Mariah Carey: Butterfly (picture disc) [COLUMBIA]

Why you'll love it

A picture disc pressing of the album widely regarded as her magnum opus. Butterfly topped the charts in the US, Canada, Japan and Australia, went five times platinum in the US and has sold over ten million copies worldwide.

This edition

• Picture disc

About the album

Butterfly is the sound of Mariah Carey taking the wheel. She started work in November 1996 with a clear idea of where she wanted to go, deeper into R&B and hip hop, and she brought Sean Combs, Q-Tip, Missy Elliott and the Trackmasters in alongside longtime partner Walter Afanasieff to get there. Columbia issued it on LP, cassette, CD and MiniDisc depending on the country.

"Honey" sets the tone, produced with Combs, Stevie J and the Ummah and built on a sample of the Treacherous Three, and it topped the charts in Canada and the US. "The Roof" floats over a Mobb Deep loop, "Breakdown" brings in Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, and Afanasieff co-produced the sweeping "My All," which went to No. 1 in the US, plus the title track and "Whenever You Call." She closes with a cover of Prince's "The Beautiful Ones" and the hushed "Outside."

Critics embraced the new direction, and it has since been hailed as an R&B classic and picked up three Grammy nominations. On a picture disc you can admire the artwork while it plays, provided you have quick eyes.

Also at Kops: more Mariah Carey on vinyl · browse Pop

Tracklist

Listen

On Columbia (cat# 88985456301), a reissue of the 1997 album.