Elvis Costello Albums to be Reissued -- Again

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Squealy, Aug 2, 2006.

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  1. Squealy

    Squealy Forum Hall Of Fame Thread Starter

    Location:
    Vancouver
    Universal Acquires First 11 Costello Albums

    Universal Music Enterprises has acquired 11 albums from Elvis Costello's early catalog, with plans to re-release the artist's material via reissues, deluxe editions, compilations and box sets.

    The albums acquired begin with Costello's 1977 debut, "My Aim Is True," and continue through "This Year's Model" (1978), "Armed Forces" (1979), "Get Happy!!" (1980), "Almost Blue" (1981), "Trust" (1981), "Imperial Bedroom" (1982), "Punch the Clock" (1983), "Goodbye Cruel World" (1986), "King of America" (1986) and "Blood and Chocolate" (1986).

    Although these albums have already been reissued in expanded form by Rykodisc as well as Rhino, UME promises its new versions will be the "definitive reissues." The company also plans to produce limited edition releases for its Hip-O Select imprint, DVDs of videos and concerts and usher Costello's music into new formats such as ringtones.

    "A Pekingese in a tuxedo could sell you 'My Aim Is True,' you know," Costello told Billboard in May 2001, when the Rhino reissue campaign launched. "When you've got a record that maybe didn't reach its audience in its time, you have to use a bit of imagination in the way that you present it, to make it seem as if it might be worth investigating now."

    Costello just wrapped a tour with Allen Toussaint in support of their collaborative Verve Forecast album, "The River in Reverse." He will also be heard singing "Little Boxes," the theme song for the Showtime series "Weeds," on its Aug. 14 season premiere. The track will be sung by a different artist during each episode, including Englebert Humperdinck, Death Cab For Cutie, Ozomatli and Regina Spektor.
     
  2. reechie

    reechie Senior Member

    Location:
    Baltimore
    Apparently EC's been studying The Who and The Doors marketing strategies. :rolleyes:

    I think I'll just hang on to my 2 1/2 Years box and be done with it, if it's all the same to you... :shh:
     
  3. Francis

    Francis Active Member

    Location:
    South of France
    And these albums have just been reissued in Japan by Victor in mini-LP sleeves with a new "K2 high definition coding"... :confused:
     
  4. Captain Groovy

    Captain Groovy Senior Member

    Location:
    Freedonia, USA
    Just crazy.

    What else are they going to add? His answering machine messages from the era?

    JEFF!
     
  5. reb

    reb Money Beats Soul

    Location:
    Long Island
  6. CraigVC

    CraigVC Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    This is ridiculous. I won't be going on this merry-go-round for a fourth time unless these are HIGH-RESOLUTION (DSD stereo SACD or 192/24 stereo DVD-Audio) transfers from the original master tapes, conservatively mastered by one of the world's best mastering engineers. DualDisc will not sway me, as I regret buying the Talking Heads DualDisc box and will never repeat that mistake again.

    Craig(VC).
     
  7. crimsoncing

    crimsoncing New Member

    Location:
    virginia beach
    I won't.. I won't...No Fricken way....Not ever again....Nooooooooooooo......
    " sigh" Rats.....So when is all this suppose to happened.
     
  8. TSmithPage

    TSmithPage Ex Post Facto Member

    Location:
    Lexington, KY
    Unless these turn up at yourmusic.com as 2 CD sets for $6 each, I can't see reinvesting a 3rd time in this particular catalogue...
     
  9. nukevor

    nukevor Active Member

    Location:
    CA
    Agreed. Though the fact that the only Costello album I have is the SACD of "North," I'll sit this one out as well and see what they come up with. These days, I don't buy an album when it first comes out and just wait for the inevitable special/deluxe editions.

    It's for this reason that I haven't bought Norah Jones' second album. I'm waiting when the original tracks and the bonus tracks of the deluxe edition come on a one-disc, jewel case edition. Is that too much to ask? Probably.
     
  10. seg763

    seg763 Forum Resident

    Location:
    NJ
    ah, at last, "definitive reisues"

    maybe we can all just send Elvis a few hundred dollars every 5 years
     
  11. deadbirdie

    deadbirdie Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    Gasp! The subject line I hoped I would never see. :shake:

    I imagine this is more about acquiring the rights to release the material digitally via iTunes, etc. Universal stands to gain nothing by rereleasing the CDs. I mean, honestly, I am a huge EC fan and buy everything he puts out yet I refuse to buy yet another copy of Get Happy or Goodbye Cruel World. If i'm not buying, who will?
     
  12. Driver 8

    Driver 8 Senior Member

    Not I. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me . . . etc.
     
  13. Burningfool

    Burningfool Just Stay Alive

    Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
    This is very confusing. I find it hard to believe that Elvis would want another round of "definitive" reissues. How many more "bonus tracks" and alternates can be in the vaults? It seems like EC scraped the bottom on some of those bonus discs.

    Is it possible that Rhino's license is running out and Universal picked it up?

    I guess one just has to follow the dollars to find the answer.

    At least we'll all have EC singing out of our cellphones. :sigh:

    Chris
     
  14. michaelscrutchin

    michaelscrutchin Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, TX (USA)
    What's the source for this news? Got a link?
     
  15. 93curr

    93curr Senior Member

    Geez, I haven't even STARTED buying the Rhinos yet.

    Unless the new material is an entire live concert disc added to each, the Rhinos are where I get off the train. Hopefully I'll be able to pick 'em up cheap and easy, either as remaindered or in used stores. (HMV are charging $33.98 each for 'em here!)

    Like I needed ANOTHER reason to wish I'd just stuck with the vinyl.

    Sigh.
     
  16. Sean Murdock

    Sean Murdock Forum Intruder

    Location:
    Bergenfield, NJ
    My question is: What was wrong with what Rhino did with the catalog? What could Elvis possibly be displeased with? If he was just going to reissue the Rhinos as-is with the Universal logo -- to be followed by Universal comps and box sets, of course -- I'd have no problem with it. But "definitive" reissues?? I thought that's what the Rhinos were!

    I bought all these albums on vinyl, and then bought them on CD, and then bought the Rykos, and then bought the Rhinos -- at this point, I think Elvis' customers should be entitled to some kind of exchange program -- send back your Rhino version + $3.00 S&H and you get the new Universal version. Of course, there will be one version or mix from the Rhinos that won't be used in the "definitive" Universal version, and you'll have to keep them both.

    And you can't blame the big greedy record companies for this, because E.C. controls his catalog. A pox on him.

    Here's a link to the original article:

    http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002949316
     
  17. Clarkophile

    Clarkophile Through the Morning, Through the Night

    Location:
    Oakville, ON
    Et tu, Elvis?
     
  18. Captain Groovy

    Captain Groovy Senior Member

    Location:
    Freedonia, USA
    If they put on the McCartney demo sessions - I'll buy 'em. But even then, it would just be like three of the albums, max... don't think he helped with more than that.

    "Tommy's Coming Home" and "25 Fingers" are still unreleased but demo'd, so there's that...

    JEFF!
     
  19. Jack White

    Jack White Senior Member

    Location:
    Canada
    Universal is currently EC's label, so I guess from a business perspective it makes sense that they would want to control his back catalogue right now. I'm wondering if their real focus is the royalties from video DVDs, and from the downloading of individual tracks off music websites and ringtones, rather than the re-issues of the same albums again on CD.

    However, (and I'm not certain if EC cares but) Costello is really alienating his core audience with this move. What is it that Johnny Rotten once said ... "Do you ever have the feeling that you've been cheated?"

    Besides, as it was previously pointedly out - who do they expect will be buying these CDs for the fourth time? (Especially after the Rhino re-issues sound so good and are loaded with bonus tracks.)

    As a Costello fan and collector, I can swear that it is an expensive chore collecting his stuff. Regular issues, deluxe issues, imported singles with non LP tracks, back catolgue re-issues, on CDs and vinyl.

    What I really would like to see are quality releases of live performances, especially any EC and Nick Lowe performances, and all of the McCartney collaborations, of course.
     
  20. I have most of the Rykodisc/Demon single CD remasters from the early-mid 1990s including the 2.5 years box set.

    I recently began buying the 2 CD Rhino re-remaster sets, now that Warner Canada has them at mid-price, based on what has been said here, that the they are the best. Started with My Aim Is True andAlmost Blue. Maybe I should stop and wait for the new releases. :confused:
     
  21. Roland Stone

    Roland Stone Offending Member

    [Duplicate Post]
     
  22. crimsoncing

    crimsoncing New Member

    Location:
    virginia beach
    And wonder why people chose to download off the net.....
     
  23. dkmonroe

    dkmonroe A completely self-taught idiot

    Location:
    Atlanta
    [WISHFULTHINKING]Maybe they'll get Steve Hoffman to remaster them this time.[WISHFULTHINKING]

    That's the only way I'm going to buy them again. (I have the vinyl and the Ryko's for the first three albums, never bothered with the Rhino's)
     
  24. Roland Stone

    Roland Stone Offending Member

    If this is true I won't bite, either, for all the reasons mentioned above. Unless a complete concert from the respective album's tour is attached . . .

    More to the point of this forum, what's the likelihod of anything mastered by Universal sounding better than something mastered by WEA/Rhino?
     
  25. eelkiller

    eelkiller One of the great unwashed

    Location:
    Northern Ontario
    I have the Rhinos and the 2 and a half years box. That's all folks - I am done.

    Sorry Elvis and Universal
     
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