Mark, is Mark still the archivist of the group most likely to plan any future digging ?
When we were in contact circa 2011 I got the sense that he was still the one with more of a handle of what was in the vaults. But I don't think he - or even the band more generally - get to call all the shots as to what kind of reissues happen. There was a bit of disappointment that Universal had originally expressed some interest in more of a career-spanning retrospective, but it had then devolved to a box-set based solely around DC, and then I guess that eventually fell by the wayside too. It was also Universal who'd decided against doing a WLL reissue alongside the other albums a few years beforehand, even though Mark certainly felt that that would be one of the most interesting ones to do.
They did manage to establish at that point that the BBC still had the full V96 concert, including all the unbroadcast songs. So that'd be an interesting one to hear at some point.
Do we know for sure that this Different Class boxset is actually happening?
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"Yes I saw her in the chip shop / so I said get yer top off"
No, just speculation based on Steve, Jarvis and one of the guys who mastered Different Class (Geoff Pesche) being pictured together in studio on the Abbey Road Facebook page during the summer of last year along with a caption of "Watch this space" or similar.
Pesche is credited on the HnH vinyl remaster that came out last October so it could be that was what he and Steve were working on and Jarvis just popped in. However it would seem strange that Mr Pesche was only there to work on a record he had no prior involvement in, instead of the album he did have experience in making. Also, the turnaround in time from that picture and HnH coming out was only three or four months which seems quite tight to me for the work to finish and copies be manufactured and distributed.
I think soundchecks would be scraping the barrel to be honest but the seven unreleased demos of album songs would cover most of a disc (in the sense that most reissues merit a disc if there's at least 10 tracks per CD).
Hardcore being repressed for sale next month according to a record store on Twitter. Maybe they did a remaster of the 3 main Island albums altogether last year and presumably DC will follow.
Not exactly the reissue campaign most of us want and to that end it probably pushes back by a few more years the possibility of unreleased stuff coming out *grumble*
I was under the impression that they remastered His n Hers and Different Class in the same session & then we just obviously have to wait for the anniversary?
Different band but has any else seen The Divine Comedy's reissues & boxset that is out next month? Every album has an extra disc jam packed full of rarities. That's the way to do it! Although I know Neil Hannon bought back all of his own back catalogue about 10 years ago & now has complete soul control.
Maybe with more members of the band having a stake & with more awkward record labels involved it would be harder to do this with Pulp, but I can't understand why they can't knock their heads together & get some of these great records out there officially.