Re-Issues: A Marketing Ploy?

Much has been written about a vast number of old albums that have gotten the big re-issue treatment. I’m of two minds about this subject. Some ‘reissues’ are just major cash grabs by a record industry that is completely lost in the tectonic shifts that experienced by this business. These major corporate behemoths have responded to the vast waves of new technology, the way that dinosaurs did to the dropping temperatures a few million years ago.

15 years ago, David Bowie got access to his back catalogue (1969 – 1979) and they were re-mastered, re-issued with extra tracks etc. and they were all quite amazing, especially for anyone in Canada who grew up listening to the cheap RCA versions, remember those thin wobbly discs, (maybe 90gm at the most). The Thin White Duke/Ziggy Dusthead sold have of his soul to EMI and the albums were all released again with no new goodies. Elvis Costello followed the same route with double re-isssues of his classic earlier albums.

Chris Blackwell the worst record whore (outside of that bastard who stole all of CCR’s publishing back in the mid-60s) continues to live comfortably off the memory of the king of Reggae. Bob Marley’s been dead for 27 years and the Marley estate keeps finding ways of reselling the Wailers’ back catalogue. All of the Island albums were re-issued with extra tracks then within two months also released a double CD of their first Island album Catch A Fire [Deluxe Edition] featuring alternate takes of tracks from Catch A Fire and a few extra tracks. From the band's stand point these alternate takes and sub-par extras are really just musical sloppy seconds!

What’s next? How about putting out albums backwards so we can find all of those subliminal messages!