Last chance for Bobbie Gentry box

Bobbie Gentry( who has not set foot in a recording studio in 40 years) is clearly having the last laugh. Andrew Batt, the archivist who spearheaded this project, has confirmed the box set has sold well past 10,000 units. A 5th pressing has nearly sold out. In about a years time, Gentry has sold about 100,000 c.d’s( 8 per box set). A truly remarkable feat in this digital age of music sales. How ironic it took the Brits to add a new luster to her legend when the American counterparts at Universal Records clearly dropped the ball on this one.

Universal Music Enterprises used to have a Select (formerly Hip-O Select) imprint for limited releases. With albums on the Select imprint, at least consumers could expect those albums to go out-of-print. Since Universal Music seems to have closed its Select imprint, there’s no way for consumers to be aware of limited releases.

I never heard Ode To Billie Joe but jumped the gun after this post. There is an excellent podcast “Cocaine and Rhinestones” dedicating 105 minutes to Bobbie Gentry – this is from 2014 and thus pre-dated this release but I devoured it during commuting. I ordered the box from amz.com for little more than 80 Dollars and so far I heard the 2nd disc only – I will re-listen to the podcast because it is so well executed.
I am very happy that there is still music out there that I never had heard of and SDE keeps me on my toes. First Mansun and now Bobbie Gentry. Thank you Paul!
Awaiting Paul Young Singles Box eagerly. Peace

Like so many others, I had not really considered this box set. I knew some of her music, and remember the TV series, but she was never of particular interest. I distinctly remember not liking the really MOR duets with Glen Campbell. However, so many glowing reviews, both here and in the likes of Mojo magazine, kept making me more and more interested. Then, it effectively sold out.

So, when Paul announced a a limited re-issue I finally jumped and have ordered it from SDE. £85 is a lot of money to me, but based on all I’ve heard, I am really looking forward to this set.

Bobbie Gentry has a great instagram page for viewing images of her during her record career. They list where her box set appeared in various publications end of year lists:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsD-MIIhdlt/

It’s unusual to find universal love for a project that the vast majority of music listeners wouldn’t have thought much, if anything, about prior to it’s release.

Well done to Andrew Batt for undertaking this project with such brilliant results.

Thanks to Rare Glam in the comments section for linking a great interview with Andrew Batt about this project.

So why can’t the music industry get other projects like this right more often? There must be a massive lack of imagination within the marketing teams, and lack of inertia to break down whatever internal barriers are placed in front of the various product managers. No doubt budgets on product and packaging get blown away, leading to hundreds of very average product launches.

What the consumer wants tends to get lost in many business decisions – people will pay a fair amount of money for the right package (sound quality, music content, presentation). The music industry seems to lose sight of this and transmits the impression of not being close enough to its customers, who often end up disappointed by releases rather than excited. Find product managers who love an artists music, empower them to deliver excellence and better products will emerge.

In this instance, Andrew Batt has delighted music lovers with this high class release. Bobbie Gentry has sold out and been reprinted. Paul has done some great projects with Tears for Fears and now Paul Young that have sold out. Barry White and his various projects had a brilliant selection of products released last year. It was a well thought out set of releases on cd, LP, 7″ box sets which served the memory and majesty of Barry White’s music so well, all done at prices that made it desireable to purchase.

Outside of these examples, the better packages on new recordings tend to come from an artists own shop, where they bypass the traditional record industry and sell direct to their fan base.

Thank you Paul and all the readers who posted already about this wonderful box set! I have been following this site for so long and have never posted a comment, however this set warrants action. I actually bought this on the day Paul posted it after having read everyone’s comments. I must agree that this is the best box set I have bought in such a long time (and I, like you have bought ALOT). I bought this blind solely relying on the readers here as I had never even heard of Bobbie Gentry. This is a very thoughtfully and perfectly constructed box set. The mastering is right where my ears like it. The book is perfect accompaniment to the music and the music itself is priceless.
I have so much to commune with here. I like so much already and believe this is going to be a favorite through the years.
This is the way a collection should be assembled. Thank you Paul and fellow readers for alerting me to this timeless music.

ORDERED! THANKS Paul, for the heads-up. So much going on when it was released, just kept shelving the purchasing of, but did want to add to the collection.
Being a carer, with not much income, that has a love of music, at times, have to be select of what i grab.
Yesterday i turned 54, and was first introduced to Bobbie, by my folks, at age 3, when they bought the 7″ of Lousiana Man, backed with Courtyard {always played the B-sdie first}. At 2.5 years old, i could operate their small portable record player. still have that 7″, too. :)

“It goes to show you never can tell” as Chuck Berry said.

Who would have picked this at the start of last year as the big hit of the box set market. It’s a bit out of my price range, but I was impressed by the RSD Live at the BBC LP. It proved to be the ideal taster for the box.

Ordered. Only problem is I don’t get to get my ears on it until my birthday in August……. Hopefully th missus will remember unlike with the Roxy Music box where I had to remind her!!

Thanks for the update and reminder about this great release. I had meant to pick it up earlier. I just Placed my order from Amazon US.

Nice to see the label re-acting to demand from fans on this one.

I do have this set. Surprise box set of the year

I concur with everyone else, this is a beautiful set, had it on pre-order from day 1. Maybe the Glen Campbell duet album won’t gt that much play in my house but everything else is excellent and her earliest few albums are almost a master class of story telling and tunesmithery. She makes cover versions sound like her own as well.

Fans should also read the lengthy interview with BG’s archivist Andrew Batt about the box set project here:

https://medium.com/@jeremylr/bobbie-gentrys-archivist-explores-colossal-girl-from-chickasaw-county-box-set-d54d316856fb

I was looking forward to reading about a signed SDE edition. Guess not. At any rate, a great set.

My advice: Get it. It’s marvelous.

Very good set. Suprise box set of the year.

It is CA$114 at Amazon.ca and there are only 3 remaining as per the website.
Hopefully this info helps.

Hopefully they keep this in print for a little longer as it seems to have ended up on most critics’ best box set of 2018 list, usually at the top. I know there are customers of mine who are still discovering it and will be wanting it as long is the price point stays reasonable. She is a lost gem.

If you don’t have it but are a fan of Country/Americana this is a must have.
I got this last year and it is a very well produced set giving you Bobbie’s complete recordings plus a very nice book, a set of postcards (which are nice but don’t add a lot) and a copy of the handwritten lyrics to Ode To Billie Joe.

Fantastic box set – I really enjoyed this. It would be terrific if the individual albums were released on vinyl too (pure pleasure have an audiophile version of the first album BTW).

I only know “Ode” by her but have read so many good reviews of this set I just ordered it. Hoping to find a lot of good music in there.

One of my favorite purchases of 2018. Highly recommended.

A magnificent set! If you consider yourself a true music fan, then grab it while you can.

I agree, the Bobbie box is absolutely superb – full of old gems and brilliant surprises.

Meant the Bobbie Gentry set!

Bought it when it came out. Brilliant set and would recommend to anyone on the fence to grab it.

Got this at good old HMV for £70 just after Christmas. Glad I did now! :)

For me the BG box was THE release of 2018. Thoughtfully compiled, stellar sound quality, beautifully packaged and fantastic notes and photos by compiler @andyB.

Well worth picking up if you haven’t already got it – it’s an essential release.

I pre-ordered Mercury Rev’s ‘Bobbie Gentry’s The Delta Sweete Revisited’ lp and then decided to check out Bobbie Gentry’s own music as I had only ever heard one song – Ode to Billy Joe. I bought the set that Paul is selling and I must say I was blown away at how fantastic a singer Bobbie Gentry is. This is a great set, brilliantly compiled, and well worth buying before it goes out of print. I am now looking forward to the Mercury Rev album on 8th February.

https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Chickasaw-County-Complete-Capitol/dp/B07FSX136W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&keywords=bobbie+gentry+box&link_code=qs&qid=1548177092&sourceid=Mozilla-search&sr=8-1&tag=mozilla-20

$75 in the US!

The Gentry set is my pick for the best box set of 2018. As I am only a casual fan of hers, I believe that is quite a testament to the quality of this set.

One thing that strikes me as odd about this small reprint situation: if compact discs are so unpopular nowadays, why enough demand to sell out the first run in, what, 4 or 5 months? Surely this has to show the major labels there is still life in this format they seem to want to die off.

The Bobbie Gentry box set is a very nice collection indeed!