My expectations will melt, and then my wallet...

[Paul Mather]

John A Swartz wrote:

> direction.  But again, they have made no public statements (to my
> knowledge) to that effect.  The statement in ICE hinted at more material
> in the future, but it is our interpretation that WOTT needs to sell
> first.

I still think that IF that is their strategy, then it is pretty cheesy.
But as you point out, we don't know WHAT their strategy is.  (That's
part of the problem.)

> Also, I hardly think WOTT is "crappy" -- it is a very good "greatest hits"
> package.

I think I should have elaborated; I meant "crappy" as in "poor value for
money" (IMHO).

> As I pointed out, perhaps Sony is counting on selling this to old fans
> that don't necessarily have everything BOC has released (at least not on
> CD).  I happen to know from correspondence with several BOC fans that the
> internet connections to BOC (like BOC-L, the AOL boards, the web pages)
> have helped many old fans "re-discover" BOC.  Perhaps this package will
> help old fans also re-discover BOC.

The crux of the biscuit, for me, is "what does this release contribute to
the BOC catalogue?"  Personally, I think it contributes little.  There
are *already* BOC compilations.  (Including, even, the relatively recent
re-hashing of _Cult Classics_.)  What is there to entice the
listener--both neophyte and old hand--to entreat themselves of this "new"
product?  When faced with _Workshop of the Telescopes_ and other BOC
compilations on the shelf, what is it about the former than will guide
the prospective buyer to choose it over the latter??  The novice doesn't
"know" (by definition) that this is a "good" selection of BOC material.
Surely it is better, in their mind, to save some money and buy another,
cheaper, single-disc, offering.  Meanwhile, the old hand will be scouring
the track listing for tasty, unreleased, morsels, and be sorely
disappointed.  So, it seems to me, the new 2CD has little to tempt either
camp.

For me, the situation is even more cut and dried: I hate compilations.  I
rarely find them useful, except in the case where they are compilations
of rare/obscure stuff.  (Major kudos to The Bevis Frond's _A Gathering of
Fronds_ in that respect!)  Other than that, they represent, for me, very
poor value for money.

I think it is a red herring that Sony has to "make sure" BOC are
"commercially viable" before they'll do anything more risque like
releasing rare/unreleased material.  What does that mean?  No compilation
is going to sell in volume unless it can cut across the spectrum and
appeal to novices and Kollectors alike.  (Do compilations consistently top
the sales charts?  I think not; new product sells, not old re-hashes.)
There are LOADS of minor labels that specialise in reissues.  There *IS* a
market for this stuff.  A morass of highly obscure blasts from the past is
regularly spewed forth upon the market.  Quite obviously the overheads
involved are low enough to make it worthwhile.  Maybe Sony wouldn't want
to have their name associated with such an endeavour?  I dunno.  Surely
they have some kind of sub-label they can get to handle this kind of
thing, if image is a problem?

> I would not disagree with you.  This release is probably not for you.
> I don't know if Sony expects someone such as yourself to buy it - and
> they may not know how many people such as yourself (who have nearly
> everything on CD already) there are.  But, again, consider buying it
> for someone else who has not got such an extensive BOC collection.  It
> is a great representation of the band, despite some of the omissions that
> have been discussed here.  I mean, if someone came to you saying that
> they want to here a BOC album - this would be a great one to give them.

Well, the vast bulk of my BOC collection is on vinyl.  One day, probably,
I shall get around to "upgrading" it to CD.  But if I wanted to
"introduce" someone to CD, I wouldn't waste my money on a compilation
(which I consider to be little better than a "teaser", or "advertising"
for the real thing).  I would make them a "homebrew" compilation tape,
instead.  If they liked BOC, they could head off from there.

I guess I'm just tired of seeing nothing but unimaginative compilations
emerging under the BOC name (except for minor deviations) since _Imaginos_
(or _Club Ninja_ if you feel _Imaginos_ to be a Bouchard release).  But
like I said, I'm not what you'd call a fan of compilations...

But hey, whatever floats your boat.  Go out and buy _Workshop of the
Telescopes_ if it hits the spot...

Cheers,

Paul.

obCD: Sky Cries Mary, _This Timeless Turning_

e-mail: paul at csgrad.cs.vt.edu                    A stranger in a strange land.