Many times when a "classic" album is rereleased, a lot of other stuff is attached, whether it is b-sides, alternate takes, studio chatter, live versions, or something else.
One the one hand, it is nice to have the extra tracks, but on the other, those tracks can get in the way.
I am not advocating, or looking for, any arguments for the "purity" of the album form.
I tend to think, though, that some reissues can get overzealous. A good example is the reissue of "VU and Nico", which, according to the AMG review, is good for collectors who don't want to pay for the mono version on LP, which is expensive, as well as for those who really want the few extra seconds that were faded out. I am wholly willing to concede that the package is great for the very hardcore lovers of VU, but, goodness, for most of us it is too much. This may be a bad example, though, because the original album was also reissued.
Another frustration comes with the programming. In the case of the Miles Davis reissues on Columbia, the box sets mess up the programming of the albums, and there is almost too much music, but they are nice enough to make all of the box set music available on the single discs, with the alternate takes at the end. This seems to be the ideal solution to me.
I guess I can't really pick classic or dud. It really seems to depend on the label.
― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Sunday, 15 September 2002 19:49 (twenty-three years ago)
I am very anti- reissues in multiple disc format. Any reissues that i have with all the extra crap (alterantive versions) has never added anything becuz they were kept out of it FOR AN OBV REASON. I like reissues where a couple of b-sides are added from the singles released off it at the time but that's as far as it should go.
― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Sunday, 15 September 2002 19:56 (twenty-three years ago)
Bonus tracks are great - if youve got the CD space, fill it up! Even better are two-for-ones but mostly you get those with artists people don't think of as 'album artists', like old soul acts. Which makes Capitol's Beach Boys reissue series highly charitable!
If we're talking about multi-disc reissues, eh. I'm not sure I own any and I wouldn't go out of my way to buy any.
― Tom (Groke), Sunday, 15 September 2002 19:58 (twenty-three years ago)
I tend to agree, Julio, though I think the best solution is to leave the album alone, and then release seperate discs that reissue the complete singles EXCEPT for the tracks that are on the corresponding album.
The two-for-ones are great! They certainly help for those of us who love Fela!
― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Sunday, 15 September 2002 20:01 (twenty-three years ago)
For Me I think it depends on the band.I cant see going out and buying or going through the trouble of copying that 1 extra track on this weeks Acid Mothers Temple reissue,but I'm always on the lookout for Sun Ra alternative takes and if I can get maxium Fela for minimum $$-bring it on. Also will someone, anyone please do a twofer of Tim Buckley- Blue Afternoon/Starsailor so I dont have to shell out $100 bucks- I'll be your friend for life.
― brg30 (brg30), Sunday, 15 September 2002 20:30 (twenty-three years ago)
i was just listening to Rhino's new Blood & Chocolate and thinking about this, actually...in the end i prefer these to the Ryko ones mainly because the bonus stuff is off one a seperate disc from the album proper, which makes it a bit tidier for the listener, if not necessarily as space-effective. also because i'm a bit compulsive about listening to the whole thing of any disc i put in, so it's nice to be able to put on the album whenever i want without feeling as much of a need to sit through the demos afterward.
― Al (sitcom), Sunday, 15 September 2002 20:30 (twenty-three years ago)
Generally the addition of B-sides or EP's to the album isn't too bad, but adding tracks from years later/other lineups pisses me off royally. Whoever thought of reissuing Emperor's "In The Nightside Eclipse" with two crappy added covers from years later should be shot.
― Siegbran Hetteson (eofor), Sunday, 15 September 2002 20:40 (twenty-three years ago)
the "years later" thing is pretty annoying...
incidentally, does anyone have the Gary Numan Beggars Banquet reissue albums? How is everything split up? Are the "etceteras" on another disc?
― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Sunday, 15 September 2002 20:47 (twenty-three years ago)
Blue Afternoon and
Starsailor shouldn't cost that much. Look harder, but if you don't find 'em, I'd be willing to make a 2-fer CDR for ya.
― hstencil, Sunday, 15 September 2002 21:28 (twenty-three years ago)
the reissue of ride's nowhere with the today forever ep attached made the album more classic although you could argue that the today forever ep should have been left alone as it is much better than the album.
― keith (keithmcl), Monday, 16 September 2002 01:03 (twenty-three years ago)