> > Yep, she did.  As I understand it, the booklet concept of the new 
> > packaging was how she'd wanted to do it originally, but didn't have 
> > the budget for it.  Once she was able to do it, she decided 
> to make it 
> > worth buying again for the die-hard fans (which she must 
> have realized 
> > would be the only takers anyway) by adding the bonus CD of live 
> > material and b-sides.  Maybe not the nicest gesture to those who 
> > bought the original, but at least there was a thought to 
> the fans in 
> > putting together the content of the end product.
> 
> Maybe it's just because I'm a cynic, but, while I find it 
> very easy to believe that Aimee Mann is reissuing her CD for 
> all the right reasons, I find it very HARD to believe that 
> Columbia reissued the Thorns CD because they felt like they 
> really ought to have included that bonus disc of acoustic 
> versions all along.  If that was the case, then they 
> should've done what Elektra did with the Cure's most recent 
> best-of:  release it from the get-go as a limited edition 
> 2-disc set with a second disc of acoustic versions of all the 
> songs.  That's all I'm asking, really:  give the fans a 
> reason to buy the album right off the bat.  Don't try to 
> figure out a way to make them buy it a second time...at least 
> not quite so quickly after its initial release.  I'm resigned 
> to buying reissues 5 years down the line with B-sides tacked 
> onto an album...but not 5 MONTHS later!
> 

I completely agree.  Crappy and exploitive behavior by a major.  That
said, I do seem to notice bonus material getting packaged up-front a lot
more, though.  F'rinstance, Josh Rouse's newest had a DVD bonus from the
very beginning, Old 97s "Satellite Rides" had a limited bonus from its
initial release, and if I were following good essay form, I'd come up
with a third example too, but my brain is fried from a long long day.

C