Saturday 1 October 2011

Repackage, Reissue, Ripoff




This week saw the repackaging of all the albums of my favourite band of the 80s and also the back catalogue of another group from that period who, seemingly,  if you believe what you read single handedly changed the music scene during that decade.

Anyway, all this repackaging and remastering is beginning to get on my nerves. I know that I have mentioned before that I bought the remastered Screamadelica and I have also said that afterwards I felt like a mug. I just can't understand why these things are remastered, well I can,  it's just to make money. But what it says to me is, at the time we released a sub standard product which we weren't really that proud of and it has been remastered to sound the way it should have in the first place. Well, if that's the case I want a free copy of the remastered album or my money back as the one that you sold me at the time, you sold under false pretences and all the time in interviews you were saying that this is the best thing we've done, blah de blah.

I have decided to say no to any re-releases, even Fall ones from now on. The Reids, Marr's and Gillespie's of this world, if you want me to spend money give me something new, fresh, original which is more deserving of my money than say, the new Death In Vegas album (not likely, as it is brilliant)  and if you can't,  fucking retire!

Here is an extremely bad cover version by the Reid brothers

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Alphabet Street

oh, and the demo of Upside Down available on the repackaged Psychocandy

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Upside Down

6 comments:

exilestreet said...

Really pisses me off too...in the old days you legged it to 'Listen' to make sure you got a copy of the first 10,000 that had that free single/album/whatever (or in the case of the first Clash album that wee red sticker to send of for yr free 7") Now when they re-release an album a couple of months after the fans have bought it w/ a free CD. Any wonder people are dwnloading when the record companies do that?
Regards/

Artog said...

I think I'll be buying the Psychocandy one, it looks a bit of a bargain to be fair. Given that I've got this far only having spent £3.50 on a second hand vinyl copy of the album about 25 years ago I can't say I feel too exploited. (And a bit more on the 12" singles I suppose.)

I did read something about how Bob Dylan's albums in the sixties were recorded that justified this kind of business. Can't remember the exact details, but basically they hadn't used the real master tapes.

And finally, much as I love the song I've always heard a touch of the Scooby Doo theme to Upside Down. But then Scooby Doo's a good tune too.

exilestreet said...

2Artog/
There was a big problem when CD's first came out that a lot of them weren't mastered correctly and some were even taken from vinyl sources. But...it is all just stinking of corporate greed now I think.
Regards/
*gets down from soapbox*

drew said...

But Psychocandy is suppossed to sound like that.

It is rather a good deal Artog but still for me, I've already got everthing, most on two formats. My demos are on an old tdk tape from that time but found them last night easily enough on the net.

Mona - i'm with you on the new release thing and then 6 months later a deluxe version comes out. To me the fan is being treated with contempt.

davyh said...

Heard about The Sm***s re- (re)releases today and felt quite old, but also, wise; I have them on LP, I have them (partly) on CD, I have them on the computer. That'll do.

I think I'll be spending my very limited disposable cash on STUFF I HAVEN'T GOT YET. How amazingly controversial.

exilestreet said...

The Smurfs are being reissued? :)