Amplified Media Services, LLC
Mike Pope - Ripening (Ain't It Strange) (Colored Vinyl)
Discover Mike Pope, the legendary San Diego, CA underground artist brought to you by Blind Owl Records. Ripening (Ain't It Strange), released alongside Songs for People High & Low, is the rock 'n' roll antithesis to the folk sound that drove the label to document his songs on tape; like a modern day Alan Lomax. Trading ornate guitar picking and serene melodies for gritty poetic punk, it's Dylan going electric in '65, on a conceptual ride that is reminiscent of Joe Strummer's solo work and early Talking Heads.
The album showcases Pope's more experimental side, calling on the talents of producers Dude Cervantes and Jordan Andreen to harness the raw energy of his electric rock band. There are welcome nods to Billy Bragg, Neil Young in his most ragged glory, and even a heavy dose of Mdou Moctar's Nigerian psych rock influence with electric guitars chiming through an echoplex. "Whereas Songs for People High & Low was a slow-burn culmination of songs that I'd written over time," Pope explains, "Ripening just sprang. I had all these open-tuning solo acoustic songs that I had pieced together into what I was calling a 'song poem'." Every song serpentines into the next, devouring the energy of the prior track and transforming it with the imagery of Pope's storytelling. The vivaciousness comes alive to exemplify Mike Pope and his raucous trio firing on all cylinders - a favorite from Blind Owl Record's "100% Certified Analog" collection, and regular on the turntable. "The guitars bristle in a Big Star era manner. It all inhabits an entirely different musical sphere than his previous work. While the folk tunes were sautéed & tasty this is deep fried with a crunch - tasty, nevertheless." - Americana Highways "The contrast between the two albums couldn't be greater, but then again, it serves to shore up Pope's proficiency as an artist of daring and defiance." - American Songwriter "Pope's lead vocals and the trio's musical compositions parallel some of the pioneers of decades ago, from The Clash to R.E.M to Nirvana." - San Diego Troubadour
UPC/ISBN: 810017645671
Release Date: 12/05/2025
Product Information
Due to the nature of collectible items and ever changing market demand, we are unable to cancel pre-orders on ratio variants and select other items (1 per store variants, exclusive covers, ect) for a refund.For preorders on regular open order comics (the majority of which are normally cover price), we can cancel preorders and refund with a store credit that can be used in our brick and mortar stores or at thirdeyecomics.com
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At Third Eye, we ship thousands of comics every week, and we know condition matters. Whether you're reading, collecting, or grading, we want you to feel confident when a Third Eye package arrives.
This policy outlines our standard for new release and shipped comics, and the industry-standard guidelines we follow.
OUR STANDARD
Books without a stated grade will be offered as Near Mint 9.4 or better. We do not guarantee 9.8 condition on any book unless specifically noted.
We use industry-standard grading guidelines from:
- CBCS Comic Grading Scale
- Overstreet Comic Grading Standards
- CGC grading standards
If you're new to comic grading, the resources above are a great place to start.
WHY WE DON'T GUARANTEE 9.8
Modern comic printing is an imperfect process. Books are printed in massive
runs, bound at high speed, and shipped in bulk to retailers. Even brand
new books off the truck will exhibit minor production characteristics,
and that's normal, and consistent with industry standards across every
retailer.
A 9.8 grade represents near-perfection, and the reality is that not every printed book qualifies for that grade no matter where you buy it from.
We can absolutely commit to NM 9.4 or better. We cannot commit to 9.8 on every book, because that's not how comics are made.
WHAT QUALIFIES AS NM 9.4
Per industry standards, a book may exhibit the following minor characteristics and still grade as Near Mint 9.4, as long as there's no accumulation of defects:
Bindery characteristics:
- Minor to moderate corner tears
- White edges along the spine (common on most modern printings)
- Covers slightly offset from interior pages (common on cardstock covers)
Printing characteristics:
- Slight color rub on back covers
- Small paper wrinkles present from the paper roll prior to printing
- Wavy paper texture from the printing process
Spine characteristics:
- 2-3 small color-breaking spine ticks
- Minor non-color-breaking spine dings
These are normal modern production characteristics, not damage from handling or shipping. They are present on books across the industry, regardless
of retailer.
OUR RETURN & EXCHANGE POLICY
We do not accept returns or exchanges on books that meet our NM 9.4 or better standard.
We will replace or refund:
- Books damaged during shipping (clear shipping damage, not pre-existing print characteristics)
- Books that fall below NM 9.4 standard (significant spine damage, major creasing, tears, etc.)
- Wrong cover or wrong issue shipped
For premium variants (1:25, 1:50, 1:100, 1:250, 1:500 incentive covers, signed editions, exclusive variants), we apply enhanced QC during pull and packing. If a premium variant arrives outside our standard, contact us within 7 days of delivery and we will work with you on a replacement.
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