The death of the double CD

[Yodelgoat]

I recently ordered Chicago Transit Authority and The Kink Kronicles both from different vendors. They came on the same day, and I wa looking forward to listening, and then...

I opened the packages and Both only had one CD of the double set...

I emailed them quickly, and both responded with feigned shock - "We didnt know this was a double album!" (the Kinks says right on it: "a specially priced 2 disc set")

Are these disks really that obscure that CD retailer would not know that they are doubles? Do we have a bunch of retailers buying up half sets of music cd's? I did ask them if by chance they might have the other disk. Neither responded in the affirmative.

Anyway, I have two halves of two good albums now, and supposedly, I will be seeing a full refund. I guess "buy new" would be the watchword of the day. The only trouble is, I already owned these, and I'm just re-purchasing the physical copy, because I cant seem to find the originals.

THats a weird thing, two disks at the same time from different vendors.

[happytheman]

I thought you were discussing the fact "some" CD makers have figured out how to squeeze the double album onto one disc.. thus saving the consumer $'s..

[Dana5140]

By disc, do you mean the music that was on the second LP of the original? Since there is less than 80 minutes of music on the actual records, so you would only get one CD anyway. Not clear from your writing.

[Vic2012]

Uh, I have all the best Chicago albums (CTA, II, III) on CD. None of them are double CDs. All "4 sides" of music are contained on one CD. Are you sure you're missing half the album?

[JJ88]

Yes, the Rhino Chicago debut is one disc. That's the one I have, but I've seen an older copy and that's one disc too.

[rcarlberg]

I have a 2-CD press of CTA. Columbia C2K 00008, UBC 7464-00008-2. Maybe/probably it would all fit on one CD, but call me crazy, I like to maintain the layout of the original LPs. I have an old 2-CD copy of "Tommy" as well.

[Rarebird]

I only have a double disc version of II and I think the later single disc version comes with bonus-tracks.

[bRETT]

Lots of double CD's were turned into singles when manufacturers realized you could have 78 minutes on a CD. This also happened with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

[spellbound]

Kink Kronikles was 2 records and is now 2 CDs. I suspect this is because the total time of the music on the album exceeds 80 minutes.

[JJ88]

Some earlier discs were only 74 minutes long. It seems arbitrary to me, as does 80- I always felt 90 minutes would have been better. Most double albums would have fit on that.

The worst was when people decided that they knew better than the artists and removed tracks from double vinyls, just so they could fit the rest on one disc.

[philsunset]

I have a 2-CD press of CTA. Columbia C2K 00008, UBC 7464-00008-2. Maybe/probably it would all fit on one CD, but call me crazy, I like to maintain the layout of the original LPs.

Do you have to flip it over every 20 minutes?

[Just Eric]

What's a CD?

[GuitarGeek]

I only have a double disc version of II and I think the later single disc version comes with bonus-tracks.

Well, there are versions with bonus tracks, but there's also a single disc version without. Columbia apparently issued some (or all) of the Chicago albums that were originally double LP's as double CD's at some in the 80's.

Then, in the 90's, the band reacquired the rights to their catalog, and after leaving Warner Brothers, started up Chicago Records. Then, the entire catalog was reissued on Chicago Records, with those albums as a single CD. Only Chicago At Carnegie Hall remained a multi-disc set.

Then, a few years ago, I think it was Rhino put out the Chicago remasters, which have bonus tracks on them, with Chicago At Carnegie Hall now having a full CD of bonus tracks (thus restoring it to a four disc set, as previous CD editions had condensed the package down to three CD's).

I don't mind having a double LP on a single CD, so long as they don't cut material out. I know there were a few double LP's back in the day where literally a song or two out to fit the album on one CD. That was done with live albums by both Little Feat and Triumph, and also with Prince's 1999. And on one of the Tangerine Dream, I think it was Poland, they cut a chunk out of one of the tracks when it was reissued as a single disc in the mid 90's.

One of the best deals was what Virgin did when they reissued the Gong and Steve Hillage catalogs: they took one track off Gong Live Etc and used it as a bonus track on Angel's Egg ("We figured you'd buy both albums anyway", it says in the notes) and the studio tracks that were on side four Live/Herald were moved over to the Open CD (which was now billed on the cover as "Open, featuring Studio Herald").

If the entire double LP will fit on one CD, do it. Making it a double CD only gives the label an excuse to charge double the money (and don't pretend it hasn't happened). I don't see what the point is quibbling over having sides three and four on the same disc as sides one and two. So what?

[No Pride]

I thought you were discussing the fact "some" CD makers have figured out how to squeeze the double album onto one disc.. thus saving the consumer $'s..

So did I. A couple of those that I have are:
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland
Tony Williams Lifetime - Emergency!

But packaging half of a double album? That's way weird!

[Progbear]

“Death”? Considering a lot of albums (especially reissues) are coming out only as ultra-deluxe, high-priced multiple-disc sets, frequently with lots of superfluous bonus tracks (like the dreaded “never released single edit”) or DVDs you’ll watch once and never again. It’s like they think only rich people deserve to enjoy good music. People struggling to meet ends meet? Screw you! The new Lady Gaga album is 99¢, go download that!

[bRETT]

Well, there are versions with bonus tracks, but there's also a single disc version without. Columbia apparently issued some (or all) of the Chicago albums that were originally double LP's as double CD's at some in the 80's.

2, 3 and 7 were always single CD's. The Chicago Records versions were clones of the original Columbias. Then came the Rhino versions which the folks at the Hoffman forums think are atrocities.

[GuitarGeek]

2, 3 and 7 were always single CD's. The Chicago Records versions were clones of the original Columbias. Then came the Rhino versions which the folks at the Hoffman forums think are atrocities.

I stand corrected. I think was a little slow to pick up on the early Chicago records, so I'm not sure I ever saw or paid attention to the Columbia releases. I might have borrowed the Columbia version of Chicago At Carnegie Hall from the library back when I got my first CD player, as I don't think Chicago Records existed yet at that point. But by the time I actually started buying them, I think the Columbia versions were already off the market.

The only one of the Rhinos I have is At Carnegie Hall, and that was solely because of the extensive bonus materials and because I loathe re-buying stuff that I already have.

[rcarlberg]

Do you have to flip it over every 20 minutes?

The hard part is getting the needle to track the pits.

[GuitarGeek]

So did I. A couple of those that I have are:
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland
Tony Williams Lifetime - Emergency!

But packaging half of a double album? That's way weird!

Electric Ladyland was a weird one. First Warners put it out on as a double CD, then I don't think it was even a year later, they put it out as a single CD. The single CD had side three indexed differently. On the double CD edition, Moon Turn The Tides Gently, Gently Away is something like a minute long, while on the single it also includes the last 8 minutes of 1983 (A Merman I Should Turn To Be).

[SteveSly]

Back whe CD's first came out a lot of 2 album CD's were put out on 2CD's even when they could have fit on one in order to charge more money for them.

Steve Sly

[GuitarGeek]

Back whe CD's first came out a lot of 2 album CD's were put out on 2CD's even when they could have fit on one in order to charge more money for them.

Steve Sly

Not even just when they first came out. The remasters of the Kiss Alive and Kiss Alive II (which came out around 96-97, I think) were like that too. How much you wanna bet, Gene actually said "Make sure we keep them as double CD's, so that we can charge more"?

[Finch Platte]

The latest Buddy Guy release, Rhythm & Blues, comes as a 2-disc set. I burned a copy for my car and discovered if I left off a track called Rhythm Inner Groove (35 seconds long, more of a jam, actually), I can fit the 2 discs onto one burned CD. Don't these people ever think of the planet, man?

Astounding and rockin' blues disc set by a guy who is 77 years old, by the way.

[Yodelgoat]

Both were absolutely only only one of the two cd's. On CTA it was the first CD - just like the first album - Thre everything until "free form guitar" Nothing after that....

On The Kinks, it was missing one of my favorite Kink Songs "Apeman"...

Yeah, it was clearly only one half of the CD and NOT a combined cd (although that would be great!)

Still shopping for those two CD's - Definitely something I can't only use one half of...

[Vic2012]

Guitar Geek: I don't mind having a double LP on a single CD, so long as they don't cut material out. I know there were a few double LP's back in the day where literally a song or two out to fit the album on one CD.

Yeah, the first CD release of Kansas' "Two For The Show" was crammed onto one disk. They cut out "Closet Chronicles" in order to get the whole thing on one CD. I got rid of it as soon as I heard 24TS was gonna be remastered and repackaged. And they did a hell of a job remastering it too.

[Trane]

I have a 2-CD press of CTA. Columbia C2K 00008, UBC 7464-00008-2. Maybe/probably it would all fit on one CD, but call me crazy, I like to maintain the layout of the original LPs. I have an old 2-CD copy of "Tommy" as well.

Lots of double CD's were turned into singles when manufacturers realized you could have 78 minutes on a CD. This also happened with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

I've no problels with double albums fitting on a single CD, as long as they're fitted without editing, when possible of course... And this goes for Chicago, Elton, and Tommy or Third (Soft Machine) as well, but obviously not for Lamb

I couldn't stand Hendrix's Ladyland being amputated from one (or part of) of the better track on the album on side 3, though..

Excluding live albums, the only major 70's double LP I've yet to buy (of those I'm ibnterested in) in CD is Quadrophenia, though

I don't mind having a double LP on a single CD, so long as they don't cut material out. I know there were a few double LP's back in the day where literally a song or two out to fit the album on one CD. That was done with live albums by both Little Feat and Triumph, and also with Prince's 1999. And on one of the Tangerine Dream, I think it was Poland, they cut a chunk out of one of the tracks when it was reissued as a single disc in the mid 90's.

If the entire double LP will fit on one CD, do it. Making it a double CD only gives the label an excuse to charge double the money (and don't pretend it hasn't happened). I don't see what the point is quibbling over having sides three and four on the same disc as sides one and two. So what?

That's more or less the idea...

But packaging half of a double album? That's way weird!

Sounds like a bootleg or some kind of other con

Electric Ladyland was a weird one. First Warners put it out on as a double CD, then I don't think it was even a year later, they put it out as a single CD. The single CD had side three indexed differently. On the double CD edition, Moon Turn The Tides Gently, Gently Away is something like a minute long, while on the single it also includes the last 8 minutes of 1983 (A Merman I Should Turn To Be).

And to think that's some of Hendrix best music that they cut away... what a bunch of dorks...