The press release above says “heavyweight board jackets” which is probably missing a word. Do they mean direct-to-board jackets? That would definitely be cheaper to print, and would explain the price difference. Versus a tip-on/wrapped board jacket.

  • 2024-12-10 04:08:15 PM

    Spin The Black Circle wrote:

    I’m a big fan of their High Fidelity releases! I have every single one of them. This I’m not very excited about. I think it overly saturates their brand. Seems to be a cash grab!

    • 2024-12-10 05:53:05 PM

      Norman Maslov wrote:

      Why is it a cash grab to release more tithes and cheaper than the HiFis. These look similar in scope and design to the Bluesville and the new OJCs and are cheaper.

      • 2024-12-10 07:27:29 PM

        Jim Shue wrote:

        Mazzy - I agree with you - not a cash grab, complainers gonna complain.

        The Eddie Hazel is a KILLER LP and the Allen Toussaint I've not heard

        This is a smart move for Rhino imo

  • 2024-12-10 06:33:24 PM

    Scotty wrote:

    You also have to keep in mind that the titles coming from this new series and the Bluesville as examples are better to be priced lower to help with more sales based on the strength and popularity of these records. Nice to see the variety out there and would never look at this as a cash grab.

  • 2024-12-10 07:35:11 PM

    Lemon Curry wrote:

    Perhaps Rhino is creating some brand confusion. What's not confusing is the Rhino name out in front, and a dedication to audiophile quality releases. It seemed to me the Rhino High Fidelity line was introduced to test the AAA market waters following MoFi's DSD disaster. It's been a roaring success, and I think Rhino has positioned itself now, in both marketing and proven quality, as the "new MoFi" - the place to go for AAA audiophile pressings.

    • 2024-12-11 04:27:01 PM

      Pretzel Logic wrote:

      Yep, i feel more confident in the Rhino HF titles now than the Mofi catalogue

  • 2024-12-11 06:44:59 PM

    Michael Weintraub wrote:

    The Eddie Hazel is very welcome and I'm going to grab one as soon as it's available, but when, oh when, is someone going to put out an AAA Maggot Brain? I heard a rumor that Westbound had one in the works but no idea if that's really so. I know it will be never be an audiophile-level recording, but with even represses going for $300+ in top condition, I'd love to see one of the better companies give it a shot. I already have an OG of Southern Nights and I'm quite happy with it. Highly recommend it for fans of his music. I would certainly grab one of these at this price if I didn't already have it.

    • 2024-12-12 02:08:34 PM

      MrRom92 wrote:

      Westbound P/Funk catalog have all recently undergone “digital restoration” for vinyl reissue. I don’t know why they chose not to cut from the tapes. It’s unlikely they’re going to license out the albums now if the reissues will be competing against their own.

  • 2024-12-11 08:28:02 PM

    Jeremiah wrote:

    This sounds fantastic, I'm all on on that Eddie Hazel. This is a more reasonable price point for my wallet.

  • 2024-12-12 02:14:59 PM

    Eric Mack wrote:

    Do we know where these will be plated? RTI for the first two since CB is in LA and QRP thereafter since ML is in KS? Or RTI for all?

  • 2024-12-21 02:51:11 PM

    Zeotrope wrote:

    I have 5 Rhino albums in my collection, only 1 of which I have deemed “5 star”. My copy of Talking Heads has a spindle hole that is so off center it’s visible from a photo (if I could post it here, I would). It was a complete joke. I sent several emails to customer service that went unanswered. I’m never buying another Rhino Album - they are nowhere near up to the quality standards that they need to be.