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Fans scathing over Cyndi reissue

By Paul Sinclair

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53

Cyndi Lauper / "She's So Unusual" 30th Anniversary Celebration

High Price • Fanciful packaging • Missing remixes

Sony’s forthcoming reissue of Cyndi Lauper‘s 1983 album She’s So Unusual – revealed here last week – has be already been slammed by readers of SuperDeluxeEdition, two months before it’s due for release

The two-CD deluxe edition which comes in elaborate packaging with a “reusable sticker set”, vinyl cut-outs of Lauper’s outfits and a “3D fold-out backdrop of the bedroom featured in the Girls Just Want To Have Fun video” has been criticised primarily for its failure to include period remixes, something compounded by a nine-track bonus disc that will struggle to reach half-capacity.

SDE reader Griffin commented: “Her female fans may appreciate the “paper doll”-appeal of changing Cyndi’s outfits etc. But come on, I’m a guy, passed my 40th birthday a few years back! What do I do with that?”

It seems that around 15 officially released tracks from the era are missing, including single versions, remixes and non-album tracks. Another SDE reader Robert wrote “Here’s the official versions of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Only one is included.”

  • Album Version – 3:49
  • Video Version – 4:19
  • Extended version – 6:08
  • Fun with V. Knutsn (Instrumental) – 7:10
  • Xtra Fun – 5:05
  • Remix – 6:30
  • Radio remix – 3:39
  • “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” (featuring Puffy AmiYumi) – 2:59
  • Extended remix – 7:24
  • More Fun remix – 5:07

The addition of three 2013 remixes also seemed to miss the mark for many. SDE reader Edward stopped by to leave this comment “If I want to listen to a 2013 remix, I ask my son to download me some.”

SDE fan Ken summed up complaints succinctly: “I get wanting to put out a cool deluxe version of this album, but this is like throwing a party and no one shows up. There’s no way I’m buying this. The audience for these anniversary editions are 40+ year old fans who want period material, not radio/club-ready remixes for today’s airplay.”

The price was the final shocker. Reader Don predicted “I wouldn’t be surprised if the price listed on amazon.com is an import price. There’s no way they’d charge almost $50 for a 2-disc set.”

At the time of writing the price is still $47 on Amazon.com and is £34 on Amazon.co.uk. Read all the comments and feedback from SDE readers here.

Track listing as Sony intend to release it:

Track listing

Disc: 1

  • 1. Money Changes Everything
  • 2. Girls Just Want To Have
  • 3. When You Were Mine
  • 4. Time After Time
  • 5. She Bop
  • 6. All Through The Night
  • 7. Witness
  • 8. I’ll Kiss You
  • 9. He’s So Unusual
  • 10. Yeah Yeah
  • 11. Girls Just Want To Have Fun (2013 Yolanda Be Cool Remix)
  • 12. Time After Time (2013 Nervo Remix)
  • 13. Time After Time (2013 Bent Collective Remix)

Disc: 2 (deluxe only)

  • 1. Girls Just Want To Have Fun (Early Guitar Demo)
  • 2. All Through The Night (1982 rehearsal, with studio dialog)
  • 3. Rules And Regulations (1982 Rehearsal)
  • 4. Money Changes Everything (Demo)
  • 5. Girls Just Want To Have Fun (Demo)
  • 6. Right Train, Wrong Track (Non LP B-Side)
  • 7. Witness (Live, Boston, 1984)
  • 8. She Bop (1983 Arthur Baker Remix)
  • 9. Time After Time (Work In Progress Rough Mix)

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53 Comments

53 thoughts on “Fans scathing over Cyndi reissue”

  1. I am new on SDE abd I am a bit late in commenting on some of these posts. But I wanted to add here that I was disappointed in the remastering for this Deluxe Edition of ‘She’s So Unusual’. I found it to sound exactly like the remastering of Sony’d previous reissue of this album. I was hoping for something new, improved and better. And not so overly loud in volume. Loved the demos the most. Glad to have the She Bop remix and also the b-side wrong train right track. But yeah, it’s missing a lot of material. What a shame….

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  4. I received my Japanese version in the post last week. Whilst I miss the original 12″ version of “Girls” amongst other omissions I’ve got to say that I’m really happy with it. You get everything that the UK version has to offer (the sticker set is present) but it also includes the single “The Goonies R Good Enough” plus an hour long interview with Cyndi discussing how the album was made. This Japanese documentary I found really interesting as she discusses how the ideas for the songs came about and also talks about some of the people she worked with (The Hooters and Men Without Hats get mentioned). Towards the end she talks briefly about some of the demos on the album. Fascinating! If you’re going to buy a ticket to the party this is the one to get!

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  6. Whilst still not overwhelmed by the remixes and packaging, I have heard cd 2 and some of the demos are great. The Girls demos especially. That said only big fans will really get off on them.

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  9. I think Cyndi needs Blue Angel, Shes Unnusual, True Colors and A night to Emember deluxe editions. Please! Winth booklets a lot of pics never seen before. Thats my dream…

  11. As Paul said, it’s probably way too late now to amend. Bad decision from Cyndi, her management and Sony US. They all clearly have no idea what the fans want.

    The next album I would love to see get the deluxe treatment is Into The Gap by Thompson Twins. The same format as the TFF The Hurting box set. It would be incredible to have Into The Gap Live on DVD. I have the original tour programme but to see it issued again in a mini version would great. Lots of fantastic remixes from that album plus single edits, b-sides too.

    Go on Paul…get it sorted!

    1. An Into The Gap super-deluxe would be incredible, as it’s still one of my top 5 albums of all-time, but I wonder if it could ever happen. Not only did we have the 2CD Edsel reissue in 2008, but Tom isn’t remotely interested in TT material, and Alannah is busy making stuffed chairs. There WOULD be more than enough content to stretch to the 4-disc format – including tour programmes and the Live VHS on DVD.

      I guess it depends if anyone other than Edsel has the interest and ability to go ahead with such a project.

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  14. Just as my final footnote to this, whether Alex is correct or vice versa it struck me that we would not be having this debate if the product had not been botched. What we need is one man in whose capable hands we can trust ALL special editions to. Hmmmm, now who could do that job?

    Paul S, no pressure but you must be up for it as the chosen one :)

    1. Haha thanks… no pressure then!! :) But seriously, Sony UK are well aware of these comments (this blog gets read by “industry”), and they in turn have forwarded this feedback to Sony US (where this reissue was put together). Unfortunately, it is probably too late for them to make any changes, even if they had the appetite to do so, but I’ll be sure to update everyone here if I have any news on this.

      1. The more complete a re-issue is, the more satisfied the fans will be. Who would be the best person to compile a reissue if not a fan (and a fan who knows about all the material at hand)? Record companies need to re-think their policies of just compiling “something” and throwing it out without really thinking about it. Social networking has made contact as easy as never before. Why not use the potential?

  15. “Now I can agree with the disappointment in a package not being what you want but there really is little that can be done about that other than expressing the desire to have something else released at some point.”

    WRONG.

    Actually, it IS possible in some cases to get record companies to change tracklistings of proposed reissues if we cause enough of a stink – one only has to look at the recent reissue of Swing Out Sister’s It’s Better To Travel which was upgraded with extra tracks thanks to the efforts of Paul and this very website.

    And I know the tracklistings of the recent del Amitri reissues were amended due to direct fan input (because I was the fan that gave them the input).

    So record companies DO occasionally listen – after all, if putting out a product that the target market actually WANTS means they shift more units, then they would be foolish not to listen – wouldn’t they?

    So

  16. “I appreciate you having faith in Ms. Lauper’s career and her fanbase, but I don’t think it’s big enough to justify Sony spending time and money to revisit this album as a physical product any time soon.”

    +1 Ken. It’s not going to happen. Alex is deluding himself. In the era of digital downloads ( paid for or stolen ) sales will be low of a botched physical release like this. That will then feed the music exec bean counters to either cancel or be uber cautious about any future CL re-releases on the basis of previous low profit or (more likely) loss making. That’s why I mentioned about getting it right first time so that a release IS a success and so encouraging / paving the way for the record industry to do more of them. Alex is not getting what I am saying, we all know in today’s climate opportunities for physical releases is really tough, and major record co’s don’t need much persuasion to just pump out stuff like One Direction all the time. Even major artists far more in the public eye than CL struggle to get releases out especially if they are not new studio albums.

    This CL release will not sit on the shelves of any supermarkets or the few remaining record stores near me that I know for sure, and I am sure that is true for most people in the UK at least. Casual music lovers or CL fans will have to know about it or stumble across by accident on the usual internet shops.

  17. ” Honestly if I show you all something and then hold it behind my back I think you all would tell me it does not exist when you all cannot see it. But every time I hold it in front of me you all sit in amazement as if a miracle happened and you had never seen it before! ”

    Wow.. are you a magician!

  18. I don’t get it with Sony. So many of their reissues (at least the ones I have seen) just lack badly in terms of bonus content, packaging, and remastering work. The Jamiroquai ones are a good example, as well as this tragedy here.

    If only Edsel or Rhino could’ve done this one….

  19. A record label’s version of ‘commercially viable’ is always different that what a fan thinks is ‘commercially viable’. Otherwise, our Wal-Marts and Targets would be flooded with Dave Clark Five box sets and Lawrence Welk b-side collections because, hey, there’s a fan somewhere out there, right? I appreciate you having faith in Ms. Lauper’s career and her fanbase, but I don’t think it’s big enough to justify Sony spending time and money to revisit this album as a physical product any time soon.

  20. Lol. They don’t have to get “all fans” to buy something over and over? Who are “all of the fans”? I guarantee from all evidence nothing they put out from here on out will be in comparison to the number of people who were once a fan of Cyndi Lauper. It is not a myth that the same products can get re-released over and over as years pass. Endless amounts of artists do these things all of the time. Whether it is just their songs, compilations, or specific l.p.s releases. Honestly if I show you all something and then hold it behind my back I think you all would tell me it does not exist when you all cannot see it. But every time I hold it in front of me you all sit in amazement as if a miracle happened and you had never seen it before! You are right it is a chance to “get it right the first time” but they don’t have to! There’s nothing wrong with SOME re-releases over time. I have learned that over the decades. They also do not need “everyone” to buy whatever as much as they would like that to happen. I think we can agree Cyndi Lauper has some sort of chance of being commercially viable in the years to come. They don’t have to release anything that anyone wants. As long as someone buys whatever they put out then it is all good. Now I can agree with the disappointment in a package not being what you want but there really is little that can be done about that other than expressing the desire to have something else released at some point.

  21. Alex the one point you are not seeing clearly is that when a record company or artist has a thought to put out a deluxe edition it is a chance to get it right first time and once and for all. Some bands do get it right and so do not end up with a catalogue full of re-releases. It is a myth to think that material that is packaged up numerous times in new releases or re-releases is bought over and over by all fans – some do of course, but many don’t. An argument that this CL release is just a ‘point in time’ release that will be superceeded in the future by more complete packages or packages that have the missing remixes on is not born out by evidence. If they have screwed up this release (which they have big time) then what makes you think they will ever get it right and put out a full and complete edition of the album? Chances are they won’t as clearly they don’t ‘get’ what people want. And that’s not even taking into consideration as others have said that the market and opportunities for profit making from physical product are reducing by a large % each year. Will there really be a market opportunity to put out this CL album as a special in 3,5,10 years time? Highly doubtful.

    Time After Time was one of the first two singles I bought. I sent my mum out to get it for me along with a picture disc 7″ Damned release. I loved Cyndi’s punky / quirky styling, and the singles were really great from this album. Shame they’ve failed so badly with this edition. Stickers ffs! INXS put them in a re-release of Kick – who on earth do they think is the market for buying these? The demise of record companies is at least partly due to their own stupidity – perhaps as much as those who steal music in an industrial scale over torrents.

  23. The price is insane. That said, if I was to complain about content, I would love her AMA performance of “When You Were Mine”, and if a demo of her doing “Voices Carry” exists, that as well.

  25. Lol. Many people have been saying that c.d.s and vinyl were going to die off. Those most obsessed with this idea were the ones STEALING their music off of the internet and or had some agenda for the music industry to be destroy. It’s worked pretty well hasn’t it! With that said you can still buy these physical formats. Who knows what the future holds? As I’ve said I think the people who post here know that there are many re-releases and box sets that have nothing to do with anniversaries. I have no idea why people feel that is the only time to do a re-release. I also have no idea why some people refuse the idea of a re-release when there is an anniversary opportunity as well. Just because there is an anniversary does not mean one thing or another. The owners of these songs can do as they please. Of course you contradict yourself saying people will remember Lauper in the years to come but that the market is going away. You can sell anything you want if you know how to do it. If it is going to go away then the people are probably not real fans to begin with. Sounds like a good reason to hold back extra material for a re-release when things are harder to sell down the line. Seems smart to me.

  26. The Japanese edition only cost £23.00 and you get 3 discs. The two CDs plus a DVD with the making of SSU (Cyndi Lauper interview). Sounds as if the ridiculous packaging has been left out. The Japanese always get it right. Can be pre-ordered here http://www.amazon.co.jp/シーズ・ソー・アンユージュアル30周年記念盤-DVD付-シンディ・ローパー/dp/B00I3LHLEG/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1391159106&sr=1-3&keywords=cyndi+lauper

  27. “The two-CD deluxe edition which comes in elaborate packaging with a “reusable sticker set”, vinyl cut-outs of Lauper’s outfits and a “3D fold-out backdrop of the bedroom featured in the Girls Just Want To Have Fun video”……….

    Note to self…..don’t read about the contents of ‘Deluxe’ sets while drinking a hot beverage, my PC screen is now covered in coffee!!

    You get contents like that packaged with the ‘Ben & Holly’ or ‘Peppa Pig’ comics I get for the kids.

    Beyond ludicrous. Beyond preposterous. Beyond contemptuous. Beyond usefulness. Beyond………….can’t be bothered to look for the Thesaurus to continue.

    But out of chaos we have a silver lining because all terrible deluxe releases can now be judged by whether they have ‘Deluxed The Lauper’.

      1. Deluxed the Lauper! LOVE IT! Maybe Paul could do a page every now and then regarding different reissues that have performed this feat……..just dreaming.

  28. I completely agree with Ken about the window of opportunity for these types of re-issues closing fast. (I posted a similar thing on Dead or Alive’s forum in the hope of persuading Burns & co to double-disc-deluxe-up “Youthquake” soon.) So few of my friends are interested in physical product anymore, that I really do fear that the tip from “worthwhile niche” to “utterly superfluous” is drawing close. The time to seize these sales is NOW. And the way to do it is to jam-pack the discs with the tracks from the time, especially those that are long-deleted, vinyl-only, unreleased or hard-to-find.
    I’m really sorry, as I do love Cyndi, but £34 for a 30-year old album that I already have on CD twice is too much for me, not without a more comprehensive wrap up of the album’s associated mixes & associated tracks. Gutted.

  29. Actually… while I am in the “target age group” as it were, I don’t mind brand new remixes. I quite liked the Bad 25 remixes of Speed Demon and the title track. I don’t remember the original 12″ of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, so why not hear a new take.

    However, that’s no reason to leave fans with a half-empty bonus disc. I have purchased She’s So Unusual three times so far (tape, vinyl, CD) and I don’t mind doing it again, provided (a) the remastering is good and (b) the bonus tracks cover more than the bare necessities.

  30. I was one of the “lucky” who preordered the 2CD edition fior 16,34 £ and I really looking foward to the updated versions of “Time After Time” sometimes it can be refreshing to hear new remix of good classocs from the 80’s.
    Maybe Paul later can start a forum/ debate/recommendations of new updated remix from the 80’s (:

  31. OK, I’ll bite: AlexKX, what would be a situation where Sony (or any label) revisits one of their marquee albums other than a significant anniversary? Maybe there will be a slipcased, tri-fold ‘Random Tuesday Afternoon’ Deluxe Edition someday, I don’t know. Yes, labels and studios are notorious for creating opportunities for buyers to double-and triple dip on albums and films, but physical media is dying. The opportunity to get fans and consumers to splurge on these items is now. If they had even the tiiiiiniest thought of releasing more vintage stuff, they would do it now, via multiple versions (CD, CD/DVD, CD/LP, and so on). Not in a year, when the anniversary hoopla has died down, certainly not in five years, when deluxe CD’s are an even more niche product (and if they did, can you imagine the price then?). OK, you can argue that Ms. Lauper has a rabid fanbase that will buy anything, or that there are 80’s fans that will buy anything, and so on. But I’ll argue that there isn’t enough of a buyer’s market for Sony to spend time and effort and put together anything more comprehensive once the spotlight leaves this release.

  32. We’ve already been over this! They can charge whatever they want! They can re-release whatever they want years from now! It is probably a limited edition thing anyway since it is an anniversary release! Wow! Aren’t you all supposed to be informed on these things?! Did you all not read my posts?! Wow!

    1. Can’t miss your posts – “Wow”, “Jesus Christ”, “Get over yourselves” etc. Lots of shouting at other people for disagreeing with you.

      Don’t normally need to moderate in this friendly community, but…. take this as a friendly warning: Please feel free to post your opinions on the product, but stop telling other people what they should or shouldn’t be doing, and generally being rude.

  33. Sorry to be such a pedant, but as you use the word a lot, you really should be careful with “its” and “it’s” (used wrongly twice here). I’m guessing it’s a question of typing too fast rather than a genuine mistake…

  35. Whoa – can’t believe the price has gone up on Amazon UK – it was something like £16.34 when first announced and I didn’t order thinking it would reduce!!! How stuoid i was – this is a ridiculous price.

  36. It should be on one blu-ray disc. With ALL the period mixes and b-sides included. And they should include the videos and 5.1 audio. That would be a perfect SDE release. Think of the fun they could have with Cyndi and 5.1. And the extra resolution would really suit her amazing voice. I could produce a better SDE. Why is Sony not using blu-ray for these? It’s their format!

  39. I think it’s the price that’s the biggest knife in the back here. For $48 I would have expected a nice book/booklet with a couple of essays and a ton of photos, a DVD with the videos (and maybe some concert footage from then or on her most recent tour), all of the contemporary 12″ remixes (no real need for every existing edit – seems like overkill) to add to the current content on disc 2, and maybe even the LP or 24/96 download too, on top of what’s on offer here. As cute as I’m sure the foldout playset is, it doesn’t even remotely justify the $25-$30 overcharge on this.

    If this ends up being the final offer, I’ll buy the demos digitally and be done with it.

  40. If they had done their homework and included the contemporaneous remixes then i would have brought it though in this form there’s no chance.Another wasted opportunity [who remembers ‘So’ from last year?] And don’t get me going about modern remixes……

  42. As the Wings Over America box, which won a grammy last week, is so over the top on packaging, and very skimpy on audio bonus (as all the McCartney reissues), I see this is a trend already established and probably only going to be getting worse … :(

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