(MAY 2011 UPDATE: PINK FLOYD CATALOG RE-RELEASE, TEXT BELOW THIS REVIEW, ONE MORE REASON NOT TO BUY THIS SET)
Starting in 2001, Toshiba and Sony Japan successively released 18 Pink Floyd titles in LP-mini-sleeve replica format. With only 5000 copies of each title manufactured for worldwide distribution, they quickly sold out, then soared in aftermarket resale value, as supply never even began to approach demand. A full set, new, would probably now be somewhere north of fifteen hundred bucks on eBay.
From a collectable standpoint, those Japan mini-sleeves are held by all fans as THE Pink Floyd catalog to own, and it is EXACTLY that pent-up demand and desire that EMI is attempting to exploit with this "Oh By The Way" box.
With the release of the newly 2007-remastered
"The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn", which supposedly heralds the commencement of another Pink Floyd catalog remastering campaign, this box set is nothing more than Capitol/EMI's wretched attempt to wring as much final revenue out of the old remasters as possible: If all 10,000 box sets sell thru, multiplied by the set's wholesale price, even after production costs, EMI stands to net a cool million plus.
If EMI does sonically revamp the PF catalog over the next few years, there will undoubtedly be another Japan mini-sleeve catalog release with those new remasters. My advice: Save up your money and be patient for that day, because NOBODY does LP mini-sleeve replicas like the Japanese. I have the entire Japan set, and they are stunning.
Put quite simply: THERE'S NOTHING NEW HERE IN THIS BOX but a poster and two coasters. If you buy it, you're allowing EMI marketing vermin to wretchedly devour the contents of your wallet, snickering at you as they drag your hard-earned cash back to their dank coffers, all the while leaving a slug-like trail of slime in their wake.
At the very least: DON'T fall for the marketing gag of the faux "LP album sleeves", as their quality is far less than the Japan `sleeves, DON'T be fooled by the "limited edition" marketing, as this set will depreciate in value from the day you open it, and DON'T fork over big bucks for the same masters you either already own, or can find new or used in standard jewel-case editions, and for far less money, than this expensive, redundant, worthless box set.
WHAT IS A JAPAN "MINI-LP-SLEEVE" CD?
Have you ever lamented the loss of one of the 20th Century's great art forms, the 12" vinyl LP jacket? Then "mini-LP-sleeve" CD's may be for you.
Mini-sleeve CDs are manufactured in Japan under license. The disc is packaged inside a 135MM X 135MM cardboard precision-miniature replica of the original classic vinyl-LP album. Also, anything contained in the original LP, such as gatefolds, booklets, lyric sheets, posters, printed LP sleeves, stickers, embosses, special LP cover paper/inks/textures and/or die cuts, are precisely replicated and included. An English-language lyric sheet is always included, even if the original LP did not have printed lyrics.
Then, there's the sonic quality: Often (but not always), mini-sleeves have dedicated remastering (20-Bit, 24-Bit, DSD, K2/K2HD, and/or HDCD), and can often (but not always) be superior to the audio on the same title anywhere else in the world. There also may be bonus tracks unavailable elsewhere.
Each Japan mini-sleeve has an "obi" ("oh-bee"), a removable Japan-language promotional strip. The obi lists the Japan street date of that particular release, the catalog number, the mastering info, and often the original album's release date. Bonus tracks are only listed on the obi, maintaining the integrity of the original LP artwork. The obi's are collectable, and should not be discarded.
All mini-sleeve releases are limited edition, but re-pressings/re-issues are becoming more common (again, not always). The enthusiasm of mini-sleeve collecting must be tempered, however, with avoiding fake mini-sleeves manufactured in Russia and distributed throughout the world, primarily on eBay. They are inferior in quality, worthless in collectable value, a total waste of money, and should be avoided at all costs.
MAY 2011 UPDATE (EMI PRESS RELEASE):
EMI will launch its massive Pink Floyd release campaign Sept. 26 with "Discovery" editions of the band's 14 studio albums. Also due out that day will be expanded editions of "Dark Side of the Moon" -- a six-disc "Immersion" CD/DVD/Blu-ray/memorabilia boxed set and a two-disc "Experience" edition (which EMI describes as pairing a classic album with related content "to offer a deeper listening experience").
CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, vinyl LPs, SACDs, digital formats, iPhone apps and a brand-new single-album and best-of collection are all part of the effort. Super-deluxe box sets, which will contain unreleased tracks, alternate takes, restored live concert screeen films and a live recording of the band's 1974 "The Dark Side Of The Moon" performance at Wembley.
"This is a unique collaboration between EMI and one of the most creative and influential bands in history. We have worked together for more than a year on this program which incorporates all the elements that have made Pink Floyd one of the most inspiring forces in modern music. Why Pink Floyd? Because their music is without equal and these exciting new releases will allow music fans to rediscover their incredible legacy and demonstrate that an appreciation for artistic quality never goes out of fashion," said EMI Group CEO Roger Faxon.
Pink Floyd film archivist Lana Topham supervised the restoratio of many historic films from the band's classic era, which will be included in the Immersion box sets for "The Dark Side of The Moon" and "Wish You Were Here."
That's just one phase of EMI's "Why Pink Floyd ... ?" campaign. It continues Nov. 7 with the Wish You Were Here `Immersion' 5-disc and `Experience' 2-disc editions, both of which will include bonus material from the band's 1974 Wembley dates, including a 20-minute tour de force live rendition of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," as well as a unique recording of "Wish You Were Here" featuring jazz violinist, Stephane Grappelli. A collectors' vinyl LP will also be available, as will various digital formats.
Released simultaneously will be "A Foot In The Door - The Best Of Pink Floyd" a collection of the band's best-known songs, contained on one album for the first time. The long-awaited 5.1 version of "Wish You Were Here," mixed by James Guthrie, will also be released via independent label Acoustic Sounds.
Look for seven-disc "Immersion" and three-disc "Experience" versions of "The Wall" on Feb. 27, 2012. A collectors' vinyl LP will also be available, as will various digital formats.
"We have worked together for more than a year on this program, which incorporates all the elements that have made Pink Floyd one of the most inspiring forces in modern music," said EMI Group CEO Roger Faxon in a press release issued May 10.
Longtime Pink Floyd art director Storm Thorgerson has overseen the visual design, including new booklets for all the CDs and new artwork for the boxed sets. Photographer Jill Furmanovsky has edited books of original unseen photographs. Pink Floyd collaborators James Guthrie and Andy Jackson have been handling digital remastering duties.
