Re: Japanese boxed set: The Whole Story

[lazlo@triton.unm.edu (Lazlo Nibble)]

nrc@cbema.att.COM (Neal R Caldwell, Ii) writes:

>> ...doesn't it PISS YOU THE HELL OFF THAT EMI UK PUT OUT SUCH A
>> RELATIVELY POOR BOXED SET?

> Um, no it doesn't particularly bother me.  The Japanese edition has
> clearly been tweaked to make it more attractive to the fans.  That's
> nice but much of the material that has been added is simply not the
> sort of thing that Kate would put in one of her albums.  Biographies?
> Articles about Her?  When has Kate ever done such a thing?  This is 
> a Kate collection by Kate fans (or perhaps Kate promoters).

Um...no, it's a Kate collection put out in Japan.  I have a dozen or so
Japanese-issue records and CDs by assorted artists (Art of Noise, a-ha,
Kate, Berlin, Dead or Alive...) and without exception *every one of
them* includes full lyrics as well as a biography, recording notes, and
sometimes discographic information on the artist.  None of them are
special-edition releases...in fact, several of them are midline
pressings of the sort where you're lucky to get the names of the tracks
on US pressings.  Even the Japanese 12" single of "Close Up" by The Art
of Noise has an insert with a history of the band, notes on Trevor
Horn's earlier work with The Buggles and ABC, and some nice bonus artwork.

My one Japanese Kate disc (THE KICK INSIDE, with the "pouty-pink-tanktop"
cover) has a twenty-page booklet not counting covers: page one has the
full track listing and timings in English and Japanese, followed by a
six-page bio in Japanese, and thirteen pages of full lyrics and
credits, again in English and Japanese.  It also sounds *glorious*.

So: the "extra information" in the Japanese THIS WOMAN'S WORK box isn't
a fan-perk, it's just their way of doing business.  It was all probably
included with the original Japanese pressings of Kate's albums anyway.
US record companies would do well to follow Japan's example in this
respect, but I doubt they really care one way or another . . . they're
making enough money as it is that they don't need to care much about
the product they're pumping out.

What's the price (in yen) on the cover of the Japanese box?  The current
exchange rate is floating around 130 yen to the dollar.

...Peace.                                          Lazlo (lazlo@triton.unm.edu)
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