How many times cam Blue Note rehash the same material?

[Hot Ptah]

Is there really that much of a market for new Grant Green (or whomever) listeners to justify the additional expense of recurring new releases? I'd be surprised.

I'd almost think there'd be as much profit in simply releasing the reissues that are clamored for by the more committed fans than the constant compilations.

How many of those committed fans are there in the states? Maybe a few hundred thousand? And then getting the word out to those hundred thousand? Good luck.

Insofar as Grant goes, they'd be better off putting out a top notch, actually taken seriously funk collection and aiming it squarely at the jam band crowd. But what do I know?

Do you really think that there are a few hundred thousand committed fans in the U.S.? I would think it was less than 10,000, easily. Probably less than 5,000.

[Guy Berger]

Beatles 1 was released within the past 10 years, had only the most famous songs already in every Beatles fan's collection, and it sold like hotcakes.

I'm guessing this cannibalized sales from both the other compilations, and from future compilation sales. Interesting question: over the long horizon (say, 10-20 years), will the number of Beatles compilation discs sold increase because of Beatles 1?

Guy

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Compilations sell - and not just in jazz. Two of the biggest selling Beatles albums are compilations, each of which outsold every other LP except the White Album.

Yes. But both of these compilations were released 35 years ago.

Guy

So? Are you suggesting that the market has changed radically?

Also, the biggest albums of Bread, Carpenters, Cat Stevens, Presley, Lennon, Manilow & Simon & Garfunkel are all compilations.

Compilations are cash cows.

MG

[Shawn]

It appears these compilations exist for the sole purpose of selling really ugly t-shirts.

[sheldonm]

The bigger issue to me it the quantity of music (I know the quality of the music will be good) on the cd....the Green is maybe 35 minutes, the Monk barely breaks 30 minutes. If you're going to put out the cd...put some damn music on it!!!

m~

[GA Russell]

...Two of the biggest selling Beatles albums are compilations, each of which outsold every other LP except the White Album.

You may be interested to learn that for decades the Beatles refused to allow Capitol in the US to release compilations.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

...Two of the biggest selling Beatles albums are compilations, each of which outsold every other LP except the White Album.

You may be interested to learn that for decades the Beatles refused to allow Capitol in the US to release compilations.

You mean, apart from (at least):

The Beatles 1962-66 (released 1973)

The Beatles 1967-70 (released 1973)

Rock n Roll music (released 1976)

Love songs (released 1977)

Rarities (released 1980)

Reel music (released 1982)

20 greatest hits (released 1982)

Past masters vols 1 & 2 (released 1988)

Anthology 1, 2 & 3 (released 1995 & 96)

?

MG

[Guy Berger]

Compilations sell - and not just in jazz. Two of the biggest selling Beatles albums are compilations, each of which outsold every other LP except the White Album.

Yes. But both of these compilations were released 35 years ago.

Guy

So? Are you suggesting that the market has changed radically?

Also, the biggest albums of Bread, Carpenters, Cat Stevens, Presley, Lennon, Manilow & Simon & Garfunkel are all compilations.

Compilations are cash cows.

MG

No, you misunderstand. My point is that EMI hasn't been putting a new Beatles compilation on the market every few years, as record companies seem to do with jazz artists. Even the "1" compilation was a different product than the red and blue compilations.

Guy

[Guy Berger]

Past masters vols 1 & 2 (released 1988)

Anthology 1, 2 & 3 (released 1995 & 96)

These aren't exactly compilations. Past Masters is a collection of non-album tracks and the Anthologies were collections of previously unreleased material.

Guy

[Late]

One thing I've noticed: jazz compilations always have the worst covers.

Though I guess 32Jazz's Jazz for After You've Finished Brushing Your Teeth had an OK cover. That Playmate had nice teeth.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Past masters vols 1 & 2 (released 1988)

Anthology 1, 2 & 3 (released 1995 & 96)

These aren't exactly compilations. Past Masters is a collection of non-album tracks and the Anthologies were collections of previously unreleased material.

Guy

Ah - I didn't realise that "Anthology" was all unreleased cuts.

There were still quite a lot of comps, though. And I may not have listed them all (though I think I have).

MG

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

One thing I've noticed: jazz compilations always have the worst covers.

Though I guess 32Jazz's Jazz for After You've Finished Brushing Your Teeth had an OK cover. That Playmate had nice teeth.

Depends on how many times a day you brush your teeth - in both cases, I guess.

MG

PS Couldn't find any ref to that album when I Googled it...

Edited June 9, 2007 by The Magnificent Goldberg

[Bill Nelson]

Or the morning-after CD, 'Jazz for After You've Slept On the Wet Spot'. (Perfect for all you swinging guys who must wipe off before brushing teeth.)

[GA Russell]

...Two of the biggest selling Beatles albums are compilations, each of which outsold every other LP except the White Album.

You may be interested to learn that for decades the Beatles refused to allow Capitol in the US to release compilations.

You mean, apart from (at least):

The Beatles 1962-66 (released 1973)

The Beatles 1967-70 (released 1973)

Rock n Roll music (released 1976)

Love songs (released 1977)

Rarities (released 1980)

Reel music (released 1982)

20 greatest hits (released 1982)

Past masters vols 1 & 2 (released 1988)

Anthology 1, 2 & 3 (released 1995 & 96)

?

MG

Well you've proven me wrong, MG. I didn't realize that the compilations started as early as 1973. I do remember reading plenty of times in the 60s that Capitol in the US wanted to release a Greatest Hits record and the group wouldn't allow it.

edit for typo

Edited June 10, 2007 by GA Russell

[Big Al]

...Two of the biggest selling Beatles albums are compilations, each of which outsold every other LP except the White Album.

You may be interested to learn that for decades the Beatles refused to allow Capitol in the US to release compilations.

You mean, apart from (at least):

The Beatles 1962-66 (released 1973)

The Beatles 1967-70 (released 1973)

Rock n Roll music (released 1976)

Love songs (released 1977)

Rarities (released 1980)

Reel music (released 1982)

20 greatest hits (released 1982)

Past masters vols 1 & 2 (released 1988)

Anthology 1, 2 & 3 (released 1995 & 96)

?

MG

Well you've proven me wrong, MG. I didn't realize that the compilations started as early as 1973. I do remember reading plenty of times in the 60s that Capitol in the US wanted to release a Greatest Hits record and the group wouldn't allow it.

edit for typo

But that's your whole point, and it's a good one: the comps didn't start rolling out until AFTER they'd broken up. Even the Rolling Stones had two comps under their belts when the Beatles broke up.

[JohnBlutarski]

if it's new there is media buzz.

bingo. delete the old one, bring out the new one. Create a little buzz about it, make a poster or two, and bam, instant success.

new liner notes, a new "hip"cover, etc...

[Alexander]

...Two of the biggest selling Beatles albums are compilations, each of which outsold every other LP except the White Album.

You may be interested to learn that for decades the Beatles refused to allow Capitol in the US to release compilations.

You mean, apart from (at least):

The Beatles 1962-66 (released 1973)

The Beatles 1967-70 (released 1973)

Rock n Roll music (released 1976)

Love songs (released 1977)

Rarities (released 1980)

Reel music (released 1982)

20 greatest hits (released 1982)

Past masters vols 1 & 2 (released 1988)

Anthology 1, 2 & 3 (released 1995 & 96)

?

MG

Actually, there was a compliation released while the Beatles were still together. It

Well you've proven me wrong, MG. I didn't realize that the compilations started as early as 1973. I do remember reading plenty of times in the 60s that Capitol in the US wanted to release a Greatest Hits record and the group wouldn't allow it.

edit for typo

But that's your whole point, and it's a good one: the comps didn't start rolling out until AFTER they'd broken up. Even the Rolling Stones had two comps under their belts when the Beatles broke up.

Actually, there was one compliation released while the Beatles were still together. It was called

"A Collection of Beatles Oldies" and it came out in December of 1966! It came out because once the Beatles stopped touring, they cut way back on their release schedule as well. As a result, EMI had no new product after "Revolver" but before "Sgt. Pepper."

Here's the cover.

The track listing is as follows:

Side one

"She Loves You"

"From Me to You"

"We Can Work It Out"

"Help!"

"Michelle"

"Yesterday"

"I Feel Fine"

"Yellow Submarine"

Side two

"Can't Buy Me Love"

"Bad Boy"

"Day Tripper"

"A Hard Day's Night"

"Ticket to Ride"

"Paperback Writer"

"Eleanor Rigby"

"I Want to Hold Your Hand"

The track "Bad Boy" had not yet been released in the UK when this album came out. It had been previously released on "Beatles VI," so if you were a British Beatles fan, you had to buy this for that one track...Later, it turned up on "Past Masters I."

[GA Russell]

Alexander, the LP you mention was a British album, not available in the US. Capitol in the US was not allowed to release such an album.

[Guy Berger]

The track "Bad Boy" had not yet been released in the UK when this album came out. It had been previously released on "Beatles VI," so if you were a British Beatles fan, you had to buy this for that one track...Later, it turned up on "Past Masters I."

"Bad Boy" is a great tune. One of Lennon's best vocals from the early days.

Guy

[BruceH]

"Now junior, be-HAVE yourself!"

[Alexander]

Alexander, the LP you mention was a British album, not available in the US. Capitol in the US was not allowed to release such an album.

I know it was. I was just pointing out that there was one compilation released during the life of the Beatles as a group, and this was it. Now you could make the argument that EVERYTHING Capitol released in the U.S. before "Rubber Soul" was, in fact, a compliation. "Yesterday...and Today" has no British version. Neither, for that matter did "Meet the Beatles" or "Beatles VI." "Hey Jude" was also a compilation, although it was technically released after the group broke up.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

"Now junior, be-HAVE yourself!"

Oh, it's a cover of the Larry Wiliams song, is it?

MG

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Alexander, the LP you mention was a British album, not available in the US. Capitol in the US was not allowed to release such an album.

I know it was. I was just pointing out that there was one compilation released during the life of the Beatles as a group, and this was it. Now you could make the argument that EVERYTHING Capitol released in the U.S. before "Rubber Soul" was, in fact, a compliation. "Yesterday...and Today" has no British version. Neither, for that matter did "Meet the Beatles" or "Beatles VI." "Hey Jude" was also a compilation, although it was technically released after the group broke up.

Actually, that's a reasonable argument, on the face of it. I suppose it depends on what songs were on the LPs; ie what were their previous issues. Here's a list of the Beatles original albums (LP and EP), with track lists. I leave it to enthusiasts to work out the details

http://fabfour.de/beatles_lps.html

MG

[JSngry]

"Hey Jude" was also a compilation, although it was technically released after the group broke up.

Not as I recall. Pretty sure it was released before Let It Be.

[Aggie87]

"Hey Jude" was also a compilation, although it was technically released after the group broke up.

Not as I recall. Pretty sure it was released before Let It Be.

The "Hey Jude" compilation album was released on 26 Feb 1970 in the U.S., and not until 1979 in the U.K.

The "Let It Be" album was recorded in January 1969 and released on 8 May 1970.

So Jim's correct that Hey Jude came out first.

The Beatles broke up in late '69 or not long thereafter. Per Wikipedia:

In November of 1969, in an interview conducted by Life magazine, Paul McCartney acknowledged that The Beatles had effectively disbanded. At the beginning of 1970, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr briefly reconvened to complete recordings for the album Let It Be. Each of the band members otherwise focused solely on individual projects. In April of 1970, to coincide with the release of Paul McCartney's solo album, a press release announced his intention to break from the band.

At the beginning of 1971, Paul McCartney sued his bandmates for the dissolution of The Beatles' contractual relationship and subsequently a receiver was appointed. Although there were sporadic collaborative recording efforts among the band members, The Beatles never fully and simultaneously collaborated as a recording or performing group ever again until The Beatles Anthology project in 1994.

Hard to say if they were officially broken up when the "Hey Jude" compilation was released or not. Effectively they probably were.

Edited June 12, 2007 by Aggie87