Re-releasing old singles?

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retrofuturist
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Re-releasing old singles?

#1 Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,

I notice that some artists are releasing old singles in either digital formats (e.g. Madonna) or pressing remastered versions of the original era 12" singles (e.g. New Order).

Do you expect Pet Shop Boys to do likewise? And if they do it, do you expect them to just recreate the earlier track-listings or get a bit creative with them, potentially including "promo" mixes and tracks off the rarer formats too?

I recall that some of their early CD singles were quietly re-issued/re-pressed in the early 90s, but aside from that and the regular ZYX milking of the Bobby O recordings, I don't recall this being done. In terms of digital singles, I think Pet Shop Boys started these in 1999 but have never done any retrospectively.

Retro. :)
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Debussy
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Re: Re-releasing old singles?

#2 Post by Debussy »

No, I don't expect they will. I would have thought they have mined anything worth releasing already.

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Re: Re-releasing old singles?

#3 Post by Dog »

They should definitely add their missing singles to streaming services. There’s about 14 years’ worth missing from Spotify, including all those fantastic 80s and 90s remixes.


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Re: Re-releasing old singles?

#4 Post by tottenhammattspurs »

Be nice to have Opportunities 1985 through to Suburbia as CD singles as they never got cd single releases.
is is and isnt isnt

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Re: Re-releasing old singles?

#5 Post by Flaffer »

Debussy wrote: Fri 24 Feb 2023, 11:45 pm No, I don't expect they will. I would have thought they have mined anything worth releasing already.

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They are actually pretty bad (or good depending on your viewpoint) at milking their back catalogue. If you compare to Depeche Mode, Saint Etienne, Bowie (pre and post death), McCartney all have released both in depth extensive box sets as well as ‘pointless’ reissues that bring nothing new. Having said that Madonna and Kate Bush make PSB look prolific. When you think of some artists who have had CD singles box sets released bizarre PSB, New Order and others haven’t.
Still waiting to hear the Adam Freeland, Manhattan Clique and Axwell mixes of Integral.

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Re: Re-releasing old singles?

#6 Post by Dog »

Flaffer wrote:
Debussy wrote: Fri 24 Feb 2023, 11:45 pm No, I don't expect they will. I would have thought they have mined anything worth releasing already.

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They are actually pretty bad (or good depending on your viewpoint) at milking their back catalogue. If you compare to Depeche Mode, Saint Etienne, Bowie (pre and post death), McCartney all have released both in depth extensive box sets as well as ‘pointless’ reissues that bring nothing new. Having said that Madonna and Kate Bush make PSB look prolific. When you think of some artists who have had CD singles box sets released bizarre PSB, New Order and others haven’t.
You have to wonder if they have issues with their back catalogue being owned by Warners. Maybe there’s no interest there in doing anything. This period (2020-2023) would have been a perfect opportunity to reissue the missing singles digitally, or put out an album or singles boxset, or a third b sides compilation, or whatever. The fact they haven’t makes me think things are complicated. They are on what looks like their most successful tour ever, but with no product out there.


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Re: Re-releasing old singles?

#7 Post by DopeFiend »

I'm always a bit conflicted when it comes to reissuing the 84 through 98 singles.
Because Disco 1 and 2 includes most of the best remixes, and there's Further Listening.
With the Further Listening compilations they've already chosen the mixes worth preserving.
And if you listen to what's been left over, it's mainly drawn out dub mixes.
I think most listeners will hit skip when hearing them.

With that said though, there are so pretty decent remixes that remain exclusive to the original vinyl and CD releases.
David Morales So Hard, Shep Pettibone What Have I, Phil Harding It's a Sin Jam & Spoon Young Offender, Rollo Can You Forgive Her.

If they can include previously unreleased material that'd make it even more worthwhile. For example the Go West remixes (California Dreamin Dub, Sunny Beach Vocal Mix (Cold End), West End Dub, Sunny Beach Vocal Mix Percussion End, Brothers In Rhythm 7", Kevin Saunderson Reese Vibe Mix, Stephen Hague 7", Saunderson Reese 12" Tribe Mix = Tribe Mix, Kevin Saunderson Reese Praise Reese Mix, Mark Stent Allez A L'ouez 12")
I Want To Wake Up mixes (Breakdown Mix - End Edit & No Sustain, Breakdown Mix - Instrumental, Rough mix, Rough Mix Instrumental, Mel & Kim Mix, Mel & Kim Mix - Instrumental)

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Re: Re-releasing old singles?

#8 Post by daveid »

I'm sure there was some talk years ago about the possibility of releasing a singles box set on CD, in part because the early singles weren't released on this format. But these days is there any point in doing this?

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Re-releasing old singles?

#9 Post by Dog »

DopeFiend wrote:Because Disco 1 and 2 includes most of the best remixes, and there's Further Listening.
With the Further Listening compilations they've already chosen the mixes worth preserving.
And if you listen to what's been left over, it's mainly drawn out dub mixes.
I think most listeners will hit skip when hearing them.
This isn’t true. Disco and Disco 2 only include a small fraction of the remixes from the period 1985 to 1994. And the ones used on Disco 2 are mixed together, so are essentially edits. Between them they ignore any tracks from Actually and Introspective, there’s very little from Behaviour, and obviously nothing from Bilingual.

The Further Listening series specifically doesn’t include remixes done by anyone other than PSB themselves.

So that leaves a huge gap in the catalogue’s availability.


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Re: Re-releasing old singles?

#10 Post by Flaffer »

I bought a Bananarama CD single box set years ago, half price, which seems to go for silly money on discogs now. Some of the CDs were over 10 tracks long iirc, collecting promo mixes, commercially released ones, edits etc. I’m sure PSB could have done similar. I still want to hear the Kevin Saunderson IWAD remix and Mike Mago Inside A Dream
Still waiting to hear the Adam Freeland, Manhattan Clique and Axwell mixes of Integral.

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Re: Re-releasing old singles?

#11 Post by TwizzleUK »

I mentioned it in another thread somewhere, but they don't need to do a CD singles boxed set. It'd be way too expensive to manufacture, and for fans to buy. Plus, as stated, there's an awful lot of boring dub mixes that would get skipped.

They just need to release every single on digital download and streaming platforms. One "album" for each single, containing all the mixes and B-sides from all formats for each single. Just like 808 State have done brilliantly in recent years. Then we can stream or download the mixes we like or want, without having to buy an entire physical boxed set.

Job done.

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Re: Re-releasing old singles?

#12 Post by Disco. »

Don’t think they will do it. Probably not interrested in it.

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Re: Re-releasing old singles?

#13 Post by NikacP0kac »

It's Alright extended, How can you expect to be taken seriously? perfect attitude 12 inch, So Hard David Morales mixes, there's plenty of stuff they could remaster and release as a digital single bundle.
Have a look at my taste in music:
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Re: Re-releasing old singles?

#14 Post by TwizzleUK »

There was a great interview of Ralph Moore, PSB's remix consultant in April 2020 at Super Deluxe Edition: https://superdeluxeedition.com/intervie ... eir-songs/

He said: "You know, one of the other things that I think will have to happen at some point is either a box set or a digital round-up of remixes which currently are only available physically. Some mixes are on Spotify and Apple Music but certainly a big part of the catalogue, including those remixes is not. I’m sure they’re having conversations about that because, you know, people want those and maybe not everyone has kept their CD singles, although I imagine a lot of your audience has."

Maybe one day then...

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Re: Re-releasing old singles?

#15 Post by Old Soak »

Dog wrote: Sat 25 Feb 2023, 6:55 am They should definitely add their missing singles to streaming services. There’s about 14 years’ worth missing from Spotify, including all those fantastic 80s and 90s remixes.


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