ZTT | UK | EP | 1983 | ZTIS 100
It’s almost time for a sabbatical. I once had a sabbatical that lasted almost two years. I don’t recommend one of that duration. It nearly broke me [in more ways than one] but just 30 days without having to generate income would be a lovely thing indeed. I’m about to be off on a two week jaunt that will be quite the thing, but that is a vacation. I’m talking about a sabbatical.
If I were to take a 30 day break, what would I like to accomplish? Well, sitting in the back of my mind is the notion of making a ZTT Boxed Set. Sure, sure. there was a 3xCD+DVD ZTT “Boxed Set” for what it’s worth, but what I have my sights on would aim a little higher. I have a generous portion of ZTT vinyl within the Record Cell. I’m not alone there, as the releases were catnip for music fans of a certain stripe. The Trevor Horn Theam production, the XL packaging, and… almost of paramount importance… the Paul Morley liner notes distinguished the ZTT era from all others that competed with it during the otherwise moribund middle 80s period. The releases were bracing and thrilling in a visceral and, yes, intellectual way that records never were before or since.
Given a budget of $500, I think I could finally clean up the missing portions of my ZTT singles collection. It would be absolutely marvelous to make a box… a large, elaborate one, that had each single as a single 5″ CD in a paper inner sleeve with a cardboard outer sleeve replicating in excruciating detail the original releases. Much of this material is on CD, but it’s spread all over the place. Some of it remains on vinyl only and would have to be painstakingly remastered, but I volunteer for the job!
There were many ZTT singles that came in as many as 4-5 different releases [12″ format only] and I wonder… should I replicate each discrete single release even to the point of replicating tracks, or should I take the path that was done on the Duran Duran singles boxes, with every track on all of the releases consolidated on a single disc? This thought almost paralyzes me.
Next: …Further rumination
If you’re going to do it then do it good and proper – no consolidation whatsoever, it just wouldn’t be ZTT like that. Replicate those 12inchers and it would so make a fantastic box set. i appreciate there would be heck of a lot of work involved…..but it’ll be worth it. The Pleasuredome box set will hopefully be with us soon too…can’t wait for that
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Mr. Nick – Thanks for the vote for absolute curation. This, however, takes the box from 30-ish to 100ish discs. $220 alone in gold CD-R media! I’ll have to expand the budget!
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This project will drive you nuts. It will never be done. ZTT will keep on digging in the vaults forever and ever and just when you think you’re done….(maniacal laugh, maniacal laugh)…they’ll dredge up some obscure mix of “Moments in Love (The Long Pause Dub of Affection Mix)” (0:58) and you’ll be scrambling to update your BSOG.
Frankie Says Don’t Open Pandora’s Box.
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Tim – Ah, but this is not an attempt to compile all of ZTT, this is an act of curation. This is just… I’m getting ahead of myself. More later…
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The ZTT way would be to damn the repetition and get on with it…So what if Two Tribes Annihilation Mix appears 4 times…that is the way it was meant to be released…I would contribute to the PPM in house crowd sourcing for a copy when it was completed!!
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