Ash - A-Z Series & Bands not doing conventional albums.

[The Masked Unit]

Saw them in Exmouth over the weekend

Sorry to come to the party late but, Ash played down the fucking Pav?

[Mildly Diverting]

Sorry, only just seen your reply. They did. They did indeed.

[Spiteface]

I fucking love "Ichiban"

[trotsky assortment]

Aye, 'tis all right, that.  None of them have matched 'True Love 1980' for me yet, though.

[Spiteface]

Damn, haven't bumped this in a while.

The last few have been interesting.  Not much typical "Ash" sounding stuff, although the new one out today, "Dionysian Urge" is close, as was single J, "Command".

Some of the bonus tracks have made the subscription worthwhile though, like the most recent one "Night Terrors" and "Gallows Hill"

A-Z Vol. 1 out 19/04/10

[trotsky assortment]

'Night Terrors'??  I didn't get a link for that!

[Spiteface]

That's odd.  I assume you subbed well before the cut-off point?

Anyway, just found out somethng interesting for next month's tour.  Russell Lissack from Bloc Party will be playing with the band, adding guitars & keyboards.  If they were anywhere near me this time, I'd go.  It'd be cool to see them play as a 4-piece, even if it's not Charlotte.

[trotsky assortment]

I've been subbed since day one!  I emailed the Ash webmaster with my order number and he (re-)sent me the link, so it's all good - I have 'Night Terrors' now. 

Interestingly, both that and the other recent freebie, 'Gallows Hill' have been better than the last couple of proper A-Z singles.

[Spiteface]

"War With Me" video:

Ash - War With Me (Directed by Alex Beck) www.ash-official.com

It's alright, but I don't get why this and "Space Shot" were picked to be "Radio" singles when I feel tracks like "Arcadia" (my favourite so far) should have got a bigger promotion behind it than it did.

Also, next bonus track will be "Empire of Sand", out on March 30th.

[trotsky assortment]

More bonuses?  Yay!

[trotsky assortment]

Gah.  I didn't get the link to the free 'Empire of Sand' either!  I'd love to know why I never get the freebie links, even though I've gone for the expensive vinyl subscription.

I'm currently trying to track down those two Japanese exclusive tracks too.

[Spiteface]

What about last week's bonus, Mogwai's remix of "Dare to Dream"?  I take it you did not get that one either?

Bought the CD/DVD package of "A-Z vol. 1" this week. Hearing the first 13/14 in one go, It's funny how, in only doing singles, Ash have put out their best album since "Free All Angels"

[Lee]

I've definetely mentioned this before, but it's worth pointing it out in here too. Back in 2006 V/Vm, as a kind of retirement project (despite the fact he's still making music in 2010, so make of that what you will), he decided to release a brand new track every single day for the year. By the 31st December he'd released over 600, all free to download from his website.

http://brainwashed.com/vvm/micro/vvmt365/index.htm

The most surprising thing about this is that the vast majority of it is not just noise or bastard-pop, as you'd expect from the man behind The Lady In Red Is Dancing With Meat. Even more surprising is how much of it stands up outside the context of that project. A project that ensured the cold he had on the 1st of January would stay with him for the whole year, halfway during which he moved from Stockport to Berlin.

[trotsky assortment]

What about last week's bonus, Mogwai's remix of "Dare to Dream"?  I take it you did not get that one either?

Bought the CD/DVD package of "A-Z vol. 1" this week. Hearing the first 13/14 in one go, It's funny how, in only doing singles, Ash have put out their best album since "Free All Angels"

I got the Mogwai remix, but only because I clicked the link on the website.  Didn't get an email notification.  No response from the Ash webmsater yet either.

I also found out that the Japanese pressing of the A-Z set features a bonus disc instead of the bonus DVD documentary.

The Japanese bonus disc features all of the download only remixes and acoustic tracks as well as 'Gallows Hill', 'Night Terrors' (I think) and two Japanese exclusives 'Kamakara' and 'Disenchanted'.

I WANT ONE!

[Paaaaul]

Man , they're taking the piss out of their fans aren't they?

Loads of different ways to buy the songs, all with different bonus stuff.
10 different releases so far (if you count the set of 7"s, and downloads subscription as individual releases), and we're only halfway through or so.

Having not been over-enamoured by what I've heard of A-Z so far,I was waiting for the inevitable double CD at the end of the year, but I think my long,slowly deteriorating relationship with Ash has now come to an end. Bye bye Ash.

   
• A-Z Vol. 1
  Return of White Rabbit
  A True Love 1980
  B Joy Kicks Darkness
  C Arcadia
  D Tracers
  E The Dead Disciples
  F Pripyat
  G Ichiban
  H Space Shot
  I Neon
  J Command
  K Song Of Your Desire
  L Dionysian Urge
  M War With Me
  i. Coming Around Again
  ii. The Creeps
  iii. CTRL-ALT-DEL
  iv. Do you feel it?
• A-Z Vol. 1 + DVD
  Same as above with DVD
• A-Z Vol. 1 Bonus Tracks bundle
  i. Coming Around Again
  ii. The Creeps
  iii. CTRL-ALT-DEL
  iv. Do you feel it?
  v. Return of White Rabbit
• A-Z Vol. 1 Acoustic EP
  i True Love 1980
  ii Joy Kicks Darkness
  iii Arcadia
  iv Tracers (feat. Emmy the Great)
  v Space Shot
  vi Command
  vii War With Me
• A-Z Vol. 1 Japanese Version
  Disc 1:
  Return of White Rabbit
  A True Love 1980
  B Joy Kicks Darkness
  C Arcadia
  D Tracers
  E The Dead Disciples
  F Pripyat
  G Ichiban
  H Space Shot
  I Neon
  J Command
  K Song Of Your Desire
  L Dionysian Urge
  M War With Me
  i. Coming Around Again
  ii. The Creeps
  iii. CTRL-ALT-DEL
  iv. Do you feel it?
  v. Kamakura
  vi. Disenchanted
  
  Disc 2:
  1. Lay Down Your Arms
  2. Gallows Hill
  3. True Love 1980 (acoustic)
  4. Tracers (acoustic featuring Emmy The Great)
  5. Space Shot (acoustic)
  6. War With Me (acoustic)
  7. Return of White Rabbit (Jaymo & Andy George Remix)
  8. Return Of White Rabbit (Atomic Heart Remix)
  9. True Love 1980 (Loverush UK! Vocal Remix edit)
  10. True Love 1980 (Loverush UK! Dubstrumental)
  11. True Love 1980 (Vince Clarke Remix)
  12. Space Shot (Pete Doyle's Rocksolid Remix)
  13. Space Shot (Snitch Brothers Remix)
  14. Neon (Beatcave Remix)
• A-Z Digital Subscription
  A - True Love 1980   
  B - Joy Kicks Darkness   
  C - Arcadia   
  D - Tracers   
  E - The Dead Disciples   
  F - Pripyat   
  G - Ichiban   
  H - Space Shot   
  I - Neon   
  J - Command   
  K - Song Of Your Desire   
  L - Dionysian Urge   
  M - War With Me   
  N - Dare to Dream   
  O - Mind Control   
  P - Title TBA   
  Q - Title TBA   
  R - Title TBA   
  S - Title TBA   
  T - Title TBA   
  U - Title TBA   
  V - Title TBA   
  W - Title TBA   
  X - Title TBA   
  Y - Title TBA   
  Z - Title TBA
  Lay Down Your Arms
  Gallows Hill
  Night Terrors
  Empire of Sand
  Pirates Are So 2004
• A-Z Vinyl Subscription
  A - True Love 1980   
  B - Joy Kicks Darkness   
  C - Arcadia   
  D - Tracers   
  E - The Dead Disciples   
  F - Pripyat   
  G - Ichiban   
  H - Space Shot   
  I - Neon   
  J - Command   
  K - Song Of Your Desire   
  L - Dionysian Urge   
  M - War With Me   
  N - Dare to Dream   
  O - Mind Control   
  P - Title TBA   
  Q - Title TBA   
  R - Title TBA   
  S - Title TBA   
  T - Title TBA   
  U - Title TBA   
  V - Title TBA   
  W - Title TBA   
  X - Title TBA   
  Y - Title TBA   
  Z - Title TBA
  Lay Down Your Arms
  Gallows Hill
  Night Terrors
  Empire of Sand
  Pirates Are So 2004
• A-Z Vol. 1 Complete Extras Bundle
  A True Love 1980
  B Joy Kicks Darkness
  C Arcadia
  D Tracers
  E The Dead Disciples
  F Pripyat
  G Ichiban
  H Space Shot
  I Neon
  J Command
  K Song Of Your Desire
  L Dionysian Urge
  M War With Me
  i. Coming Around Again
  ii. The Creeps
  iii. CTRL-ALT-DEL
  iv. Do you feel it?
  v. Return of White Rabbit
  vi. True Love 1980 (Acoustic)
  vii. Joy Kicks Darkness (Acoustic)
  viii. Arcadia (Acoustic)
  ix. Tracers feat. Emmy the Great (Acoustic)
  x. Space Shot (Acoustic)
  xi. Command (Acoustic)
  xii. War With Me (Acoustic)
• A-Z Vol. 1 Subscribers Only Bonus Track and Acoustic Bundle
  i. Coming Around Again
  ii. The Creeps
  iii. CTRL-ALT-DEL
  iv. Do you feel it?
  v. Return of White Rabbit
  vi. True Love 1980 (Acoustic)
  vii. Joy Kicks Darkness (Acoustic)
  viii. Arcadia (Acoustic)
  ix. Tracers feat. Emmy the Great (Acoustic)
  x. Space Shot (Acoustic)
  xi. Command (Acoustic)
  xii. War With Me (Acoustic)
• The Rehash EP
  Return of White Rabbit Jaymo & Andy George Remix
  True Love 1980 Pete Doyle's Instrumental
  True Love 1980 Timothy Allen Remix
  True Love 1980 Pete Doyle's Rocksolid Vocal Remix
  True Love 1980 Loverush UK! Dubstrumental
  True Love 1980 Loverush UK! Remix
  True Love 1980 Loverush UK! Radio Edit
  True Love 1980 Timothy Allen Dubstrumental

[Spiteface]

Man , they're taking the piss out of their fans aren't they?

You're talking like they're the first/only band to have treated the music BUSINESS as just that - business.

Japanese releases with exclusive bonus trakcs are nothing new, neither are the remix bundles etc.

There's nothing that says you're obligated to buy ALL of it.  I have a digital sub, went and bought the CD/DVD of vol. 1, that's it.

I'm actually surprised the Atomic Heart  and extended Mix of "Return of White Rabbit" aren't amongst that lot somewhere though...

EDIT: Single "O", "Mind Control" is actually available to download now.  A Day early, actually.

[Paaaaul]

You're talking like they're the first/only band to have treated the music BUSINESS as just that - business.

Japanese releases with exclusive bonus trakcs are nothing new, neither are the remix bundles etc.

There's nothing that says you're obligated to buy ALL of it.  I have a digital sub, went and bought the CD/DVD of vol. 1, that's it.

I'm actually surprised the Atomic Heart  and extended Mix of "Return of White Rabbit" aren't amongst that lot somewhere though...

EDIT: Single "O", "Mind Control" is actually available to download now.  A Day early, actually.

You're right about BUSINESS, which is why I'm out at this point. Their business has surpassed the music.

[Geraint]

as I understand it, to own all the songs would cost £18, with the 26 'singles' that are the main selling point being 50p each. If you're a completist that wants every available song in every available format, which is something completely different that applies to maybe 0.1% of a popular band's fans, you're going to be spending a fuckload of money, as was the case when they were on a big label and as is the case with any band that release stuff conventionally. You're really stretching by making some of those packages to be 'different' in the sense that there's any reason beyond completism or format fetishism why you'd buy, for example, both the digital and vinyl subscriptions, or why you'd buy the physical CD release and some combo of the digital subscription and the bonus track pack.

edit: actuallly, the above wouldn't get you a lot of the remixes, but again they're targeted at a sub-subset of the fanbase who can buy them quite cheaply if they like

[35mm]

Ash are about the most average band going, they make feeder look insightful.

[Geraint]

Ash are about the most average band going, they make feeder look insightful.

there are no guitar bands duller than feeder. not shed seven. not toploader. not the stereophonics. feeder will always be the gold standard in bland. they're also hugely objectionable people - they did a round of press interviews talking about how some of their new songs were 'inevitably' influenced by how their dead drummer affected them - turned out some of said songs had been knocking around so long that the guy had played on them while they were being demoed.

[chand]

Feeder will always be permanently crippled by having the blandest frontman in rock history. Whenever they come up with a decent riff or melody, it's always brought crashing back to mediocrity by their singer sounding utterly devoid of emotion. He's got so little vocal gravitas and presence he makes Tim Wheeler sound like Tom Waits.