The Box (Botch?) Set

[derek%sunstroke@sdsu.edu (Derek Langsford)]

In Article 7419 of rec.music.gaffa:

 ed@das.llnl.gov (Edward Suranyi) said :


>There's not much news that hasn't been reported in love-hounds already.
>They say that the track listing for the B-sides/rareties CDs that
>will form part of the boxed set is expected to be as follows:  "The
>Empty Bullring", "Ran Tan Waltz", "Passing Through Air", "December Will
>Be Magic Again", "Warm And Soothing", "Lord of the Reedy River", "Ne
>T'en Fui Pas", "Un Baiser D'enfant", "Under The Ivy", "Burning Bridge",
>"My Lagan Love", "The Handsome Cabin Boy", "Not This Time", "Walk Straight
>Down the Middle", "Be Kind to my Mistakes", "I'm Still Waiting", "Ken",
>"The Confrontation", "One Last Look Around the House", "Them Heavy People"
>(live), "Don't Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake" (live), "James and the
>Cold Gun" (live), "L'amour Looks Something Like You" (live), "Running Up
>That Hill" (12" mix), "Cloudbusting" (the Organon mix), "Alternative
>Hounds of Love", "The Big Sky" (Meteorological Mix), "Experiment IV"
>(12" mix), "The Man with the Child In His Eyes" (single mix), "Wuthering
>Heights" (new vocal), "Experiment IV", "Dreamtime", "Running Up That Hill"
>(instrumental mix), and "The Sensual World" (instrumental mix).

Oh dear, I have a bad feeling EMI are going to cock-up this opportunity to do 
justice to Kate's catalogue.  

These are all very official, not really hard to get (at some time or another) 
b-sides and single releases.  It also sounds as if they'll put them all on 2 
CDs to add to the already available CDs for the box set.  We know it'll be 
only available as an import to the US  because her catalogue is now split here 
between EMI America and CBS.

Thus it looks like we are going to have to repurchase those album CDs all over 
again in order to get the other tracks.  At least those of you with lyricless 
US domestics will be upgrading to better inserts and sound quality.  Some of 
us already have the import discs though.   To me it makes little sense (even 
economic for EMI) apart from saving EMI some work.

What about all the other material : the "Tour of Life" work, the studio demos, 
the soundtrack songs, the real rarities (The Magician, Brazil, Another Day, 
Ibiza, etc.) ?

Is it Kate or EMI who is controlling the song content?

Wouldn't a set with extra tracks (b-sides and recordings from those periods) 
on the album CDs plus a couple of extra discs for the rarities, alternative 
mixes and live work all with special edition booklets be so much more 
attractive to KaTefans and prospective KaTefans alike and thus increasing 
sales? (sorry about the run-on sentance)     

I think the market will be much smaller for the simpler (albums + 2 discs of 
b-sides) approach i.e. the avid KaTefans only.    

I had such hopes for a set which would be a wonderful package in total rather 
than an damnably expensive way to get a collectors item with 2 CDs of 
new-to-CD material.

Should we start campaigning for a separate release of the b-sides discs 
without all the albums?  Maybe we can change their minds somehow.  ANy 
suggestions? 

I should be grateful that all those tracks will be available on CD at last, 
but I feel depressed at the prospect of an opportunity missed.

Sigh.

Derek

_____________________________________________________________________________
Derek Langsford                 | "It could take me all my life,
Polperro->Edinburgh->San Diego  |  or it could only take a moment..."
derek@sunstroke.sdsu.edu        |                  Kate Bush, Love & Anger  
_____________________________________________________________________________