Lately I have found it becoming more apparent that so many bands seem to be giving the people more of what they already have (with slight variation) as opposed to giving the people what they really want. Honestly, I’m so tired of seeing bands putting out the same old material over and over again with the slightest changes to it, calling it a “remix” and then charging you an arm and a leg for it. My buddy James was just telling me about this new Beatles set that is coming out and it turns out they’re releasing an entire MONO box set. Hmmm, why in the hell would anyone want to hear MONO on CD and pay top dollar for that when their catalog has already been released? Hmmmm.
Another example of this is Iron Maiden. For those in the know, I’m a HUGE Iron Maiden fan and have been for well over 20 years. The one thing that has always pissed me off about Maiden is the fact that they continue to re-release and re-re-release all the same shit. One of the coolest things they did was when they signed a deal with Castle Records in the 90’s was that they re-released their catalog, remastered it and included a bonus disc with it of a rare 12″ single with unreleased tracks on it. That’s a great idea but unfortunately, if you already had all the Maiden CDs, you had to re-buy them to get the bonus discs and in all honesty, they didn’t sound all that different to me. In addition to that, they put out all these live albums from various tours and they all have the same fucking songs on them. Fans blame bassist and leader Steve Harris for this and matter of fact, the running joke among Maiden fans online was to say things like “C’mon ‘Arry, give us another LIVE album!”.
Don’t get me wrong, not all re-releases and box sets are a bad thing. I think box sets do serve a good purpose. Like for 
instance, when I was first getting into the Allman Brothers Band about 15 years ago, all I had purchased was their “Decade of Hits” compillation. I knew I wanted to hear more but didn’t want to get burned by purchasing everything in their collection. I found their boxset (4 CDS) and bam, I was plesantly surprised and not only that, it had a few rarities on the first disc as well from Hour Glass and The Allman Joys. I thought it really did it’s job and was a worthy purchase. Same thing goes for the Aerosmith “Pandora’s Box” set. I was in high school and all I knew of Aerosmith was “Toys In The Attic” and their cheesy “later years” albums. I got this box set of their early years stuff and was floored by what was a great collection of songs. I always kinda thought that box sets were a great way for a person to become acquainted with an artists body of work that usually surpasses just “the hits” and adds a few rare and deep cuts but maybe isn’t necessary for the fan who already has everything. I have nearly EVERY KISS album they’ve made. I have no need for the KISS Box Set because I have all those songs and even as dorky of a fan I am, I’ve already got the “rare” stuff from bootlegs.
Then you get the GOOD. A band that REALLY gave the fans what they want was Jellyfish. Here’s a band that only put out TWO studio albums in their sadly short career. Instead of re-releasing their two CD Catalog and tacking on a few extras, the band put out a full on box set of rarities called “Fan Club” that featured full live shows, all their b-sides and some rare acoustic version and alternate versions of songs from their albums. For a band that only release two albums, this was really impressive but at the same time frustrating. It’s frustrating because it made me realize that bands like KISS, Iron Maiden, The Beatles, Aerosmith, etc could do so much better for the fans. Bands like this with such extensive catalogs have to have some pretty awesome gems tucked away in the vaults. I know for a fact Maiden does as I’ve got a great two disc bootleg of all their b-sides and some other rare shit. Why couldn’t the band put a collection like this out instead of making you buy ANOTHER copy of an album you already have just to get TWO of those songs? Led Zeppelin has how many box sets and remixed albums? Why not put out a set of some rare studio out takes, unreleased tracks, alternate versions of songs?
It can be done. I feel like these bands have so much to offer their fans. Why do they continue to give the people what they already have (and if your a Maiden fan, you have it at least 3 times) as opposed to what they really want? Give the fans something special, something exciting, something they’ve never heard before and only dreamed of ever hearing. If it can be done by a band that only put out two albums in their career, it can be done by any band.
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