crapforgenius

'This Is Hardcore' and 'Different Class' have had recent reissues - the former in Plain, not ideal I realize. I'm actually quite surprised they didn't do 'His N Hers' when they did 'Different Class'. Back to Elbow, I'm not sure who I thought I was kidding when I told myself I was going to hold off. Pre-order in at Amazon.co.uk.

I want to be all over this but I've listened to the second album exactly one-half time so I'm not entirely sure I need a third one... ...that said, if I saw it at a shop, I'd have a hard time saying no.

I have been waiting for re-presses of the first three for years - I never bought them at the time because they were "a bit pricey" even for imports...ha! - but having to rebuy the later ones at the same time isn't exactly thrilling. That said, the Abbey Road album on LP is a nice bonus and I passed on the 'Dead In The Boot' LP because it was - like the early LPs - outrageously expensive for what it is, so this might be a good way to gather it all up. I initially read that the box was limited to 250 copies but then I realized it was the Universal Store exclusive print. I think I can live without that, especially since the shipping doubles the price and their customer service is less than great. I wonder if 'Asleep in the Back' will still contain "Vum Garda" or if the title track is replacing it in the line up. First Blur and now Elbow. Suede need to follow suit, but they can wait a bit to let funds build back up.

Some good $1 finds today: Grace Jones - Sex Drive 12" Daft Punk - Human After All (Unreleased Remixes) French 12" [didn't realize this existed] Van She - Kelly (Braxe & Falke Remix) 1-sided UK 12" [this either] Junior Senior - Move Your Feet (Rascal Remix) US 12" [or this] Also got the Last Names LP in the mail and am excited to open that up. Hand woven sleeve!

Oh, it absolutely is and I don't regret buying for a second. However at the time, I already had the first four domestic CD singles so most of the material wasn't new to me. Obviously, the stuff that was - especially "Set The Ray To Jerry", "Jupiter's Lament", "Transformer" and "The Aeorplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right)" - was well worth it.

I can't lie, if I came across 'Sixteen Stone' in a shop I'd have a hard time saying no. The other two I'd have no problem passing up but I still have a soft spot for that one.

I believe 'Aeroplane' cost me $39.99 on release day and I had to think long and hard about that one, already owning a majority of the set as I did.

Fine, but my core argument is that it's too expensive when it doesn't have to be. "Forced" in the sense that if you want the 3 discs of bonus material, you either have to go digital (which I think everyone here can agree is not an ideal option in any sense of the word) or buy all that extra non-musical crap. There's no reason there can't be a set to match what came before. So botched formatting then. In any case, this is a huge miss for me. Also, the above press release is official enough and no mention of why the show is incomplete.

Right, but at the same time Superdeluxeedition got their info direct from EMI and there was no mention of why the whole show wasn't there.

Then perhaps he needs to get that info out there, and not by yelling at fans on Twitter.

Apparently the video footage comes from a PBS special so it's possible that that is all that exists at this point. I imagine we'll know for sure once the official announcement comes. That said, I find it very hard to believe there's not a complete show from the era in the archives that they could have used. No, botched because they're forcing us to buy unnecessary, excessive packaging to get the audio material and needlessly adding another LP to an already huge package. (Before you shout "Sound quality!", both sides of the 'Gish' reissue are as long if not longer than any of the sides of a 3xLP set would be and it sounds just fine.) Maintaining the original running order would have been nice but I can understand why they chose not to. There should be an option that matches the boxes we've already got and offer all the extra, superfluous stuff in a super deluxe set for those that want it.

True, but not on the DVD. I suppose we should count ourselves lucky that the first three sets were handled so (relatively) well, but this is botched beyond belief.

The original LP track listing was an artistic decision to take advantage of splitting it up over six sides, giving each side a similar feel. The CD running order fits perfectly fine on three LPs - four sides get five songs, two get four - averaging 17-20 minutes a side. As far as the DVD, Superdeluxeedition is reporting only 10 songs (!!!!) from the Brixton show will be on the DVD. Seriously? http://www.superdeluxeedition.com/news/smashing-pumpkins-mellon-collie-six-disc-deluxe-set-on-the-way/

The extra packaging is also a large chunk of the price increase I'd imagine. He's gone and priced me right out of this set - if I didn't want to pay $45 for the original 3xLP back in the day, I certainly don't want to pay $130 for a decoupaged CD set or $90 for a needless fourth LP. (Yes, I realize that those are list prices and there will be discounts but not down to what the package should have cost without all this extra crap.)

Well, I'll be damned. It is gonna be a 4xLP. What if you want the bonus CDs but have no interest in a fucking decoupage kit? Ridiculous. The nice thing about these sets so far was that they weren't stuffed with superfluous crap that artificially drove the price up - the 'Pisces Iscariot' cassette toed that line but was ultimately a nice relic. This is just overkill for no good reason. *sigh* The forums are also reporting that the vinyl track list is going to stay true to the CDs, making the original pressing's running order unique.

I was all over this when the rumors first started leaking out around the time the CDs were announced, but considering I dropped over $400 on those and still haven't spent the time with them that I would like, I think I'm taking a pass on this... ...that could change as we get closer and panic of getting shut out sets in, which is how I (in retrospect, foolishly) spent almost $300 on the Mono box a few days before release.

Just pre-ordered Sylver Tongue's 'Something Big' EP as well as the Pet Shop Boys "Leaving" CD/CD/12"/7" bundle. I need to stop. October is officially a no new record month going forward. (Fortunately these pre-orderes are pretty spread out, there's a few things on the way and I think I've hit any new release I need right away so it shouldn't be too hard.)

I *may* have just impulse bought a copy of Suede's 'Head Music' from Discogs. I probably shouldn't be browsing there at 1AM with a glass of wine in hand. Whoops.

I would be very surprised if 'Mellon Collie' ends up being a 4xLP. 'Pisces Iscariot' was a bit long for a single LP and really benefitted from the expansion to 2xLP, - my black UK copy has always sounded kind of terrible, mostly due to it all being squashed on two sides - whereas 'Mellon Collie' fits perfectly on to 3 LPs. Given what the vinyl reissues have looked like so far and that these pre-orders are up before any official announcement have been made - 'Pisces' wasn't initially announced as a double on some sites, including the official site - I would bet on a triple LP with the original vinyl running order.

Spent my two days off trawling the crates of NYC/NJ. Ended up with a (surprisingly) decent haul. Duran Duran - Careless Memories UK 12" The Jacksons - Destiny US LP Grace Jones - Inside Story US LP Madonna - Justify My Love US 12" Ministry - All Day / Every Day (Is Halloween) US 12" Prince & The Revolution - Purple Rain US 12" (black vinyl - I thought they were all purple so that was a nice surprise...not that I really needed another copy of this) R.E.M. - Green US LP Stevie Wonder - Talking Book US LP Yes - 90125 US LP (it was $1 and "Owner of a Lonely Heart" is fantastic) Alphabeat - Fantastic Six UK 10" Madonna - True Blue US 7" promo (blue vinyl) Wham! featuring George Michael - Careless Whisper US 7" Elastica - Line Up UK CDS Pet Shop Boys - New York City boy US CDM Nothing I needed but plenty I'm happy to have - especially for around $40 for the lot.

Last time they did this, it timed out right before a visit to LA so it worked out perfectly. Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it before the Nov 19 expiration on this one. *sadface*

Walked in to the record store with $20, out with $2. Not a bad deal: Pet Shop Boys - DJ culture US 12" Pet Shop Boys - Yesterday, when I was mad US 2x12" Blur - There's No Other Way US 12" remixes The Chemical Brothers - Loops of Fury US 12" (WHY IS THERE A TRACK BREAK BETWEEN "LOOPS OF FURY" AND "BREAKING UP"? SO ANNOYING!) The Chemical Brothers - Elektrobank US 12" Janet Jackson - Come Give Your Love To Me US 7" with picture sleeve Janet Jackson - Don't Stand Another Chance US 7" with picture sleeve I'm not a big fan of the first two Janet albums, but they were $1 each and "Don't Stand Another Chance" is kind of a jam.

Pre-ordered from Amazon for next week: Dragonette - Bodyparts LP Toy - Toy 2xLP Super excited the Toy album is getting a domestic vinyl release, and even though I don't love the Dragonette album it's nice to see them finally getting a vinyl release as well. (Here's hoping they go back and do 'Galore' and 'Fixin To Thrill' at some point, though I highly doubt it.)

Insound has them for preorder at $19.99 each as well. http://www.insound.com/search/?query=fountains+of+wayne Looks like no digital download codes for these but I imagine anyone buying them has them digitally already.

*SQUEE* I've got an original of the self-titled but have always been annoyed that 'Utopia Parkway' and 'Welcome Interstate Managers' were never pressed. Halfway there. ('Traffic & Weather' can suck it, but I'd still totally buy it for completeness sake.)