Concert For George reissue CD/LP/DVD Feb 23, 2018

I'll probably purchase the vinyl box set. I already own the CD/Blu-ray from 2011. Would have gladly paid the $125 cost of the vinyl box set for a multi CD Anthology set of rarities if that were available. Even a Blu-ray release of "Concert For Bangladesh" or CD of "Early Takes Vol 2" would have been more exciting. Maybe for George's 80th we'll finally see something like that happen. I was really hoping for something a little more special in honor of what would've been George's 75th. The "Harrison Vault" is starting to resemble the "Let It Be" "wait and see" scenario. Let's all hope for the best.

 

This.

I have to admit, and I never thought the day would come, that the last few Lennon and Harrison re-re-releases have held zero interest for me.

I did not buy the Lennon signature box in any form or any of the associated titles. Same with the Harrison vinyl box, though I do have the two CD boxes.

And it's not that I dont love the music, I do.

I'm done buying the albums over and over again.

The practice of placing a couple of demos tacked onto a remastered album, or making them only available with a download after I've bought the physical product, has completely lost its appeal for me.

Invariably, those outtakes will show up on YouTube or somewhere else for free.

I'm not there yet with McCartney. But, once the Archive series is finished, I seriously doubt I will ever buy these titles again. Not because I don't love them. I do. But because I have them in the best quality I'll probably ever hear.

And I need my money more than the solo Beatles and their accountants need my money.

If the powers that be decide to launch a bootleg series for any of the solo Beatles, I'd be all over it. But I seriously doubt that is ever going to happen.

My patience for $3-400 boxed sets of material I own several times over is finally wearing out.

Also, hate to admit it, but I'm feeling the same towards the Beatles material too. I'll still pick up the big deluxe boxes (I really liked the Pepper project including, gasp, the Giles remix). But a set of original US vinyl, the stereo and mono vinyl and cd boxes, the 87's etc, etc, I think I'm good. And let's not talk about all the 45 releases and re-releases over the years.

I have a lot of stuff, and will probably, finally after decades of buying, be thinning the herd in the next couple of years.

As for the new Harrison box, it's a very nice looking set. And it's a spectacular concert. If I didn't already own the DVD, CD and the Genesis book, I'd consider it. But I believe, unless there is something substantially new, I'm at the end.

 

For what it's worth - you can read what you like into this - a quote from Dhani Harrison's Instagram account, January 9th:

"Wheels keep on turning. Another big year coming in'.

One assumes it's not new material from Dhani himself (he just released his first solo album) so what is it? A new Dhani Harrison tour? A new Thenewno2 record? New releases on his own HOT Records label? Or maybe, just maybe, some new George releases. We're off to a good start, I'd say.

 

LP and Blu Ray or DVD are the only places you can get "Horse to the Water"

 

George's official webstore is not shipping the boxed set to a few regions (such as South America), so I decided to order just the 4-LP set from Amazon Italy for 67,50 Euro (including shipping). I've already got the concert on CD, DVD and BD, so at least I don't have to wonder whether it's worth spending $350 on the boxed set or not, as it's not available to me anyway.

 

Just noticed that this box is a Craft Recordings product, the same folks that are reissuing the Country Joe & The Fish “Wave of Electrical Sound” box.

 

[QUOTE="Arnold Grove, post: 17934154, member: 14404"]It is likely that George dictated exactly what he wanted done with his vault material. Olivia and Dhani are likely just following George's wishes, which we really have no idea about.[/QUOTE]

That's the conclusion I've arrived at too Arnie. The issue is that those wishes are locked in 2001, the entire music industry landscape has changed. Look at all the vault material we've seen from various artists over the past 16+ years, including deluxe editions, boxed sets, etc. Perhaps George also left instructions to never take less than "X" dollars for certain material, and that number is no longer realistic? Purely speculative on my part of course.

 

We'd also buy Early Takes Vol. 2.

 

Now THAT's comedy!

 

Yes, there are many possibilities, especially as we know nothing concrete about what George may or may not have told Olivia/Dhani about the handling of his vault material. It's possible that he was very specific. And it's also possible that he didn't forbid them from releasing stuff---but for other reasons Olivia and Dhani have been reluctant to release unreleased tracks (except for the handful of very few unreleased bonus tracks and the Early Takes Vol. 1 collection).

 

Well then maybe there was a discussion but I missed it. . Is there a thread before this once comparing the DVD and Blu Ray? I'd love to read earlier opinions.

 

Also:
I would say that Olivia, in the past, has mentioned her desire to release material. But she has never followed through. Does that mean she is purposefully being misleading, when she knows that George didn't want her to do this? Or is she just not motivated enough to put together a comprehensive plan to handle George's unreleased material? Or have the accountants convinced her that the reissuing of previously released material in new pricey editions is the way to go?

 

Georges projects have tended to be a bit more special than just one offs. The outtakes album coincided with the Scorcese documentary and a book. The Apple and Dark Horse years were full boxes. The Vinyl LPs were used all at once in a huge box. The reissue of I Me Mine came out with the costlier Genesis version.

It seems everything has finally been reissued so maybe now we will see outtakes released. George was the first musician to partner up with Genesis Books in 1981 so he was the first to really start archiving his life on a higher special issue level.

 

I know this reissue is being marketed as remastered. Perhaps the audio has been, though I can't imagine much improvement being audible.

Does anyone think there would be any new work on the visuals compared to the previous Blu Ray?

Ultimately, this would appear to be a reissue mainly to get the concert back in print.

 

It appears that the Concert for Bangladesh is out of print (at least in the UK), because both CD and DVD editions are only available via third party sellers, so there's scope to reissue that again.

Regarding out takes, what I've always considered strange is calling 'Early Takes' volume 1; when there was clearly never a plan to release a second volume.

 

There doesn't always have to be a "plan" in place; you may just be leaving your options open.

 

Have you every heard of the Mel Brooks film; History of the World Part 1?

 

Can't say I have, but I take your point!

 

True, but titling something 'volume 1' usually suggests there is a firm chance of a volume 2.

They could have just left the title as 'Early Takes'.

 

Please get back to me once you've located and tabulated all the records in the world labeled as "Vol.1", that were never followed-up with a "Vol.2"...

 

Of course. I was kidding. I suspect something with shake up. Dhani really was itching to get something out on his own. He released his album and toured and he in on the bill for several music festivals this spring and summer.

Maybe he has a team working on projects while he does his thing or maybe this Concert for George set is the main thing for the 75th and then more will start rolling out next year.

In three years it is the 50th anniversary of the Concert for Bangla Desh concert so why not wait for that to go big?

 

and where's the Traveling Wilburys vol 2?

 

This is different, though, IMO. We know there for a fact there is stuff that could fill a second volume of Harrison out takes.

That is different to a band releasing an album titled vol 1, then abandoning that plan.

 

Dhani also does a work on film / tv scores etc.

I agree, I suspect the 50th anniversary of Bangla Desh may not go unnoticed. The 50th anniversary of ATMP, too, perhaps.

 

So you're saying, Hall & Oates put out an album called, Rock & Soul, Part 1...and then stopped making any more...?

And to that effect, who's to say the Harrisons didn't just abandon that plan...?