After yesterday’s post on the UK reissue of The Slider (which I’m totally salivating for), I began to wonder about the mechanism in place for what becomes a grandiose Anniversary set, and which do not. After I completed said contemplation, I merely became depressed realizing that most of my wish list would never see the light of day as a definitive 40th Anniversary packaged Box, worthy of a picked spot on my shelf.
Since 40th Anniversary sets and the ubiquitous Super Deluxe Editions are beginning to become popular (for those that tolerate such expansive – and pricey – indulgences), it is only right that I hope for more of my favorites to be given such attention.
And while we wait, and perhaps despair, I thought it might be fun to peruse some unused corners of our minds to decide which titles are coming up on their 40th Anniversary (or greater, or lesser), that we would love to see as upgraded Super Deluxe Editions, you know, the whole works, vinyl, books, CDs, DVDs, and all.
For me, I was rather disappointed to NOT see No Secrets from Carly Simon given the upgraded 40th Anniversary love. There are other disappointments as well. Coming up would be Close To The Edge by YES, which I still want to see in a high resolution sound. And yes, we know that the DVD-Audio of that album was completed. And we never got it.
Still, Close To The Edge is one that I would love to see given the wild, way-out Super Deluxe Edition treatment. How about School’s Out by Alice Cooper? I need a bit to gather up a list. While I do that, how about you? Have a title or ten that would knock you to the floor with an announced Super Deluxe Edition?
I can’t think of that many right know but the yes is a definite also genesis foxtrot would be another one
Wait, there IS a completed DVD-A of Close to the Edge? I had heard all along that it was supposed to be worked on but was never completed because of missing multitracks. Hope I’m wrong though!
Pure guesswork on my part, HOWEVER, it was announced as an official upcoming release, like Aerosmith’s Rocks (SACD), and The Byrds’ 5D, way too close to a date to not have been finished.
And we all know that Rocks was manufactured because one was found in the wild. But I’d bet it was done!
I’ve always been of two minds on crazy-deluxe special editions, both for music and movies. On the one hand, they must provide something new for the existing fan that deepens their appreciation. At the same time, I think they should also serve as a gateway for new fans, introducing them to significant material they should experience. I don’t think the music industry understands that as much as the movie industry does. Many of the crazy-deluxe special edition album sets that have been released are too cost-prohibitive or insular to really introduce new fans to the material.
In DVD terms, which I know better than music, I believe this is where Criterion really excels. They have a lot of familiar titles in their collection that delve deep and provide tons of new material to existing fans. But they also have a lot of more obscure titles. Once you get to know and trust Criterion, the very fact that they’re releasing a title makes it of interest to you and you want to know more about it…or just blind-buy it on faith.
I’ve always wished there was a Criterion Collection for music. This will never happen for many, many reasons. But it begs the question that I think you, Matthew, are uniquely qualified to ask. If there was a Criterion Collection of music, what should be included?
If I were in charge of the line, I’d only have a couple of ground rules. First, the music had to be composed in the 20th century or later. It’s impossible to compile anything comparable to Criterion if you’re going all the way back to the dawn of music. Second, it isn’t limited to any one genre. Rock, jazz, pop, country, modern classical (that’s the only term I can think of to describe composers like John Adams and Philip Glass)…anything goes as long as it’s great.
A lot of food for thought for a comment, I realize. Have fun with that.
I like it!
That list would be long. I think the question may be, is there enough unreleased quality material available surrounding a specific album to put together a deluxe package? I suppose there are alternate takes, demos and live recordings but how many of those are going to be compelling enough to release. I would bet that there is enough material for a lot of classic albums to release a deluxe 2 or 3 disc set (similar to the Stone’s Some Girls deluxe release last year) but when you are talking about 5 or 6 disc box sets it becomes a little more difficult.
I am all for these deluxe sets and have purchased many of them. However, I have to be honest and say that rarely does any of the new material wow me to the point that I listen to it for days.
I’m hoping Rhino will reissue the first four Monkees albums as boxed sets, and a another combined set for The Monkees Present/Changes.
Led Zeppelin IV
All of them, especially Houses of the Holy
LOVE the super deluxe editions that are A. reasonably priced and B. comprehensive and inclusive. Excellent example would be the recently released “Copper Blue” Sugar reissue. I RARELY buy the mega-expensive editions (one exception–U2’s “Achtung Baby”). An example of a super-crappy reissue would be Morrissey’s “Viva Hate.” Record companies and artists are really missing the boat on theses reissues. Fans like me absolutely want them.
I thoroughly agree!!
I think Van Halen’s debut would be a great one to do, as would kd lang’s Shadowland, Tull’s Song from the Woods, just about an Steely Dan albums, Blue or Court and Spark from Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison’s Poetic Champions and his early WB releases, Captain Beefheart’s Trout Mask Replica, Thomas Dolby’s Aliens Ate My Buick, Neil Young’s Harvest Moon, Cowboy Junkies’ Trinity Seasons, and CSN’s Deja Vu, for a few.
One album that IS getting a deserved deluxe treatment is Peter Gabriel’s So. But I’m afraid I *won’t* be getting that, as it’s got too much duplicated content and yet not enough of the right content.
It’s got the Live in Athens DVD, the audio of which is duplicated on 2 CDs. And it should be a Blu-ray, not a DVD. The various at-the-time remixes are nowhere to be found, and the only B-sides are on a vinyl album. The remixed album is on both a CD *and* a vinyl. And the Classic Albums video that’s included is on a DVD, when there’s a Blu-ray of the same video readily available elsewhere.
Highly highly HIGHLY disappointing stuff from an artist I respect and admire greatly.
I’d like to see a super deluxe treatment for Marillion’s Misplaced Childhood album. There is a 2-disc release that features B-sides and demos, but I want to see an edition that also features a DVD (preferably a Blu-ray, though that’s unlikely to happen) of a live show where they play the whole Misplaced Childhood album top to bottom. Video retrospective interviews from the band, more remixes if available, and some kind of “making of” video.
Plus all these same things for “Brave”, also done my Marillion. :-)
I’ll take a deluxe edition of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco, please.
I’m sick of this “Super Duper Mega Awesome Deluxe” crap. Take the forthcoming special editions of Clapton’s Slowhand… There’s a two disc that will have some outtakes/unreleased tracks, and then “highlights” from a 1977 concert from the Hammersmith.
But, wait, what if you want the WHOLE concert? You can get that, but you have to buy the (undoubtedly overpriced) 3 CD, 1 LP, 1 DVD set to get that. So, not only would I have to repurchase the Slowhand album on CD (which could use a good remaster, admittedly), but I’d also have to buy an audio-only DVD (which I don’t need and would rarely play) AND a completely worthless to me LP (I have no turntable anymore and don’t intend to buy one). If I shell out for all that, THEN I have the right to own to own that complete concert.
Screw all that… I’m not blowing the money and encouraging the labels to keep screwing me like that. I’d buy the concert if it were available on its own (either on CD or even as a lossless download) but not with all that added stuff. Guess I’ll try to find the concert on a torrent site after it’s released. The greedy labels only have themselves to blame.
Then again, at least in this case the full show is an option for some. When the 30th anniversary set for Billy Joel’s The Stranger came out, the 1977 Carnegie Hall concert included with that set wasn’t even the complete show!
From what I understand, the upcoming Peter Gabriel So set is underwhelming too… That extended remix of “In Your Eyes” that used to get a lot of radio play? Not going to be on it, apparently, and to date has never been released on CD. WTF??