SMiLE Sessions box set!

[Andrew G. Doe]

Why is Capitol and the BB/BW camps not saying a word about this release..

The silence is deafening

Well, a certain AGD did post a nice message for the Azure-boarders......

Yeah, and the usual fuckwits popped out of the woodwork purely because it was me ! "Awaiting confirmation of its legality after a few phone calls across the ocean" - I nearly pissed myself at the implication. When it all popped up on amazon a few hours later... well, I did.  

[Andrew G. Doe]

What if... VDP made some select comments about a certain follically challenged Beach Boy, whose lawyers felt it not too proper, and threw out the Van Dyke with the bathwater?

Not that straightforward.

How about this? Van Dyke's interview/comments included some sniping. MEL objected, and after some back-and-forth Van Dyke refused to participate if his criticisms were going to be edited.

I believe it. Although those who believe that Mike offered heartfelt support from the beginning for Brian's efforts may not.

Not the scenario.

[jc22]

To us Brits on here I would say wait 'til it appears on Amazon.co.uk (or an independent retailer). I reckon the price will be c.£125.

[Mike's Beard]

Any UK viewers managed to access the video that's playing on amazon.com?  I managed to glimpse it the once before the system ID-ed me as a UK resident and whisked it off my screen.

I know there was a YouTube link but that's been either taken down or made inaccessible to UK folks (and I assume other Europeans).

'Xpected something on amazon.co.uk after the Bank Holiday but nothing so far.

Beginning to think Phil was right and a boycott is the only way forward. I've decided not to read any of his posts here and elsewhere until there's a glimpse of some SMiLE action here in the UK.

Your going to boycott something that is not available to you??

I'm boycotting Phil's posts until Capitol/EMI acts.

Actually Phil has yet to post anything on this thread since the release date was announced. Perhaps he's now realised what a colossal twat he has made of himself over here in the last few months.

[The Heartical Don]

I find that whole variable price point thing (with an increase of some 65% in just one day) pretty stupefying, even if it is for a  pre-order. Is that honest business practice at all?

[Loaf]

Unless I'm mistaken several UK residents have posted that they have preordered the 5 disc boxset off amazon.com. Might I humbly suggest you DON'T DO THIS IF YOU WANT THE BOXSET AT THE BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER!!!! Any goods that exceed the value of £18 coming into the UK will be subject to import tax. In short, this means that Her Majesty's Customs will hold onto your boxset for 2-3 weeks before releasing it and you will then have to pay a fee of roughly 16 pounds to your postal depot before they will sign it over to you. If you think I'm talking out of my backside here, please google United Kingdom Customs and Shipping Laws. I might also add I discovered this policy the hard way. Wait until it becomes available on amazon.co.uk then preorder from there. Trust me on this.

Calm down! Yes, UK Customs will charge you for anything over around £18. I've never had anything held for 3 weeks, they just drop a note through your door telling you to come down to their depot to pay the charges. You have to pay a £5 "fine", plus VAT (i think, so around 20%) of the price. However, i got the box set at $110, so that's around £75. Plus £5, plus VAT, that's still under £100. If the UK edition retails at £100, then i'll cancel my US order. If the UK edition retails at £150, then i've saved myself £50. I don't mind waiting.

[dmcguire70]

Any UK viewers managed to access the video that's playing on amazon.com?  I managed to glimpse it the once before the system ID-ed me as a UK resident and whisked it off my screen.

I know there was a YouTube link but that's been either taken down or made inaccessible to UK folks (and I assume other Europeans).

'Xpected something on amazon.co.uk after the Bank Holiday but nothing so far.

Beginning to think Phil was right and a boycott is the only way forward. I've decided not to read any of his posts here and elsewhere until there's a glimpse of some SMiLE action here in the UK.

I'm in Australia and the video was blocked here as well.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Unless I'm mistaken several UK residents have posted that they have preordered the 5 disc boxset off amazon.com. Might I humbly suggest you DON'T DO THIS IF YOU WANT THE BOXSET AT THE BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER!!!! Any goods that exceed the value of £18 coming into the UK will be subject to import tax. In short, this means that Her Majesty's Customs will hold onto your boxset for 2-3 weeks before releasing it and you will then have to pay a fee of roughly 16 pounds to your postal depot before they will sign it over to you. If you think I'm talking out of my backside here, please google United Kingdom Customs and Shipping Laws. I might also add I discovered this policy the hard way. Wait until it becomes available on amazon.co.uk then preorder from there. Trust me on this.

Calm down! Yes, UK Customs will charge you for anything over around £18. I've never had anything held for 3 weeks, they just drop a note through your door telling you to come down to their depot to pay the charges. You have to pay a £5 "fine", plus VAT (i think, so around 20%) of the price. However, i got the box set at $110, so that's around £75. Plus £5, plus VAT, that's still under £100. If the UK edition retails at £100, then i'll cancel my US order. If the UK edition retails at £150, then i've saved myself £50. I don't mind waiting.

On my amazon.com notification, ther duty has already been included in the purchase price:

Item(s) Subtotal:    $110.73
Shipping & Handling:    $9.98
     -----
Total Before Tax:    $120.71
Estimated Tax To Be Collected:    $0.00
Import Fees Deposit    $24.14

[The Shift]

Any UK viewers managed to access the video that's playing on amazon.com?  I managed to glimpse it the once before the system ID-ed me as a UK resident and whisked it off my screen.

I know there was a YouTube link but that's been either taken down or made inaccessible to UK folks (and I assume other Europeans).

'Xpected something on amazon.co.uk after the Bank Holiday but nothing so far.

Beginning to think Phil was right and a boycott is the only way forward. I've decided not to read any of his posts here and elsewhere until there's a glimpse of some SMiLE action here in the UK.

Your going to boycott something that is not available to you??

I'm boycotting Phil's posts until Capitol/EMI acts.

Actually Phil has yet to post anything on this thread since the release date was announced. Perhaps he's now realised what a colossal twat he has made of himself over here in the last few months.

I think he's on a read-only ban.  And, hey, if all this palaver comes to nought, he'll have won!!!!















But it won't. He hasn't.

[brother john]

Unless I'm mistaken several UK residents have posted that they have preordered the 5 disc boxset off amazon.com. Might I humbly suggest you DON'T DO THIS IF YOU WANT THE BOXSET AT THE BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER!!!! Any goods that exceed the value of £18 coming into the UK will be subject to import tax. In short, this means that Her Majesty's Customs will hold onto your boxset for 2-3 weeks before releasing it and you will then have to pay a fee of roughly 16 pounds to your postal depot before they will sign it over to you. If you think I'm talking out of my backside here, please google United Kingdom Customs and Shipping Laws. I might also add I discovered this policy the hard way. Wait until it becomes available on amazon.co.uk then preorder from there. Trust me on this.

Maybe, maybe not. This is basically alarmist heresay rather than expert opinion. And until it happens I wouldn't worry about it. The best things is to buy it from amazon.co.uk when it comes out, which it will about two days earlier than in the US, according to someone here on the board who everyone else has ignored.

[Paulos]

CD wow has it!

http://www.cdwow.com/CD/beach-boys-smile-sessions/dp/22221797#bc=efb1

Well, sort of.

[dmcguire70]

CD wow has it!

http://www.cdwow.com/CD/beach-boys-smile-sessions/dp/22221797#bc=efb1

Well, sort of.

Looks a bit dodgy to me!

[The Shift]

On my amazon.com notification, ther duty has already been included in the purchase price:

Item(s) Subtotal:    $110.73
Shipping & Handling:    $9.98
     -----
Total Before Tax:    $120.71
Estimated Tax To Be Collected:    $0.00
Import Fees Deposit    $24.14

Just checked mine - same story (different sum!). Haven't experienced this before. Much better than having some parcel company or the GPO charge you an exorbitant admin fee for handling the levy.

[The Shift]

CD wow has it!

http://www.cdwow.com/CD/beach-boys-smile-sessions/dp/22221797#bc=efb1

Well, sort of.

Looks a bit dodgy to me!

CD Wow's had it since, oh, about March!   At that price I'd snap it up (though their T&Cs allow them to change the price after ordering or cancel your order if the price goes up). I'd steer clear.

[desmondo]

On my amazon.com notification, ther duty has already been included in the purchase price:

Item(s) Subtotal:    $110.73
Shipping & Handling:    $9.98
     -----
Total Before Tax:    $120.71
Estimated Tax To Be Collected:    $0.00
Import Fees Deposit    $24.14

Just checked mine - same story (different sum!). Haven't experienced this before. Much better than having some parcel company or the GPO charge you an exorbitant admin fee for handling the levy.

And mine - same as

Hey after 36 years - who gives a f**k what it costs - IMHO its a bargain

[Mike's Beard]

About 5 years ago I bought four or five items off playusa.com. It was my first ever internet purchase. They were all dispatched on the same day. Most of them were single edition DVDs which separately came to under a tenner each. These arrived within a week. The boxset that I ordered the same time which cost around $30 did not. Over two weeks after that I got a slip through my door courtesy of Royal Mail telling me my item could be collected from their depot (after paying fee). So this does happen. Of course even with fee it will still no doubt be cheaper than what rip off Briton will charge for it. If you don't mind waiting then it is the more sensible choice. I was just warning any UK residents who go with the import option not to expect it to be on their doorstep within a day of it's release.

[The Shift]

It's happened to me too, Mr Son of Mike's Beard (is that really your name – one of my favourite pop stars is called Mike, and he has a beard! Coincidence!).  Billy Hinsche's last bundle of DVDs cost me a packet to collect from the post office and I wasn't too happy. This Amazon service at least should see them swing through customs a lot faster.

Like Desmondo says, though, after all this time…

[The Shift]

BTW -

has there been any word about why VDP is not to be seen (as a commentator) in the box paraphernalia? I could think up several valid reasons myself why not. The man perhaps thought: now, I have a career of my own, do quite a bit of shows, just started a new label and do releases on that... and I did my fair share with BWPS already, and did not back down from interviews elsewhere, in which SMiLE was mentioned. I am fully entitled to return to my own work, instead of going through it all again.

Another: I have nothing to add of much news value any more. Everything's been said, I think.

Another: this is the shelved version of the project after all, and I wasn't treated that well at the time.

All fair, IMHO.

Interesting points, and again I'm sure the only person who could give the answer is Van Dyke himself if he were asked and felt like opening up. I cannot imagine the amount of baggage attached to this for someone like Van Dyke Parks, maybe it's best to leave it up to him if he wants to open up about it. More than anyone else other than Brian himself, when Smile first became a reality on stage Van Dyke had a look of pure joy and relief as it all was happening, like a weight had just been lifted off of his shoulders and the music he knew was special for 40+ years was finally out there. It was a triumph on many levels, all hype aside.

It would be hard to measure that in terms of emotion, and how much more someone has left to offer up for what is basically the same music. Maybe it's a legal-contractual thing, maybe he just didn't want to do it (again)...only he can answer that.

Maybe recent statements attributed to Van Dyke about Mike Love "eating crow" have had an impact? If I was Mike, I'd be pissed off by that. But hopefully these guys are bigger than that.

Maybe his comments are on one of the pages NOT shown in the vid?

Truth will out.

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

Regarding price, it may sound crazy, but I'd pay 170$ just for Surfs Up 1967, and with intelligent people like AGD saying
It's legit, TAKE MY MONEY CAPITOL!!!

[dmcguire70]

BTW -

has there been any word about why VDP is not to be seen (as a commentator) in the box paraphernalia? I could think up several valid reasons myself why not. The man perhaps thought: now, I have a career of my own, do quite a bit of shows, just started a new label and do releases on that... and I did my fair share with BWPS already, and did not back down from interviews elsewhere, in which SMiLE was mentioned. I am fully entitled to return to my own work, instead of going through it all again.

Another: I have nothing to add of much news value any more. Everything's been said, I think.
 



Another: this is the shelved version of the project after all, and I wasn't treated that well at the time.

All fair, IMHO.

Interesting points, and again I'm sure the only person who could give the answer is Van Dyke himself if he were asked and felt like opening up. I cannot imagine the amount of baggage attached to this for someone like Van Dyke Parks, maybe it's best to leave it up to him if he wants to open up about it. More than anyone else other than Brian himself, when Smile first became a reality on stage Van Dyke had a look of pure joy and relief as it all was happening, like a weight had just been lifted off of his shoulders and the music he knew was special for 40+ years was finally out there. It was a triumph on many levels, all hype aside.

It would be hard to measure that in terms of emotion, and how much more someone has left to offer up for what is basically the same music. Maybe it's a legal-contractual thing, maybe he just didn't want to do it (again)...only he can answer that.

Maybe recent statements attributed to Van Dyke about Mike Love "eating crow" have had an impact? If I was Mike, I'd be pissed off by that. But hopefully these guys are bigger than that.

Maybe his comments are on one of the pages NOT shown in the vid?

Truth will out.

[dmcguire70]

I do believe VDP had more talent in is moustache than the man in the hat had/has in his whole body.

[Runaways]

I find that whole variable price point thing (with an increase of some 65% in just one day) pretty stupefying, even if it is for a  pre-order. Is that honest business practice at all?

i don't see what's dishonest about it. 

[Mike's Beard]

No pun intended, it's called Capitalism.

[CosmicDancer]

A lot of people keep mentioning a possible Best Buy exclusive. What is this all about? The last time i bought an album at Best Buy was in 1999 so i am out of the loop. Best Buy specifically has been known to have exclusive deals, as in offering things that are not available anywhere else? WTF. Some people (and i'm not questioning this, just confirming) think an entire bonus disc could maybe be available only through Best Buy? And stuff like shirts?? Pardon?

This is why I decided to only pre-order the box through Amazon.  I figure that Best Buy and other chain retailers will have plenty of the 2cd versions in stock and they shouldn't be hard to come by.  I wasn't so confident that they would have enough copies of the box.  I got a $50 Best Buy card as a wedding gift in June that I have been saving for SMiLE.  I didn't want to get burned by a bonus offer!

[GeorgeFellInHisHorn]

i don't know if anyone noticed, but amazon took down the promo video on the Beach Boys Amazon Page....