Along with the numerous releases of this show by The Godfather, Project Zip, etc Crystal Cat has brought his product the fore with a triple CD extravaganza featuring a bonus ( read : free ) disk of interviews that tops off the whole occasion.
As with the other releases the sound is fantastic but in a change from the usual CC packaging, they present this in a trifold, digipack with the customary top notch artwork.
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very interesting debate on the occasion of the new CC release, but let me (in all honesty) somewhat disagree in some points and add my 2 cents:
@ digipack: whether it has been a wise decision by CC to use digipack on a springsteen release is absolutely debatable (especially on a show that – being a broadcast – will definetly be released by other labels); for me the jewel cases have always be a competitive advantage for CC. However Kraftwerks “At The Cirkus” (2004) (CC718/19) IMHO has been the first digipack release by CC
@ multiple releases of the same shows: I think this unavoidbale to some extent (unless you would assume that the labels discuss before releasing a given show). In addition it would be difficult to say which label started first releasing: when prodcuing CDRs, in theory, you would be in the shop in a few minutes after the show, where prodcuing silvers usually will take a week or two to be manufactured. And depending on the labels manufacturing and distribution logistics this may be an issue.
@ why worry: I’m a collector for bootleg recordings for likely 30 years and it has been most of the time very difficult to obtain releases in my country, depending on your own / dealers connections entire families of labels slipped even without my knowledge, so multiple releases by different lables increrased my chances to get hold of a specific show. In addtion I think this is NOT much of a concern nowadays (it has been much much worse in the protection gap area), well, unless you’re a Led Zeppelin fan
CC have become less productive over the past couple of years. I don’t have much invested in them because CC isn’t a label that I collect. But I see them as Empress Valley: a once great label that has lapsed into irrelevancy.
I have to say that I’m not the fan I was of Springsteen, that I was.
A lot of it has to do with his personal politics, and some has to do with the type of “topical music” he is making these days.
It’s sad, because he is Talented…but somehow the BALLS has been missing…and this strained “ballsy” Bruce just doesn’t compel me to even enjoy, EVEN his bootlegs !
Oh, ok, gotcha. I wasn’t aware of this issue with C.Cat. I have noticed that the number of their releases has dwindled in the past few years though.
I’ve heard numerous complaints from collectors over the past eighteen months about Crystal Cat’s Bruce Springsteen releases. When CC find out what the other labels are releasing, they have to do their own competing version.
I agree there is nothing wrong with competition, but it has reached absurd lengths.
It is an insult, not necessarily for economic reasons, but for collectability reasons. People would rather have other shows and tapes released, not multiple versions of the same show.
CC’s emulating Godfather’s unique tri-fold gatefold sleeve packaging isn’t really an issue, but probably indicates where they’re coming from.
Personally, I don’t care about Springsteen and certainly don’t collect him, but this latest release jumped out at me because I’ve been hearing this complaint often lately and I felt I should say something about it.
Gsparaco-with all due respect: How does this show contempt for collectors? Is it because they’re releasing the Sirius broadcast? I would think it would be inevitable that they would-in fact, I was surprised it took this long for them to do so. If this is the reason, we should condemn most labels because bootleg labels have been copying each other or releasing the same shows for years
Or is it because of their new digi-pack format?
I’ve already ordered this show from Godfather. But if CC released theirs almost at the same time and had continued with the jewel case, I would have purchased the C.Cat release.
Although I love Godfathers’ releases, I prefer jewel cases to the digipack; simply for storage reasons and the digipacks get dinged up, etc.
Basically, Crystal Cat are trying to keep up with Godfather. It’s pathetic, and it shows a contempt for collectors. I think Crystal Cat should be ashamed of themselves.