Tommy Deluxe Edition

[izzy22@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

>Well, the '96 reissue of TOMMY, which is still in print, has all the lyrics, etc.
>The DELUXE was a special SACD only release.  Maybe the thought was,
>since the lyrics were already printed in the '96 reissue, why not save space
>in the booklet of the SACD release & not include the lyrics.

I respectfully disagree.  First, isn't Tommy Deluxe Edition a hybrid release (i.e., not a SACD only)?  Second, in my opinion, a Deluxe Edition should contain everything the original classic did, and then some.  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and updated version of this classic album and who may therefore not yet own the lyrics, or may want to discard his outdated CD version of Tommy in favor of the Deluxe Edition (or, unbelievably, may actually be buying his first ever copy of Tommy).  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.

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 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.  In my opinion, with respect to rock albums at least, album sleeves and artwork are an integral part of the album.  That's one reason why I don't like the trend away from packaged CDs and toward downloaded MP3s.

But I'm a funny guy.

Izzy