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Edsel to fix Heaven 17 box set errors

By Paul Sinclair

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170

Edsel have promised to correct a few audio errors on the Heaven 17 Play To Win CD box set after fans highlighted instances where incorrect mixes or versions of tracks were used.
The errors on the ten CD set are as follows:

CD3: How Men Are
Track 13. Counterforce II – Repeats Counterforce (track 12) but at a different volume! (Counterforce II appears on the 2006 remastered and expanded download of “How Men Are”).

CD4: Pleasure One
Track 12. Contenders (US 7″ Edit) – Repeats Counterforce again!

CD7: Special Fortified Dance Mixes To Enhance Danceability #1
Track 5. Let Me Go (12″ Version) – The “Endless” version has been used which includes extra acapella vocals at the beginning. (The original 12″ version appears on the 2006 remastered and expanded download of “The Luxury Gap”).

CD8: Special Fotified Dance Mixes To Enhance Danceability #2
Track 1. Penthouse And Pavement (Remix by John ‘Tokes’ Potoker) – The album version from “Penthouse And Pavement” has been used. (The Remix can be found on “Endless” but is segued with other tracks).

CD9: Special Fortified Dance Mixes To Enhance Danceability #3
Track 5. We Live So Fast (Extended Version) – The “Endless” version has been used which begins with a drum beat from the preceding Megamix and then the beat gradually speeds up to reach the speed of the main track. (The original Extended version starts at the correct speed).”

In a statement the label said:

“We’ve been made aware of errors on the Heaven 17 ‘Play To Win’ CD box set. These errors affect discs 3, 4, 7, 8 and 9 where mixes supplied have been incorrectly labelled. Apologies for the errors, but we will be replacing these 5 discs.

Please contact [email protected] with your proof of purchase, and delivery address and we will replace these 5 discs. The time frame for replacing the discs will be around 4-6 weeks. You will be notified via email once the replacement discs have been sent.”

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170 Comments

170 thoughts on “Edsel to fix Heaven 17 box set errors”

  1. This is a thread that’s several months dead, I know, but thought you all should know that I finally ordered this set from Amazon UK on Feb. 6th (8 months after the errors were found, I believe?) and just got it here in the U.S. – and it’s STILL the set with the faulty discs. I hope DMG is still replacing them …

    1. Did you have any luck? I bought this a year ago but only got around to listening to it last month, noticed the errors, and then discovered this post when researching. I sent a message to the listed email yesterday, but with everything going on, I won’t be surprised if I don’t hear back from them any time soon…

  2. I just picked this up yesterday from Amoeba in Hollywood. Notes online from the label seemed to indicate that even pressings going forward would not have the corrected discs. However, all of the discs that were originally to be found in error in the box I bought have “REWORK” on the matrix and to my ears, they seem correct. There’s nothing on the outer package to indicate that this box includes corrected discs; the only difference I see is that mine did not have the red hype sticker on the front of the package.

  3. Received the replacement CDs quite fast in France.

    Thanks to Edsel for the replacement CDs and great thanks for the most beautiful CD box set every true H17 could ever dream of !

    Just made me rediscover what great albums they have made and amazed by Pleasure One which I hadn’t heard for a couple of years.

    H17 forever endless !

    1000 thanks

  5. Just a silly question after such a long time of listening, claiming and waiting:

    are the original albums in any way newly remastered?

    I mean not the old remaster, just new ones from 2018?
    AFAIK, at least the Luxury Gap CD release was in quite a lot of sound discussions, at that time.

    Thanks for giving me this information, finally!

    1. All the discs in this box set are new remasters by Phil Kincade done in 2019. The first 3 albums were initially done in 2006 by Donal Whelan. I have no idea what you mean about about the sound discussion on the Luxury Gap as there has never been a problem with it.

      1. @Neill: Thanks for the precise info.

        What I meant about Luxury Gap was the following: the first CD release was tinny, the remaster with the bass “back in game” but quite boomy and muddy. Both were MILLIONS of miles away from the fantastic sounding vinyl. I own all 3 and that’s also my impression. If you have an other impression, dont’ mind.

        So, for me…..if I am going to buy the box I know what I am going to get.

  6. My replacement discs arrived today (6 June) in Washington DC. I appreciate Demon replacing the cds without any hassle but surely some QA before the original release date would have saved them time and expense.

      1. Guys i have a Question,what are you doing with the original wrong labeled Cd’s?,Do you keep them or send them back,or what …?

      1. A few hours later after posting they’ve arrived.

        Had a good listen and I can’t fault the music at all. Nice to hear the Penthouse Potoker remix completely standalone too.

        I have noticed though, the label sides don’t go as near to the centre of the discs as the originals, so are not quite uniform with the other five in the set, but that’s neither here or there really.

        Thanks for sorting the errors out DMG! The box set is now a pleasure to own.

        1. Of course, it’s a minor issue. But I wonder why they couldn’t just label the CDs in exactly the same way as before.
          As happy as I am about the whole release, this still leaves the impression of lack of care and professionalism in the light of all the mistakes made before.
          Anyhow, thanks, Demon, for the replacements!

  12. I got a mail to inform about shipping repacement discs. On this my very mail was replied, where I also informed about quite some more errors. No comments about these.

    1. Finally, today EDSEL answered to my mail request , weeks ago. This is what they said:

      “Hello,
      We have replaced all the stock in our warehouse with corrected discs but we cannot guarantee which ones our retailers are stocking. Although we request for then to be returned, we have no control over whether they send them back or not.
      If you do receive a faulty box, we will send a replacement.
      With thanks,
      DMG”

  14. If anyone’s fussed about such trivialities (and it may help determine in years to come if you have the right discs), whilst the onbodies are identical, the matix number around the centre of the playing side have changed.

    The original discs were all NORA19N 3546 – followed by 7 if it was Disc 7, 4 if it was disc 4 etc

    The new ones all carry a matrix number reading HEAVEN17REWORK DISC folowed by the relevant number, ie 3, 7 etc

    2. It makes sense that they had to do this. It will be etched in the original glass stamper, so if ever they repress them in future they won’t get them mixed up and use the incorrect ones. Mind you wouldn’t they just destroy the original ones? Not too sure about that. Nice to know though.

  16. I sent mine on April 2nd as well, then received a confirmation email on May 23rd that the discs had been posted & had them in my hands the next day.

    1. I was late finding out about the errors so didn’t email them until 14th April so not surprisingly I haven’t heard anything yet.

      1. Same here,send mine on April 13th,no email yet,i really hope they have not forgot me,cause so many people send them emails…

    3. Sent my e-mail on 3rd April, received confirmation of posting on 24th May, and the discs arrived scarcely an hour ago. Two business days within the UK.

  19. Yep got mine as well. I’ve held off listening to any of the box set until the replacement discs had arrived (slightly OCD I know). Time to pour a beer & turn back the years.

  21. Okay so…

    Disc 3: Counterforce II is there

    Disc 4: US Edit of Contenders is there (nice version, too)

    Disc 7: I’m simply not au fait enough with the mixes to know if they are corrected but I think so. Let Me Go, Who’ll Stop the Rain and Sunset Now are all different lengths to the original box set pressings so it looks like it, but it needs a bigger expert than I (ie pretty much anybody here) to confirm

    Disc 8: Potoker Endless version is there

    Disc 9: We Live So Fast – proper 12″ now, not the Endless version

    1. Just had an email from Demon to say…

      Your replacement discs have been posted. The error you mentioned was also picked up and fixed.
      Please allow a week or so for delivery.
      Thanks for your patience,
      DMG

      Which would indicate the Sunset Now and Who’ll Stop he Rain versions should also have been fixed. Can’t wait for them to arrive.

      1. I suspect at least 1,022 as that was the figure listed on the back of the box the limited signed print edition came in. Goodness knows how many of the non-limited ones there may be. This is assuming all purchasers emailed Demon about it.

      1. Apparently replacement stock is expected in this week and they will start shipping probably next week. That’s what I’ve heard.

  28. I do find it very disappointing that there has been no update at all on the status of the replacement discs. Is there nobody at Edsel who can find the time to fire off a quick email? If there is some sort of delay at least have the decency to let your customers know what is going on rather than leaving us all in limbo.

  29. I have been very patient but it is now May 10 and I have not received the fixed cd’s. On other websites ppl are echoing the same complaints. Nothing seems to have been sent out.
    I recently noticed they had a fixed disc for the Five Star box and I received that disc within 2 weeks.

  30. That’s been over 5 weeks since they made that announcement about replacing discs and there still has been no communication.

  31. They can’t possibly just be relabelling the disc’s. Having ‘Counterforce’ appearing 3 times would be ridiculous. I shall be quite perturbed to say the least if this is the case. As for the email scenario, it looks like we’re all in the same boat (unless someone knows different).

  32. Once again, as I still do not know what the replacement discs will look like: will they put the right mixes on them or will they only change the labelling?
    Anybody?
    Thanks!

    1. I would like to order the box at Amazon. Is Amazon still selling the box with the wrong discs or is the boxset already replaced in shops?

    2. Norbert, I think (hope) they will manufacture new discs with corrected versions (keep my fingers crossed..) I already sent an email 4 weeks ago to demon music, but no replacement discs up today (they said the process needs up to 6 weeks)
      I still love this boxset, one of my favourites.

  33. Has anyone heard anything from Edsel/Demon Music Group exactly when the replacement discs will be shipped? I emailed them in early April (with invoice attached) but other than an automated response promising to respond in 10 working days, I received no further reply. The very least they can do is email a confirmation.

    1. Oh yes a confirmation email, i’m still waiting for it…….. Oh NO! I am only a customer, how dare me to expect a confirmation! My thumbs are pressed since weeks that they haven’t forgotten me.

    3. Indeed that’s more than a month now since i contacted them and no updates. Interestingly Martyn Ware was on a radio program the other week there discussing his career with the HL +B.E.F. and H17 and even though they played the Endless version of Let Me Go not once did he mention this box set.

  34. Anybody ever thought about the possibility that EDSEL only will differently label the discs….so no new mixes on them, still the “not wanted” ones, but correctly listed (Higher and Higher version, Endless version etc….)
    So???

  35. One last item. “Who’ll Stop The Rain” is, once again, the “Endless” version, which fades out at the end. The Original 12″ version ends cold. It seems like “Endless” is the go to source for a lot of Heaven 17 12″ versions. Perhaps a remaster of “Endless” would be in order?

    1. Glad you brought that up as i noticed they used the fade out version on the box set from 2012 of The Luxury Gap that nobody seemed to have picked up on at the time.

  36. Just found an interesting item. The version of “Height Of The Fighting (He-La-Hu!)” included here is the version from “Higher & Higher”, not the original 12″ version. The H&H mix has a cowbell-like percussive element that enters the song about 4 seconds in and continues, while the original 12″ version lacks this element.

  37. I’ve finally started listening to my discs, spotted the errors then found this page. Pleased Edsel have agreed to replace so quickly ( I remember all the trouble of the FGTH Sex Mix errors which was a real battle before they agreed to replace). What if we asked them to add in the missing We Live So Fast US single version as a thank you for our patience? I’d love to get that.

  38. memoryboy,

    An ABC box set? You and me both mate, you and me both. As the worlds self confessed greatest ABC fan…(probably), this is something I’ve hoped to see announced every time I check out Mr Sinclair’s fantastic site.

  39. Just caught up with this thread after receiving my set in the USA over the weekend. Sent then a screenshot of my purchase from Amazon UK and hoping I don’t have to wait forever for it to arrive.
    Amazon UK messed up my order of Paul Young’s latest set, and they didn’t process a refund properly, so my money is somewhere in limbo. Yet, here I am still supporting these releases because of my love for the artist.

    1. Good catch. Had not got to that point yet on my play through. I emailed Demon about it and hope it can be added to the corrections.

      1. I emailed DMG about this and they confirmed that they’ll fix this issue too! So if anyone spots any other errors, let them know immediately as I am sure time is of the essence before they press the replacement discs.

        As for adding additional tracks I think that is too much to ask as it would mess up the listings on the back of the set.

  41. Sound quality is great. Loving some of the 7″ edits. This is great… Except the errors of course…
    The Remix for “Let Me Go” was repeated twice. I think that may be my biggest disappointment… Oh and the “We Live So Fast” remix error… I don’t see me rushing to get the replacement discs… I just find all this exhausting! LOL, hahaha, I’m still recovering from the Dead Or Alive box set errors…. but I will say, in the end…. I’ll take it! It’s great! Even with the errors, I’m enjoying what I’ve got.
    Yes, would live to see them do an ABC box set (with no errors)

  42. Just received mine as I’m in the states. Height Of The Fighting (He-La-Hu) sounds like it came from a vinyl frisbee, muffled and pops. Sad. That’s my favorite H17 track, too. Too bad the other version, without the dancey beat, didn’t make it to the compilation.

  43. I just want to share that I also just found out about the Five Star replacement disc on discogs. Sent Edsel/Demon before/during the weekend. Then I saw someone mentioned it on this post. And I just got their email confirmation that my replacement disc has been sent out. I post a comment on the Five Star post. In case someone is checking there and not here, (s)he will find that information to claim his/her replacement disc.

  44. Finally got round to actually start listening to the thing and checking out the artwork.

    The missing song title words on the back cover have already been pointed out, and now looking at the booklet, the lyrics around Lady Ice And Mr Hex and We Live So Fast are distorted like a cheap photocopy.

    Certainly not what you should expect from a set costing this much. Music is top notch of course and a lifelong fan of Heaven 17, just effed off with the lack of attention to the overall production effort. Welcome to the (disposable) future??

  45. I appreciate that there may be 150 tracks but is quality control still an issue after so many mistakes in the past? Am i the only one that’s worried i have CD’s with wrong pressings that i never knew about that were corrected? How many will get this and never find out there were free replacements and / or incorrect tracks

  46. after all this i’m just wondering if Edsel will consider releasing a cd singles boxset of H17’s Virgin Years. That would be perfect!

  47. I’m pleased that they are taking action, but it’s equally frustrating because it sort of forces me to buy it NOW. My plan was to hold off in case the price drops to something more affordable in a few months or so, but to make sure I don’t miss the replacement discs I’ve had to bite the bullet even though I’ll have to pay more than I’d like to.

    Of course, I don’t HAVE TO do anything…

  49. Given the rise in streaming, surely it would be possible for the company that owns the master recordings to digitize everything and get it out there?
    The issue I have is when master recordings are under licence for a limited period (The Tabu catalogue as an example; that Demon had the rights to from 2013-2018), now the rights are with Universal who have only slowly started to upload the catalogue and then only the basic albums without the mixes that are obviously still available. I’m expecting the same to happen with the ZTT material once the BMG Rights distribution deal expires at the end of this year.
    It’s unfortunate that the record companies are still not exploiting their rich archives of tracks.

    1. It’s incredibly expensive dusting down old tapes and baking and then digitising them. Unless it’s a major artist like The Beatles etc. I can’t see any label choosing to digitise an entire archive for posterity or possible future licensing opportunities.

      1. thanks for quick answer paul.
        i cannot understand this. it stands “heaven 17” on the box set.
        do you think it would be a good idea if you start a last ditch-letter to edsel ?
        surely everyone of us would sign those flame.
        i personally have enough of all these un-going mistakes and confusions.
        nobody of us could make so much mistakes in our jobs without any consequences.

        1. A last ditch letter to say what? They are fixing the problem, which I agree isn’t as good as the problem not happening in the first place, but let’s keep some perspective here. It’s 150-track compilation with five or six issues. The higher the mountain the more often you will miss your footing on the way up (my Eric Cantona phrase for the day!)

          1. i understand you paul. it was only an idea to let the “edsels & co” know that we have enough of those things. today i usually think about if i should buy a box set or wait to see what happens in the first weeks after the release – to know then if there are mistakes or wrong tracks on the set.
            is this a “collector-life” i will live? if we do finally nothing – they will never change anything in the future…
            the same thing with the erasure “wild”. they make the
            so called “anniversary edition” not for the usual cd buyer. they made that for the fans.
            and i read here almost 90% negative thoughts about the re-issue. artists should better think about what they put as bonus tracks on “deluxe editions”. with only 2 unreleased tracks and 2 live tracks you will never awake enthusiasm.

  51. Glad I found out about this before I purchased it. Same thing as with the Dead Or Alive box set. Edsel is losing a lot of credibility with the fans of these artists. Sorry guys, will not be buying your box set.

    1. I never quite understood this kind of stance. There were those who said the same about Soft Cell / Five Star sets and I would love to remember who posted the fantastic retort “this is brilliant, what a wonderful box…. oh it’s got two remixes and a 7” mix missing…. I won’t bother then”
      It’s a wonderful set, the problems will be fixed, and we won’t see the like of it again. What makes it seem worse than it is, is that the 5 errors are spread across 5 discs, if they had made 5 errors on one disc it wouldn’t seem like such an issue.
      It would be a shame if you missed out on a lovely set, after all by the time the replacements come it be almost perfect.

  52. I had this with another boxset, or thought I did. It turned out they were different remixes but just sounded absolutely the f*cking same!

  53. Price of the H17 vinyl set has whacked back up to £95 after it’s brief sojourn down to £55.

    Personally I don’t think coloured vinyl is quite the draw it was. Up to a point about a year ago I think it all changed for me. EVERYTHING seems to be on coloured vinyl now whereas it felt a bit special before. I don’t know how to explain it and maybe others feel differently.

    I would have happily swapped the coloured element of the H17 vinyl box set for an extra disc of the best remixes or b-sides, rather like the recent Police set.

    The only coloured release I regret missing out on was the yellow wannadies which disappeared whilst I still had my arse in my hands thinking about it.

  55. hi paul,

    its clear that the label doesn’t care about these deluxe releases,
    the ones that cost the most sadly.

    there was never any doubt that they weren’t going to make mistakes,
    only how many, and there are still more being found.

    yes, some people like to buy them as soon as possible, and get the
    signed ones, but thats still no excuse to support the company when
    you know there are errors.

    people like me, will always wait it out, until the dust settles, and
    we know we have to deal with the getting replacement discs, etc.

    don’t expect this to change anything in the future. the company has
    made it clear they value the money over any kind of quality, and as
    someone mentioned, it’s cheaper to send out replacements than
    to hire someone to do it right the first time.

    there is no such thing as quality control, anymore. the sooner that
    people realize that, the more their expectations and probably their
    money will got to the people that do actually put out good products.

    all this talk about too much material, and excuses for there was going to be some
    issues, is just that. i expect the more material, the more careful the company
    would be with the product, not the other way around.

    later
    -1

    1. If the choice was to not have this reissue at all, or have it with the risk of a few errors (which will be corrected), which would you prefer? Because I can tell you that Universal’s idea of an H17 reissue was to bung five CDs in a card slipcase and sell it for £12. Demon can make these big ambitious sets work in a way that few other labels seem to do (or want to do). ‘My’ Paul Young set (which didn’t have any errors, as far as I’m aware) was 20 discs and cost £55. I proposed it to Demon and they said ‘yes’. No one else would have, I don’t think.

        1. ABC doesn’t need a single boxset. ABC needs a SuperDeluxe of Lexicon of Love including a 5.1 Blu-ray with all the trimmings :)

  56. When I worked at universal special markets way back in the 90s/00s , part of my duties were approving masters for new releases. I was not familiar with some artists, so I made my best guess. We never had any recalls, so I was the beneficiary of dumb luck

  57. What goes on with Edsel? It seems they lack in quality control. A few years back when they reissued Belinda Carlisle’s albums as deluxe editions there were problems, including a track that didn’t even have Carlisles vocals.
    Granted they fixed the problems by replacing the defects but why so many problems with their product. Frustrating.

  58. One of the earliest cock-ups in my record buying career came with Mike Oldfield – Platinum. With Branson’s objection to the original “Sally” (he was right) meaning the track was replaced but none of the artwork was. I have owned three A1 / B1 copies of that in my life, with the original Sally, rare as hen’s teeth.
    Picked up a copy at a record fair about 20 years ago for £1 after knocking the chap down from £2. I had already checked out the matrix. A feeling that can never be replaced by eBay or the internet. Only by box hunting.

  59. Bit off that Amazon must know about this and yet are still selling what they know to be flawed stock. Usually in these instances they suspend the listing due to issues with faulty stock but both editions are still available to order with nothing on the page to suggest anything’s wrong.

    1. Amazon aren’t ever going to get any ‘corrected’ stock. The process, as Demon have laid out, is that people who buy the box can ask them for replacement discs. What is Amazon not selling the box going to achieve?

      1. Huh? At some point the initial pressing will run out and the next batch will feature the corrected five discs or are you saying Demon will continue to issue sets with known faults? That would be insane. Unless it’s one run only and then out of print. I haven’t read anywhere that it’s limited edition – Is it?

        I’ve seen it on other product – When Amazon receives buyer complaints about errors on (usually) newly released items they have suspended the listing from sale from themselves leaving only third party sellers on it. At that point they put a boxed statement on the page explaining why it’s no longer for sale from Amazon direct. I question why it’s not happened on this yet. It happened with the Dead or Alive set when the errors were flagged there so the precedent is established. You remember that Paul, yes?

          1. According to the card box mine arrived in, it had a sticker saying 1,022x units with the code HEAVENBOX01X, which is different from the box set code HEAVENBOX01. I assume this is to differentiate from the limited edition with the signed poster and the standard set.

        1. You mean the reply you left at 20 to midnight yesterday night? Tempted not to since you are being so rude. Like it’s your human right to have your comment published within ‘x’ seconds of you writing it. Please moderate your tone if you wish to partake in discussions on here.

      1. I disagree slightly here as on Penthouse And Pavement the last track on Side 2 We’re Going To Live For A Very Long Time uses the CD version where it fades rather than going into a locked groove as per the original vinyl release.

  61. Perhaps the louder Counterforce was actually Counterforce 11 with the Spinal Tap volume adjustment?

    Fair play for fixing the errors, though. Can think of some Broken boxsets where that never happened…

  62. I don’t think it costs Demon that much to replace the mistakes. All they need to do is print a few more cd’s. That costs virtually nothing. Mail them out costs money in postage and employee time but that’s it. I bet most people don’t even bother. Only a bunch of superdeluxeedition.com readers. May be a few more, that’s it. I would argue it’s cheaper than paying someone a decent salary to do quality control. Like Paul said, these mistakes are easily made, especially since often times the only difference is a few seconds of accapella, a short instrumental break, etc. The more remixes, the more mistakes. I like remixes, so then I can’t complain too much about mistakes. All it takes is an email with a screenshot of your order.

    What I do find annoying is if you read months after the fact that mistakes were made and you never read a statement that you could get a replacement cd. I haven’t quite bothered to listen to all discs of the Five Star box set so I just read there were mistakes.

    1. I’ve only just found out about the 5-Star disc as well. Because I’m not too familiar with the various mixes/remixes/etc., I didn’t notice the mistake when I listened to it.

      According to Discogs, the replacement disc was released only a few months ago so it might not be too late – I sent an email a few minutes ago and am crossing my fingers.

      Contact: [email protected]
      Heading/subject: Five Star replacement disc

      Include your name and address.

      1. I sent them an email 2 days ago about the Five Star box and already received a confirmation that the replacement disc is in the mail. So you should be good. Just ordered the Heaven 17 box from Amazon.ca where it is very cheap ($80, great price for American/Canadian buyers) and immediately sent out an email to request the replacement discs. See what happens. In the past I also received the Dead Or Alive replacement discs very quickly. Edsel/Demon do a great job replacing the faulty discs.

        Better than David Bowie’s label (Parlophone I think?) that only printed a few “Heroes” replacement discs for the ANCIANT box and are now out. If you missed it, tough luck. So Edsel is not so bad at all!

  63. As long as they fix the issue by sending out corrected CDs, I have no problem with this. It is when they fight over it and need to be wrestled to the ground before admitting a problem, that I do not like (looking at you, Parlophone / David Bowie).

  64. As frustrating as errors can be, I give Edsel a great deal of credit for going to the effort of correcting the errors and getting corrected product sent out to the customers. No, it’s not ideal, but at least there is some sense that they care enough about the customer to provide a product that is as flawless as possible, even if it means going through the additional expense of repressing and mailing discs.

    The most famous “error” I can still remember is Hole’s Live Through This, where the last track is still labeled as “Rock Star,” even though they swapped it out for “Olympia” before the album release. Apparently the art was completed before the discs were pressed, so we all have albums with incorrect track listings.

  65. hi paul
    greetings from berlin in spring. have you heard anything from heaven 17 members about these problems and the obviously missing “quality control” ? is there any statement ?
    i think if band members sign a box set or items for their box set they should take some time
    and listen to the discs because it stands their name: “heaven 17” on the box set.
    eventually it was the “best time” in their music carrer.
    principally i cannot understand all these problems with almost all those big box sets.
    all the people doing that not as their hobbies – it is their JOB.

    1. Isn’t that the irony Daniel? It’s precisely because it has been a hobby of everyone here collecting at least one artist (semi) obsessively over the last 30+ years that makes us the ideal people to check these things over. It’s when it’s a job it stops being fun. And the labels are missing a trick mainly because everybody here would probably give their time for free to check out a box set for errors. they wouldn’t even need to pay us. It would save them thousands for the price of a name check in the credits. I know Paul is right (in a post below) that it would probably have consequences I can’t even figure out, but there is such a wealth of knowledge on the SDE forum, with people going to great lengths, giving their time to list things out when someone asks a question it’s a shame that pool of knowledge is never used to help get something right at an early stage.

      The thing is every obsessive fan of group x or artist y (in my case Stephen Duffy) who was 18, a student and loads of time on their hands would know the difference between a 7″ mix, a 7″ remix, an extended version, an extended remix.

      It’s not a joke – I can barely remember what I did last night but I know the intimate differences between the “Inversion” and the “new diversion” of “I Love You” 1986 on 7″, 12″ and double 10″ I’ve lived with it for 33 years and I am damned sure in this hallowed place that someone knows every detail of Heaven 17s discography to the nth degree. Use us. Before it’s too late.

    2. TBH, the band/artiste involved is perhaps the last people you would ask about the veracity of mixes – especially if they were done by the record company at the time and not the artiste…
      Things from the last decade should be easier to deal with, especially if they are all digitally stored, but if you were to ask me about song variations from the late 80s, i’d be hard-pushed to be certain, even when retrieving the mastertapes, and if the stickers have fallen off, paperwork missing or illegible (details stored on fax paper – worst idea in history), I really wouldn’t haven’t a clue…

  66. Dear Paul – i find it excellent that as well as encouraging me to buy more content than I could ever listen to, you also point out any issues so I can get replacements. Otherwise it could be 6 months before I come across the problem and by then its too late. Its an amazing site.

    2. Ditto to this comment. I’d probably wouldn’t have caught the errors until months from now if it weren’t for this site. (And I received a prompt reply from Edsel and received my replacement discs in the USA a few days back.)

  67. I have noticed a couple of incorrect track titles too.
    “Five Minutes To Midnight” has become the less-specific “Minutes To Midnight” and “Big Square People” has been reduced to just “Square People”.

  68. Having overseen the release of at least a hundred CDs, mistakes happen. And, as others have noted, people working at the Rec Co are probably not the #1 Heaven 17 Fan (clearly, as I had nothing to do with it, heh!) and do not know the difference between Counteforce I and II. Having said that, they should run some sort of quality control by people other than a) the record company folks and b) the band. Even the band might not catch things a super fan would.
    But int he end, life isn’t perfect and yet it moves on.

      1. Or go to your order, click on the ‘Invoice’ link, then go to the ‘Printable Order Summary’ where there is a ‘Print This Page For Yor Records’ link. Then save the invoice in your documents as a PDF and attach it to your email…….maybe Paul’s way is best!

    2. You can also often click on your order information and print out the order slip from there is you want to provide physical evidence rather than a screenshot. I did it for Soft Cell’s Keychains & Snowstorms.

  70. As I mentioned in another thread, my set arrived today, and was of course faulty. At least it had the signed card in it, which is a relief.

    Paul, I can understand your reasoning regarding similar mixes etc to a certain extent, but that is kind of a given, since they are mixes of the same song, so you would think they would take extra care.

    But even giving them that, putting the same track twice, consecutively, on the same CD, surely you would have to admit that that is a lack of quality control!! (disc 3, Counterforce)

    We end up in a catch 22 situation, where after all the errors that we have sadly become used to, we want to hold off before buying, but if we want to get the special edition (such as with the signed card in this case) we have to go for the early release, and then get burned like this.

    Whichever way we go, it just hurts the industry as a whole, because I feel a lot more dubious about buying things now than I used to and will ending up not parting with my money.

    Even if it gets sorted in the end, the effort and time taken detract from the overall satisfaction.

    Sorry to sound negative, but I really do think they (meaning the industry overall) need to re-vamp their production system if they want to continue producing box sets like this, which are aimed at the connoisseur to start with, making it all the more necessary to get these things right.

    OK, rant over, will listen to the tracks I have!! Love Heaven 17, that’ll never change!!!!!!

    1. @Rickjapan No point waiting to buy in stead of pre-order. The box sets have been printed. Once a mistake is made, it will always be in there even if you buy it a year from now. It will only be corrected if a second print is done and with these Edsel boxes that is typically not what happens is my understanding. They do one print and sell them. Once the entire print is sold, it is sold out.

  71. Paul, sis anything ever happen with regards to the Oasis – Be Here Now deluxe edition with the weird instrumental track that definitely wasn’t Be Here Now?

    I bought it and it still bugs me, but I’m not aware if it was ever officially addressed…

  72. Grace Jones boxset (incorrect track used)
    Divine 2CD (incorrect tracks used/audable vinylrips)
    Five Star boxset (incorrect track used)
    Bowie boxset (Heroes) (sound drop-out)
    Soft Cell boxset (DVD unplayable and torn book)
    Heaven 17 (incorrect tracks used)

    These are the item that I have purchased in the last few years that had issues.
    I have canceled my order of the Donna Summer SAW 3CD reissue, due to the reported problems on that.

    No wonder the record companies are struggling…

  73. To my knowledge, there were no errors with the Blur 21 box set. All correct mixes, alternate versions, etc. were on there. However, even then, there were tracks missing. Alex James claimed it contained “everything the band have ever done” during interviews, but actually fan club only singles like ‘Colours’ weren’t on it, and when they released ‘Under The Westway’, the AA-side ‘The Puritan’ wasn’t on the box set. So basically, even if a box set manages to avoid audio errors, it will also fail on being comprehensive. But at least somebody at EMI presumably did check all the Blur CDs for audio errors!

  74. I’m still annoyed at the lack of completeness of this set, never mind the errors. There are a handful of mixes not included on this set as well as things like the How Men Are fan club instrumentals cassette. Some of the missing mixes were available on the digital releases of Penthouse and Pavement, The Luxury Gap and How Men Are so their absence here is baffling.

    I’m sure I’m not the only fan who would gladly have lost the 90s remixes and replaced those with a truly complete 1980-1988 Virgin Years set.

  75. Well as proven with the Dead or Alive boxsets (both CD and vinyl) EDSEL sure has proven that they will absolutely repair and replace any flaws in their boxsets.

    Sets like these are huge projects and feedback will come in once they reach the fans that expect perfection. Said perfection will only be able AFTER the feedback comes in.

    Yes, quality control should be able to avoid several issues and I´m sure EDSEL is VERY aware of the costs of having to replace discs. That said, they then DO get it right. That´s my experience.

  76. Thanks Paul, email sent.

    This discussion has been had before, not just about disc errors but about covert art. As sales decline there will be less investment in getting it right. If it is right, then that is just as much luck as judgement.

    A cheap intern or 24 year old who wasn’t even alive when Heaven 17 were making records and probably has little interest in the 1980s era is not going to be able to make judgement calls on which mix is which without expending an awful lot of time (and money) learning and listening. Plus they probably do not employ enough people to do the job so rather like delivery drivers it all has to be done in a limited timeframe so they can move on to the next box set.

    What will be sad is if it transpires that companies are building in the expectation of failure into the price. Add on a tenner a set knowing that you will probably mess it up. If you don’t and by some miracle all is good then you have extra profit but if you do as expected then the money is there to put it right.

    I know all industries build some margin for replacements and failures but it would be nice if some of that money was spent on getting it right in the first place as what the failure model does is bring in the sense of disappointment that leads people away from physical product.
    There is little enough “buy with confidence” these days more like “buyer beware”.

  77. Rush to market ,lack of profit in cd’s , the generation of people working
    at labels who “knew” when something wasn’t right are retired? Their replacements
    couldn’t care less ? It’s just music why the fuss would be the prevailing mantra.
    Happens all over ,so many product recalls ,cars ,films, white goods . Pride in the workplace went
    at the time firms decided to maximise profit and squeeze the workers to achieve it.
    Viva la revolucion! Rant over.

    1. Hey, Andrew. How about taking some pride in your writing and fixing your many errors? Mistakes happen. At least they are being corrected.

  79. Looks like some have spotted a couple more errors on disc 7, (mixes taken from the Endless cd with fade outs). How hard can it be to actually listen to your product before mailing it out. Lets hope DMG have spotted these as well. I’ve got a funny feeling my replacement discs will spend more time going back and forth in the post than they will in my effing CD player.

  80. What on earth has happened to quality control these days? Remember when white labels (I know this is a CD but the principle is the same) were genuine first runs to test the quality of a pressing before mass production and were produced in small numbers rather than a cash cow exercise these days where “limited” editions of up to 300 are produced and sold at extortionate prices. How much does it take to have one person go through a first run to check everything is ok? Cutting corners and therefore costs is the motivation but it is counterproductive when it goes wrong. Those replacement CDs will eating into the profits.

    1. I do agree BUT having worked on a few of these I can’t tell you just how easy it is to make a mistake, especially when there are so many mixes/variants. Your brain is mush, because you have listened to the audio so much you start to question your own judgement. I know everyone says ‘get fans to check’ etc. but that’s easy to say but not that easy to do, in reality. And there are only so many people in the world who know the minutiae of tiny differences in very similar mixes.

      1. For those of us that have held back thus far, I believe waiting a few more weeks / couple of months is the way to go. These boxes will not go anywhere – and they certainly wont get any more expensive from now on.

        I ordered my Keychains & Snowstorms box when the price came down to 54.99GBP – and that was the time when those DVD errors / loose spine of the book problems were well documented and taken care of, so the new boxes – mine being one of them – dont have any issues.

        I think the same will happen in the case of Play To Win.

    2. Well, EDSEL did handle the Dead or Alive errors perfectly so why wait with getting your set knowing that errors WILL be fixed ?

  83. This seems to be quite a common thing with this label. Box set announced, box set released, box set corrected. That’s got to cost a few quid.

  84. edsel and demon making box set errors I don’t believe it these along with cherry red should get awards for most errors apparent on a cd

    1. Poor quality control and constant errors are a feature, not a bug, with Demon records. I received replacements for nearly half of my discs from the recent Suede box set– with only one exception, the replacements were as defective (or more so) than the originals. I could go on and on. In their favor is they will at least try to remedy the situation. The number one area that I think needs the most attention is their vinyl pressing quality– by and large it just isn’t there. They send most of their vinyl product over to GZ Media for production and then accept the awful crap that almost invariably comes back from them– and any cursory QC process would reveal their usual botched job. They do this over and over again. That is a choice more than it is a mistake.

  85. It is quite staggering that this is something that keeps occuring time and time again, all they have to do is listen to discs to make sure everythging is correct before manufacturing, hell it can’t be that difficult to get things right can it??

    I bought hundreds of vinyl records through the late seventies and the 80s and can’t remember a single issue like this.

  86. Are more mistakes being made on archive releases these days? Seems like it with this, the “Heroes” issue and the More Blood More Tracks box.

    Would be interested in your thoughts.

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