Who's Next and Bonus Tracks

[B0RN2RUN@aol.com]

 <<I'd like to point out that neither "Penny Lane" nor "Strawberry Fields"
was added to "Sgt. Peppers..." when _it_ was released on CD in the
mideightes, and rightly so.>>

I'm amazed that anyone would point to a Beatles reissue as an example of how
things should be done.  In retrospect, the Beatles CDs are (for the most
part) crap, although at the time they were still much better than the average
reissue.  I think Capital really blew it when it decided not to add
single-only tracks to the Beatles CDs.  Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane really
belonged on the Sgt. Pepper CD, just as Paperback Writer/Rain belonged on
Revolver, etc.  There are four reasons why this wasn't done: (1) the
contractual agreement with the surviving Beatles (and Yoko) prevented Capital
from making any changes to the original albums without their permission; (2)
the people in charge of the reissues had no imagination whatsoever, and since
this was the mid-to-late 80s, there were very few good examples of how an
artist's catalog should be reissued (I think Rykodisc's Bowie reissues were
among the first to consistently feature things like deluxe packaging and
bonus tracks); (3) Capital wanted to get Sgt. Pepper out in time for its 25th
anniversary, so they did a rush job on the earlier albums, and the remaining
ones came out almost as an afterthought; (4) adding the single-only tracks to
the albums would have rendered a singles compilation unnecessary, and Capital
was not going to pass up the opportunity to take more $$$ out of the pockets
of Beatles fans .

On the other hand, there have been quite a few "classic" albums that were
reissued with bonus tracks (e.g., Pet Sounds, Ziggy Stardust, Are You
Experienced) and I don't think there have been many complaints.  Besides,
whenever a record company executive attempts to defend a decision not to add
bonus tracks by citing the 
"need"  to preserve the "artistic integrity" of the original album, it's time
to get out the shovel.  Record labels never seem to care about artistic
integrity when they omit tracks and butcher artwork.  All they really care
about is $$$, and adding bonus tracks drives up the cost of the CD, which
forces the record company to cut its profit margin (which never happens) or
raise the price of the CD (which would dampen sales).

The only problem I see with adding bonus tracks to Who's Next is the sheer
wealth of material to draw upon.  While I'd prefer a Lifehouse sessions box,
I'd certainly settle for a full-length CD.  I just don't see why the
particular tracks were chosen, and I'm wondering where all the other material
will end up, especially since Charlesworth has said that albums like Odds and
Sods and Who's Missing will be deleted.