I have no interest in spending my heard earned pension and savings on these, to me, stupid multi-box sets that everyone seems to be issuing these days. I am, generally, happy that a single album I bought years ago is enough. I don’t want re-mixes, demos, live versions etc etc. I am, however, happy to accept that lots of people really like the idea though.
Call me suspicious but I think it is just a case of artists and companies fleecing the fans. Interesting therefore to see the way the Hey Jude hit maker reacted when someone dared to suggest that, for his Flowers in the Dirt reissue, he wasn’t being very considerate to his fans:-
I don’t think it’s fleecing anyone exactly, since nobody’s putting a gun to anyone’s head, but like you I’ve got no interest really. I think it just comes from that completist urge that some people have, they actually get a bit twitchy if they discover that there’s an official Sigue Sigue Sputnik live/b-sides collection that they don’t have. I’m mostly just interested in the album’s themselves. Bonus tracks have a 99% chance of being pony, that’s why they didn’t make the main release.
And in fairness to Macca, he authorised his manager to put his side of the story out there. We all know Paul himself would be crap in that situation because standing over a hard-nosed business decision would take from his matey-matey image but he’s been up front about it, and reckons the b-sides aren’t worth the bother. It’s also interesting that it’s pointed out (and I can believe it given that I paid €50 for the RAM set and somebody probably still made a few quid on that) that the sets aren’t as profitable as you’d think…
Give the finger to the rock ‘n’ roll singer as he’s dancing upon your paycheck. The sales climb high through the garbage-pail sky, like a giant dildo crushing the sun.
Ironically, this is the one I might have bought. It was the first Macca solo album I bought (for the Costello input). I’d be keen to hear the demos and b-sides, but I’m not prepared to pay for a box-set then have to download them.
I paid for Band On The Run as hi-res downloads, so I’m not against technological progress. But the extra tracks in this box are only CD-quality, so the premium DL doesn’t appeal, either.
I won’t bother. Not that Macca cares, I’m sure.
I’m not in the market for any one-album box sets by anybody, whether they’re complete with all single B-sides etc. or not. Box sets cataloguing complete sessions for any album are 99% guaranteed to contain stuff that’s of little or no lasting interest and I already have enough dross in my collection.
Extended editions of albums can occasionally be of interest, if there are a handful of (or even one or two) quality tracks that had to be left out for lack of space on original vinyl albums, but these are distinctly in the minority.
I like a good box set once in a while and I do like the SuperDeluxeSite* – I like the passion for whatever band it is whether it be Joy Division or Tears for Fears or Owen Paul or T’Pau they want something complete and definitive – and god help you if you miss that Spanish 7″ radio edit of ‘China in Your Hand’.
It’s all none-more firstworldproblems but ultimately this is about record companies shaking small change out of the diehards – if ever there was a time to get it right it’s now! If I was going to do a box set – consult the fans first – easier than ever since SDE came into being – the numbers of people prepared to pay for a hard copy of Macca’s tossed off offcuts can’t be that huge and can it get any bigger? so why piss them off now for the sake of getting a few extra CDs run off at a penny a pop. Mr Dylan and Pink Floyd know the score – give them everything now while they’re still prepared to pay because there is a whole new generation of people growing up who have no concept of that.
*That said SuperDeluxeEdition.com is ultimately a blatant advertorial for Amazon which I boycott due to their tax dodging, the disgusting way they they treat their staff and the damage they did to high street record and book shops – so Paul Sinclair doesn’t get any clickbait money from me.
If there’s a phrase that sets Bargepole’s teeth on edge, it’s ‘ Paul’s manager reached out to us’ !!!
seconded.
I love** LPs.
I love** CDs.
I love** some box sets.
I buy lots of the above.
I have now retired but I still love** music.
There are no local music stores where I live.
The nearest cities only have HMV or Fopp where you can buy new LPs/CDs. There are no independent music stores that sell the music I want. In fact Fopp/HMV don`t have the music I want.
Amazon is the only place I can buy the music I want. 95% of the LPs/CDs/DVDs/Blurays I buy on Amazon are from Market Place sellers.
I will attempt to buy the music I want at the best price I can get because like I said I buy lots of LPs/CDs. If this means buying from Amazon, I will bite the bullet and do so. I tend to buy all my LPs from Amazon direct because their return and exchange policy is very good.
I also like the Special Deluxe Edition site, it not only gives prices for Amazon but any other retailers who provide pricing information, HMV and JPC (German) are two. SDE also provides info on how to buy direct from the artists own site.
To say that the Super Deluxe Edition site “is ultimately a blatant advertorial for Amazon” is BOLLOCKS!
**Not as much as I love my wife.