"Some tracks have been re-recorded, or are live recordings. Single artist tracks are by the original artist, tracks featuring groups may contain one or more of the original members of the group."

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During my Christmas shopping, I saw several bargain bins full of CDs from a shockingly wide variety of classic rock, soul, and jazz acts.

All the discs had:

a) eye-wateringly bad design

and

b) some variation of this disclaimer printed on the back.

Who buys these things? Are they as bad as I imagine? Anyone here ever taken the plunge?

― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), Saturday, 23 December 2006 00:00 (seventeen years ago) link

This kind of quries seem to crop up on ILM kinda regularly, like once or twice every year. Particularly round Xmas, right?
Well I recently bought a somewhat weirdish The Sweet compilation - that didn't even have those sort of disclaimers anywhere!

― tiit (t**t), Saturday, 23 December 2006 00:09 (seventeen years ago) link

only people with no knowledge of music buy these generic crap!

― postie23 (postie23), Saturday, 23 December 2006 02:37 (seventeen years ago) link

only people with no knowledge of music buy these generic crap!

-- postie23 (heavydoo...), December 23rd, 2006.

While I'm sure these CDs do, to a certain degree, prey upon people's lack of musical knowledge, I was curious to know if anyone around here had either bought one by mistake, or just said "hey, for that little money, how bad it could be?"

― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), Saturday, 23 December 2006 02:54 (seventeen years ago) link

It is hard to believe that there is that much money in making this kind of material these days. They still have to pay to re-record the music and then press it up.

― earlnash (earlnash), Saturday, 23 December 2006 03:26 (seventeen years ago) link

I hear a lot of stuff on those Good Times Oldies stations that I would swear are re-recordings. Maybe they're just remixed for better sound.

― Joe Isuzu's Petals (Rock Hardy), Saturday, 23 December 2006 03:29 (seventeen years ago) link

Wasn't there a fake Specials "Greatest Hits" like this released a month or two ago?

― telephonething (telephonething), Saturday, 23 December 2006 03:36 (seventeen years ago) link

xpost - I assume there's some reason for it, like the people who do it don't have rights to the original masters or something but own the songs? Also, you could easily bang out an entire disc like that in a day with pro musicians.

― Hurting (A-Ron Hubbard), Saturday, 23 December 2006 03:52 (seventeen years ago) link

xpost - I assume there's some reason for it, like the people who do it don't have rights to the original masters or something but own the songs?

That's pretty much it right there. A lot of older artists will rerecord an old hit so that they have a master that is cheap to license. I'm assuming that's what the bulk of these discs are comprised of. There are also a lot of live shows that are no longer owned by the artists' original label - I've seen more than a couple of live James Brown discs in the aforementioned bargain bins.

― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), Saturday, 23 December 2006 04:06 (seventeen years ago) link

buncha these things showed up on Rhapsody recently w/titles like ROCK MASTERS and CHOICE CUTS. I listened (briefly) to mediocre Flaming Groovies (re-recorded "Shake Some Action") and just godawful Mitch Ryder (live "Rock & Roll"). caveat emptor muthafucka.

fans of old-school country are used to variations on this scam, tho some re-recorded honky tonk (cf. Ernest Tubb) ain't bad.

― mark coleman (lovebug ), Saturday, 23 December 2006 10:40 (seventeen years ago) link

I did once make the mistake of getting a Sam & Dave "best of" that turned out to be re-recorded - and I wouldn't even be surprised if it wasn't both of them, considering the falling out they had.

― Hurting (A-Ron Hubbard), Sunday, 24 December 2006 07:54 (seventeen years ago) link

Didn't one of them die, like, twenty years ago or something?

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Sunday, 24 December 2006 09:30 (seventeen years ago) link

Some of these re-recordings can be kinda cool... I have a version of Astrud Gilberto's "Girl from Ipanema" where the vocals are pretty much the same as in the original, but it has a steady four-to-the-floor beat and some disco strings. I think it's great!

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Sunday, 24 December 2006 09:43 (seventeen years ago) link

I've got a Hank Williams one of these that's a transcript of a radio show! It's rad!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Sunday, 24 December 2006 10:11 (seventeen years ago) link

I have a Kool & the Gang best-of like this. It's not even that great of a tracklist. "Jungle Boogie" is the only pre-JT Taylor song. Having that stoopid "Reggae Dancing" song, but not "Hollywood Swinging" = high crime.

― Rodney is wise enough to know when a gift needs givin' (Rodney J. Greene), Sunday, 24 December 2006 19:24 (seventeen years ago) link

I bought that Flamin' Groovies one by accident once. The store took it back though.

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Sunday, 24 December 2006 19:53 (seventeen years ago) link

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