McCartney fans SLAM new ‘download-only’ Flowers in the Dirt deluxe edition
![flowers_2](https://www.superdeluxeedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/flowers_2-480x480.jpg)
Just some of the reaction to the digital downloads-in-physical product furore
We pay for physical product, we expect physical product
Paul McCartney fans have reacted with anger and incredulity to the news that more than a third of the audio content in the forthcoming £120, four-disc, physical deluxe edition of Paul’s album Flowers in the Dirt will only available as a digital download and is not being issued on CD or any other physical format.
The fans, many of whom have bought the previous deluxe sets, who took to SDE (and other forums), were almost unanimous in their condemnation of this strategy that delivers 16 tracks – which include many long out-of-print B-sides (such as the first Costello Collaboration, Back On My Feet), single edits and remixes – as a digital download.
In less than 24 hours, SDE has already had over 160 comments about this set. Below is just a taste of what our passionate and knowledgeable fans had to say. Can ANYONE at MPL or Capitol who reads this, still think they’ve made the right decision? They seem to have forgotten completely who the audience for these sets are. We are hoping that they are big enough to see the error and come up with a solution…
Paul: “This is just absolutely ridiculous and an insult to the fans.”
Mark: “Finally jumped the shark. Reached the point where the actual music is almost an afterthought and download only but chuck in lots of printed material. Crazy”
Marcel: “Not paying that much for a deluxe edition if I am stuck with digital files in the end. I hope this decision will be reversed.”
Carlton: “Download only b-sides? Seriously?”
Simon: “Not having a physical release of the b-sides within the box is outrageous
Mark: “Do these people actually think that those who are spending premium dollars on a physical product want download only material?”
Ben: “For the folks like me who read this blog and are so interested in physical product, Downloads seems like a slap in the face.”
Ollie: “I can’t see any point in buying a deluxe CD box set where a significant portion of the contents aren’t actually included on CD.”
Eduardo: “His team should know by now that the buyer of these expensive boxsets is not the digital download fans but people who appreciate the physical formats.”
Ben: “People buy the big super deluxe edition because they want physical music. To fob people off with a download… is a disgrace”
Alan: “WTF! no SDE option for those period bonus tracks? For the love of all that’s holy, let it be a mistake!“
Lee: “What’s the point of releasing a deluxe edition with download-only content? Isn’t the idea to deliver the definitive physical release?
Dave M: “This beggars belief.”
Wayne: “It just doesn’t make sense. Who makes these decisions?”
Avitom: “The whole idea of buying a physical item is that it is PHYSICAL!”
Dave: “Insane decision to have download only content.”
Jay: “Unbelievable decision.
Jason: “We need to act fast on the off-chance that there’s something that can be done”
Inge: “A good example of how not to do it.”
As I said, that is just a taste. You can read all the full feedback here.
While it is true that McCartney had flirted with ‘free’ downloads in the past – either as an incentive to order from his online store (when he had one) or as a tool to generate social media traffic, this is the first time a significant part of the product is being offered in this way, and it sets a dangerous precedent for future Archive Collection releases and also flies in the face of the current trend for big physical sets, such as the 27-disc Pink Floyd Early Years box, or the 36CD Bob Dylan The 1966 Live Recordings set.
The list of tracks being offered as download only is below. You can read more about the new Flowers in the Dirt reissue here.
[socialpug_share]
DOWNLOAD ONLY:
Original B-sides, remixes and single edits:
1. Back On My Feet
2. Flying To My Home
3. The First Stone
4. Good Sign
5. This One (Club Lovejoys Mix)
6. Figure Of Eight (12” Bob Clearmountain Mix)
7. Loveliest Thing
8. Où Est Le Soleil? (12” Mix)
9. Où Est Le Soleil? (Tub Dub Mix)
10. Où Est Le Soleil? (7” Mix)
11. Où Est Le Soleil? (Instrumental)
12. Party Party (Original Mix)
13. Party Party (Club Mix)
Cassette demos:
1. I Don’t Want To Confess
2. Shallow Grave
3. Mistress And Maid
[…] Thing’ (which featured on one of the ‘Figure of Eight’ UK CD singles and was DOWNLOAD ONLY on the Flowers in the Dirt deluxe edition) was recorded during these sessions. I think fans would […]
[…] (fans complained bitterly on SDE and they relented) and back in 2017, Paul McCartney infamously wouldn’t include a fourth CD in his £130 Flowers in the Dirt box set, preferring to deliver this content via digital download! […]
[…] ‘Back On My Feet,’ the first song co-written with Elvis Costello to be released (and infamously not included on CD as part of the Flowers in the Dirt reissue package). I mention this because the live band on […]
[…] and tidy’ approach and, as was well documented in 2017 with the Flowers in the Dirt fiasco, if he can’t grasp the value in including commercially released B-Sides on CD, in his box […]
Man, Bought the new CD release and as a collector of all things Beatles, I had everything already, but that does not excuse this awful release, soon to be forgotten in my collection. Just couldn’t put the B-sides on a CD and have the boring demos, as your downloads bonus. As the price you are asking for, this is a disgrace to you. I won’t buy that thing you call a deluxe edition ever, and it stops my habit of buying everything.
[…] on Elvis, they’ve still managed to miss the mark. Four other Costello co-writes are part of the notorious ‘download-only’ audio. Three of these are rough and ready ’cassette demos’ (including the […]
[…] For more about the FITD controversy, visit Paul Sinclair’s excellent SuperDeluxeEdition. […]
The Voodoo records release of this title (Bootleg) actually has better selections, nevertheless, Paul should have released this material on a CD (had bassically 98% already). As a collector got it, made a special CD of the downloads & put it inside my Super deluxe box set for the collection. Paul if you read this made a big mistake on this release and hope it doesn’t happen on future reissues.
if no-one bought them they will listen but f they made money from the gullible then they won’t care.
[…] artists, including Arcade Fire) reached out to SDE last week to discuss the less than positive fan feedback left on this blog over the 16 ‘download-only’ tracks included in the forthcoming […]
[…] has been over a month since you left an resounding ‘thumbs down’ to the decision to include 16 tracks as digital downloads in the forthcoming Paul McCartney Flowers […]
I both wrote a letter of my own and signed the petition. Let’s see what happens.
The Japanese version seems to be cd only with no downloads. That would seem therefore to be the answer.
I don’t think it is.
No worries. The Japanese bootleggers will happily pirate the downlod content on pressed picture discs with bonus tracks and artwork and packaging better than the legit release !
I don’t and won’t buy overpriced crappy downloads at all. The deluxe edition of Bob Marley live! Is another example of greed driven record companies driving people to pay cd prices for downloads. Personally, I boycott them as i want a physical item if i have paid a fair price for my music. If i was into non physical downloaded music i would go on a torrent site for it and pay what its worth to me (nothing!)
(By the way, I DON’T download from torrent sites- just for the record!)
burned cd is a sort of hand made, and placing it in the deluxe set would look like handwritten papers put into an expensive book – very awkward
2 jon:
>how bout just download the songs, burn a cd, stop complaining and shut up and enjoy the music
How about just put all the songs on cds officially, with no download content – without making troubles? Quite an easy task for a record company to make every single SDE buyer happy.
Max,
The only problem with your instructions(download, then burn a CD), is that McCartney’s download may be MP3(not full CD sound quality), and the download system at McCartney’s website has often been unreliable.
how bout just download the songs, burn a cd, stop complaining and shut up and enjoy the music
My father, and I’m sure a lot of other older fans, does not have a computer or the means to download and play these tracks. Why should he not be able to enjoy them just because of his age and circumstances.
jon: “how bout just download the songs, burn a cd, stop complaining”
That’s utterly ridiculous. If McCartney was gifting this material to fans, then fine – you’d be right. Just like the free downloads from “Venus and Mars” (that really should’ve been included on the bonus CD) – they were free. This, with “Flowers,” is different. If this release is important to you (it is to me), there’s every reason to complain about an expensive set that treats vital B-sides and other archival material as afterthoughts.
[…] YOU WILL SELL MANY MORE BOX SETS. You only have to read the hundreds comments on SuperDeluxeEdition to see that the download issue is just too much for loyal fans who have – […]
Is it clear/ confirmed that the b-sides have been remastered? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
My assumption based on the wording of the press release is: no. The download-only tracks have not be remastered.
347 signatures during 24 hours. Not bad. Join us!
https://www.change.org/p/capitol-records-add-additional-cd-of-b-sides-remixes-etc-to-flowers-in-the-dirt-reissue-by-paul-mccartney
From Maccas own website:
The Paul McCartney Archive Collection release of Flowers In The Dirt was, as always, personally supervised by Paul himself.
So, there, from the horses mouth……..
Fair enough. Then the buck stops with the Big Man himself. Methinks he’s been ill advised on this one. “Technology, Paul. That’s the way to go. Everyone loves to download!”
Let’s be perfectly honest folks, even the previous archive releases were a tad thin in any really special extra content when put against comparable box sets by other artists. They were and are overpriced in relation their overall contents. No live unreleased material where I’m pretty sure some must exist, for instance. McCartney has been taking us all for a ride with his archive releases but up until now he did it more stealthily. Now he takes the full plunge with the bizarre choice of a 80’s album, however a good one it may or may not be? One arrogant complacent release too many I’d say.
Does anybody know just how much involvement does McCartney have with these reissues? Is he very hands on with the whole lot, or does he just throw the archives open, ala Bowie with Rykodisc, and let the record company decide how it’s all going to be packaged and sold? I can’t help but wonder if this was a descsion made by someone who doesn’t really have their finger on the pulse of what the buying public really wants, but rather what they want the public to have.
It wouldn’t harm anyone to have someone in charge of re-issues that is a fan of the maerial/artist, yet can be removed enough to be objective. Too many times we see the artist take total control over the re-issues and the results are dire – my classic example is U2. The reissues there were great, the Achtung Baby box set is magnificent, but, because they believe that Rattle & Hum and Pop were failures (read – didn’t sell enough in America) there’s no reissus, deluxe editions or box sets. I’d love deluxe editions or box sets of R&H and Pop and, honestly, I could put them together very easily. But I’ve given up on the band issuing them. Instead we’ll see deluxe/boxes for crap like Atomic Bomb and ATYCLB before the others.
So, back to the topic, is this debacle down to Macca or someone working for Capitol?
Eugen, no it’s not confirmed. I just read it on a forum when the last batch came out. That doesn’t make it truth. So, I hope I’m 100% wrong.
I would love a Back to the Egg with the promo video album they did on DVD as the ones on YouTube are unwatchable.
Can someone remind Paul about the principles behind Apple?
Some years ago, records companies wondered what to do against illegal download. The answer was obvious : deliver products of quality (that is through physical products!) to the buyers, and even some extras for the same price (some vinyls are still delivered with a cd of the album).
My attachment to music is also linked to sleeves, photos, lyrics and notes that I can handle through a physical product. I bought my first record in 1985 so maybe it is a hard habit, but I will never pay for a file that can be indefinitely duplicated with a simple paste/copy manipulation.
I understand the frustation: prices for some so-called deluxe edition are going crazy, if the price included some immaterial music, this is insane!
Eugen, I signed. Although I like Ben’s letter more as it goes into much more detail. Nevertheless, good job on getting it up, already over 100 signatures.
I actually like all the stuff we are getting in the box. Books, DVD, and music. It’s a lot in comparison to the last four Archive releases. BUT I do not like the downloadable content. Ben said it right when it was noted that you have to have a personal computer to get this music. That should not be the case, it should be a CD.
A last note. I was under the impression that this was to be the final Archive release? I thought that was brought up during the last batch of Archive releases; Pipes of Peace and Tug of War.
I agree that Ben’s letter is better and has decent arguments. But I do hope that my petition will work. “You may say l’m a dreamer but l’m not the only one”. How do you know that this is the last archive release. Is it confirmed?
Such a disgrace for the Archive Collection which began so hopeful 6 years ago. Its first mistakes (16:9 video aspect ratio instead of original 4:3 for 1973, 1974 and 1980 promos) and random omissons of some rare collectable tracks from the corresponding eras (original 1971 mono mix of ‘Another Day / Oh Woman, Oh Why’, 45” versions of ‘Love In Song’ and ‘Get It’, ) were sad but this news about phisycal absence of 1989 B-sides is just a complete failure. You can’t do that!!!!! It fucks up the whole idea… People from MPL, please do something until it’s too late!
Excellent letter.
…and a blueprint for future similar complains!
Brilliant letter Ben and particularly like ‘The future sales of the Archive Collection depend on it’. Being a hopeless completist myself, the dilemma of whether to even keep the nine I already have is seriously looming if the situation is not resolved, and in future I will always refer to Capital as Crapital.
Thanks. Feel free to copy and paste the letter and email them with it! The more that send it, the better :-)
Just for reference, sent this in the post and in email to MPL, as well as an email to Capitol:
—–
An open-letter to Paul McCartney and Capitol Records, in regards to the forthcoming deluxe re-release of ‘Flowers In The Dirt’:
Dear Paul & Capitol Records,
I am writing to you in regards to the announcement of ‘Flowers In The Dirt’ to be reissued in March next year.
Many of us that have been purchasing the Archive Collection deluxe editions so far have all been longtime fans. We’ve been to the concerts, we’ve bought the albums, we all bought them again in 1993 when EMI reissued them, as well as collecting the singles, the DVDs and most of us remember the times our favourite McCartney albums were released. Back in 1989, Flowers In The Dirt was a big hit in the UK, reaching number one. All The Best had been released two years prior, going 3x platinum and reminding the world of all the big hits. A world tour loomed at the end of the decade, with Hofner bass and Beatles hits in hand. All in all, a great period to be a McCartney fan.
In the publicity photographs, this reissue set all looks wonderful. Remastered original album, tick. Long-sought-after demos with Elvis Costello, tick. More demos with the band, tick. Exhaustive DVD with original videos, documentaries and new interviews, tick. All the B-sides, remixes and bonuses, download-only. Wait, hold on a second… We have all been collecting these sets to “archive” all the official recordings from the time of the album (and unreleased tracks) in lovely, lavish deluxe editions, all following the same trend of previous sets so that eventually we’d have a ‘complete’ collection on CD. What happened? Why was this decision made?
Those of us that purchase expensive sets believe in physical product, that is why we buy it, year-in, year-out. That is why vinyl is on the rise and cheap sounding and throwaway mp3 sales are on the decline. An important factor is the increase use of tablet computers, unable to download music files directly. Download-only music, available in the way you are offering it, is utterly wasted on those without a desktop computer.
This set is currently retailing at £120 on the Universal music store. And that is before postage. 4 discs and some books at this price is extremely over-priced. These sets do cost money to design and manufacture, I understand that but you only have to look at a few past examples (including your own back catalogue) that multi-disc and quality deluxe reissues do not have to be too expensive to still recoup the budget (and then some) and at the same time offer real value and a real experience to all those who dearly want sets like this, especially in an age when streaming is becoming the norm. These sets are aimed at people like us that want to buy physical music. Take a look at the recent Bruce Springsteen ‘The Ties That Bind’ box set. The River album on 2 CDs remastered, either 2 Blu Ray discs or 3 DVD discs of documentary and concert footage and 3 CDs of bonus tracks, both released and unreleased, all culled from the album sessions. Whilst you don’t have to exactly replicate the way any other artists do their super deluxe editions, but you can surely look at those sets that have been received well critically and commercially with the fans. Also of note, the Springsteen set was typically less than £75 at most retailers here in the UK. It contained double the amount of discs of this reissue of Flowers In The Dirt and similar amount of books, etc. And still cheaper. Even the recent Bob Dylan box set offered a whopping 36 discs for £100!
Even if you priced this new set at £100, you could still offer more content within the set, most importantly these B sides and remixes advertised as ‘download-only’. There are more songs from 1987 to 1989 that are completely worthy of inclusion. For example, you offer Back On My Feet and Loveliest Thing but no Once Upon A Long Ago, Love Come Tumbling Down, Same Love, Atlantic Ocean or PS Love Me Do and many more, which stem from the same period. Fans are clamouring for these tracks in good sound, not on long out of print singles or bootlegs. You surely want to demote piracy? Imagine how many more sets would be sold if more rarities were included? The more that buy the early ones the more that will buy the later ones. Imagine releasing McCartney II with no Check My Machine or RAM without Another Day? It would seem strange and ill-thought. And that is crux of the issue here. You are alienating a lot of people who buy these sets by not including basic things that have been included on previous sets, and fans deserve better treatment and better value.
We love you and your work. We love your new music (Flaming Pie, Chaos & Creation and NEW are absolutely fabulous works, up there with your best!) and we merely ask that we have celebration of your landmark albums with all they have to offer, warts and all.
Take a look at the comments on ‘SuperDeluxeEdition.com’, a leading music release website. In the first couple of hours of the reissue announcement, hundreds had voiced their anger at the decisions made in the contents and pricing of this set. I urge you to take heed at these comments – these are the people that buy these sets.
I hope sincerely that you reconsider the contents of this box at this price. There is still time. Even including a 4th CD with the B-sides and remixes, etc in a paper sleeve (if packaging has already been printed and completed) and slipped inside the box. The future sales of the Archive Collection depend on it.
Kind regards,
Ben Williams.
Good letter. What if we all send the same? Can you share e-mails of Capitol and MPL?
MPL have a contact us page on their website (google MPl Communications) and Capitol, I just emailed: [email protected]
26 have signed already. Come on join us https://www.change.org/p/capitol-records-add-additional-cd-of-b-sides-remixes-etc-to-flowers-in-the-dirt-reissue-by-paul-mccartney?recruiter=653875553&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink
Ask for advice: where else can I post the link?
Hey, Mac: What have you been smoking lately? I do not plan on buying this set. I will buy another set from an artist who makes sense of what I will pay for. Shame on you!
https://www.change.org/p/capitol-records-add-additional-cd-of-b-sides-remixes-etc-to-flowers-in-the-dirt-reissue-by-paul-mccartney?recruiter=653875553&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink
Please sign the petition
Signed !
With download-only content on this McCartney box and no CD release for a recent Bob Marley concert album, we are obviously seeing the first of what will be a series of provocations against Compact Disc collectors (and eventually against vinyl collectors as well) from Universal Music. One of Universal’s label’s (Capitol) has already stated that they will no longer offer recordings on any physical format after the end of 2018.
I’ve heard this too and was horrified. Vinyl sales out-sold mp3 here in the UK, last year was it?
I hope that’s its just a crazy rumour.. I hope they get the remaining McCartney remaster titles out on CD before 2018. I wish I hadn’t sold my copy of Back To The Egg back in 2010 too. I assumed all the remasters were coming out quickly. Boy, was I wrong!
Feel the need to go on record with my displeasure at the decision not to release evrything on cd. This fan won’t be spending any money on the reissue.
Well the Flowers In The Dirt package is now on the horizon which I have been waiting in anticipation for some time now. I have bought the whole series of these releases and to say the very least the content has been dwindling on the last 2 releases and this is the final straw, we can have the tracks if we down load load them at a vastly over priced box set.What is the point of down loads when we want something physical, a download is definitely not. If the down load was included on CD everybody would be happy with the exception of the price.However they have still omitted several tracks that came with the Flowers In The Dirt album and the many different single configuration releases which were included on the Japanese 2 disc version. Where is the Long And Winding Road, the 2nd version of Rough Ride, Mamma’s Little Girl, Same Time Next Year and PS Love Me Do. I seriously hope that the powers that be in Capitol can see all these negative comments. I can’t fathom out why Paul who apparently has been heavily involved in putting this compilation together would do this to his loyal fans who have stuck by him all these years, I think this is pretty shabby treatment. He has so much money, why would he want to short change his fans. Come on Paul put this right and make it something you and the fans can be proud of and enjoy that will have a long lasting effect that will outlive us all.
I admire Sir Paul and all he has accomplished either with the Beatles and with Wings and to a lower extent most of his solo output. Although I have to say one of his strongest ones was this one (Flowers in the Dirt) and a shame that this is transpiring at this juncture. I think Rush have had some great reissues with the vinyls with the download cards available and with the 2112 respectful reissues. However Mr. Ian Anderson with Jethro Tull need to be commended and are by far the ones that are listening to the fans the most. Great reissues, book size, reasonable price with 80-100 booklets with 2 Cd/2DVD with complete history on the making of the albums.
If all record companies would follow suit it would be a wonderful world.
Speaking of wonderful world… I would like to wish you Paul and all your followers and a great holiday season with plenty of great new reissues in 2017 and plenty of money from Santa so we can take part in some of these.
Sincerely,
Tino
Definitely the Macca team needs some fans (UK, USA and South America) to serve as consultant for these releases. It’s a shame what they are doing.
Agreed Fernando — the fact that they don’t is astonishing.
This is probably because they intend to do a re-release at some point…hopefully with Blu-ray…
At the rate they have reissued the back catalogue so far, we might not still be around to see that!
Someone on the internet pointed out that the demos included in this boxed set have long been available unofficially, and(knowing the length of those songs) that individual calculated the total length of the demo disc that McCartney intends to include in the “Flowers in the Dirt” boxed set. It has a total running time of a mere 26 minutes. McCartney and his manager have a poor sense of what constitutes good value for money at this price point.
Why should this set be priced nearly double the price of the “Tug of War”, “Pipes of Peace”, “Venus and Mars” & “Wings at The Speed of Sound” boxed sets?
Its the same tracks as on youtube at less than 26 minutes, shockingly bad value, if musically fascinating. Someone earlier said drop the tub dub remixes, but for me the period between 1984 and 1992 is maccatastic, Ian Peel’s book on mccartney avant garde is a brilliant read and these remixes were ground breaking. Treat them with more than contempt please Paul.
The extra disc in the Speed of Sound box was about the same length
A laughing stock and a great nonsense. Hopefully MPL and Capitol did not hire a new manager, who used to work at Burger King before that. I remembered the interview which Paul did with David Stewart from Eurythmics. I have laughed a lot when Dave was telling the Story about a manager who used to work at BK and then went to work at MCA and this manager intended to Give away free Eurythmics EPs with a special Hamburger menu.
I really wonder who comes up with such a bullsh.. and who from The music companies approve that and to what extend the artists who really involved in such decisions.
I wish we had a similar hot discussion about other reissues e.g. George Michael’s Listen without prejudice as there is lots of material instrumentals, remixes and demos that are not included. Wake up Sony and Colombia and come out of the comfort zone when it comes to reissues !!!!
Other thing are all this rocket prices for some boxes which are also unrealistic. Often including LP’s in the boxes to make the price utopic is also a big nonsense. Since it is now official that in the UK more LPs were sold in 2016 than downloads it makes sense to separate things a bit more.
If I have to be Honest for me Universal does the best work on reissues – content and price wise and offering various formats as well. Welldone !!!!!! E.g. Tears for fears Boxes, U2 boxes etc.
My biggest wish is that the records companies will pay a bit more attention to all The Feedback given from all the music lovers on this site and from The people who are buying the products.
Wake up and smell the coffee.
Good job, Paul. And I mean Sinclair!
If MPL doesn’t listen, I hope people stay away from this product. What a bummer!
Macca/MPL/Capitol/whoever – just have a look at the beautifully packaged and very reasonable Steven Wilson Jethro Tull reissues.
The argument that ‘if we dopn’t buy this, all deluxe editions will be stopped’ is fallacy. It is so clear from the reaction here that this is a specifically and particularly poor and thoughtless way to reissue material for such a major recording artist.
A slap in the face to all fans
After a hectic Christmas season release schedule, I’m (finacially & personally) relieved that the schedule is now quieting down. The only items that I presently have preordered are the Japanese surround sound SACD of “Jeff Beck Group-Rough and Ready”, the “Cream-Fresh Cream” boxed set and “The Move-Magnetic Waves of Sound” CD + DVD set. And, in the near future, I’ll preorder the expanded reissue of “Shoot-On The Frontier”.
If the archival release schedule remains quiet after February, I can then consider some of the items that I previously had been unable to fit into my budget, including Jimmy Page’s mail-order 4-CD set of film soundtrack music, some 2014 Level 42 expanded remasters, and perhaps Pink Floyd’s “The Early Years” box (if the issue of faulty Blu-Ray discs is adressed) and The Monkees Blu-Ray box. For 3 months, sales of The Monkees Blu-Ray box was suspended, when the original packaging proved too fragile to withstand postal handling. The packaging was then re-designed and manufactured….only to have factory workers forget to include “disc 7″(the exclusive bonus content) in some of the re-packaged sets. I just didn’t want to take on the possible stress of the Pink Floyd and Monkees sets at this time.
I’ve collected so-called “Classic rock” for slightly over 50 years. If there’s a slight drought in new archival releases in the first half of 2017, I’m O.K. with that. It may be an opportunity for me to play some of my CD’s, SACD’s, DVD-Audio & Blu-ray Audio discs for a second time, and to work my way through a more than 2000 disc backlog of CD-R’s and homemade DVD-Audio discs that i have yet to play. Playing discs for the first time is, for me, a quality control procedure (to be sure that the discs play properly). Playing a disc for the second time is for pleasure; to actually enjoy the music.
A guy from Capital I know sent me an email & asked if I had seen this. I had. What a strange idea but these guys actually believe they are doing you a favor! In their mind, this is a really cutting edge idea. Those of you who know Mr Barentt will know what I mean. The good news is that downloads are down 40% + since their peak in 2012 and the offering will be dead by 2019.Some very important people will have a conversation about this and it will last all of 5 minutes. Bear in mind that SDE readers are fans, collectors and are passionate in the extreme. These guys look @ record releases the way you & I look @ a loaf of bread.
Good luck Paul.
And I mean both of you.
J
Just don’t understand what people at Capitol think about this dissatisfaction. Are they gonna revise the flowers reissue by adding one more cd?
The Paul McCartney reissues haven’t been that bad so saying all of them have been poor is a bit harsh. I have all the deluxe ones so far and have been pleased with the majority. Yes more could be included but overall they have been done well. This one however with the download tracks and price has unfortunately left a bad taste. Hopefully they sort it out for us fans
I wouldn’t necessarily say the macca sdes are bad, but I get more value from a ten Euro deluxe 2cd kinks album, by a mile. I want to buy them by they’re such bad value for money, with little or no extra content to speak of (live stuff, documentaries, unheard tracks). Maybe the price is sunk into the admittedly impressive books.
Very disappointing release. Will pass on this one if te b-sides are download only.
I agree with everyone here, it’s a shame and a real lack of decency for the fans who are the only ones to buy the SDE ! Where is the petition to have the download bonus on a 4th CD for me to sign it ????