XFM: The 'Re-Release' - sadly, because it's easier
Because some albums really do have only three good songs on them.
| 15 Jul 2006
Anyone else bemused by the recent trend of 'the re-release'?
It used to be reserved for an old track that had come to a new generation's attention, maybe through use in an advert or film. Get it back in the shops, watch the nostalgic and the fresh-faced send it to the top of the charts!
Now? The slightly more complicated thinking seems to be; "Well, we released this tune 12 months back and it was a minor hit, but now loads of people have it on the album, so we'll stick it out again for the people who don't."
It's a strategy up there with cynical cover versions and re-making hit films. From a radio point-of-view we're encouraged to play an admittedly smart song again, which more people now know and love. So there's no complaint there - fine tune, everyone loves it, it's on the radio. But what does it say about the album?
I can remember a time when albums like Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' or Prince's 'Purple Rain' had so many singles released from them that they could have been re-titled 'Greatest Hits Vol. 2' and it wouldn't have been a lie. But then those were albums where every track was strong enough to be a single. If an album has had five singles released from it, and four of them are the same song twice, then either there's a lack of imagination at play or there's only three good songs on that album (see, even the maths is complicated).
I can't think it's even for the sake of saving money on a video, because whereas the first time the single was usually accompanied by a dodgy live performance that the drummer's flatmate shot, the re-release now features a helicopter chase and special effects budget which extends all the way up to air-brushing the singer's plooks out.
And all this in an age where the idea of the single is becoming a bit shaky anyway, since you can go and download any track you like, on its own, anytime you like, without adhering to some record-company 'release date'.
So, why bother?
Sadly, because it's easier - it's already vaguely familiar to people, like that old song from the film or the advert. And because, yes, some albums really do have only three good songs on them.
Still, maybe now that Xfm is letting you hear more new music the first time around, we can hark back to the days where a 'new single' meant a new single, rather than that one you already have!
It used to be reserved for an old track that had come to a new generation's attention, maybe through use in an advert or film. Get it back in the shops, watch the nostalgic and the fresh-faced send it to the top of the charts!
Now? The slightly more complicated thinking seems to be; "Well, we released this tune 12 months back and it was a minor hit, but now loads of people have it on the album, so we'll stick it out again for the people who don't."
It's a strategy up there with cynical cover versions and re-making hit films. From a radio point-of-view we're encouraged to play an admittedly smart song again, which more people now know and love. So there's no complaint there - fine tune, everyone loves it, it's on the radio. But what does it say about the album?
I can remember a time when albums like Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' or Prince's 'Purple Rain' had so many singles released from them that they could have been re-titled 'Greatest Hits Vol. 2' and it wouldn't have been a lie. But then those were albums where every track was strong enough to be a single. If an album has had five singles released from it, and four of them are the same song twice, then either there's a lack of imagination at play or there's only three good songs on that album (see, even the maths is complicated).
I can't think it's even for the sake of saving money on a video, because whereas the first time the single was usually accompanied by a dodgy live performance that the drummer's flatmate shot, the re-release now features a helicopter chase and special effects budget which extends all the way up to air-brushing the singer's plooks out.
And all this in an age where the idea of the single is becoming a bit shaky anyway, since you can go and download any track you like, on its own, anytime you like, without adhering to some record-company 'release date'.
So, why bother?
Sadly, because it's easier - it's already vaguely familiar to people, like that old song from the film or the advert. And because, yes, some albums really do have only three good songs on them.
Still, maybe now that Xfm is letting you hear more new music the first time around, we can hark back to the days where a 'new single' meant a new single, rather than that one you already have!