(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Elvis Costello Not Wanting You to Buy His $225 Box Set
Elvis Costello is a living legend. If it’s at all possible, he might even be under-appreciated in the historical landscape of music. People love The Talking Heads with abandon, blast Blondie at parties and mention The Cars as being that era of music’s resident hit-makers. Lost in the new wave shuffle is Elvis Costello. The guy is a genius. No debate on that.
Costello’s record company is releasing a box set just in time for the holidays for the low price of $225. Wait, what? Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook comes with three CDs, a vinyl record, a concert DVD and a 40-page coffee table book. Hey, coffee table books aren’t cheap.
The music and DVD were recorded earlier this year at a two-night stand in Los Angeles, where Costello spun a wheel to select his set list, NBC New York notes.
It all sounds great, except the singer is taking the unusual approach by encouraging his fans to not buy it. You read that right — don’t buy it. In fact, he’d prefer it if you buy a Louis Armstrong box set with the money and acquire his box set through “unconventional means.”
The 57-year-old British singer, whose real name is Declan MacManus, took to his blog Tuesday afternoon and insisted the price of the box set was “either a misprint or a satire.”
Here’s what he said, in part:
If you should really want to buy something special for your loved one at this time of seasonal giving, we can whole-heartedly recommend, “Ambassador Of Jazz” – a cute little imitation suitcase, covered in travel stickers and embossed with the name “Satchmo” but more importantly containing TEN re-mastered albums by one of the most beautiful and loving revolutionaries who ever lived – Louis Armstrong.
The box should be available for under one hundred and fifty American dollars and includes a number of other tricks and treats. Frankly, the music is vastly superior.
Costello goes on to say that his box set will be available in separate components at affordable prices once the calendar kicks over to 2012. While Costello’s comments may not sit well with his record label, this story has generated considerable publicity and buzz for the set, out Dec. 6, reports Reuters.
See, now you know Costello was planning to release a box set. Either it’s an honest suggestion from Costello to buy Louis Armstrong instead, or it’s a shrewd marketing ploy. Either way, the set is available on Amazon right now for $202, and you kind of have to applaud his frankness. We can’t imagine anyone dropping $225 for a couple of Costello CDs, no matter how great that coffee table book is.
Sadly, Armstrong’s Ambassador of Jazz is currently out of stock.
Maybe we can just obtain them both via cough, unconventional means, cough.
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