When and why do you tap out money-wise with box sets, limited edition releases etc ?

For me it starts with the music and artist and what that means to me.
Then the quality of the vinyl pressing, mastering and packaging.

I learned that I don't have to have everything pressed nor do I want all of them. For me it's about the quality and not gimmicks, rarity might come into play but again without gimmicks. I know one thing I have far to many records as it is now and far more than the average avid music enthusiast. However I'v built a awesome music library for me and it's there when needed.

It's not really how much money for something as it's really about how much quality I get for the money. Will it improve my library and or better some other same title I already have, a lot of the time you have to buy to know. Is it a title that is the first time released on vinyl new or old music.

But in the end it's the music and artist and what that means to me if I want it at all then I'll weigh the other factors.

 

I tend to seek out the value for money, 'sweet spot' when one of these big reissue deals comes out. I'm pretty much done with big box sets -- too much money for an olde person on a fixed income like myself, plus ... I've run out of space to store the bloody things. And I rarely play them, probably because it's easier to just pick a CD off the shelf.

A typical case would be the 50th Anniversary Beatles reissues -- I'm happy with the 2-CD sets. I bought the 1-CD 'sampler' for the Pink Floyd Later Years project ... that was enough.

In truth, I'm having a hard time imagining what sort of future reissues I'd be willing to spend any cash on. With the time and cash I have left, I think I just want to acquire albums that are completely novel to me (whether that's a Blue Note jazz classic from the '50s, or an album of cool new music.) And I'm getting picky -- I'm barely buying a dozen albums a year these days.

Okay, okay I'm still keen on a remixed Let It Be, with a cool booklet ...

 

The Zeppelin sets sounded the bell for me in terms of getting out of the knee-jerk, "got to make sure I get that before they all go", pre-ordering cycle.

Simply put I don't need to hear rough mixes or reference mixes. Demos and alternative versions have their place in a some cases but mixes that are culled from somewhere between "lets see what this sounds like" to "that's the final mix" are far less significant. Especially in the 70s. There are also considerable diminishing returns with a lot of the live shows that get bundled in to plump up the contents of what is really a two cd + dvd or Blu-ray set to four discs and more.

In terms of the boxes I am currently collecting I am not sure that Marillion have really succeeded in improving on the two disc EMI remaster series that came out in the late 90s. The packaging is 1000% better and they look great on the shelf but in terms of must-have content? Not sure they provide a massive amount of vfm however lovingly compiled they may be . Though some of that might just simply be the fatigue from buying all the Tull sets as well. They look lovely too but are they really an upgrade on the original album? It is likely that listeners with a surround set up will feel far more enthusiastic than I am but there are only 2 or 3 that feel like they were essential purchases.

I would also say (sacrilegious as it might be) that Dylan's Rolling Thunder, Blood on the Tracks and Born Again era boxes are padded way beyond what is truly valuable. Especially the first two. And would it be too much trouble to make them all the same size / format?

Anyway I am much more careful now, sometimes with regret when I miss out on something great, but unless it is truly essential like the Fairports at the BBC box or the Beatles mono set I am probably passing from here on out.

There are going to be a lot of sets coming out that five years ago I would have bought without really thinking about the value and potential listening hours. Unless Yes come out with a similar series with a lot of unreleased shows from the Bruford, Moraz and Wakeman 2 eras that's me done I reckon.

 

Usually for me it’s the price compared with the amount of quality material included in the box. I also hate repetition by forced inclusion of an LP when I just want the CDs. I’m not fond of huge books and memorabilia either, they usually drive up the costs a huge deal and they’re of little importance to me. I just want music, no gimmicks.

 

I've never been a fan of multiple versions of the same album. I never liked the fact that there were different US and UK versions of albums, for example. I'd prefer that bonus tracks and the like were separate "rarities" or live or whatever releases. My issues with multiple versions of the same album stem from the facts that (a) I have kind of an OCDish completist mentality, (b) I have a serious aversion to listening to the same thing too often, and (c) I'm relatively "cheap." So when it became par for the course to keep rereleasing the same albums with different bonus track versions, that helped turn me off of collecting. It helped drive me to alternate means of only acquiring the tracks I didn't already have.

 

This.

 

For me it's all about the music - i would only purchase expensive box sets for Beatles/Solo Beatles as i want to own demo's, alt takes and outtakes etc. Other artists that i'm interested in(e.g Fleetwood Mac, Bowie, Queen etc) the standard albums or perhaps a 2 disc expanded album would be more than enough

 

Most of my box purchases these days are classical so the considerations are a different order of magnitude.

Around $3 per CD is the most I pay for large boxes (40 or more discs) and around $6 per CD for smaller boxes.

Great times for filling out a classical music collection

 

A few years ago I drastically limited my music purchases regardless of the format. The reason basically was that I had accumulated so much music that I had neither listened nor enjoyed and it is especially because of some albums of which I had several copies/and others had not even heard. Those were the times when I was interested in "collecting" and was a completist.
I had become an accumulator of things

Basically in my case I thought: How many times are they going to sell me the same album ? I honestly ended up getting tired on the matter.
As many have already commented here: I am not interested in most outtakes or rought mixes, listening to an instrumental version that is simply the mix without voices... for a long time it was really good, there were many surprises with these box sets (good remaster, excellent content, presentation and exceptional quality) now not so much at least for my tastes

I can buy, for example, an expanded or deluxe edition if the extra content is interesting but that's where my interest goes. There are some really interesting releases that have caught my attention to acquire them, The Beatles In Mono is one of those examples.

It is good to know that some enjoy these releases and share their opinions on the forum, good or bad. Many times those opinions can also help me change my mind when considering a new purchase.

 

The only box sets I’ve bought have been the Jethro Tull anniversary box sets. Basically the only ones I can realistically afford.

I am tempted by the current UFO strangers in the night set though .

 

My box sets have to have a high ratio of unreleased to released tracks, which is why I'll be avoiding Neil Young's Archive 2.

(Edit):

Things I like: unreleased tracks, alternates, complete demos, quality boxes, nice books.

Things I don't care for: live tracks, vinyl, incomplete demos or snippets, Blu-ray, t-shirts, oddities like seeds (Cat Stevens Back to Earth).

 

I won't defend people who do this, but I will say - welcome to the world of the audiophile. We tend to gloss over that term on here these days, but an audiophile and a music lover are actually two different sets of people. A music lover, like yourself, is happy to have the music you like in an acceptable format and mastering. An audiophile will get excited about a .5% "improvement" (however that's defined). It goes for gear too. They're always looking to experience different sounds. If that means having multiple copies of something, then so be it. For the record, I'm not an audiophile. I'm picky, but as compared to an actual audiophile, I don't qualify.

I think where you have merit is in a new breed of "collector". Physical music has been moved into a collectables market. Hence, it's getting more difficult to find black Vinyl these days, or so it seems. I grew up with Vinyl, but was never excited by colored discs. Vinyl, like CD, is a transport medium, and nothing more to my eyes and ears. This isn't the case these days - there's a new breed that wants to collect all the variants, that will pay more for one color over another, etc. I can relate to audiophiles in some ways, but to these collectors - not so much. I simply don't get it. I can see why labels would want to exploit this market, many collectable people seem to be obsessives, and obsessives will have a lighter touch on the purse strings, it seems. So yeah, more money is handed over. For these collectable people, multiple copies is probably the norm.

All that said, I have multiple copies of many things. Originals, then remasters, then special editions, then boxes. My lifetime has encompassed Vinyl, CD, Streaming, and more. At one time or another each has been the prominent transport mechanism. I've gone with the flow. This is part of the reason I'm not excited about Vinyl now. Been there, done that. The whole "this sounds much better, you really want this cool thing!" is a campaign that I've been through, and multiple times. The current Vinyl resurgence is a play-by-play repeat of how they brought CD in, for example. I'm not going to go back to Vinyl, and find myself wanting a good number of the things I already own on CD on big black plastic discs. There is no appeal to that for me. Why buy remasters etc? Well, the sound has to be better, or it's the extras (demo's, B-Sides, Surround, etc.) I don't regret that - I love music, and music brings me pleasure, something that brings you pleasure is never truly a waste, imo.

 

I wanted to add - we're currently in the Golden Age of box sets. Big box sets used to be a rarity - these days they seem the norm. Bands that would never have gotten a box set now have several. It's just the times. I am reaching my saturation point, to be honest. Not because I don't want something, but because I don't have the time to listen to all of it. I've bought several box sets in the last few months (as mentioned earlier), and they equate to around 70 CD's worth of music. Think about that. That's one hell of a lot of influx of new stuff to hear. I'm drowning in new discs to spin, and I like to spin them multiple times. Yet the box sets keep coming. There are even sets I'm looking forward to - Be Bop Deluxe's Drastic Plastic is due Q1 2021, for example. I expect a new Bowie box in the first half of next year, and another Alan Parson set. A new Ramones box is coming, and on and on.

So yeah, it's a golden age, and I'll ride it for as long as I can. With CD's dying, box sets are going to be offering less music (imo). I mean, take the new King Crimson set at 24 discs - let's face it, that's unlikely to ever come out, completely, on Vinyl. The Golden Age of box sets will pass.

 

I love Super Deluxe Editions and will splurge for those... when they have real value to me.

Releases like the recent U2 "All That You Can't Leave Behind" and "Flaming Pie" were no-brainers.

I was more on the fence for the Stones' "Goats Head Soup" just because I wasn't sure the SDE had much more value than the 2-disc version. It added a concert I already had as a download as well as paper goodies, but that wasn't a whole lot of real value, IMO.

I went for the SDE "GHS" just because I got a super-special on it. Even the $65 or so that I paid still seems like too much, but it was good enough.

I care much more about what's on discs than the gewgaws. For instance, I went with the "standard" SDE for "Achtung Baby" and not the ginormous one because I didn't care about the non-disc bonuses...

 

When even Menswe@r get a career boxset, you know we're reaching a tipping point

(And I am actually tempted by it ).

EG.

 

At this point in my life (or collection), I don't have to have anything. So, that's a great starting point. $260 + tax for Flaming Pie deluxe was, in my view, ridiculous. And guess what? I waited four months and got it for $130 out the door. I also refuse to pay $60 for a 2-LP set of Lennon's Gimme Some Truth. My gut just tells me when my chain's being yanked.

 

Im not too tempted by these things. Its one of the biggest hype games around. Usually I find the outtakes, alternate takes and books something Ill listen to/look at once and then set back on a shelf. Back when the only way one could listen to rare Dylan stuff was through boots I was into it. As I grew older I find that kind of thing less interesting. The final cut usually was put out for a reason. It was the best version. And honestly whats so fascinating about hearing ones favorite artist mumble around in the studio half stoned sounding rambling to the producer? Ive found being a fly on the wall at the sessions most likely would have been a tedious bore.

There are exceptions to the current sets. Tom Petty for example. Lots of worthy songs that simply didnt get released are on the new 5 cd set. And its pretty basic. The Neil Young Archives 2, even with the way jacked up price and ridiculously stupid way they rolled it out, is much better than the first archives for rare material. At least there is a cheaper simple version now that Neil is releasing. And both the Tom and Neil sets are pretty basic with no limited edition Neil Young roach clip of Tom Petty rare beer koozie to jack the price up even further. Sign Of The Times is also another one that at least has an abundance of songs that havent been heard and are pretty good with improved mastering on the official album. But really even in the laters case I doubt Ill listen to the rare songs more than a couple of times. They didnt make official albums for a reason. I can purchase the official album now mastered well.

Most of these sets are just cram packed with crap. What the hell am I going to do with some dice included in the Motorhead Ace Of Spades gigantic boxset? Play Motorhead Monopoly while listening to the cruddy mastering?

Same can be said for many of these bohemoth sets. They give you faux tickets, faux original backstage passes, faux this and that or worse stick a cassette in the set? wth. Stupid junk Ill never look at more than once. Yet the mastering is just meh. Many times I dont think folks that buy this overpriced hype even care about sound quality at all. These mega sets are simply the industry taking a piss on the last big kaching of physical products.

The early days of boxsets were very cool. Tastefully done usually. The Pet Sounds box was one. Still love hearing the vocal only stuff and the growth of the album. Clapton set gave us a great overview of the guys journey. The Dylan sets had songs on it that were not only good but great in some instances and had a story to tell in the way they were arranged. And the booklet was easy to read and had simple qoutes from Bob that were insightful.

Sorry Bob but I dont need to hear 14 versions of songs from BABH on the crazy priced, stupidly priced Super Duper Deluxe Collectors Edition Cutting Edge. Does anyone really set through this stuff on a monthly basis? Muchless a weekly one. No, its just a museum piece that sets on ones shelf gathering dust mostly. Get rid of the gigantic box and release stuff like this in large quantity in a simple set that one can put on their shelf and actually easily pull out without having to transfer all the discs to jewel cases and keep them separate from the useless huge box.

Where do I draw the line? I draw the line on crap Ill never ever listen to more than once, subpar mastering in overstuffed ridiculously sized boxes. So pretty much everything that comes out now.

 

Its a marginal utility thing. How much will this box add to my understanding of the band? Does the price suit that?
Examples:
Grateful Dead Europe 72 Trunk $700 - Too many discs, too much repetition in the first sets. Most of the music already available in decent quality. If it was just the second sets for $400, that'd be another thing. PASS ( but have picked up several individual shows )
King Crimson - Starless 150$ (?) 27 discs of mostly unheard soundboards SOLD
King Crimson - On and Off the Road ($150) 16 discs of material I mostly own. PASS
Rolling Stones - Goats Head Soup Deluxe ($150) 3 discs and some cardboard. All I want is Brussels on CD. I already have Brussels in several incarnations, afternoon and evening. Is my life going to be improved $150 worth by an incrementally different copy? PASS hey wait, Tower has it on sale for $122. hmmm...

 

The only l"Limited / Deluxe sort of" box set I ever got was Steven Wilson's Jethro Tull "Benefit" box.

And I only did that since the album, my favorite from Tull and one of my Top Ten favorites of All Time, sounds so bad (due to no low end) and I hoped Wilson could improve it (which, IMO, I don't really think he did).


I never got any other Deluxe Boxes as I have too much other great stuff already to listen to instead of five alternative takes, edits, demos, etc., of songs by assorted artists.

Special packaging, balloons, bubble-gum, etc., mean nothing to me (except the original UK "Let it Be" booklet -- that I got with one of my two UK First Pressing LPs that I was lucky to find many years ago -- is great, due to the great pictures in fantastic quality) as it's all about the music to me.

Agree

 

[Double post]

 

I have the original issue of their career box set, but it's called the CD single of "Daydreamer."

 

It's nice when they get released on a streaming service like Apple Music. Of coarse that doesn't include DVD, Blu-ray or surround sound but it's a really nice option to hear the unreleased stuff.

 

Color vinyl don’t mean zilch as far as I’m concerned. Just want the best mastering.
All those packaged box sets I’m really not interested. Once opened on the shelve it goes.

 

It’s not a “tap out” so much as I’m only going to buy stuff I really want. The main factors are going to be whether there’s some sonic reason to get it (a good master, interesting remix, mono/stereo), good pressing quality, and whether there is any additional material I believe I will actually find worth the expense and space. Nice packaging is a positive, of course, but I really don’t care about bonus inserts or trinkets. I don’t even really care about books included.

Taking the Beatles 50th releases as examples:

Sgt. Pepper’s - I really don’t think that bonus material is anything I need to hear more than once, if that, so the regular LP was sufficient. The pressing is fine, and the remix is interesting to hear, even if I don’t prefer it to the original, so the single LP is worth having. Anything more that was offered never interested me.

White Album - The idea of having the Esher Demos collected as a clean, high-quality 2-LP set, along with the reported excellent quality of the pressing vs. the standard 2-LP edition, led me to splurge on the 4-LP set. Worth every penny.

Abbey Road - No interest in the bonus material, so I went with the single LP (which was pressed horribly, and I don’t particularly like the remix on this album, so I sent it back and do not own a copy).