Fri May 23, 2008 9:07 pm
Hello:
I'm not a member or anything but I have been reading about the impending box set which I have ordered from amazon.uk (even though I reside in the US). I spend a slight fortune at amazon.uk/amazon.com and I have some info that might help people decide where to purchase this.
If you ordered the box from amazon.uk at 34 pounds they should still charge you that even though they have raised the price. Pre-order guarantee they call it and they always stick to it. Generally, they charge full price and then refund the difference about three days later. Who knows why they do it, but they do.
Secondly, for those excited about seeing a lower cost in the US, here's something to consider. Generally the items marked at a drastic lower price are more often than not backordered. For weeks. Furthermore, it may be from Maylasia or Taiwan and made there as well. That's all nice and fine but that wait isn't worth it, especially for something you are impossibly excited for (and this box is certainly something to be excited for). I recently pre-ordered the new Supergrass album from amazon.com in US trying to save some money and it took three weeks to arrive. I'm a Prime Customer which means when I order something I get it in two days and pay no shipping. The Supergrass pre-order turned into a back order and they can't very well rush me something they don't have in their possession.
Even though the amazon.us deal looks tempting at such a low cost, I'm still going with amazon.uk despite the slight increase (it comes to $78 US dollars). Amazon.uk gets items to my door within eight days and they are always in great shape and I can count on them to deliver it when they say they will. I'm lousy at waiting and I don't want to wait three additional weeks (or more...or perhaps even less). I want my box from the UK and I want it as quickly as it can reach me. Therefore, amazon.uk has my money and all I have to do is be patient...and that's hard to do for something that is as exciting as this set. But again, I don't believe that amazon.com in the US is going to deliver a $68 dollar set on the date they claim on their website.
Furthermore, I don't trust Rhino US to produce the box the way they are doing it in the UK. Why? Well, Rhino didn't bother issuing the reissues of "Waiting For Herb" or "Pogue Mahone". They released them as downloads and I'm not interested in that. I'm old fashioned, I like the feel of the product in my hands. Furthermore, for example, when they released "Best of Luna" in the UK it included a bonus disc of cover versions that Luna have recorded over time. Rhino in the US released that as a download only and the download had a different track listing (there were two songs from the UK version not on the US and vice versa).
I don't believe Rhino US would provide different tracks but I would not doubt that they might release the box in the US as a two or three disc box and have the remaining tracks be download only. Rhino US doesn't take fans quite as seriously in the US, but then no record company does. I wouldn't recommend holding out for Rhino to deliver a cheaper (in price) box but they might release a cheaper box (in terms of all the tracks not being on the set).
I hope this helps and I am quite anxious for the arrival of the Pogues box. My b'day is June 1 and that means a week later my real b'day gift should arrive in the post!