Re: Tommy Deluxe Edition

["Scott Schrade" <schrade@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> I respectfully disagree.  

Wonderful!

> First, isn't Tommy Deluxe Edition a hybrid release (i.e., not a SACD only)?  

Yes, it is.  I should have pointed that out.  My meaning was to imply that this
Deluxe Edition seems to be intended for a smaller, more specialized segment
of the CD-buying public:  the hardcore freaks, the people with SACD players,
& the 5.1 audio crowd.  Therefore, it wasn't *crucial* that the lyrics be included.

> Second, in my opinion, a Deluxe Edition should contain everything the original 
> classic did, and then some.  

Oh, I understand your viewpoint.  I guess the Stones said it best, didn't they?
You can't always get what you want.  Things like booklets without lyrics, the
"wrong" version of such-and-such a song, the occasional questionable remast-
ering job - just doesn't raise my ire like it does some people.  My reaction is 
more like, "Hmmm....they did it like that.  OK."

> If I were a record company exec today, with the poor state that the record 
> industry is in, I would want to market these Deluxe Editions to not only the 
> long-time hard core fan who may already own Tommy in several different 
> forms and releases, but also to the non-Who music fan who may be buying 
> his first re-released and updated version of this classic album and who may 
> therefore not yet own the lyrics, or may want to discard his outdated CD 
> version of Tommy in favor of the Deluxe Edition (or, unbelievably, may actually 
> be buying his first ever copy of Tommy). 

Well, again I don't think the Deluxe Edition was marketed for the newbie who
is stumbling across TOMMY for the first time.  And aren't you placing too
great an importance on having the lyrics in order to enjoy the music on the CD?

Your complaint (similar to the complaints of those who don't care for the mast-
ering of certain releases) seems to imply that the future passions of "Who virgins" 
are at stake because of things like no lyrics, different mastering, or a change in the 
cover art.

I think back to my early days, cutting my teeth on The Who, & not having the 
lyrics to certain songs was one of the least of my concerns.  I lost my TOMMY
virginity from a cassette recording of a friend's LP.  At that time, I was con-
tent just having the song titles written down.

And mastering?  Or sound quality?  Poo!  My first version of "Naked Eye" was
a cropped, muddy-sounding, vinyl bootleg version.  I *still* fell in love with
the song.

My point is that, IMO, the absence of lyrics on the TOMMY Deluxe Edition
is not likely to derail anyone's passion for The Who, their passion for TOMMY,
or their passion for buying CDs in general.

> I can't believe that it would add substantially to the cost of manufacturing the 
> CD, nor can I believe that including the lyrics (which don't need to be printed 
> in a fancy manner and don't require a lot of paper) would prohibit the inclusion 
> of new rare photos.

I must respectfully disagree with this. (!)  Printing costs for CD booklets can
be quite large.  And going from a, say, 20-page booklet to a 25-page book-
let can put the entire release into a much larger cost category.  

> Believe me, I own a copy of every released CD version of Tommy (and all 
> other Who albums), and I was very disappointed by the lack of lyrics.  

I see that!  ;-)

> I like my Deluxe Editions to be the definitive version of the album, and any 
> version that does not contain all the original artwork cannot be the definitive 
> version.  

I respect that.  But understand that that's a quality level that *you* yourself
have set.  What about the people who think the artwork/booklet should consist 
of only what was originally released, on the original vinyl?  Those people have
an argument as well.  It's easy to be frustrated when you set lofty ideals on
things which are very much out of your control.

It's funny in a way.  You & I are two Who freaks.  *My* reaction to the 
TOMMY DE booklet was, "Wow!  Look at all these rare pictures!"  Yours 
was, "Where are the bloody lyrics??!!"  ;-)


- SCHRADE in Akron

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