DealsTop 10: Pop-tastic reissue deals
Everyone loves a bargain, so today SDE brings your attention to This Is Pop, a new online store that brings together some deluxe editions and box sets at fantastic prices…
This is a curated selection of great archive releases from artists like Bananarama, Simply Red, Aztec Camera, Belinda Carlisle, Lisa Stansfield, Deacon Blue and more.
SDE will separate the wheat (Susanna Hoffs and Matthew Sweet) from the chaff (PJ & Duncan) and below list 10 of the best deals. There’s some crazy prices, although unfortunately, for international fans, these deals will only ship to the UK.
Susanna Hoffs & Matthew Sweet / Completely Under The Covers 4CD – £10.99
Can’t recommend this fantastic set highly enough. Susanna Hoffs (from The Bangles, of course) and indie underachiever Matthew Sweet cover 1960s, 1970s and 1980s songs across three editions of ‘Under The Covers’. This four-CD clamshell box set adds 15 bonus tracks and a 48 page booklet with annotation by the duo.
Deacon Blue / deluxe reissues (3 or 4-disc sets) – from £7.99
If you weren’t a Deacon Blue fan back in 2012, you probably rather wished you were, when you saw the scale and breath of the reissue programme. Most of the albums were 2CD+DVD editions which contained everything and the kitchen sink, although 1987’s Raintown went even further adding another CD for a four-disc set. Even then there was bonus material left over that was put on a special compilation called The Rest which was also given the 2CD+DVD treatment!
Lisa Stansfield / The Collection 1989-2003 (18-disc box) – £36.99
Stupendous value offered by this 18-disc Lisa Stansfield box set which includes all of her Arista-era albums as deluxe 2CD+DVD sets and adds a 33-track three-CD remix anthology (called People Hold On) for good measure.
Donna Summer / The CD Collection (10CD box) – £32.99
The late, great Donna Summer‘s Geffen and Atlantic albums are included in this beautifully designed box set which includes a 3CD deluxe of Another Place And Time. You also get some bonus postcards.
The Average White Band / All The Pieces 19CD box set – £29.99
All The Pieces includes all The Average White Band‘s studio albums and two bonus CDs which gather rarities and remixes from across the decades. Throw in a 52-page booklet and you’ve got a mega-deal for less than £30!
Thompson Twins / 2CD deluxe editions – £6.99
Edsel’s Thompson Twins deluxe editions are, frankly, ancient, but remain some of the most intelligently compiled double-disc sets ever put together. Quick Step & Side Kick – SDE’s personal favourite – brings together the album and an incredible amount of remixes from the various singles. Crucially it includes those cassette remixes that had remained elusive for nigh on 25 years!
Bananarama / 2CD+DVD deluxe editions – £6.99
Normally fickle pop fans found nothing to complain about with these Bananarama three-discs sets that were issued back in 2013. Each album is packed with rare and unreleased remixes and comes with a DVD of promo videos and TV appearances (‘Bananarama at the BBC’)
Pretenders / 2CD+DVD deluxe edition – £7.99
This celebration of the Pretenders‘ first album contains 31 tracks of audio across two CDs and a DVD compiling promo videos and no less than five Top Of The Pops performances and an appearance on BBC TV’s Saturday morning show ‘Swap Shop’.
Simply Red / Home 3CD+DVD – £7.99
Simply Red looked dumper-bound in the early noughties after the disappointments of Blue and Love and the Russian Winter, but defied the odds by coming back strong with a new album Home issued on their own label. Sunrise was the standout, but the album delivered four UK top 40 hit singles. This four-disc casebound book deluxe offers a bonus disc full of remixes, a full performance at Ronnie Scott’s and a DVD with promos and TV appearances. Amazing value!
Simple Minds / Celebrate Live at the SSE Hydro Glasgow (2CD+DVD) – £7.99
Simple Minds ‘celebrate’ their hit-packed career in late 2013 with this concert in Glasgow which was part of their greatest hits tour. Audio across two CDs and of course the full performance on DVD.
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Postage prices prohibitive and not calculated until the very end of the order. I can get a lot of these cheaper at my local HMV
Yes, the lack of shipping outside the UK is 100% attributed to licensing restrictions. It sucks.
Thanks for posting this, picked up the last three Bananarama albums, great prices
I think there’s some unreleased material on the PJ & Duncan album actually. Never heard their versions of ‘I’m A Loser’ or ‘Boom There She Was’ before.
Some really nice deals, seriously though? Just shipping to the UK… This crap already gets on my nerves with digital stores, but this is just laughable – reminds me of HMV online – and then stores complain about little sales.
I am not quite sure why people are getting their knickers in such a twist over postage costs.
It takes time, packaging and people to get something to us. The van drivers have to be paid with taxes on top and the company has to buy the packaging materials.
I’m not having a go at anyone in articular, just pausing for thought that stuff costs money to make and send, even website designers like to get paid occasionally. Along the same lines with the posters who moan at the cost of a 3 CD compilation set being £9.99 or £15 is too much for x, y or z. If we judge everything by what amazon, with their massive tax-dodging scale can achieve then no-one else has a chance and all we will end up with is Amazon.
£9.99 for a 4 disc Deacon Blue set is a snip whether or not it has £3 postage charge attached. Couriers still have to be paid, diesel still has to be paid for with tax on top, maintenance of vans etc, it’s why companies like citilink went out of business as everyone races for the bottom and no one wants to pay a fair price for a day’s work.
Not posting abroad could also be to do with licensing, I doubt it’s that they just can’t be arsed.
Taking into account how I value my time it would cost (Time, diesel, wear and tear, parking), what? £20 to £30 to race into town and buy from a shop…. So £3 delivery doesn’t seem too bad at all in the great scheme of things….
Amazon want to start going down the line of Drone delivery and then we will be moaning about noise, danger and health and safety as one drops out of the sky due to lack of maintenance. Stuff costs……
To quote Lord Darlington we are becoming ‘a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.’
Apologies for the wee rant.
$9.81 for a three-disc Simply Red packed with remixes of “Sunrise”? Yes!
$8.58 apiece for three two-disc Thompson Twins remasters (apparently a few vinyl rips notwithstanding)? Yes!
$40.53 for a TEN-DISC Donna Summer box? Tempting.
Combined shipping to the U.S. at any price? No!
That would’ve been four or five sales right here.
And now forever I will be gauging the prices for these items elsewhere against this sale and declining to buy this company’s products because they’re gouging Americans for 2x and 3x what they’re offering the UK. Why would they do this? Paul, put the caveat that the sale is for UK buyers in the headline next time so I don’t click through and get my heart broken! ;)
Love the site though, it was already indispensable with all the details about expanded re-releases, and getting a heads-up on deals is great! Thanks!
Bummed that they only ship to the UK, but at least they have the decency to put it in bold on the front/home page. Unlike other sites where I waste HOURS looking through merch, adding some to my cart, going to checkout, creating an account THEN being told they don’t ship to Oz. GRRR!
Yeah great deals, but none to the US (sniff), got the Lisa Stansfield box for $47 US (including shipping, a steal), want the Sid & Susie box (saw it for $14 US), Deacon Blue, Simply Red & Donna Summer sets I want eventually , AWB not that into much, TT I want the full box, same with Bananarama, got the full Pretenders box (the artwork is much different), just pre-ordered the Oils “Full Tank”, so that, even with a good deal, combined with “Overflow Tank”, will be a money placement priority over everything else…
Great store and great prices but a downer they don’t ship to the USA. And if they did, it would probably be expensive, given the comments about UK P&P. Too bad, I’m always up for a good deal and these are certainly that.
Any chance of a “This is anything but Pop?” LOL
I’m with Dean on this.
At least on the other Demon store you could pick-up bargains like the Comsat Angels and Jesus and Mary Chain reissues etc. I’d struggle to find anything in this lot that would register a flicker of interest (the closest being the White/Hoffs collection as a minor curio).
Ho hum.
Bummer – I’m ready to order but no shipping to U.S. :-( Hope this will be fixed soon – would LOVE to support the store & buy my music there!
Only in uk… Pfff
Can I officially give a two thumbs in a certain director for making this a country-restricted deal? Can I tell them to go to hell? So sick of these restrictions!
As Mike says – watch those TT editions – some of the tracks are mp3 vinyl rips. To the casual listener this maybe doesn’t matter but unfortunately some tracks sound terrible when listened to on anything even remotely approaching quality audio gear.
The only album that had vinyl rips was Into The Gap and they sent out corrected discs at the time. There was no problems with the other two.
I’ll have to check my copy – I bought it second-hand in Australia.
What errors should I be looking for?
EDIT: I suppose it’s a moot question really – If I wanted/needed a corrected disc, would I even still be able to get one? As Paul Sinclair (OBE :)) said, they are frankly ‘ancient’.
And speaking of replacement CDs, my Yazz one arrived today – it seems like aaaaages since I requested it. I was a bit worried when I saw it – a flimsy plastic sleeve in a flimsy card envelope all the way to Australia? But it seems to have survived…phew! At least the Bananarama “Nathan Jones” replacement came in a DVD case – so I was able to replace a CD AND a DVD case. Two birds with one stone!
“WE ONLY SHIP TO THE UK” You’ve gotta be kidding! Brexit!?
£14 saving on the la Stansfield box compared with amazon and that’s after postage’s added on. Would be tempted, but nothing costs £5.60 to send unless it comes with a ‘free’ house brick.
Postal charges are the deal breaker – £8.40 for the AWB box, so only comes out £1.00 less than Amazon UK. Shame, won’t be picking up any pieces of that one!
Adding p&p after Paypal at the last moment is sneaky. After postage, the one I wanted (Under The Covers) can be got cheaper on Amazon.
To be fair, it’s a bit of a limitation of the platform (shopify). I know this because ShopSuperDeluxe.com has the same issue, although there is a way to get an estimate beforehand.
Is this the ‘Demon Music Group’ shop re-branded ? I recall being tempted by the EBTG reissues on that site a while back, but the p&p charges were pretty heavy.
Indeed… I think postage is better now.
I often look at these deals and wonder who is rushing out to buy Bananarama and Lisa Stansfield deluxe editions. I mean, I’m not knocking her – I’m sure there are lots of bands I like that other people just don’t get, I just can’t picture their target demographic!
Haven’t you ever been to a gay club?! :-0. It’s pretty obvious who the crux of the Nanas fan base is. Bananarama remain the greatest girl and the UK ever spawned. They invented girl power, which makes the manufactured ‘phenomenon’ of the Spice Girks all the more depressing. I’d imagine anyone who loves stellar pop music would be buying any one of the Bananarama reissues.
Great prices – does anyone know what the sound quality is likely to be?
The Sweet/Hoffs is def a jump in for me
not too hot on P&P charges though…£3 for 1x banarama ??
Probably better value if you pick up a few things..
not really – added 1 x banarama and 1 x heaven 17 =£5.60 p&p
Too bad “this is pop” only ships to the UK………great deals
The TT ones were mislabelled and littered with vinyl rips weren’t they – did they get corrected?