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Saturday Deluxe / 14 March 2020

By Paul Sinclair

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64


Record Store Day delayed as Corona Virus impacts the music industry

This year’s Record Store Day has been pushed back from 18 April to a 20 June as the music industry starts to feel the impact of the Corona virus pandemic. The organisers of RSD pondered how to react to the ever changing situation and in a statement on their website said: “There is no perfect solution. There is no easy answer. We’ve decided that the best of all possible moves is to change the date of Record Store Day this year to Saturday, June 20”.

We think this gives stores around the world the best chance to have a profitable, successful Record Store Day, while taking into consideration the recommendations of doctors, scientists, the World Health Organisation, Centres for Disease Control, and the need to be good citizens of both local and worldwide communities.

Artists are also reacting, cancelling gigs and tours for the sake of public safety. New Order, Howard Jones, The Who, Pixies, Underworld, Rage Against The Machine and Madonna are amongst some of the many artists cancelling or postponing touring commitments.

Not everyone feels that is the right course of action. Tony Visconti had a rock ‘n’ roll the-show-must-go-on attitude as he arrived in the UK on Friday 6 March and subsequently played two almost sold out shows this week with Bowie tribute band Holy Holy.  “F***ing corona virus be damned!” he said.

With the women of Holy Holy backstage at the Roundhouse, Chalk Farm.

Posted by Tony Visconti on Wednesday, 11 March 2020

Many operations in the music industry, like other businesses, are encouraging staff to work from home, with Universal Music closing their Kings Cross HQ for two weeks as a precaution.

Record Store Day aside, it remains to be seen how this pandemic might impact the industry that delivers physical music releases over the next six months to a year. Any supply chains for product that include China or Italy will clearly have a problem. Lots of expensive super deluxe edition box sets are manufactured in the Far East for, example.

Now 5 omits David Bowie

It seems I spoke to soon regarding the new two-CD edition of Now That’s What I Call Music 5. On Thursday I said “if the track listing on Amazon UK proves correct, then there are no omissions”. Well since then, the track listing on Amazon has been amended and ‘This Is Not America’, David Bowie’s excellent collaboration with the Pat Metheny Group – a top 20 hit in the UK in 1985 – has now been removed. It’s not an error either, since there is now an image on the Amazon listing with ‘David Bowie’ surreptitiously removed from the cover!

While this is disappointing, what I find more annoying is the ‘let’s not mention it’ attitude of the record label. Actually it’s worse than that, they are actively misleading music fans. The notes on Amazon (supplied by the label) claim this reissue features “the original track list and cover from 1985.” Really? It doesn’t look like it from here.

Anyway, I think I’m correct in saying that five volumes in, none of the Now That’s What I Call Music CD reissues exactly match the audio of the originals.

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64 Comments

64 thoughts on “Saturday Deluxe / 14 March 2020”

  1. Interestingly – although perhaps not surprisingly as we turn the corner into May shortly – Erasure’s official weekly newsletter today (April 24th) mentioned that ‘at this point in time RSD is still scheduled for June 20th but I believe that date will be reviewed shortly in the light of current circumstances’. Hey-ho. Understandable.

  2. Working all weekend of the 20th. Oh well. Money saved i guess. Not that it’s the records i enjoy on rsd, it’s the fun of being part of something with people with the same love. I’ve met some nice and interesting people over the years. Lots of different tastes and knowledge. It’s a good day.

    As for the virus. My mum’s 78 and spends two hours a day on a nebuliser, my step dad smokes and had pneumonia recently, my father and father in law are 79/81 and my mother in law smokes, drinks like a fish once a week at the social club but otherwise rarely gets up from watching tv. They all say they won’t be self isolating if the government recommend it. I think there’ll be more deaths within twelve weeks if they have to stay in than if they’d caught the virus. They’ll kill each other. My mother in law is of the mind that if she catches it so be it. My mum says she’s had her time anyway and this is what disease is meant to do. She’s told us not to stay away as life would be miserable not seeing the people she loves while she still can. And seriously my father in law would get cabin fever after a few days stuck at home. My mum in law still watches Heartbeat, Bullseye and Doctors every day! :) 12 weeks!? Ha.

    On a serious note myself and my wife have pretty much curtailed going to the pub, town, cafes and getting takeaways and so on. We’re saving a lot of money at the moment. But we know this can’t go on and we have a couple of friends whose employment in caring is bad enough anyway. They stand to be in serious trouble if they can’t work. I guess we’ll try to help where we can but even my work is looking shaky this year. I work for Heineken and people are starting to reduce their drinking. Especially the kids (i wonder how they stay up dancing till 4am?)

    Anyway enough rambling. Anyone else buy the new Nadia Reid limited edition album? Took me bloody ages to pull the inner sleeve out. Thought it was glued. The outer sleeve is too small and there’s no room for an antistatic sleeve so I’m having to keep the two sleeves separate. Doesn’t happen often but occasionally you get some poor manufacturing or ill thought package. Deluxe editions with plain paper sleeves that leave bits on the LP, tight sleeves, too big sleeves, plastic trim on the record, heavy cardboard sleeves that grip the inner like a vice, that kind of thing. My biggest grumble nowadays is trying to find black vinyl on a new release. The truly limited edition ;) Although one of the guys at Norman Records told me the really limited editions nowadays are the cds. Only a small run that never gets repressed. Are we all being duped once again?

    Al :)

  3. Not related but RIP Genesis P. Orridge.

    Big fan of Throbbing Gristle. GPO and Sleazy (Pete Christopherson) who died in 2010 were great musiciens and artists. Didn’t like Psychic TV that much but TG and Coil were truly fantastic bands.

  4. Paul, the emailed update was nice to see. Keep on keeping on. We need as much normalcy as we can get over these upcoming months. Looking forward to your continued updates. Stay safe.

  5. Thank you fo your kind words and thoughts Paul. Y0u have perfectly understood our worries and our situation.
    It is, for a part of your mind, completely surreal. You have been thrown into a movie you have seen dozens of times on TV.
    I can just describe what I felt during my first day working from home as total and utter sadness. For the worry, for the danger, for the forced isolation, for the absurdity of what horrors mankind keeps creating and playing with (see the theory of the Experimental “Secret” Lab in China, right there in the epicentre of it all. Which I believe).
    Thank you for your comforting solidarity, I hope my country manages to resist.

    And really all the very best to Chris. Always a pleasure reading you, and almosts always sharing your views. Remember your almost namesake was a very cool and very tough guy. Don’ t you dare.

  6. The fact that so many countries are in lockdown, I think it’s right to postpone RSD. I’m really gutted as I look so forward to this event.
    However, in support of Vinyl Underground, I’m going to pop in and have a browse on the day and support the shop. That’s if we aren’t ourselves in lockdown!?

  7. Best wishes to all and as per your excellent comments in your latest week in review Paul, this is probably the time to hunker down and dig out some of those box sets we haven’t heard for a while. Maybe good to start a thread of what we are rediscovering! With all seriousness, my best wishes to all who are directly affected by the virus.

  8. It was the right thing to do. I guess the Utrecht Record Fair (which is the same week-end as RSD) will be postponed or cancelled too.

    Best wishes to all. I’ve been in self containment for 3 weeks. It just started with a sore throat on friday morning 3 weeks ago and during the week-end I started coughing severely. As I hadn’t traveled in the past 14 days to an area affected by Covid-19, or in contact with chinese people and didn’t have acute respiratory illness, my doctor told me it was bronchitis (I had bronchitis during winter the past 3 years) and gave me treatment for it. I wasn’t tested because I didn’t have respiratory problems. It was like that 3 weeks ago in Paris. My doctor didn’t wear a mask or gloves. Covid19 wasn’t taken seriouly. Last monday, I went back to him and this time he was wearing a mask and gloves. Things had changed. I asked to be tested but he told me only persons at risk (heart problems, diabetes, etc.) and patients with respiratory problems were tested. Not enough tests for everybody. I was given paracetamol, cough medicine and given instructions to monitor fever and cough and immediatly call if situation worsened.

    I feel much better but after 3 weeks I still cough a little, feel fatigue, occasionnaly a little fever and headaches. So far no big health problems and in other times I would go back to work but as I wasn’t tested and still don’t know if I’m positive for Covid19, I will stay home some more and avoid contact with other people (only leave home for supermarket, doctor or post office) as long as I have these symptoms. I’m not too worried about myself, so far it’s OK, I’m more worried about older people (and the increasing number of people dying in Europe), my family and especially my parents who are in their late 70s. That’s why I didn’t visit them the past 3 weeks (in case I have covid19). Stats on TV should be taken with a grain of salt. We know the number of people who died of Covid19, the number of people hospitalized because of it but we don’t know the number of people infected with the virus. That’s why everyone should take precautions and if you feel symptoms like cough and fever, isolate yourself immediatly in order to avoid spreading the virus. Better safe than sorry. It’s the only way to defeat the virus for now. As it’s a new virus we don’t know much and how long it will last but I read and documented a lot the past 3 weeks. It seems most people will cure but you can still feel minor symptoms (like fatigue or headaches) for as much as 6 months. Considering many people will die from it, it’s something we can live with obviously.

    Take care of yourself, your loved ones but also the rest of the population where you live. Don’t be selfish, dont overstock food and staple products, no need to raid supermarkets and buy eveything. We live in a society. Show solidarity.

  10. Chris do hope you and your daughter and everybody else will make a complete recovery. Everybody else steer well clear. As to live shows, think the only way is to stay away. That way we stand some chance of getting on top of this. Goof luck to us all

  11. Overreaction? I’m pretty sure it won’t be possible to have RSD on June 2oth either. They should just cancel and put everything into Black Friday.

  12. Postponing RSD is an overreaction bearing in mind that it is a minority interest with small numbers of people participating compared to, say, a football match. On this basis, we might just a swell close all non essential shops here in the UK straight away. And this is coming from me as a double pneumonia sufferer who was hospitalised for two weeks in January.

    1. Long queues, customers standing in very close proximity in small shops, people unknowingly carrying the virus travelling to a few shops over the course of the weekend… If you want to end up in hospital again, go for it!

      1. Postponing RSD is the only right decision. Music and records are a wonderful thing, but at the moment it’s all about staying healthy and protecting the vulnerable of our society. I can live without RSD, but not without my parents and friends who have a high risk on getting seriously ill.
        To everyone who is already infected with corona: get well soon!
        To everyone else: stay healthy!

    2. With respect how on Earth can you say it’s an over reaction?, people thumbing through records without washing their hands afterwards then doing the same in another shop whilst potentially unknowingly having this horrible virus. Close proximity of folk whilst sharing to get into the shops and once in the same!. I would say that it’s more of an under reaction. Have it online through the post and give a percentage of the profits to these small record shops with what they would possibly have got selling the records themselves. I worked in respiratory medicine as a nurse for 25 years and trust me you don’t want to be under estimating what this virus could do.. there has been nothing as worrying since the First World War Spanish Flu epidemic. Only my two pence I know but I feel I’m correct.

      1. I would say that the second world war was probably a wee bit more worrying than this flash in the pan virus,we Also had one in the 80s, closing all shops is crazy,will you still be saying that in 3 months time when your local butchers,bakers and candlestick makers and supply guys are out of work,the world will stop turning and people will be ordered to work, yes respiratory nursing guy. c.o.p.d and the elderly need to be careful,but normal healthy people need to keep working or we Will all be in trouble, Chris squier hope you and daughter are well

    3. Closing non-essential shops may not be far away. This is real, it’s time people understand it. What is the big deal of pushing back a fricking record sale for a few. months? Is it really worth the risk? I mean, I love it, but I can wait a bit in the interest of people’s health.

  13. I live in Italy and the only thing I can say is PLEASE STAY SAFE AT YOUR HOME. We will enjoy gigs in a later period (The Mission and JAMC were planned in the next few days/weeks… and I have a ticket for both of them), but now physical segregation is the only chance to stop spreading the virus

  14. FAIL. I’ll stick with my cleaned up transfers from my original early Now cassettes.

    I only purchased the 2008 Now 1 CD. I was skeptical when I heard about the Now 2 release that in this current climate the licensees would;

    a) get all clearances or pay high licence fees demanded for certain tracks and;
    b) be bothered about sourcing tapes for the original versions, relying on frequently used digital transfers already at hand and;
    c) be willing to pay for necessary tape transfers if labels won’t.

    High license fees and clearances aside, if i was producing such a project i’d personally be willing to make sure i’m ready to pay for the work in c) and put the extra leg work in with label staff to pull their archive tapes until the right version is heard after baking & transfer.

  16. I think it’s disappointing that Tony Visconti chose to put his show ahead of public safety.

    One has to wonder how many RSD stores will still be here in June. Some are seeing 30 to 90 percent declines in business as described here: https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/why-record-stores-are-being-hit-especially-hard-by-coronavirus/

    I wonder if, under the circumstances, and if the big day is pushed back again, they could be allowed to sell their RSD titles online. If not shipped, then at least reserved and ready for pickup outside the store. Surely that would be better than letting a store shutter… Of course, as I said, it might be too late before that step could be taken.

    1. Most quarterly commercial rents will need to be paid later this month and again on 24th June. Something along the lines of what you suggest, or some other imaginative solution, might be required.

    1. can you imagine the reaction worldwide if this was an actual disease that could wipe us out and not just a glorified flu. not the place for this but anyway.. holy pot noodle batman….

      1. Yes and just like the flu if you have it then stay at home and away from people because what is a minor inconvenience for you can be deadly to others with compromised immune systems.

      2. It’s not a “glorified flu”. And yes, not the forum for ignorant comments about a pandemic.
        Sorry the NOW series has been such a fizzer but thanks, Paul, for all the updates.

  19. Seems to me that more and more the Bowie rights holders are extremely greedy, that can only be the only reason for this omission.
    “Now” are trying to get on with the (re)issue campaign by making it more of a mockery than anything else.

    Chris, all the best to you and your daughter, wait it out and look at the silver lining that you’re unlikely to get it again until the next months’ ordeal is over?

  22. As if UK high streets weren’t in enough trouble. Funnily enough, or not as the case may be, both my daughter and I have Covid19, diagnosed on Thursday. Yippee.
    After everything you do for your bloody kids this is how they repay you. A one hour stopover in Singapore on her way home from the other side of the world seems to be the culprit along with 24 hours on a plane. Still, Netflix And Spotify have been there for me. As my remaining turntable is in the out of bounds part of the house. Grrrr.
    Good luck to everyone here on these wonderful pages. Hopefully you will all dodge it.

    6. All the best to you and your family chris
      If narcos is on Netflix and you haven’t seen it,nows a good time to binge,, great show,all the best John.

    9. Speedy recovery to you and your daughter, Chris.
      As for RSD, the new date seems to be right at the point in time that some ‘experts’ believe the disease will hit its peak….
      Only time will tell

    11. Hello Chris,
      best wishes for recovery from Germany !!
      If you need any music in mp3 or FLAC to feel better, let me know. I will transfer it to you.
      Daniel

      1. Working myself in a hospital and say: Keep yourself and older people, stay at home and listen your music-collections. There’ll be better times in a few weeks … take care and bye from Kai

    13. Silver lining on a dark cloud, with a dose of “glass-half-full” optimism…

      Post-recovery, you and your daughter will have permanent immunity from further doses of this insidious disease.

      On a related note…

      New Order played an outdoor show to 15,000 people in Melbourne, Australia last night (Saturday night here).

      Last Friday (two days ago) the Australian federal government publicly announced that all non-essential, organised mass-gatherings of 500 or more people should be cancelled across the country as of Monday. This was presented as a “recommendation” and “advice”, not as a mandatory “ban” (as some local and national media subsequently misreported).

      New Order cancelled their Forum Theatre indoor gig in Melbourne for tonight (Sunday night here).

      Best wishes from Australia.

    14. Chris, can you confirm what flight your daughter was on? I also took a flight with a one hour stopover in Singapore from the other side of the world in the last week, so it’d be nice to know if I’ve dodged a bullet or need to get tested (not that I’ve had any symptoms, but better safe than sorry). Thanks!

      1. Hi Tim, it was two weeks ago, she turned up totally unexpected on our doorstep as a nice surprise. Sydney to LHR via Singapore. Flight QF1 arrived Friday 28th February in the very a.m.
        It could of course have been from anywhere but it’s a mighty convenient coincidence that it was the 14th day home that both she and I succumbed with the best guess incubation time of two weeks.
        As some have said, looking for the silver lining, it affords a great chance to do things you wouldn’t normally have time to do.
        So in the true spirit of Jesse, today I ‘ave mostly been watching Audrey Hepburn films. Trying to find films that I really should have seen, but have somehow avoided. Roman Holiday, Sabrina and Breakfast at Tiffany’s so far. Mind you I started the day off with Airplane! at 5 a.m. so it’s not all highbrow. Whilst I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy, it has given me some time to indulge.
        Thanks to all who took the time to wish us well, it has made our day.

        1. Thanks Chris – my flight wasn’t until a week later (also a QF1 SYD-LHR), so I look forward to seeing how this old frame holds up this time next week!

          Best to you and Squires Jr for a speedy recovery.

        2. Thanks Chris. I was on a flight a few days later (albeit also QF1), so we’ll see how I’m feeling this time next week!

          Best wishes to you and Squires Jr. for a speedy recovery.

  23. Maybe it’s a good thing. Give me a bit of breathing space to pay off the credit card :)
    Although that Violator box is going to make a rather large dent. Eek!

  24. Sunderland match off…rsd off….things are bleak…..but people’s health is more important……wonder if hmv exclusive vinyl will be off to……

  25. I think we can now officially call the early Now albums reissue “A Shambles”

    Fair enough if they have had to make alterations but the packaging should state this with information on the different mixes and omissions, It’s obvious now that these have been done with little to no thought. There should be a label on the front saying this compilation is based upon the original 1985 release but there a slight variations to the track listing. Could they be sued under trade description as they are passing off a product which is different to the percieved version?
    Sony music shame on you!

    1. They are tributes to the albums but they arent the Now albums. Bizarre that Bowie would be dropped, i wouldnt have thought there was any licensing issues with that.

  26. Bummer. I work from Thursday to Monday at the Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium that weekend. I’m not sure I can manage to leave the place to visit my local shop on RSD.
    On the other hand, health is more important than some plastic in a paper sleeve. So, i can understand the new date.

    1. Yes, apparently delayed on amazon usa and uk but on amazon.de we still have the same date which is weird: Dieser Artikel erscheint am 27. März 2020.

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