Waterloo 50th Anniversary Vinyl Issues

All available to order now

No, that’s not correct. The photos I posted earlier in the thread were from the 40-single box, and two of those had company sleeves.

It seems the logic for these sets is:
All to be issued in replica sleeves based on what was originally released in Sweden.

Except:
Singles not actually released in Sweden (and there were some) in which case use the Polar artwork used in Denmark or Norway. Love Isn’t Easy is one of the many examples of this. Not released as a single in Sweden so modern issues have used the artwork from Denmark.

Therefore even though Waterloo did have a picture sleeve in Denmark (which I posted a picture of earlier in the thread), it didn’t in Sweden therefore can’t be used.

Ridiculous logic really but there you go…

Ridiculous indeed. Leaving a picture sleeve out for Waterloo is a bizarre decision. This makes this box set the least appealing set to date. The only interesting thing about this is the picture on the lid (although it's not a previously unreleased photo). I would have preferred this as the album cover instead of the one that was released.

For me, these vinyl reissues (half-speed album, picture-discs and singles box) are nothing to get very excited about. I bought all the other singles box sets but only as artefacts. You look at them once or twice and then store them away. I didn't get any of the picture discs or half-speed albums because I'm not into vinyl.

Is it not? I wasn’t sure. We’re used to two different Waterloo cover shots due to the 2001-and-later CD issues using a different one from the original. Has this actual photo been seen before then?

I agree about the box. The vinyl colours don’t look inspiring either. I was hoping for a green one to match the colour on the company sleeve. One picture sleeve isn’t good. The Ring Ring one also had two company sleeves, but at least there were three others.

I certainly won’t be bothering with the 10” vinyl or the half-speed remastered album. I think once this picture disc/coloured vinyl box series is done with, I’ll be stopping.

Sorry but.... OMG... Frida has moved her thumb.... there are some seriously dedicated fans out there... I need a life......

I seriously try to live and let live with people and thoughts, I may not always understand or get it right, but personally I found that Frida moving her thumb by a fraction , was beyond as they say... but hey if anyone wants to spend their money on that, who am I...

Fill your boots....

Unless they Photoshop the image and re position the SOS image against a dark background
The 1975 album will be 4 singles, here's hoping they are colour coordinated as best as possible.

Alan I do understand, the fact that some people will buy because, whether in 2001, 2024 or 2044. Is beyond my own personal reasoning, but as said each to their own and whatever makes you happy, it's harmless, but boy those marketing people know how to push buttons and get certain fans to put hands in their pockets....

All I ask for is for something new, and I'll be there in that queue

We move on, as said only my own opinion....

Yes, the thing about Frida's thumb is about spotting whether the original photo was used for the new release. It's probably the only reliable clue from a bunch of very similar photos. I don't think Alan or anyone else was suggesting that anyone would really buy a new release based on such a tiny detail. It's just a little sleuthing on Alan's part, if I'm reading things correctly. It's a way of figuring out whether the new sleeve is a scan or a re-creation.

All that said, there might well be people who would make sure their collections included every minutely different variant of a sleeve!

I wonder if the clothing and other merchandise is a sign of things to come? We’d already had it with Voyage, of course, so it was no real surprise, but in the past, the Waterloo anniversary was used as a try-out for future issues. In 2004 there was the Waterloo 30th Anniversary edition, a proto-type deluxe, then in 2014 a 7” picture disc. For Arrival’s 50th anniversary in 2026, it seems we’ll get more clothing and merchandise.

I’m not interested in any of that, but as all vinyl and CD options appear to have been exhausted, I can’t imagine what else they’ll do.

Going back to Graham’s comment about stuff going to charity shops after we’re gone… I hope not as some of it is worth a lot! The Arrival coloured vinyl box appears to fetch prices of over £300 (one sold on Discogs in December for £315). I think there’s only Arrival and The Album (£80 Discogs sale in December, but has previously fetched £257 on there) that are attracting interest as they were issued in lower numbers than later sets and have thicker vinyl (and arguably much nicer colours).

If I'm not mistaken it's in the Official Photo Book.

We all have our failings...
Live and let live whether we agree with each other or not....

What Records (who I’d not heard of until recently) have the picture discs at £11.99 each. Quite competitive until postage of £6.50 is added. I enquired whether they would have the coloured vinyl box but apparently that’s “D2C” (direct-to-consumer) so they won’t be getting it. Even Amazon doesn’t appear to list it, but The Sound of Vinyl does.

The previous boxes weren’t D2C were they?

What Records also have five of the album picture discs for £16.99 each (with two others at £19.99, the only one they don’t have being Super Trouper). Really not sure I want them though, even at those prices! Their maximum postage charge is £8 so it would be worthwhile but…. I just don’t find album issues as interesting as singles.

There have been some improvements in recent years. At one point, the entire artwork - text and all - was being scanned. And dodgy scans at that. The text didn’t look as sharp as it would in a re-creation. That issue has been addressed - all text is now recreated (and very obviously in some cases as there are differences between original fonts/placings and new ones) - but it falls down because the photos still - somehow - appear to be scans.

What’s even more unfathomable is how The Visitors and Waterloo photos are unavailable/lost on CD artwork, but still used on much larger vinyl albums. A scan of a vinyl cover would be much less obvious if used on smaller CD artwork. To be fair, CDs still use the 2001 artwork, which was reproduced for the later deluxe issues. They won’t issue new CD versions now as the music industry seems hell-bent on killing off the format, but if they did, they might use the original artwork.