why all these different releases?

For some albums there are different American , European and Japanese releases. I wonder why. Lots of Japanese releases have bonus tracks. Not fair!!

I think its also to disuade people from importing from other countries before the offical release date in their own country. The bonus tracks tend to be added to the later releases.

Interesting what you say about prices in Japan, Diddy. It makes it even more ironic that a lot of things seem to be available there on CD, which are never released anywhere else.

 

Come on.

As ever this is a record company scam to get more copies sold and to fatten their profits. The original issue of Genesis's Abacab had 4 different covers to chose from. There is another scam, issue a CD single, which many of the fan will have already on an album, but the record company has it remixed it or add a bonus track not seen before, and the psychological reaction is: I haven't got that one and I need it. Always ask yourself why that track wasn't worthy of inclusion on the album in the first place.

And whilst we're here a lot of album get remastered, over and over again. How often can you spot the difference? I see Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Inner Mounting Flame" is get the treatment again - this is after many fans complained the second remaster of "Birds Of Fire" sounded worse than the unremastered original CD release! - however the bait for you to buy again, is a second CD in this double set of a live performance!!!

On that thought, I've just thought of a  new thread to start elsewhere on this site - what albums still remain and should be remastered?

Easy Livin wrote: Where I would agree is when albums are constantly re-released for the same market. The Yes back catalogue for example has been re-released at least three times on CD - The early analogue copy, digital remaster, and expanded remaster (weren't there also replica LP sleeves?). Yes to Yes in replica sleeves - I bought the first 4 Yes albums because of this; call me a mug but the bonus tracks were also a big attraction. However, when all(?) of the Genesis back catalogue went in replica sleeves for the Japanese market, the Genesis's UK distributor bought  stock into this country, to sell with quite some value-added.  Poor speculation, because many UK stores ended up selling these CDs in dumper bins as remainder stock: bought 6 for under 30 quid from the local Andys Record shop and sold them on to friends (at no profit I should add). However, I've bought a couple of Italian made CDs in replica sleeves recently which seem to be the only packaging available for those releases. That included a Warm Dust album (and that is obscure) being discussed elsewhere on the site. The "discovery" of previously unreleased tracks which are added to the re-releases is of course designed to tempt fans to buy the album once again. This in turn leads to a flood of the older versions in second hand CD shops being sold for buttons. Another thread perhaps - what's the most versions of the same album (or same track) you have in your collection? With very few exceptions (and then the vinyl version is worth 50 quid plus), I usually sell the replaced album into the secondhand market. BTW I suspect that record companies are guilty for off loading more different Beach Boys greatest hits compilations on to the public, than any other band or artist? And I couldn't quite fathom why the CD only issue of the The Doors Greatest Hits, has quite a number of tracks not found on original double vinyl Doors greatest hits compo Weird Scenes, and vice versa................

Easy Livin wrote: A similar example is Fleetwood Mac's greatest hits (The Peter Green "Mac" that is). The CBS LP had such classics as "Man of the world", "Green Malalishi", "Oh well" etc, but an identical looking Greatest Hits on CD does not have any of them. I think there is a Sony version of the album on CD which does have the same tracks as the LP, so it pays to check the track listing!

 

Yes  I agree - but I sort of solved that problem by buying the  6 CD set(?) of Fleetwood Mac's Complete Blue Horizon Sessions (strongly recommended , if you can afford it). BTW if you are a Peter Green's FM fan, do you know the work of the late Duster Bennett (Blue Horizon originally had three British signings PG's FM, Chicken Shack and Duster Bennett)  - Bennett wrote the much covered Jumpin' At Shadows.  I wish Sony/Blue Horizon would reissue his back catalogue. There are some Bennett outtakes, home recordings and demos released on the British label Indigo through the 90's, on which I discovered King Crimson's rhythm section Wallace and Burrell played.

In Japan it's cheaper to import CDs than to buy their domestic ones, I believe. I think it was the Pain of Salvation guy that said that. It makes sense why Japanese imports are so much more expensive than other releases in this country as well, I mean obviously it costs money to import them but Euro/US imports would be maybe 16 or 17 quid and Japanese ones often up to 25 quid or even more. However, if I've paid the full price of a domestic CD i'll generally download any worthwhile tracks only available on import.