Third Man Records' Vault delivers an exclusive 12" and 7" vinyl + a bonus item every quarter. On top of that, there a lot of other perks including live streams of events, pre-sale opportunities, shop access, and chat room access with Jack White and Third Man Employees.
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out our review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: Third Man Records Vault
The Cost: $60 per quarter (There's a $20 option as well, but that doesn't include the 12" vinyl record)
The Products: A quarterly Vault package which includes a 12” record, a 7” record, and a bonus item.
Ships to: Worldwide!
Check out all of our Vinyl Subscription Boxes in the Subscription Box List. Rate, review, and follow this subscription on the Third Man Records Vault profile page.
Vault package #29 featured a live performance from Pearl Jam at Third Man Records. I'm a long time fan of Pearl Jam since middle school - and a fan of Jack White in general - so it seemed like the right time to try this subscription!
Pearl Jam: Live At Third Man Records
The vinyl's jacket is absolutely beautiful. It's soft to the touch and has a gold leaf/metallic ink all over the front and back. These records never go on sale after the fact - so you're getting something rare and unique. With the massive following of Pearl Jam - this one, in particular, is even more valuable.
It's super-sturdy - it feels like it could easily support a double album. Here's the graphic on the inside. Pearl Jam has some of the best graphic work for a long, long time.
Here's a look at the reverse side of the jacket - again, beautiful metallic gold ink!
This album was recorded live directly to acetate! It's pressed on black and translucent gold material to mimic its jacket.
Here's a better view.
The performance itself was great. While it's only an 8 song performance, it was great for me because it includes a couple of my favorites, like Deep and Hard To Imagine - the latter is an incredible rendition. The sound quality itself is bar-none. This is as good of a live performance as you'll get!
Pearl Jam is long known for their incredible live performances - it's like a blind bag every single night, you never know what you're going to get since they switch up their setlist every single night. With a catalog as extensive as theirs, it's really a feat that they've perfected over time - they've gone into hardly-ever-played songs at shows I've been at with not much of a stumble.
They're also long-time proponents of everything Third Man Records stands for - keeping vinyl alive, making live records available, beautiful hand-made artwork (every single concert has it's own uniquely drawn poster!), and really just being of service to the fan - it's why they are still going strong! So really, this collaboration makes total sense!
Eddie Vedder 7" Single
This is a 7" single recorded directly to vinyl in a small Third man Records booth. It has that the sound and feeling of a demo recorded on the fly. The song itself, Out of Sand, is brand new and fantastic. You can even follow along with the lyrics written out in the photo book below!
Pearl Jam: Live At Third Man Records Photo Book
The bonus item this month is this hard cover photo book of the entire session at Third Man Records. This is right up my alley - I love books like this (I'm big into music documentaries, too) and I felt it really brought everything full circle.
To me, this is what digital media lacks the most. There's nothing like sitting down with an album and fully taking in the artwork, notes, and lyrics with the music. This book does it right - it really creates that atmosphere as you flip through it and listen to your records. It's my favorite part of the physical media of music - and I hope it never dies so even the kids can get that feeling! And the smell! Oh, the smell of a new vinyl record - hard to beat.
Verdict: I was eagerly awaiting this record from Third Man Records Vault, and it did not disappoint. I sat down and listened to it last night - it so well-made and properly done that it was a great experience bringing together the music with the artwork. It's on the higher end in terms of cost, but it's also on the higher end in terms of quality - it doesn't get much better than this. I can see this being a great gift for any unique vinyl collectors out there! Check out all the past Vault releases to get a sense of what you could expect for future releases!
What did you think of the Third Man Records Vault?
Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.