Wu-Tang Clan: Wu-Tang Forever 4LP 180g Vinyl

Why you'll love it

The whole sprawling double album across four 180g LPs, with a printed insert. It sold 612,000 copies in its first week, debuted at No. 1 in the US, Canada and the UK, and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album.

This edition

4LP set
180g vinyl
Printed insert

About the album

Four years and a run of landmark solo records sat between Enter the Wu-Tang and the second group album, so by 1997 the Clan came back as a team of stars rather than a gang of newcomers; Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, GZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard all had solo albums behind them. RZA built most of it, and for the first time on a group record he handed some of the production to 4th Disciple, True Master and Inspectah Deck.

"Triumph" is the centrepiece, a relay of verses from every member plus Cappadonna with no chorus to slow it down. "It's Yourz" and "Reunited" followed it as singles, Tekitha lends her voice to "Impossible" and "Second Coming," and "Older Gods," "Hellz Wind Staff" and "Little Ghetto Boys" keep the kung fu grit of the first album alive across two discs' worth of material.

It went four times platinum in the US, counted disc by disc, as double albums are. Eight sides make for a proper afternoon's listening, so put the kettle on before side A rather than after.

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