DealsThis Week’s Box Set and Reissue Deals
GERMANY/UK: The Beatles / Abbey Road 3CD+blu-ray super deluxe – €59 €81
Superb price for a superb set. New stereo remix, two CDs of sessions, Dolby Atmos and 5.1 mix, hi-res stereo and a wonderful book! This equates to around £54 but if the Germany deal sells out then it’s £64 in the UK as well.
UK: Neneh Cherry / Raw Like Sushi 3CD large format box – £30
Lowest UK price to date.
UK: Allman Brothers Band / Trouble No More 5CD – €35 €45
Great price for the 50th anniversary set
UK: Bob Marley & The Wailers / Complete Island Recordings 11CD – £30.99
The price has been up and down like a yo-yo, but this is currently the lowest it has been. This set is released in early December.
UK: Prince / Sign O’ The Times 13LP+DVD – £221
Hardly ‘cheap’, but £221 represents the lowest this mammoth Prince vinyl set has been.
GERMANY: The Velvet Underground and Nico 6CD deluxe – €37
Bargain price for the deluxe and expanded version of an album that should be in everyone’s collection.
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Tangerine Dream Virgin Recordings 1973-79 (16 cd’s + blu-ray) €69.99 at JPC.de!
FYI Amazon no longer provides track listings for box sets and deluxe editions, at least on the 10 or so that I just checked – Prince, U2, Depeche Mode, Velvet Underground etc.
Target has their Buy 2 get 1 Free deal going now on CD and Vinyl. I picked up some excellent preorders, including Elton John’s Jewel Box plus the vinyl packages, Bob Marley’s re-releases, Pink Floyd’s Delicate Sound of Thunder vinyl, the forever soon to be released No Time to Die soundtrack on vinyl and some other odds and sods. Prices are basically identical to Amazon US.
New Order Movement super deluxe box 52€ in Amazon Spain, best price i Saw until now. For me that i’m living in Portugal it would be nice to receive more deal alerts from Amazon Spain…
Thanks Luis, Brilliant spot. One on its way to Ireland now.
Dire Straits box set £16 in ASDA UK today . Cheaper than Amazon
£15 in Sainsburys now if you prefer your groceries there…
Velvet Underground box ordered from Amazon.de arrived this morning. Seems to have originated from Amazon UK rather than Amazon De. I didnt realise they did the cross country thing. Unfortunately, it was delivered only in a very thin card sleeve and 3 corners dented. No replacements available so I’ll probably just keep it anyway as it was such good value. It is annoying though – the number of times I’ve compromised and items have been needlessly damaged just because Amazon cut corners on packaging.
Simon, see my message of the 4th below. Mine too came from Amazon UK , but was in it’s original cardboard box within a second perfectly matched box, with the ding proof extended edges. In the past I have decided to keep slightly damaged goods as the price was so good, and this was certainly an excellent price.
It is worth contacting Amazon if u have a damaged item as in the past they have offered me a refund for part of the cost to retain the album rather than return it so worth thinking about if u wish to retain the damaged item albeit begrudgingly
Thanks for this Kevin. I wasn’t originally going to bother contacting Amazon.de as i anticipated possible language difficulty however their English was probably better than mine. I also wanted to check whether they might get more stock. They apologised for the poor packaging and are arranging a 15% (over £5 i think) refund, so well worth doing. They did also state though that the system confirmed no future stock expected, so it looks as though this is truly out of print now.
Abbey Road still available from
jpc.de for € 60
Just noticed that importcds.com launched their November 10% off sale. All in stock items are eligible for the markdown. They have some competitive pricing to begin with so this is something to check out if you’ve held back on recent box sets by New Order, Bob Mould, etc. The code is: TENOFF
Just picked up the Doobie Quadio box from Deepdiscount for about £48 (it’s £65 on AmazonUK). DD is also running a 10% deal, code: ORNAMENT
Should maybe have checked out importcds prior to checkout, but I already had items in my DD basket, which kept the postage charge down.
Shame there wasn’t Let It Be super deluxe edition in this year. Abbey Road and White Album are still unopened. I was ready to bought it and put it unopened in same the shelf with those two!
I bet in your kitchen cupboard you have sugar puffs, cornflakes,rice crispies, Weetabix,ect all lined up unopened,!
Why not open the Beatles stuff and enjoy it, read the books, they will never be worth any more than you paid for them, so don’t look at them as a investment!
Because i own the 2009 versions and i listen to them. There’s so much material in these boxes, that i haven’t found the time to check them. I like Sgt. Pepper’s so much, that i opened and listened and read the book same day when i got it in June 2017. I don’t make investment with records. If i found them useless i sell them almost for nothing. By the way, i don’t buy or eat cornflakes, rice crispies or Weetabix!
The Abbey Road SDL @ £64 is actually from Amazon US not UK + £5+ postage so totals a bit under the standard UK Amazon offer. The US one though will presumably come via their global system so it will be trashed by the time you get it. The German offer was good though, nice catch if you got one.
Same price for Abbey Road Superdeluxe on Amazon.nl (although in backorder now)
Thanks Paul,
Just bagged the Abbey Road from .de It came up as €62.09 for some reason, but hey ho, just a few pence more. Plus free delivery because they forced me into a 30-day prime trial. I already have Prime in the UK but I guess it doesn’t apply to .de.
@Jim Breeds:
The difference is caused by VAT:
The offer price on .de includes 16% (current rate in Germany) but you’ll be charged the current Rate of your country.
Don’t forget to cancel Prime on .de within the time of your free trial or they’ll charge you either 8 EUR for one month or 69 EUR for a year depending on what you chose during checkout.
Thank you Paul for the VU link,I have waiting for ages to get it.What a brilliant price!
The VU boxset has been on and off at £37 for months, currently it’s offline but it keeps popping back up so fear not.
Someone, ted hughes perhaps, once described the 80s Glasgow pop sound as being that narrow musical space between Chic and the Velvet Underground’s first album.
Just spotted two nice offers on amazon.de Germany:
A Certain Ratio – Acrbox 16.99 Euro ~ 15.30 GBP
Prince – Piano & A Microphone 1983 (Deluxe Edition) [Vinyl LP] 16.41 Euro ~ 14.80 GBP
The Prince Deluxe Edition has a nice 12” booklet and also includes the cd.
Prince SOT CD BOX £120.99 on Amazon. Just bit on it at that price!
did someone say the blue nile are overrated? SIR! YOU HAVE NO SOUL & A SWINGING BRICK FOR A HEART!!
I’m glad I pre-ordered the Bob Marley box through Amazon. By the time it’s released, I expect it to be free with a tenner tucked inside it! It was good value to start with but that price is fantastic
Anyone still swithering over the Deluxe Vinyl edition of Tom Petty’s Wildflowers set see it has been reduced further from last week on Amazon UK – Now £130.70 + £5.28 delivery. Thought Amazon used to have free delivery for purchases over £20)
That’s because it’s coming from the USA via Amazon’s Global Store. UK Prime is £157 with Free postage.
So It is still cheaper than the UK but I would still prefer a UK sourced one as Global Store stuff I have bought before can easily get dinged on the long journey over the Atlantic.
I picked up a Moscow to Mars for just £80 from the Global store but it was incredibly grubby when it got here.
Does anyone know that if we buy stuff from Amazon Italy or Germany for example from 1st January are we going to have the same tax to pay as we pay on US items once we end the EU transition period. May mean lots of deals getting expensive.
Depends on the negotiations on the trade deal that are currently ongoing between the UK and EU. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst..
@ Alan
This is all dependent on the on-going trade deal negotiations between the U.K. & the EU. If they agree a zero tariff/quota free trade deal things will stay as they are in terms of price (although there may be some supply disruption/delays due to more border checks) but if they don’t (no deal) WTO tariffs will apply if you import from another seller and the price goes up.
It actually gets worse because anything manufactured in the EU but sold by a U.K. retailer will also be subject to tariffs.
Without seeking to politicise this no deal will mean higher prices and less choice/availability for U.K. consumers due to tariffs which could be compounded by a depreciating GBP.
Note tariffs between the U.K. and non-EU countries (i.e. US) and currently governed by the EU/US trade deal so we revert to WTO rules with all non-EU countries until trade deals are signed.
undoubtedly ,you already see postage creeping up
items are not available with free postage within the E.u.
as they once were. Plus there was a common v.a.t threshold
applied to all .That will go . I fear shopping around europe for the best
deal(something Paul has championed with this excelent website) is about to expire.
Not a political point but more a statement of fact, this is just one of the many ways our lives (in the UK) will get more expensive and/or inconvenient whether there is a deal or not. To imagine otherwise is probably setting yourself up for a shock at this point! Very sad.
I’ll help myself to the ACR box in the meantime:)
Velvet Underground available again on Amazon.de !!! 8 copies
Must have just got one before the offer ended. Great price. Thanks Paul.
After a tip off on SDE I ordered the VU box from Amazon.DE a few days ago. It arrived perfectly packaged from Dunfermline today. It looks excellent.
Pete
Thanks for the links Paul.
At last I gave in and ordere the Super Deluxe Vinyl-boxset of Prince’s SOTT.
The velvet underground boxset deal (amazon germany) is again alive (right now when I am writing this at least)
IMO, The Velvet Underground and Nico is an historical record to have in one’s collection. It was the first album to intentionally challenge the sensibilities of the status quo with unabashed odes to deviancy, heroin and prostitution. Besides the deliberate shock appeal of the music, Warhol’s iconic phallic ‘peel and reveal’ banana rendering created for the album cover, moreover emphasized the titillating unorthodoxy of VU & Nico.
Yes, the musicianship is a bit unpolished, but (whether intentional or not) provided an effective graininess to Lou Reed and John Cale’s compositions — songs that Pickwick Records would never accept, but allowed by the avantgarde jazz label, Verve, who also signed up The Mothers of Invention one year earlier. Bear in mind, that VU & Nico was not very well received back in 1967, as it stood in stark contrast to the hippy euphoria felt during the summer of love. Today, there is greater appreciation for Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground, which many now consider to be the progenitors of the punk and alternative rock movements that would surface ten years later.
Well said.
Unlike the Phonograph fellow below!
The original album may be great, but of course that does not translate into a great SDE.
Two cds here comprise mono and stereo versions of the album, with scattered single and alternative mixes. (Do you need both?)
Two cds are the complete Valleydale Ballroom concert, long available on bootleg. Roughly an hour of that material is comprised of two lengthy improvised and unstructured jams.
One cd is demos and a rehearsal tape.
One cd is Nico’s “Chelsea Girl” album, on which the VU played on several tracks.
The great bulk of this material has been released over the years, and many people will already own the excellent 1995 “Peel Slowly And See” 5cd box set, which includes the band’s four key albums in full as well as many of the demos and outtakes released on “VU” and “Another View,” the VU tracks from “Chelsea Girl,” and much more besides. Notably, PSAS includes a cd of poorly-recorded but interesting 1965 demos that are absent in the SDE. The book included with PSAS is informative and well-designed.
As someone who really enjoys the Velvet Underground and even owns a few bootlegs, I find that PSAS is about right for me, and I have not been tempted by subsequent Deluxe and SDE releases. For someone unfamiliar with VU, I would recommend PSAS as a far superior choice (just skip over that first 1965 disc and move on to the core work that follows). A new condition copy of PSAS will run about $30 ppd in the US from ebay sellers.
I put off buying the VU&Nico box set for ages because I had loads of the stuff that was on it and eventually bought it on a deal. I have absolutely no regrets. At £37 it’s worth it just for the book.
Also, I always find it an odd argument that something shouldn’t be released because it’s been on a bootleg. Someone’s been making money off that music for years. Why shouldn’t the band?
If you want “fidelity and sound quality” Velvet Underground & Nico isn’t going to please you greatly. I don’t care. It’s one of the most important records ever made.
If you’re the kind of person who listened to “classic rock” stuff and just didn’t see what all the fuss was about and then heard punk and (more importantly) post-punk and thought, NOW I get the fuss about rock, and don’t own and love this record, there’s a bit of your musical DNA missing.
This, as Eno rightly pointed out, is a record that people who formed bands listened to and wanted to do themselves. It’s not pretty and it’s not polished but it is the most important record of the 60’s because it sounds like the future. It has none of that sonic ambition of Pet Sounds and Sgt. Pepper, it’s stripped back rock n roll and half of it is a collection of incredible pop songs – something easily overlooked.
It is one of the sparks which lit the fuse that changed British music (and American music) in the late 70’s and I find its DNA in much of the guitar based music I like to this day. If you love “classic rock” sorts of music, you’ll hate it and want to put it in a throwing out pile. It’s just not for you, and I don’t think it probably ever was made to be.
To those of us who get it, it is loved because it didn’t think about music in the same way. This was music as art. Something made by people who didn’t just study music but other creative forms and worked to incorporate them into the music and then the music back into other forms – from the novel Venus In Furs and onto The Exploding Plastic Inevitable, if you like.
It opened as many minds as those other revered albums of the time but, I’d argue, it formed thousands more bands because it was, at its heart, loud and dirty rock music that anyone could play.
Oh and it’s very, very, cool.
Are you really arguing about whether or not this album is good and whether or not you have to have it in your collection? It’s like with any art in general: either you like it or you just don’t. Taste is such a personal thing.
I honestly can’t do anything with Velvet Underground & Nico either, but I know that this was an important album in rock history. Still, I think that you don’t have to have it in your collection. What for?
My favourite album is Revolver by The Beatles, because to this day no album has blown me as much as this one. But I know some people who think it’s really bad. That‘s okay for me, it doesn’t ruin the music for me. And they have other music they like.
Thank god there are so many wonderful records out there…
Ben I agree 100%. I have listened and listened to the Velvets, really trying to see what others see in this album, what I might be missing out on etc, and I just don’t get it. It bores me to death so I gave up and put it somewhere up in the loft.
I`ve read most of the comments regarding my view of The VU & Nico. Someone even questions the fact I`ve had the album since it`s day of release. Yea I`m in the UK and what I said is true about me owning the album since it`s first day of release in the UK. I cannot remember whether it had simultaneous release with the USA. I don`t own the original album any more, I replaced it on CD when first available but I still own many LPs from the 60`s a majority in Mint Condition.
What I object to by those whining about my rating of The VU & Nico is that I cannot have an opinion of my own. I stated in my posts that I was expressing my opinion and others may have theirs.
If you enjoy VU & N fine, keep on enjoying it. I don`t enjoy it and I will play something else.
I have NEVER come on here and criticized anyone for their musical taste.
@Michael (above) says that VU & N “is an historical record to have in one’s collection”, I prefer to have albums in my collection that I like and will play. I don`t agree with @Michael but he has a right to say what he believes. @colm47 agrees with him, that`s OK. @colm47 also says “Unlike the Phonogram fellow” I just wish @colm47 had been a bit more explicit in his post.
@kid992 says “I have no reason to doubt your story Golden Age but assuming you are from the UK to have bought the VU album on the day of release in the UK, you really were one of the few. To have kept the album for 53 years and then decided it was 3rd division and you were now going to get rid of it is even more remarkable.” In reply I ask why not? I once liked David Bowie, I had all his discography but I tired of him, my choice. Same goes with Miles Davis, I had all his albums, played them less and less, don`t have them any more. I`d name more artists/bands whose music I once listened to and enjoyed but don`t now but that would open up a barrel of snakes!* (*yes I know but I can`t spell `can`or `worms`)
I like change, I like new but I also still love the music I loved 50 years ago, Psychedelia, Garage Rock and some main stream bands/artists. I`ve grown to love left-field Jazz, Sun Ra for example. He does/did ” intentionally challenge the sensibilities of the status quo” as @Michael said.
@Fogarrach you say “Yet is there a slight irony in your questioning whether an album should be part of an essential collection, and then going on to suggest that the idea of a greatest album of all time can exist?” It`s all about opinion, I didn`t say everyone should own `Forever Changes`, that`s up to you/them. I expected more from you at least with regard to THE LATE, GREAT JACKIE LEVEN. Now we talking about an artist whose albums should be in every home.
Just a note to say it`s been great to compare opinions, Paul we all appreciate the great work you do with this site. I`ve saved hundreds of £s and spent even more! But we do need a redesigned platform on which we can trade compliments, comments and insults. No rush, you have plenty time just be ready by the time the US announces thier next President.
For those who have been critical of me, I love you but as a poet once said “Don`t criticize what you can`t understand.”
Great reply Golden Age! Especially love the closing quote: “Don’t criticise what you can’t understand.”.
Agree that this is a great website (seriously awesome work Paul), however, the comments as they currently work are somewhat challenging. For example, including a direct link to a comment thread is a must as it is way too difficult to work out who is responding to what comment. It would also be nice to have a like button (don’t feel a dislike button is necessary) so that the most recommended comments are highlighted in some way.
All in good time of course as I’m sure you’re way too busy to implement new technology into an already busy and high traffic website.
Cheers.
I promise there are some changes coming early next year. I think you will be happy. I am busy… but I do want to improve the ‘user experience’ for SDE readers so this is being addressed.
Golden age of the phonograph
Quality post. You are always incredibly interesting. KBO.
Now, once I finish work later this Saturday, I shall
A) enjoy and, love forever changes.
And,
B) listen to Lisa tarbuck on BBC radio 2
I was able to get the VU and Nico boxset shipped to the US for 56 USD! This is currently 109 USD on Amazon in the US. Thanks for the heads up on this great deal.
15:06 UK Time and VU back in stock, thanks for the heads up Paul.
Anybody else had any trouble with JPC.de lately?
I’ve been waiting almost a month for both the Ultravox box-set and the TFF and they’re not being massively helpful about it :/
My Ultravox set from JPC took a few weeks, but arrived safely. An LP took over a month from France and another nearly 3 months from the US. We are living in strange times unfortunately.
I pre-ordered this set from them but a snafu with the credit card caused their system to cancel my order. But I reordered when it came back in stock and it arrived in CA a week later, very securely packaged. I have made a second order and that is on it way.
Those same two sets were supposedly shipped out to me in the US almost a month ago by JPC via DHL and haven’t yet been delivered. It sounds like we’re having very similar experiences.
The easy answer – if they are not responding or being helpful / messing you around – Don’t buy off them!
Mmm – bit late now, though, with two outstanding orders seemingly lost in space :/
My first ever purchase from JPC was that Yello “Point” box and it arrived perfectly & nicely packed with a bonus vinyl cleaner thing…just ordered that Roxette “Bag Of Trix” 3CD from them…just saw RPM’s 70s girlpopsoul 3CD “Right Back Where We Started From” on sale on Amazon US like $22.88, down from $30.99…so I ordered…
The Sign O The Times vinyl box is a beauty. It’s a saving of at least £20 on what I paid, but I don’t regret buying it upfront and if you are a Prince fan, you won’t regret buying it too.
VU & Nico should be in everyone’s collection?
Why? If it can’t get in everyone’s collection on merit why should everyone have it?
If pop/rock music had league tables this album would be in the EFL Division One (that’s the 3rd Division to the non-football fans). OOAA.
FYI I own the album but the Velvet Underground are on my list of artist/bands to be rid of in my next cull.
Why?! Because it’s a great album of, course. Clearly you don’t agree.
Paul I`ve had the album since the day it was released many years before it became `cool` to own.
I did say OOAA, this is just my opinion.
None of my friends share my veiw of what I consider to be the greatest album of all time. The thing is they are wrong and I am right along with Robert Plant and Whispering Bob Harris.
Stay safe everyone.
PS: I still like 50% of Lou Reed`s discography, the NY SE is excellent.
Golden age of the phonograph.?
So, what is your ‘greatest album of all time’ then?
Btw: Paul made a perfectly acceptable statement, and correct. On merit.
The blue nile, Jackie leven, Danny Wilson, deacon blue and the bathers should be in everyone’s collections.(and don’t let me commence about Laura nyro’s oeuvre.
On merit.
In your`s and Paul`s opinion which you are entitled to as I am entitled to mine.
Of those you listed: The Blue Nile are overrated IMHO, yes I have heard the albums and owned them upon release. Liked them but they did not have a lasting impact on me. The albums went in a previous shelf saving cull.
Danny Wilson & Deacon Blue, they make a nice pop noise but I`m not a fan. I don`t know The Bathers.
Laura Nyro? Had most (maybe all) of her albums for a very long time.
Jackie Leven??? Who`s he??? I`ll answer that. Jackie Leven was a genius, one of the best live performers I`ve ever seen. I have all his albums including The Haunted Valley releases. I became aware of him when Mike Scott thanked him on the cover of The Waterboys album `Fisherman`s Blues`. Although I should have been aware of him because I had the Doll By Doll S/T LP with the beautiful `Main Travelled Roads` on it.
I bought `The Mystery Of Love…….` album in `94 and was in awe of his greatness.
My favourite album? The clues are in my other poat.
Think Golden age ….. is about to say Love Forever Changes is the greatest album ever. Of course it’s not and VU might be.
The VU album is cool, great, raw, unique and important for being ground zero for alt-rock/pop/punk albums that came later…besides that, it’s just chock full of great original warped pop songs…as for Laura Nyro, she is also ground zero for the original idiosyncratic female singer/songwriter…simply, no Laura, no Tapestry, Tori Amos, Alanis, Kate Bush, Bjork, Annie Lennox, Judy Tzuke, none of them…Laura Nyro came first…and STILL my fave female artist…her songwriting, singular voice & musicianship…she had it all & we lost her too early…
Don’t forget, that Roxette box set could be more your speed.
I have no reason to doubt your story Golden Age but assuming you are from the UK to have bought the VU album on the day of release in the UK, you really were one of the few. To have kept the album for 53 years and then decided it was 3rd division and you were now going to get rid of it is even more remarkable.
Kid992,
Brilliance.
Sometimes a short simple phrase cannot be beaten.
Your post ranks up there with “well he would, wouldn’t he”
And golden age, I’ve always enjoyed your posts and shall enjoyed many more.
Yet is there a slight irony in your questioning whether an album should be part of an essential collection, and then going on to suggest that the idea of a greatest album of all time can exist?
I’ve been considering criteria for such a choice, and for me the criteria make it impossible to limit it to a single album- except as a whim at a given moment in time.
Best album of all time. I’ve thought that since I first heard it in about 1982. That said I passed on the boxset as agree about Peel Slowly and See being better on this era.
I checked your site, went and ironed some shirts – housetrained – came back and saw the VU set. Gone!! I will wear un-ironed shirts in future.
One copy available agan just now (11.32 UK time), hurr (but try not to crease your shirt)!!
Went out for a sandwich this time. Gone again. Note to Paul S – don’t worry, I won’t give you a full run down of my day.
OK, so I spilt chipotle down my ironed shirt, BUT I finally snagged a copy of the VU box. Thanks Paul, Paul and NoParlez.