David Bowie: Five Years 1969-1973 - 2015 12CD or 13 Vinyl Box Set

all listed tracks were previously unavailable on CD/vinyl but those in bold remain unique to these singles, yes. anything not listed is available elsewhere on CD/vinyl.

 

All useful information. Thank you!

Just looked on amazon.fr for "Héros"/"Heroes" and don't see it – was it available there or on another Amazon site?

 

actually i messed up there... i meant to asterisk the Bologna single. the french single was however available from fnac stores in france and online at the time of the exhibition but is presumably now OOP.

 

I despise those sellers that put things up for more than double what €275 16 months ago, €199 3 months ago, oh yeah gotta be worth €600 now.
That seller DREDDrm from Italy essentially charges 3 times the average of a product, I hope he remains a new seller with no feedback, hence no sales.

 

Something about records lights up $ signs in peoples eyes. That's why I have my reservations about RSD and limited editions. I don't really like it. It would be nice if someone figured out a solution to this sort of thing.

 

Totally agree, I am not a fan of 'Limited'. As for RSD, while I like the concept it quite clearly doesn't work at all well.
While it is more work I would be far more encouraged to see an actual event that puts the control of releases firmly in the hands of record stores and us. I think a pre-order system would work better. A form that we fill in at the store we choose and pay them, they send the form off and what is ordered is pressed plus a small allocation for late comers. That way if a person/online seller/shop decides to order multiple copies to sell at a higher price it is their own bad luck if they are stuck with them and we get what we want.

 

RSD flipping is like ticket scalping: the seller only cares about getting the face value and couldn't care less what happens after the disc is out the door.

 

I don't think that is the case, the records stores I use care deeply about their customers and would not be keen for us to ripped off. For a start it would eat into our music budgets and therefore eat into record stores profit.

 

You you have a link to Amazon for Heros/ Heroes please

 

Again, much like concert promotion. From the promoter's POV, you'd think that if shows cost $250 and up a seat as a matter of course, there'd be some sweat about people going to fewer shows, or even, looking elsewhere for next season's entertainment after they've blown $1000 on a pair of tickets.

I bit on Stones' top-dollar pricing. Once.
I bit on Lady Gaga's VIP experience. Once.
I bit on Barbra's $700 face-value floor ticket. Once.

Of course, there are plenty of people who don't have to live only once. So maybe it just doesn't matter.

 

I'd advocated pre-orders for RSD in another thread (that's apparently been deleted now) and was told it would never work, but I think letting stores put the limit on what's being offered instead of the labels would circumvent much of the flipping.

Right now, the press run for a release like Cracked Actor is set at a specific number prior to stores ordering, so there are 17,000 copies worldwide, with some stores getting more and some stores getting less, or in some cases, none. In addition to that, many stores order a large amount, not because they necessarily think they can sell that amount, but because they're hoping to get at least some of that large total so that they have enough to satisfy demand in their store. If they ordered 30 hoping they get 10 and then wind up with 30 – well, they're stuck with 20 copies of a record they may not be able to sell immediately, or at all.

A couple more months would probably need to be added to the ordering process, but if stores were allowed to order what they think they can sell, then the press runs would still be limited, but they'd be limited to what was ordered. Stores would determine what the big press runs are, not the labels, and fewer customers would have to go online to look for things they missed out on.

 

That the Berlin stop was so lazy and unimaginative still annoys me.

 

That explains why the Bologna single is so cheap on Discogs. Doesn't look like any of the sellers are distinguishing between the original run or the re-press.

 

Yes and I couldn't agree more but that is corporation vs my local record store. I don't expect a corporation will give a damn but I know my local record store wants me to get items at a fair price.

 

I think with planning and the correct specifics we would see an increase in sales for stores and RSD as a whole. It could be spread out among the stores we support, added sales would help the stores as less footfall in one go because people could have say a week to collect orders or let the store decide that based on there own specific limitations. There is no reason why pre-ordering would not work if it was executed well.

 

This one appeals to me - I think it will be my first in this series. I nearly bought Changes but was taken for a ride by the Amazon seller - didn't get it in the end and it became too expensive. I'll make sure I get this one.

According to
Be My Wife 40th anniversary picture disc - David Bowie Official Blog

the 2nd pic is by Victor Vasarely


Far OUT!

CTA 25 NÉGATIF - Google Search

 

Especially since it's how most businesses actually operate. Product is announced, orders are taken, run is set based on orders, with inventory set aside for potential reorders.

This is all way off the topic of Bowie or the box sets, but something else that would likely benefit labels, shops, and customers alike is to use demand for RSD product as a barometer for additional stock on specific releases or future releases related to the RSD product. For instance, there's clearly greater demand for the Bowie live album than the 17,000 pressed. Doing another pressing with some slight difference would seem like a no-brainer. The Cardigans' Long Gone After Daylight is pretty thin on the ground after its RSD release – maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to reissue other Cardigans albums?

I personally haven't had a problem getting the things I've wanted on RSD, but it seems like keeping things limited is counter-intuitive to creating longterm customers. RSD should be a gateway to return visits, ultimately.

 

Them colours is making me dizzy, dude. Yeah this new one is easy on the eyes and that flipside is almost as good as those twelve pds of Changes announced in 2014.

 

That's actually really cool.

 

I hadn't even considered the analytical benefit to be honest. You actually hit on another really useful tool for not only the seller but also the ability to know exactly where a title is most popular, an artist that sells like wildfire in say Seattle, US and sells nothing in my neck of the woods, Hamburg, Germany could enable the industry to shape and cater to that market far more effectively. They miss all that valuable data when an online retailer is selling vinyl to every corner of the world. It would cut down damages, losses, environmental damage, packaging. It would remove scalping for those of us who are active in the market and those after who couldn't get their act together and get their order in would then be stuck with the possibility of a mark up or ordering online with import and increased cost. Frankly at that stage I wouldn't blame the guy making extra, we would have all had time and every chance to get the titles we want.

 

sorry, as noted above i put the asterisk by the wrong single, it should have been the Bologna one. it was too late to edit the original post.

 

Like your work at lot, but would you be able to redo "Changes" as the image is reversed? DB's wedding bangles were worn on his right wrist, and he was also right-handed, not left-handed.

 

this is Mark Adams' work, a Bowie.net April Fools Day gag. Changes picture disc is late addition for RSD 2014 - David Bowie Official Blog
i also believe Bowie was naturally left-handed but learned to play guitar right-handed.
unless you're making a joke too, colin, and i've fallen for it?

 

You've just learnt I don't read the official page all the time.

I wasn't making a joke - I was (unintentionally) making a mistake - confusing my left and right and mirror images. Sorry Matt.

 

purely by coincidence i was tagging some vinyl rips yesterday and this alternate Changes came up in a search, so i'd forgotten about it.
i doubt many realise Bowie was left-handed due to his guitar playing.