- We hate to start the day off with some bad news, but Rhino is apparently about to experience another depressing surge of layoffs, trade publication Variety reports. From the looks of it, expect a smaller slate of physical titles - even the Handmade stuff, some of which was in the can for years, the article says - and more of an emphasis on digital catalogue maneuvers or (at the very least) more on-demand releases like the Tartare program.
- Graham Nash mentioned to Billboard about the speculated Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young live set culled from the 1974 tour. No word on the length of the set itself (fingers still crossed for a box) but Nash - who is putting the set together with archivist Joel Bernstein - is pulling for a release this spring. Furthermore, he hopes to follow that up with some more archival live sets - all of which you can read about here.
- Excited about the forthcoming vinyl reissue of XTC's Skylarking? Slicing Up Eyeballs has some updates for you: the set will feature all the tracks from the U.K. and U.S. editions (meaning notable Stateside single "Dear God" will appear on the new set) and will feature artwork that was planned for the original LP but rejected by Virgin Records. Read more here.
- Traffic Entertainment Group has a neat deluxe title coming out next week (September 14) in partnership with Sony: a deluxe reissue of Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth's hip-hop classic Mecca and the Soul Brother loaded with remixes, instrumental tracks and more. Pre-order it here and take a look at the track list after the jump!
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, Mecca and the Soul Brother: Deluxe Edition (Traffic Entertainment, 2010)
Disc 1: Original LP (released as Elektra 60948-1, 1992)
- Return of the Mecca
- For Pete's Sake
- Ghettos of the Mind
- Lots of Lovin
- Act Like You Know
- Straighten It Out
- Soul Brother #1
- Wig Out
- Anger in the Nation
- They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)
- On and On
- It's Like That
- Can't Front on Me
- The Basement (feat. Heavy D., Rob-o, Grap & Dida)
- If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Right
- Skinz (feat. Grand Puba)
Disc 2: Bonus Versions and Exclusives
- It's Not a Game (Original 12" Version) (12" B-side - Elektra 0-66338, 1992)
- Lots Of Lovin (Remix) (12" A-side - Elektra 0-66338, 1992)
- They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) (Remix) (Japanese 12" A-side - Elektra 0-63980, 1996)
- Straighten It Out (Remix) (12" A-side - Elektra 0-66382, 1992)
- They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) (Vibes Mix) (12" promo B-side - Elektra TROY 01, 2003)
- It's Not a Game (Instrumental) (12" B-side - Elektra 0-66338, 1992)
- They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) (Instrumental) (12" A-side - Elektra 0-66445, 1992)
- The Basement (Instrumental) *
- If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Right (Instrumental) *
- Skinz (Instrumental) *
- Straighten It Out (Instrumental) (12" A-side - Elektra 0-66382, 1992)
- They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) (Remix Instrumental) (12" B-side - Elektra 0-66382, 1992)
- Ghettos of the Mind (A Capella) *
- They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) (A Capella) *
- The Basement (feat. Heavy D., Rob-o, Grap & Dida) (A Capella) *
* denotes previously unreleased track
Well, that Variety article about Rhino is definitely the most depressing thing I've read all week. I've been hoping that physical product was beginning to make a resurgence, but from the sound of that article, that's not happening.
You're not mistaken, Don. Most articles in trade publications like Billboard actually are confirming a resurgence in box set sales, which is totally at odds with the maneuver by WMG/Rhino; some of the other labels have actually caught on that collectors are willing to shell out big bucks for lavish box sets. (This explains the Station to Station/Band on the Run/Darkness on the Edge of Town single-album boxes, not to mention ultra-expensive items like the Miles Davis and Elvis Presley sets.) It's too bad that Rhino seems to be giving up on the box sets and hallmark of quality on which its name was built.
It's also somewhat of a vicious circle: WMG laments the lack of shelf space that retailers are giving to CDs, so they stop manufacturing them. Then the retailers lament that there are no new physical products to promote, so they cut shelf space back further. The media, of course, latches on to the whole "The CD is dead!" and the public starts believing it. Rhino can find plenty of support (and a solid if perhaps unexceptional profit) for its box sets through the Handmade site - where many of those titles in recent memory have sold out at a profit - and through the still-active chain of indie stores that have made Record Store Day so successful.
Rhino/WMG, like other labels, needs to look outside the box. Alas, that's easier said than done...
As for the article about a possible Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 1974 tour box set, Graham Nash & Stephen Stills are increasingly becoming the rock stars who cried "Wolf", because most of the projects that they talk about in interviews never come to be. Let's count them:
Crosby,Stills & Nash new album of cover versions(to be produced by Rick Rubin),
Stephen Stills box set,
Manassas Box set,
Crosby,Stills,Nash & Young 1974 tour 3-CD + DVD box,
CD + DVD-Audio set of Stephen Stills solo debut album
Newly discovered, previously unreleased Buffalo Springfield recordings found by Atlantic Records on multitrack tape.
My vote of no confidence in what Stills & Nash promise(but don't deliver) was expressed the other day when I ordered an unofficial Crosby,Stills,Nash & Young 1974 tour DVD from Amazon's British website.
That's a damn shame. Rhino does such good work, I hate to see them hurting.
Rhino France seems to be where it's at now...
First the Donny Hathaway set, now the forthcoming Chic set(s)...I won't miss Rhino if Rhino France keeps on this track. I just wish I could read the liner notes!
This is too bad, I can't think of a bad Rhino release. I love my iPod, but I still buy the cds, and upload them too my iPod. Seems like we are in the minority.
I still love buying CDs, but I particularly love buying deluxe reissues. They make buying CDs such a pleasure nowadays. I download, but I prefer buying a CD; it's just not the same.
It's a shame about Rhino, but I have noticed they have not been as strong a presence in the reissues field for the past few years, taken over by Hip-o-Select, Edsel, Legacy, etc.
Ah, Edsel! The company doing better Philly International reissues than Sony!
We Americans are so screwed.
I, for one, have no problem dropping $60 on boxed sets like "The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees" and "Head".