Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' Vinyl With Missing Tracks Is Finally On Sale

Beyoncé's vinyl-loving fans were upset when the singer released an LP version of her album “Cowboy Carter” in March that was missing five tracks found on the standard digital edition. Today, this apparent oversight is corrected with a new vinyl edition of the collection that includes all of MIA's tracks…but at a price.

Beyoncé's online store is now selling what it bills as the “official” vinyl version of “Cowboy Carter,” complete with the full tracklist of 27 songs. Although, like the previous edition, it is a two-LP set, the cost of the new version has been increased to $59.98, a price rarely seen for a non-audiophile double album. With a $13.72 shipping fee and additional taxes, the full version will cost fans almost $80.

This doesn't sit well with some buyers who had previously paid the online store a total of almost $60 for the pre-ordered first edition of the album, thinking it would be the full album, and find themselves now double-pay to get the full amount. standard track listing on vinyl. On Beyoncé's Instagram account's post about the new release, the first fan comment that came up for some users was: “Bey… if this is OFFICIAL, WTF did I just order this early year ?

This version was presented as a “limited edition”, which would seem to distinguish it from this new “official” edition… although it turned out to be less limited, as copies are still readily available at retailers and on the online store. Beyoncé's line. The latter site still sells the abridged limited edition in blue, red, and white colored vinyl variants for $40 before tax and shipping, while retailers like Amazon offer a black vinyl edition with the truncated track listing on sale for just $33.

For the $20 more that the “official” LP costs over the “limited” version, fans will not only get the restoration of the five missing tracks, but also the promise of printed materials not included in the first edition. A 40-page booklet “featuring never-before-seen images” is promised, as is a “collectible 24″ by 36″ folded poster.” The double LP also sports the cover art of the singer atop a horse that was used for the standard digital editions, compared to the alternate image of her in a standing position found on the first vinyl release.

The five titles recirculated for this new version are “Flamenco”, “Oh Louisiana”, “The Linda Martell Show”, “Spaghetti” and “Ya Ya”.

The new edition is being sold by pre-order, with a note on the payment form indicating that copies will begin shipping on June 28.

Although Beyoncé's camp made no comment when a minor furor erupted over the missing tracks, there was speculation as to why the first vinyl edition was released without all five songs. Length, obviously, wasn't the problem, since the new version proves that the entire album fits on two LPs. But the turnaround time for most vinyl projects is months in advance of what is required for a CD, or obviously for a streaming version, which can be tinkered with literally almost until the last minute, so it is quite likely that these five titles are still not finished. when the vinyl version was about to hit the presses (or at least some of them weren't, as there is some footage involved in that part of the album). It is also possible that the album title had not yet been finalized when the first vinyl edition went to press, as the words “Cowboy Carter” did not appear anywhere on the packaging. The album cover and other printed materials also lacked track listings, indicating that the songs may have still been in progress at the time of manufacture.

For now, the “official” vinyl is only sold on Beyoncé's online store, with no word on whether it will ultimately be distributed to other retailers, as the shorter edition came several weeks after the release. release of “Cowboy Carter”, without the color variations. .