Re: THEN AND NOW Release Details

["Schrade, Scott" <sschrade@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> It's a good marketing strategy.

It smacks of a tentative first step to me.  Like Pete said, "Enough of
this talk about a new album, Roger!  We'll record *two* songs for that
new compilation & we'll see how they're received.  One step at a time."

> 1) It's a teaser for a tour and a new album.

It'll definitely get some press & get the word-of-mouth advertising 
started.

> 2) It allows them to release songs they can play at RAH without losing 
> them to bootleggers.

Yeah, maybe.  That seems like it would be low on the "concern scale" to 
me.  My gut feeling is that Pete wants to step carefully.  Two new songs
are much more manageable than tackling an entire new album, & all the 
expectations that go along with it. 

> 3) These may be tracks that don't fit on the new album.

Perhaps.  If the new album is strictly a concept piece then that may be 
true.  But the flyer for TAN (!) (T&N?) says that "for now" these songs
appear with Who classics - implying that they'll reappear later with other
new Who songs.  But that just may be the tentative future game plan.  Pete
could stop the process at any time & say, "Fuck it."  

> 4) This is standard practice these days.

Is it?  I don't buy enough current CDs to know that.

> 5) They can judge whether fans/critics/radio stations like their current 
> style of recording.

IMO, that's the main reason we're seeing these two songs on a comp.  The
proverbial barometer.  That, & my opinion that Pete doesn't want to commit
to an entire new album at the moment.  He's still got cold feet.  This way,
Roger is appeased & gets a couple new songs, & Pete can put off decisions
about a new album until a later date (after the summer tour?).


- SCHRADE in Akron

The Council For Secular Humanism
http://www.secularhumanism.org/