New Wave Outpost Forum

Still awaiting mine.

Got it today finally and love it. Always thought that Beat Boy was weaker than the previous Visage albums, but this special cassette mix blows me away. Thanks Scott, the remastering is excellent as always. No idea why I've ignored Yesterday's Shadow all these years. The 7' mix is top notch and Steve Strange's most moody/atmospheric moment.

I was just going to say the same thing Omar.

Although this is one of the weakest Visage efforts (and probably the worst album with Steve Strange on it apart from Strange Cruise) Scott's remastering has made me appreciate it more - especially the more moody second half. Without all the squealing guitars and backing vocalists and it might have been better...but it is what it is.

BigManRestless wrote:I was just going to say the same thing Omar.

Although this is one of the weakest Visage efforts (and probably the worst album with Steve Strange on it apart from Strange Cruise) Scott's remastering has made me appreciate it more - especially the more moody second half. Without all the squealing guitars and backing vocalists and it might have been better...but it is what it is.

I think it was miles better than Strange Cruise. It's actually gone up in my opinion over time. At first I reacted strongly against the squealing guitars and raspy lead vocals of Andy Barrett. Not to mention the femme BVs - the worst in The Visage canon! When they pop up in "Casualty," it really twists the knife.

Great to hear people are receiving the CD and enjoying it. Yes, the album does have some of those 80's excesses that get worse throughout the rest of the decade, but it does have its fan base. I've already sold just over half of this first pressing of 1000 and that's even before putting it into distribution. I'm sure once it does get a wider release, likely some time in March, this pressing will soon sell out and I'll put in for a second (and likely the last) pressing. Where as all of the other Visage CD's sold around 3000 copies each, I won't expect Beat Boy to reach that level.

It is fantastic hearing this music mastered from the original tapes instead of a 33 year old pre-recorded cassette!

Rubellan wrote:Great to hear people are receiving the CD and enjoying it. Yes, the album does have some of those 80's excesses that get worse throughout the rest of the decade, but it does have its fan base. I've already sold just over half of this first pressing of 1000 and that's even before putting it into distribution. I'm sure once it does get a wider release, likely some time in March, this pressing will soon sell out and I'll put in for a second (and likely the last) pressing. Where as all of the other Visage CD's sold around 3000 copies each, I won't expect Beat Boy to reach that level.

Anything Visage related would be awesome Scott. What about Ronny? Have you tried to get her stuff available? I've yet to see her singles officially on cd. They're all vinyl rips.

Rubellan wrote:This pressing will soon sell out and I'll put in for a second (and likely the last) pressing. Where as all of the other Visage CD's sold around 3000 copies each, I won't expect Beat Boy to reach that level.

Don't be sell yourself short! Just because you think that "Beat Boy" is inferior to "Visage" and "The Anvil" [you're right, of course] doesn't mean that it will necessarily sell in lower numbers than the earlier albums in the current market. The Cherry Red 2009 edition is OOP. There are 4 "Russian Federation" copies on sale currently on Discogs for $50-$100 [caveat emptor]. You are the only game in town right now for Visage fans and your edition is well mastered in the rare edition with even better bonus tracks. And you have primed the Visage market with your campaigns. We shall see.

postpunkmonk wrote:

Rubellan wrote:This pressing will soon sell out and I'll put in for a second (and likely the last) pressing. Where as all of the other Visage CD's sold around 3000 copies each, I won't expect Beat Boy to reach that level.

Don't be sell yourself short! Just because you think that "Beat Boy" is inferior to "Visage" and "The Anvil" [you're right, of course] doesn't mean that it will necessarily sell in lower numbers than the earlier albums in the current market. The Cherry Red 2009 edition is OOP. There are 4 "Russian Federation" copies on sale currently on Discogs for $50-$100 [caveat emptor]. You are the only game in town right now for Visage fans and your edition is well mastered in the rare edition with even better bonus tracks. And you have primed the Visage market with your campaigns. We shall see.

We'll see how it goes. If sales are still strong towards the end of a second pressing then maybe, but if it falls sharply then that will be it despite the time remaining on my contract. But then, I'm starting to let things go out of print faster because committing to another 1000 units when sales slow is likely a mistake. In the past, I used to be able to get batches of 300 re-pressed but since I've been handling my own manufacturing for the last couple of years, the only cost effective unit amount is 1000 or nothing. So, even though my Missing Persons CD catalog has sold very well, sales of albums 2 and 3 have slowed quite a bit, so when these last bits of the second pressing sell out I have no intention of another re-press even though I have nearly 2 years left on my deals.

Also, I just received two clearances (so far) this week, one LP and one CD. I will announce the titles soon.