Why Are Aging Rock and Rollers Ripping Off Fans

Artists who  haven’t produced anything new in decades expect fans to pay for expensive re-issues

By Stephen Pate – The Beatles complete mono albums in vinyl cost a whopping $400 for music that is 50 years old – The Beatles in Mono Vinyl Box Set (Limited Edition).  But the sound is so much better than the last 3 or 4 expensive re-issues of The Beatles recordings

Bob Dylan wants $140 for 4 CD’s of the famous 1967 Basement Tapes sessions with The Band, The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11(Deluxe Edition).   Top price for this should be $50 but fans are expected to shell out the big bucks for this collection of oldies.

Check the number for Dylan – that’s the 11th official bootleg but not the most expensive. Bob Dylan ” Tell Tale Signs ” The BOOTLEG Series Vol. 8 was over $150 and The Complete Album Bob Dylan Collection V.1 costs $300.

This is the “box-set” season when people are lining up their wish lists for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Other box sets due this year before year-end, priced reasonably and otherwise, include:

The Kinks: The Anthology 1964 – 1971 (5CD Box Set) $66

Johnny Mathis: The Complete Global Albums Collection – Box Set $99

Simon and Garfunkel: Complete Albums Collection $85

Henry Mancini: The Classic Soundtrack Collection $90

Captain Beefheart: Sun, Zoom, Spark: 1970 to 1972 $51

All Of My Memories: The John Denver Collection $59

Ronnie Milsap: The RCA Albums Collection $115

Bruce Cockburn: Rumours Of Glory $150

For a complete list of unreleased box sets that will arrive before year-end, check out the unreleased Amazon.com box sets.

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