Is anyone else bummed that LIVING THINGS will be such a bare bones release on Tuesday? Monthly remixes & even "What I've Done" as a bonus live track could be considered "extras", but it's surprising to me that a band of LP's standing seem to be putting so little effort into the release. Maybe we have been spoiled with deluxe editions that include DVD's and different packaging, or super fan editions with art books. Best Buy exclusives with fan remixes (ATS) or even Independent Record Store specials like free t-shirts (Meteora). To the best of my knowledge, there is not even a vinyl release scheduled for LIVING THINGS. What gives? My best guess is LP considers the remixes to be the "superfan" edition for this album, and will possibly go the "ATS+" or live DVD route down the line. Maybe none of those things will happen because the industry is changing and everything is just a digital stream (YouTube, Spotify, etc) instead of a physical copy. I could even see LP just wanting to take the direct approach this time and skip the time/effort/money that goes into creating multiple versions of the same content that a small portion of the fanbase is interested in. You guys are the experts. What are your thoughts/predictions on the LIVING THINGS release plan?
I'm glad there's no superfan edition. All that extra crap was just an excuse to get money out of fans. This time it's just about the music. And I like it that way.
I do not agree with that. I loved buying the super fan packs, I love the big books, the additional cool artwork, the making of DVD's, I didn't mind paying money for that at all. I guess I'm just old school when it comes to buying albums, but I hate how it's only a jewel case CD with not even so much as a DVD.
I agree some stuff is overkill (skateboard decks...really?) but I love art books and making-of DVD's, even live concert DVD's. I'd pay for that sort of stuff with a band I love. I am surprised at how small the release is, but as others have said, the important stuff is the music. The music far exceeded my expectations, and for that I can hold no real complaint about this release cycle.
This time around, Warner is really pushing promos and sponsors. We DO have a making-of, it's just bundled with Microsoft software. We DO have a b-side/demo, it's just being released with Dell software. But yeah, I'm kind of sad there isn't a special edition.
While I enjoyed having all the cool extras that came with previous albums, I do like the fact that the focus is just on the music this time round.