The reissue conundrum of the week was figuring out how many discs of bonus material were going to figure into Pearl Jam's upcoming reissues of Vs. and Vitalogy. The deluxe edition combines both albums with a much-requested live set at Boston's Orpheum Theater in 1994; that set is also featured on CD and vinyl in the inevitable super-deluxe box.
But the deluxe edition listed three CDs worth of additional material, while the super-deluxe box listed four. And the deluxe CD, when pre-ordered on the band's official Web site, promises a further six digital bonus tracks from the live show. What's going on here? We inquired with Legacy Recordings and got this response:
Three discs is correct. Initially it was thought that the Orpheum concert would be on two discs, but it ended up fitting on one.
So it looks like every version will have three compact discs. It remains to be see if the concert will be cut down, and by how much; Pearl Jam's emphasis on preservation will certainly make or break fans' expectations, as the full set list is preserved on their official Web site. Hopefully those bonus tracks will feature elsewhere than just pre-orders for the deluxe set - particularly for the sake of anyone who's going to buy the box.
Steve says
Thanks for doing the research on the 3 vs. 4 question. I wonder if they have corrected their site, since the only selling point (for me) of the super deluxe version was the "4th" CD, which led me to believe that the full concert was only being included with that option.
Now I know I can pass on that, and save the $167.00.