Paul McCartney - Egypt Station - Traveller’s Edition / Explorer's Edition*

That would have been appropriate for the Red Rose Speedway deluxe edition. Remember the weed at the bottom of the music stand on the back cover photo? But I don't think Paulie smokes anymore. Gave it up for his wife. And maybe health. He is going strong for someone in his 70s, I must say.

 

...permost of the poppermost?

 

I'm less enthusiastic about this album than I was on release. It needs pruning. Considerably. I find myself now skipping a lot of tracks. The voice is serviceable (mostly). Might have been better to have got different singers in for each "station".

 

This is all perfectly plausible and I'm happy to accept that the purchase cost isn't a rip off in terms of manufacturing costs but - by and large - we're here because we adore McCartney's music not his jigsaw puzzles. That's all secondary. So, with minimal addition manufacturing cost, they could have greatly increased the value for money regarding the primary objective by simply including more unreleased material. If they'd included an LP or CD with 10 new songs on it, I'd have bought it without blinking.

In fact, I'd go so far as to suggest that a) the item would have sold out far less quickly had there been NO exclusive musical content, and b) the majority of purchasers would have much preferred an extra CD of new song to, say, a jigsaw.

Of course, we can all finesse every release to our own personal tastes and, you're right, the box has merit as a piece of modern pop art. But I think it's extremely unfortunate (I'm being polite) that fans who feel the need to own everything are caught between buyer's remorse for paying so much or non-buyer's remorse for passing on the item, just because MPL has bated us with a handful of unreleased songs.

 

None the less they could have released a really special package for the price they sold it for. This is a box of crap for sure.
This release has made Paul look greedy and a laughing stock.

 

Its not too late. Surprises are announced...

 

For some like you that s defintively true. It s hard to know what most others think. As I said before this set might be a nice item but it s nothing for me. With that said I find it hard to believe that most of the 3000 people who seems to have ordered the set did that to get a box of ”crap”.
It s obvious that some people have a hard time separate their own opnions from what they believe others think

 

I sure agree with most of your statements with one exeption
If there are people who for various reason feel the need to own everything by Paul that s hardly his or the companies problem or responsibility. This set is obvioiosly aimed for collectors and it s up to them if they buy it or not. I don t feel any remorse at all for not buying it since I don t want it. The unreleased songs will surely be available one way or another. Actually I have seen more than a few here telling us they already own like six versions of the albums most of them kept sealed. Doesn t really matter what s inside if you don t even open the thing
With that said I agree it would have been a good thing if the set contained more music. But it still is up to each and everyone to decide if they want to purchase it or not

 

According to Steve Marrinuci’s Beatle News Briefs, a McCartney rep has stated “no comment” when asked if the audio content from this set will be released separately. So maybe the rumours of a separate set are true, since they haven’t flat out denied it

 

No way 3000 of these cost 150k to press. That's 50 each. Not in a million years.

 

You know you have two versions of the vinyl-one double black version plus and a single blue version-so that’s 9000 LPs, then the 3000 CDs plus the 3000 cassettes all in the package

 

It may be that at least the vinyl, the cd and the cassette are from the existing stock, ie already produced products. As such, the full cost shouldn't be attributed to this project. The box may be a smart way to get rid of over stock and to add units (3x3000) to the sales statistics.

@Mazzy

 

So the bonus audio is only on the blue vinyl ES II and as a HD download? I guess if you don't have a turntable or do downloads you'll have to entertain yourself making the puzzle and/or playing cards.........sweet! Or if there is a standard more affordable version released in the future with those tracks included on CD........buy it yet again!

 

Even if some of them are from previous stock they need to be factored in as a cost. But yes it is possible some were previously pressed.

 

That is a bit cynical but I suspect you may be at least partially correct. Some of the items were probably already produced which may have something to do with the delayed release dates. That said I think it would have been viewed even more negatively had it been promoted at the time of some really nice sets being launched at the end of last year. I think I would have pulled the plug on it rather than delay things.

The more I think about this and work out what is actually on offer the less impressed I am. And I was not at all impressed from day one!

I am very pleased at not jumping for this in spite of the pressure to do so by the somewhat suspect marketing ploys. Subscribe to an email today because it is very limited! Hot on the heels of the previous set which left an awful lot of people disappointed at not being able to get hold of the Live Europe set. This does not sit very well at all does it? I did go for that set and it is a very nice package but I was just lucky really. You really do need to research what you are springing for very carefully. The temptation to go for this was very high but I am not going to be disappointed at not falling for this marketing fiasco. What is going on? Surely some of the negative feedback must be getting to Paul unless he is completely protected from it by people with a vested interest to sweep the comments under the carpet.

I think that this should have been a poster and perhaps a couple of prints for a few quid, not a mega-set of dubious value. The additional tracks should have been included on a two-CD version of the album and that would have been fine. Suitcases, playing cards, jigsaw puzzles, stickers are the sort of thing that third parties used to put out in the early Beatles' days because the rights were sold. And to be quite honest a few of those companies may have been in two minds about putting out products without a photo to sell it.

 

Interesting you say that. I listened to it non-stop when I first got it. I was in Scotland and it was my late night listening and I loved it. I got home and I think I only listened to it once when the vinyl came. A couple nights ago I put it on when this thread picked up steam. I was surprised that it went along quickly and I actually enjoyed the experience. For the past few months I just haven’t felt the desire to put it on. It hasn’t piqued my interest. I remember posting a long diatribe that we should hold off on making definitive pronouncements about the album as it takes time to sink in.

Contrast that with NEW. I listened to it for months what felt like non-stop and never got tired of going back to it. Still love listening to it. I wish Memory Almost Full would be better mastered so I could stand listening to it enough to actually rank it honestly. And Chaos? Chaos is like fine wine that requires savouring.

 

I did not order this one-mainly because I don t have a gramophone and also because the content wasn't t that interesting for me. With that said it seems to be a beautifully made package with all kind of artful stuff. Looks nice and I don t think those who ordered it will be disappointed

I understand lot s of the criticism even though it goes way over the top sometimes. Especially since none of us actually have seen the item. Personally I collect things I enjoy-it s expensive but no more than I could have afforded if I really wanted it. The big Wings box I certainly wanted and therefore ordered it.

Its difficult to make money these days on physical albums since not many are sold even though it s a nr 1 album. Can t really blame the record companies in trying to make some more profit selling products like this. Guess they are well aware there is a market. It has nothing to do with rip of or greed it s business and whether we like it or not music is a business. It s also a question of supply and demand. There obviously is a niche for this kind of product aiming to collectors with money to spare.
To be critical about the content in the set is another thing. Personally I would have preferred a simpler options with a double cd like they did with New. Even though I did not buy that either. For some reason I don t feel comfortable buying multiple versions of new albums. Re-releases or archive -collections is a different thing.
On the other hand-for those who don t want to spend money on things like this most music are available for streaming -one way or another. For instance it seems like far more people have access to Wings over Europe than those of us who actually payed for it.

Im not judging anyone but can t help wondering if it s the same people who find ways to access products without paying anything that accuse Paul and record-companies for greed. Some kind of double-standard if one ask me.
Im looking forward to hear from the lucky ones who bought this one when they actually have the product. To judge something I believe that is a reasonable thing to demand.

 

A jigsaw puzzle and a pack of playing cards? When is this nonsense going to stop?

 

I don't think

This cassette will be Blue while the one sold last year was Orange... blue and orange as the coloured vinyl edition sold by PmC online...

 

I just realized that these vinyl versions can’t be existing stock since there are different cinfigurations. Extra tracks on the douole album and a new blue version.

 

Extra tracks on the regular album vinyl?

 

What makes you think there’s a different configuration of the double lp? I see nothing that indicates that...

 

These were not on the regular LPs that were released last year:it’s the extra album.

Exclusive limited edition bonus 180 gram vinyl pressing of Egypt Station II in Night Scene blue, featuring the previously unreleased ‘Frank Sinatra’s Party,’ ‘Sixty Second Street’ and an extended cut of the Egypt Station single ‘Who Cares’ — as well as four live performances of tracks from the album as performed by McCartney and his band at Abbey Road, Liverpool’s Cavern Club and LIPA and at Grand Central Station

 

Agree, but to me it sounds as those songs will be pressed on an additional disc and just packaged with the 2lp concertina vinyl that we’re all familiar with. I see nothing that indicates they’ll somehow be incorporated into the regular lp packaging...

 

Egypt Station on vinyl is a 2LP, and that's still the same as general release. Egypt Station II is the new one here.