Beau Brummels boxed-set

Xenu · Postby **Xenu** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 5:47 pm

So this looks like it has finally seen the light of day. Someone posted a thread about it on sh.tv, I wrote Andy Sandoval a letter of thanks, and only then did I decide to look at the actual website:

http://www.rhinohandmade.com/browse/Pro ... umber=7892

Firstly: $80? Eighty? Ouch. That's...*expensive*. Yes, I recognize that it's a four-disc boxed-set, but we're entering bootleg-pricing territory here: the SOT Beach Boys 4-disc boxes ran for around $90 in my area.

Secondly, the lack of any real track details makes me wonder how much of this has been released before. Does any Beau Brummels fan *not* have the "Woman" vocal version? I thought the set would be all material from the WB period, encompassing the self-titled album in mono, Triangle in mono, and associated miscellany. Instead, it has a career retrospective approach, which is fine, but can't help feeling redundant.

I don't know. I was really excited about the prospect of this set, but I admit that my positive outlook has waned a bit. Anybody have any opinions on this?

Ess Ay Cee Dee · Postby **Ess Ay Cee Dee** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 5:51 pm

Crummy Old Label Avatar · Postby **Crummy Old Label Avatar** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 11:04 pm

Give it two or three weeks and it will be up at Pedro's -- FLACed and scanned for your satisfaction, I'm sure.

Highway robbery prices like this are what drives BitTorrent. These damn labels just don't get it, do they?

(Of course, I'm still waiting for that other overpriced Rhino Handmade set, The Complete Funhouse Sessions, to surface somewhere. And I would've bought the damn thing if it hadn't been priced twice what it reasonably should've been priced.

Also, did you know that the Stooges -- including Iggy -- received zero, zilch, nada for that box? I don't think they even got a complimentary copy. Nice, eh? I hear that is par for the course with Rhino Handmade: the artist gets absolutely nothing. Rhino itself has a terrible reputation for non-payment of royalties.)

Xenu · Postby **Xenu** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 12:42 am

Really? Can you cite? I've never heard that (i.e. royalties) before.

Yeah, I really would've liked the original idea--the three WB LPs in m/s, with added bonuses--more than this. This feels haphazard. And so! Expensive!

I can't use Pedro's from here, unfortunately. What's up now, BTW?

dudelsack · Postby **dudelsack** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 11:52 am

The Stooges' set isn't in FLAC-land? Sheesh, it's been out (and OOP) for years now.
I could do some good here, perhaps, if I knew how...

Dob · Postby **Dob** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 12:19 pm

Crummy Old Label Avatar wrote:And I would've bought the damn thing if it hadn't been priced twice what it reasonably should've been priced.

That's the main reason I didn't buy it. Plus, what was it -- 10 CDs? I foresaw myself spending the money, listening to it once, then filing it away for posterity.

If they would've distilled it down to 3 or 4 CDs, I would've been far more interested.

Ess Ay Cee Dee · Postby **Ess Ay Cee Dee** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 12:29 pm

Xenu · Postby **Xenu** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 3:01 pm

Stupid question: does the FunHouse box include the final mixes of each track, or is it only WIP stuff?

Beatlesfan03 · Postby **Beatlesfan03** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 3:13 pm

I believe it's just the sessions.

Dob · Postby **Dob** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 3:16 pm

Ess Ay Cee Dee wrote:The whole appeal of the set is that it contains everything recorded during those sessions. What appeals to the collector mentality more than having a truly complete collection?

I guess I don't get it because I don't have a collector mentality (at least I think I don't).

Let's suppose that there was 100 hours worth of session material. Are you saying that the appeal would be the same? Who the heck would listen to something like that more than once? Or even once?

Occasionally I borrow CDs from a collector/music fan friend (who almost never buys stuff for speculative purposes). Recently I borrowed his copy of the (longbox) Chicago Group Portrait box set. When I opened it up, I was stunned to find 3 of the 4 CDs still sealed! That set is 14 years old! I'm certain that he bought it the week (probably the day) it was released -- that's what he does. He makes a trip to the record store every Tuesday.

I'd be curious to know how many of the folks that bought that Fun House set listened to the whole thing even once. And of those that did not, how many are still glad they have it. If I had bought it, the first thing I would've done is condensed it down to 2 or 3 versions of each track, which would have required multiple listens of everything. That's just too much work.

dudelsack · Postby **dudelsack** » Sun May 01, 2005 2:54 am

I didn't buy it in the traditional sense, but I listened to pretty much all of it. There's some cool shit on there, but they definitely put most of the good stuff on the final album.