Man, I SO, SO, SO overpaid for the MIO release of this box set - I hate to say what I paid. I felt pretty sure it would never be released again, and I bought the last copy the MIO dude had. Oh well, I guess I funded his existence a bit.
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Pr...x-spc-001.aspx
Do think I prefer the MIO box art, but the price of that Bamboo release can't be beat:
I feel your pain. I have it in a "sell in the future" box. Might be a long time. I never cared for this set much, though I do enjoy the artist on the whole. Sounds like a bunch of rehearsals to me (especially Vol. 3). I think that's exactly what they are actually - rehearsals. Oh well.
As a fan of Mako, I bought the Mio box when it originally came out. A set where, in hindsight, I find 1/2 of the material from satisfactory to excellent and the rest as filler. I always had the impression that Mio overpriced it when the company was dissolved. Was it around $100 on the give-away list, if I remember well? I advised several friends of mine at the time, to hunt it down at record fairs or specialised 2nd hand stores and some of them found it at half price.
However, I'm currently watching reasonable prices in Discogs, considering the scarcity.
I thought it was $80 in the clearance sale, but I could be wrong. I considered buying it, but didn't.
Looks like the market has bottomed out on this (https://www.discogs.com/sell/release/779877?ev=rb) - I bet that once it became easier to source through Discogs, more copies came to light. As Tom said above, probably one to set away in the closet for a few years and come back to.Originally Posted by spacefreak
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I think calling it an audio sketchbook would be more accurate. I believe these to be his unedited working tapes containing ideas of which some were developed and released later, some were abandoned, and some were just obvious tomfoolery. The material overall ranges from incredible to execrable - like the (IIRC) almost 20 minutes at the end of one disc which is nothing more than him exploring different sounds on a synth. This set could probably have been whittled down to a solid 2 CD release, I'd bet. Maybe even 3.
"I tah dah nur!" - Ike
I found this intriguing when Steve first listed this on the Wayside site. Enough of it exists on YouTube that I got a pretty good feel for what it would be like--as you guys say, a lot of rehearsals/experiments, occasionally some sublime passages. I decided to pass. If/when anyone puts out a one or two CD highlights set (unlikely I know), I'll reconsider.
MIO approached me to remaster this and I told them it sounds fine as is
Some of it is cool some of it is passable
I don't see the original Japanese edition even listen at Discogs
I wonder how much that would fetch...
I only saw it once for sale at the New Sonic Architecture catalogue, just upon release. Never again. It preceeded Mio by almost a decade if I remember well.
Of course it depends on the condition they are in. Also if the OBI is still there (and in good condition).
For the second one (Super Record) it's important if the blue flexi is included or not. (etc. etc.)
But normally those go for 250 to 350 bucks.
Never understood the importance of these OBIs
Neither do I... I can't read them anyway and in the old days, I've thrown them out from every japanese release I had.
It's a collecting fetish. I don't understand it myself, but I always try and find copies with them in case I want to sell them later.
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Mike |
The Vinyl Archivist : Record Cleaning Service |
The Vinyl Archivist Catalogue Sale : New Sale coming Fall 2022 |
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The records & CDs were issued with Obis, and are thus incomplete without them. I also prefer records that were issued with an insert to have that insert.
Exactly this (and what Mark says above). When I see a Japanese album for sale, I have a motto: "No obi, no buy". It's just a function of economics, as the obi adds significant value. I used to remove them (and store carefully) so I could see the full artwork. But over time, I've actually come to appreciate the obi as part of the total artwork, and now display them as such. Definitely a side effect of being a hardcore collector, and can certainly understand the other perspective, as I once felt the same way.
I have one (forget the CD) which I cherish because it includes the words "The Glory of Japs Prog."
As I didn't have any collector reasoning, I was throwing them out since the early 90s then, after having noticed the difference in prices, began storing them away for the rare occasion I needed to resell the album. But I never had the thought not to buy an obi-less japanese release. They're cheaper anyway without and I guess I'm still not a hardcore collector.
Do you apply the same logic to the shrinkwrap? Because that's basically what the obi is. Part of the packaging; not part of the product.
Errt!...Wrong answer, thanks for playing.
Cheaper yes... But for the last part of the sentence... if only I was at your level! There are few that are
Agreed. It really is part of the product, and is considered as such in Japan. Sellers over there are more meticulous about obi's than anyone. I think it was Greg Walker who initially informed me to hold onto them, as he guessed (correctly) I may not know that (this is going back to the 1980s). Like Spyros mentioned though, albums could be had for much cheaper without them, and so I took that bait for awhile myself.
I don't dispute that some people like to collect them. Just like some people like to collect bottle caps, empty beer cans, matchbooks, or cigar bands. Still, most people consider them garbage.
I don't give really a damn about owning the obis or not, but keep them when I get them because they easily fit inside the jewel case. I don't keep the larger horizontal "browser strips" (like Cuneiform used to include on many of their titles, for example) because they don't fit inside the jewel case.
Not quite sure why you are taking such a strong stance on this point (or it appears that way). But I'd like some data to support your claim that "most people consider them garbage." Where is this coming from? Is this how they feel in Japan? Maybe your right, but it would be good to hear the perspective of a Japanese consumer, or those who have spent a lot of time there (perhaps yourself even). I haven't been to Japan, so I'm in no position to speak beyond what I hear from collectors, which could be skewed. I will say that when (or if) you sell the CDs, you'll be glad you kept the obi's!
As for the Cuneiform/Laser's Edge ad strips, I have to agree that's more problematic because they don't fit in the casing. For a long time, I tossed them in a box. Some still are, while others I have them in sealed plastic sleeves or laying on top. But it's not convenient for sure.
Most hardcover books have higher values if they include the dust jackets. That's just the way it is.
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