It looks like the Japanese are going to experiment with a new kind of release, and Carpenters' NOW AND THEN will be among the first. It will be a CD release with an LP-sized cover. Here's the latest from Yuka in Japan for those not on her mailing list:
It should be interesting...
Harry
Yuka said:Hi Carpenters fan,
It has been a looooong time since I had last posted this info mail. I
wish I could be more active informing you lots of wonderful news about
Carpenters, but that is not up to me. I am just very happy that
Richard finally started doing things on the web. Now we can ask him
questions etc.
I have two subjects to share with you today. One, "Now and Then"
re-issue in Japan. Two, "I Need to be in Love" SACD mix.
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NOW and THEN re-issue in 12 inch cardboard cover
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A couple of people asked me regarding re-issue of "Now and Then" in
Japan. Yeah, another re-issue. But I would not mail out this
newsletter it that is not noteworthy, a.k.a. just another re-issue.
This is going to be something special actually.
This is going to be cardboad artwork in the size of black record disk
with regular CD in it!!!!
If you were born after 1975, probably you do not know what black
record disk is... ?! Then please just ask the elder around you. They
can tell you.
I ran into an A&R of Carpenters at Universal Music Japan today and I
asked him about it. According to him, this is like a new experiment.
UMJapan had picked 30-40 titles to see how this new type of release
would work.
Why? Well, according to the A&R, 12 inch square thing is something
huggable. People like to hug 12 inch thing. And also, some people may
want to display artworks and they do not have to depend on secondhand
market to hunt down such album cover. Kinda fashionable to carry it
around also.
It is interesting how we still long for 12 inch artwork cover in the
age of digital music files.
I usually help getting these Japan only stuff, but since this is
gonig to be a bit big in size, I have a feeling it may be better for
you to wait until Amazon.com starts to carring it so that you can get
free shipping in the U.S. probably. But if you think getting it from
me is cheaper, let me know. I will be happy to help you -- as always.
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"I Need to be in Love" SACD mix
--------------------------------
Some people have addressed me with this question. Yes, Richard had
made SACD mix of "I Need to be in Love", and he thought Japanese
version of SACD would include it as a bonus track.
Universal Music Japan has decided not to release "Singles 1969-1981
/Carpenters" A&M Chronicles/SACD/Hybrid. Because the US version of
this disk is selling here for US$15 per disk, which is about $10
cheaper than regular Japanese CD retail price. Just adding one track
and even it is the very special bonus track, UMJ came to conclude that
they just can not compete with US version of it.
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Sweet Memory Set and others
-----------------------------------------
I had the luck of finding a couple of 6CD Sweet Memory Sets with and
without outer cover in the last couple of weeks. I was able to
purchase it with fairly reasonable price. If anybody would like it,
please ask.
Also, though I have not quite updated my website, fans overseas asked
me to get this and find that, and they ended up not picking up. It was
not like boxset or anything big. If you are interested in Carpenters
Japan only disks or publications which came out in the 70's, let me
know.
http://iceland.cool.ne.jp/yuka/english/Carp/
That is about what I want to share with you.
#You are welcome to share this info with your friends who love
Carpenters. You may also forward this email to any Carpenters mailing
lists but nowhere else, please.
Thanks,
Yuka Ogura
It should be interesting...
Harry
Although MY idea was to put a coupon in with the regular CD offering a full-sized album cover for a buck or two (with the sleeve glued inside to accept the CD). Hope it's successful. That's a good cover to do such a program with.
