New FTD: The Last Tours Vol.1 (4CD) & California Holiday 2LP

[LSP-4445]

After listening to the new FTD box lately I went back to the 20+ year old Spring Tours 77 CD.
Now I dont have it anymore so I heard the whole thing on YT and it wasnt as bad as I rembered it to be.
Some tracks I actually enjoyed hearing again….and in good multitrack stereo sound.
I cant believe im saying this but I wanna a CD release with everything (or close) to everything Felton recorded
as multitrack in 77

[memphis-bell31]

The Last Tours set is the best packaged FTD cd set to date , crisp pictures and well laid out.
Fantastic

My copy will arrive tomorrow, but from what I have seen, it is no different to any of the other FTD soundboard sets that come with multi discs, in as much that it is quite thick and takes up lots of shelf space because they continue to use those plastic trays to house the discs and which means that to see the inner photos, the whole package has to be opened up and the discs have to be removed. And the layout, like previous releases, would appear to be minimal - just a bunch of photos with very little info about the shows and reviews of the tour.

So I’m not too sure what you are actually saying here, because stating that it is "the best packaged FTD CD set to date" seems a little strong. So you’re saying this release is better than any of the 7" Classic sets or any of the 8" Session sets, the latter of which come in a much bigger size and with decent booklets with the most recent two "Guitar Man -The 67/68 Sessions" and “How Great Thou Art" both with 5 CDs as opposed to 4 CDs yet selling at the same price as this Last Tours set.

What FTD should have done for this series is presented the set in the same way as MRS do their multi disc sets - discs contained within slits so they do not hide any info or pictures and a decent booklet made within the packaging too. To me, and putting aside the shows themselves, this release appears to lack any real creative thinking on how to produce a decent release for the asking price.

Sorry I should have said the best soundboard release to date.
Regards Jamie

[emjel]

The Last Tours set is the best packaged FTD cd set to date , crisp pictures and well laid out.
Fantastic

My copy will arrive tomorrow, but from what I have seen, it is no different to any of the other FTD soundboard sets that come with multi discs, in as much that it is quite thick and takes up lots of shelf space because they continue to use those plastic trays to house the discs and which means that to see the inner photos, the whole package has to be opened up and the discs have to be removed. And the layout, like previous releases, would appear to be minimal - just a bunch of photos with very little info about the shows and reviews of the tour.

So I’m not too sure what you are actually saying here, because stating that it is "the best packaged FTD CD set to date" seems a little strong. So you’re saying this release is better than any of the 7" Classic sets or any of the 8" Session sets, the latter of which come in a much bigger size and with decent booklets with the most recent two "Guitar Man -The 67/68 Sessions" and “How Great Thou Art" both with 5 CDs as opposed to 4 CDs yet selling at the same price as this Last Tours set.

What FTD should have done for this series is presented the set in the same way as MRS do their multi disc sets - discs contained within slits so they do not hide any info or pictures and a decent booklet made within the packaging too. To me, and putting aside the shows themselves, this release appears to lack any real creative thinking on how to produce a decent release for the asking price.

Valid points. The included images from the George Hill collection are stunning. But there's no technical information, not a word on why and how or images of the tapes themselves. EJ is known to write great essays and he and the guys could definitely do better.

In terms of audio, this first volume is a winner though. The sound quality of the Charlotte February 20th performance is miles ahead of any previous release, official and otherwise.

https://elvisoncd.com/EIGENECD_a-z/ftd-label/thelasttoursvol1.htm

For me, what is disappointing is that we do not get the full shows. And whilst I realise this is not FTD`s fault, coming into a show a third of the way through takes away some of the enjoyment, almost like turning up to a show late and missing the first lot of songs and wondering what was missed. And I still don’t know how they can charge the same for a 4 CD set of partial shows with limited packaging as they do for a 5 CD set of professionally recorded music with superior packaging.
But I’m looking forward to getting the set and having a good listen.

[rollinson1]

The Last Tours set is the best packaged FTD cd set to date , crisp pictures and well laid out.
Fantastic

My copy will arrive tomorrow, but from what I have seen, it is no different to any of the other FTD soundboard sets that come with multi discs, in as much that it is quite thick and takes up lots of shelf space because they continue to use those plastic trays to house the discs and which means that to see the inner photos, the whole package has to be opened up and the discs have to be removed. And the layout, like previous releases, would appear to be minimal - just a bunch of photos with very little info about the shows and reviews of the tour.

So I’m not too sure what you are actually saying here, because stating that it is "the best packaged FTD CD set to date" seems a little strong. So you’re saying this release is better than any of the 7" Classic sets or any of the 8" Session sets, the latter of which come in a much bigger size and with decent booklets with the most recent two "Guitar Man -The 67/68 Sessions" and “How Great Thou Art" both with 5 CDs as opposed to 4 CDs yet selling at the same price as this Last Tours set.

What FTD should have done for this series is presented the set in the same way as MRS do their multi disc sets - discs contained within slits so they do not hide any info or pictures and a decent booklet made within the packaging too. To me, and putting aside the shows themselves, this release appears to lack any real creative thinking on how to produce a decent release for the asking price.

Cannot disagree one iota regarding the presentation compared to Mrs packaging Emjel, it works and looks 100% better. Unfortunately the powers that be, the finance people behind FTD, not so much Ernst, know as the Colonel knew that Elvis fans/collectors will buy them no matter what, including me by the way so this kind of packaging presents the greatest profit margin. Really can't understand the reason for still using the plastic holders though as I preferred the little foam center holder that they tried on a couple of the old 7" releases which would make the package a little cheaper.

P.S Glad to see you back posting here, even if you are a Beatles fan first and foremost your opinions are appreciated by some.

[Rock Legend]

What FTD should have done for this series is presented the set in the same way as MRS do their multi disc sets - discs contained within slits so they do not hide any info or pictures and a decent booklet made within the packaging too. To me, and putting aside the shows themselves, this release appears to lack any real creative thinking on how to produce a decent release for the asking price.

Your unbrimmed enthusiasm for slits is hereby noted

Personally, I quite like the packaging and I think that overall this is another winner for FTD.

[emjel]

The Last Tours set is the best packaged FTD cd set to date , crisp pictures and well laid out.
Fantastic

My copy will arrive tomorrow, but from what I have seen, it is no different to any of the other FTD soundboard sets that come with multi discs, in as much that it is quite thick and takes up lots of shelf space because they continue to use those plastic trays to house the discs and which means that to see the inner photos, the whole package has to be opened up and the discs have to be removed. And the layout, like previous releases, would appear to be minimal - just a bunch of photos with very little info about the shows and reviews of the tour.

So I’m not too sure what you are actually saying here, because stating that it is "the best packaged FTD CD set to date" seems a little strong. So you’re saying this release is better than any of the 7" Classic sets or any of the 8" Session sets, the latter of which come in a much bigger size and with decent booklets with the most recent two "Guitar Man -The 67/68 Sessions" and “How Great Thou Art" both with 5 CDs as opposed to 4 CDs yet selling at the same price as this Last Tours set.

What FTD should have done for this series is presented the set in the same way as MRS do their multi disc sets - discs contained within slits so they do not hide any info or pictures and a decent booklet made within the packaging too. To me, and putting aside the shows themselves, this release appears to lack any real creative thinking on how to produce a decent release for the asking price.

Sorry I should have said the best soundboard release to date.
Regards Jamie

No probs and I did wonder. But I’m still curious how you come to your conclusion as it being the best soundboard set, considering the packaging is the same as many previous multi disc releases ie the fold out style with the plastic trays and that unlike many other FTD Soundboard releases, none of the shows here are complete with around a third or more of the shows missing.

[memphis-bell31]

The Last Tours set is the best packaged FTD cd set to date , crisp pictures and well laid out.
Fantastic

My copy will arrive tomorrow, but from what I have seen, it is no different to any of the other FTD soundboard sets that come with multi discs, in as much that it is quite thick and takes up lots of shelf space because they continue to use those plastic trays to house the discs and which means that to see the inner photos, the whole package has to be opened up and the discs have to be removed. And the layout, like previous releases, would appear to be minimal - just a bunch of photos with very little info about the shows and reviews of the tour.

So I’m not too sure what you are actually saying here, because stating that it is "the best packaged FTD CD set to date" seems a little strong. So you’re saying this release is better than any of the 7" Classic sets or any of the 8" Session sets, the latter of which come in a much bigger size and with decent booklets with the most recent two "Guitar Man -The 67/68 Sessions" and “How Great Thou Art" both with 5 CDs as opposed to 4 CDs yet selling at the same price as this Last Tours set.

What FTD should have done for this series is presented the set in the same way as MRS do their multi disc sets - discs contained within slits so they do not hide any info or pictures and a decent booklet made within the packaging too. To me, and putting aside the shows themselves, this release appears to lack any real creative thinking on how to produce a decent release for the asking price.

Sorry I should have said the best soundboard release to date.
Regards Jamie

No probs and I did wonder. But I’m still curious how you come to your conclusion as it being the best soundboard set, considering the packaging is the same as many previous multi disc releases ie the fold out style with the plastic trays and that unlike many other FTD Soundboard releases, none of the shows here are complete with around a third or more of the shows missing.

The pictures are really clean and clear, and in my opinion the colour of the set is very good.
Regards Jamie

[Markus K.]

I've been listening to the soundboard set over the last couple of days bit by bit and overall I think it is okay for what it is. I knew what to expect and FTD did an overall good job with what they had.
The sound is overall good for soundboard recordings, mostly balanced and clear, the cover art is fineand the presentation as a whole does the material justice.
Minor things that I wish where done would be the inclusion of the songs by Sherill Nielson for the St. Petersburgh show that have been available in the past. Also repair of the digital audio glitches on the Montgomery show and finally I would have liked to see "Help me" and "Big Boss Man" from the Orlando show included, as they would have not been part of the material featured on this set otherwise. But this is nothing that will leave me sleepless, just minor things that could have been done to further add to the set.
All in all I'm positive with this one as a collectors item and looking forward to what a Volume 2 will hold for us. As the February tour had been covered quite extensivly in the past only two shows were new to collectors. Volume 2 possibly featuring material from March/April could potentially hold more unknown soundboard or even multitrack material.

[emjel]

The Last Tours set is the best packaged FTD cd set to date , crisp pictures and well laid out.
Fantastic

My copy will arrive tomorrow, but from what I have seen, it is no different to any of the other FTD soundboard sets that come with multi discs, in as much that it is quite thick and takes up lots of shelf space because they continue to use those plastic trays to house the discs and which means that to see the inner photos, the whole package has to be opened up and the discs have to be removed. And the layout, like previous releases, would appear to be minimal - just a bunch of photos with very little info about the shows and reviews of the tour.

So I’m not too sure what you are actually saying here, because stating that it is "the best packaged FTD CD set to date" seems a little strong. So you’re saying this release is better than any of the 7" Classic sets or any of the 8" Session sets, the latter of which come in a much bigger size and with decent booklets with the most recent two "Guitar Man -The 67/68 Sessions" and “How Great Thou Art" both with 5 CDs as opposed to 4 CDs yet selling at the same price as this Last Tours set.

What FTD should have done for this series is presented the set in the same way as MRS do their multi disc sets - discs contained within slits so they do not hide any info or pictures and a decent booklet made within the packaging too. To me, and putting aside the shows themselves, this release appears to lack any real creative thinking on how to produce a decent release for the asking price.

Sorry I should have said the best soundboard release to date.
Regards Jamie

No probs and I did wonder. But I’m still curious how you come to your conclusion as it being the best soundboard set, considering the packaging is the same as many previous multi disc releases ie the fold out style with the plastic trays and that unlike many other FTD Soundboard releases, none of the shows here are complete with around a third or more of the shows missing.

The pictures are really clean and clear, and in my opinion the colour of the set is very good.
Regards Jamie

From what i’ve seen on the internet, the photos used do look good, but I’ll wait until I get the set in my hands tomorrow to get a better feel.

[memphis-bell31]

I've been listening to the soundboard set over the last couple of days bit by bit and overall I think it is okay for what it is. I knew what to expect and FTD did an overall good job with what they had.
The sound is overall good for soundboard recordings, mostly balanced and clear, the cover art is fineand the presentation as a whole does the material justice.
Minor things that I wish where done would be the inclusion of the songs by Sherill Nielson for the St. Petersburgh show that have been available in the past. Also repair of the digital audio glitches on the Montgomery show and finally I would have liked to see "Help me" and "Big Boss Man" from the Orlando show included, as they would have not been part of the material featured on this set otherwise. But this is nothing that will leave me sleepless, just minor things that could have been done to further add to the set.
All in all I'm positive with this one as a collectors item and looking forward to what a Volume 2 will hold for us. As the February tour had been covered quite extensivly in the past only two shows were new to collectors. Volume 2 possibly featuring material from March/April could potentially hold more unknown soundboard or even multitrack material.

Agree with your comments, the sound on where no one stands alone is awful and should have been repaired or just used the bootleg copy.
Regards Jamie

[emjel]

The Last Tours set is the best packaged FTD cd set to date , crisp pictures and well laid out.
Fantastic

My copy will arrive tomorrow, but from what I have seen, it is no different to any of the other FTD soundboard sets that come with multi discs, in as much that it is quite thick and takes up lots of shelf space because they continue to use those plastic trays to house the discs and which means that to see the inner photos, the whole package has to be opened up and the discs have to be removed. And the layout, like previous releases, would appear to be minimal - just a bunch of photos with very little info about the shows and reviews of the tour.

So I’m not too sure what you are actually saying here, because stating that it is "the best packaged FTD CD set to date" seems a little strong. So you’re saying this release is better than any of the 7" Classic sets or any of the 8" Session sets, the latter of which come in a much bigger size and with decent booklets with the most recent two "Guitar Man -The 67/68 Sessions" and “How Great Thou Art" both with 5 CDs as opposed to 4 CDs yet selling at the same price as this Last Tours set.

What FTD should have done for this series is presented the set in the same way as MRS do their multi disc sets - discs contained within slits so they do not hide any info or pictures and a decent booklet made within the packaging too. To me, and putting aside the shows themselves, this release appears to lack any real creative thinking on how to produce a decent release for the asking price.

Cannot disagree one iota regarding the presentation compared to Mrs packaging Emjel, it works and looks 100% better. Unfortunately the powers that be, the finance people behind FTD, not so much Ernst, know as the Colonel knew that Elvis fans/collectors will buy them no matter what, including me by the way so this kind of packaging presents the greatest profit margin. Really can't understand the reason for still using the plastic holders though as I preferred the little foam center holder that they tried on a couple of the old 7" releases which would make the package a little cheaper.

P.S Glad to see you back posting here, even if you are a Beatles fan first and foremost your opinions are appreciated by some.

Thanks for comments. I do wonder if the use of trays is in fact a cheaper option to give FTD a better profit.

I have a series of Sony NOW 4 CD sets that come in a standard fold out packaging with four slits which means I can store many more sets on the shelf and they sell at a very favourable price of around £10. They also do a deluxe version which come with a 40 page booklet built in to the packaging which includes photos of many of the original "single" sleeves from the relevant year plus info about each track and chart position etc - definitely lots of research required and with more research comes higher costs, yet these 4 CD deluxe sets can be bought for around £18/£19.

Your comment about being a Beatles fan first is certainly interesting. A look around my den would certainly not indicate that, as my Elvis record and book purchases etc certainly outweigh my Beatles collection by around 35 to 1.

[LSP-4445]

And I still don’t know how they can charge the same for a 4 CD set of partial shows with limited packaging as they do for a 5 CD set of professionally recorded music with superior packaging.

You cant compare a very limited FTD release like this one with.....lets say...the mainstream Memphis release.
The more an item sell/can sell the cheaper the price will be for each copy to produce/make.
To be honest im kinda surprize that we still get releases on the FTD label as the fans who buys these gets fewer every year
and not to mention the poor economy among many people these days.(and FTD releases are really expensive)
I live in one of the richest countries in the world yet here the economy has dropped a lot in the last few years and a lots families struggles in everyday life.

[emjel]

And I still don’t know how they can charge the same for a 4 CD set of partial shows with limited packaging as they do for a 5 CD set of professionally recorded music with superior packaging.

You cant compare a very limited FTD release like this one with.....lets say...the mainstream Memphis release.
The more an item sell/can sell the cheaper the price will be for each copy to produce/make.
To be honest im kinda surprize that we still get releases on the FTD label as the fans who buys these gets fewer every year
and not to mention the poor economy among many people these days.(and FTD releases are really expensive)
I live in one of the richest countries in the world yet here the economy has dropped a lot in the last few years and a lots families struggles in everyday life.

I’m not - I’m comparing it with a 5 CD Guitar Man - The 67/68 Sessions or the 5 CD set of How Great Thou Art sessions set from FTD which are selling for the same price even though the packaging would clearly cost more on those 8" boxes with booklets.

[LSP-4445]

And I still don’t know how they can charge the same for a 4 CD set of partial shows with limited packaging as they do for a 5 CD set of professionally recorded music with superior packaging.

You cant compare a very limited FTD release like this one with.....lets say...the mainstream Memphis release.
The more an item sell/can sell the cheaper the price will be for each copy to produce/make.
To be honest im kinda surprize that we still get releases on the FTD label as the fans who buys these gets fewer every year
and not to mention the poor economy among many people these days.(and FTD releases are really expensive)
I live in one of the richest countries in the world yet here the economy has dropped a lot in the last few years and a lots families struggles in everyday life.

I’m not - I’m comparing it with a 5 CD Guitar Man - The 67/68 Sessions or the 5 CD set of How Great Thou Art sessions set from FTD which are selling for the same price even though the packaging would clearly cost more on those 8" boxes with booklets.

ah ok,"must" be that the label think overall sale and that some titles they earn more on than others.
Meaning that releasing simple soundboard releases makes it possible to produce things like the Sesssions sets at the approx same retail price.

[rollinson1]

The Last Tours set is the best packaged FTD cd set to date , crisp pictures and well laid out.
Fantastic

My copy will arrive tomorrow, but from what I have seen, it is no different to any of the other FTD soundboard sets that come with multi discs, in as much that it is quite thick and takes up lots of shelf space because they continue to use those plastic trays to house the discs and which means that to see the inner photos, the whole package has to be opened up and the discs have to be removed. And the layout, like previous releases, would appear to be minimal - just a bunch of photos with very little info about the shows and reviews of the tour.

So I’m not too sure what you are actually saying here, because stating that it is "the best packaged FTD CD set to date" seems a little strong. So you’re saying this release is better than any of the 7" Classic sets or any of the 8" Session sets, the latter of which come in a much bigger size and with decent booklets with the most recent two "Guitar Man -The 67/68 Sessions" and “How Great Thou Art" both with 5 CDs as opposed to 4 CDs yet selling at the same price as this Last Tours set.

What FTD should have done for this series is presented the set in the same way as MRS do their multi disc sets - discs contained within slits so they do not hide any info or pictures and a decent booklet made within the packaging too. To me, and putting aside the shows themselves, this release appears to lack any real creative thinking on how to produce a decent release for the asking price.

Cannot disagree one iota regarding the presentation compared to Mrs packaging Emjel, it works and looks 100% better. Unfortunately the powers that be, the finance people behind FTD, not so much Ernst, know as the Colonel knew that Elvis fans/collectors will buy them no matter what, including me by the way so this kind of packaging presents the greatest profit margin. Really can't understand the reason for still using the plastic holders though as I preferred the little foam center holder that they tried on a couple of the old 7" releases which would make the package a little cheaper.

P.S Glad to see you back posting here, even if you are a Beatles fan first and foremost your opinions are appreciated by some.

Thanks for comments. I do wonder if the use of trays is in fact a cheaper option to give FTD a better profit.

I have a series of Sony NOW 4 CD sets that come in a standard fold out packaging with four slits which means I can store many more sets on the shelf and they sell at a very favourable price of around £10. They also do a deluxe version which come with a 40 page booklet built in to the packaging which includes photos of many of the original "single" sleeves from the relevant year plus info about each track and chart position etc - definitely lots of research required and with more research comes higher costs, yet these 4 CD deluxe sets can be bought for around £18/£19.

Your comment about being a Beatles fan first is certainly interesting. A look around my den would certainly not indicate that, as my Elvis record and book purchases etc certainly outweigh my Beatles collection by around 35 to 1.

Not that big a ratio really when you think of the Elvis market saturation from the minute he signed for RCA.

[emjel]

And I still don’t know how they can charge the same for a 4 CD set of partial shows with limited packaging as they do for a 5 CD set of professionally recorded music with superior packaging.

You cant compare a very limited FTD release like this one with.....lets say...the mainstream Memphis release.
The more an item sell/can sell the cheaper the price will be for each copy to produce/make.
To be honest im kinda surprize that we still get releases on the FTD label as the fans who buys these gets fewer every year
and not to mention the poor economy among many people these days.(and FTD releases are really expensive)
I live in one of the richest countries in the world yet here the economy has dropped a lot in the last few years and a lots families struggles in everyday life.

I’m not - I’m comparing it with a 5 CD Guitar Man - The 67/68 Sessions or the 5 CD set of How Great Thou Art sessions set from FTD which are selling for the same price even though the packaging would clearly cost more on those 8" boxes with booklets.

ah ok,"must" be that the label think overall sale and that some titles they earn more on than others.
Meaning that releasing simple soundboard releases makes it possible to produce things like the Sesssions sets at the approx same retail price.

Oh I’m sure that just like any business, the more sales on a popular item will help support the profits of a company for items that do not sell quite as many, but FTD should in fairness charge fans a price that is relative to what they actually get. And I am not convinced that the production costs for a set that requires the use of those plastic trays is cheaper than using no trays - - the cost of printing would be the same for those hidden photos except the machine would cut a slit into the card during the process whereas the additional g of those trays is likely to have an additional production process.

I get the impression that the FTD business model is outdated now and the team just work on some kind of auto pilot mode without looking at different production costs knowing that fans will pay whatever the price is within reason. Putting some of these releases and a few selected best back catalogue releases on digital platforms would attract a slightly wider audience allowing them more income which could be used to offset some of the costs on new physical releases. Bowie’s Estate has licensed some of his soundboard recordings to Parlophone/Warner Music and they are both physical release and on streaming/download platforms too and have sold reasonably well too.

[emjel]

The Last Tours set is the best packaged FTD cd set to date , crisp pictures and well laid out.
Fantastic

My copy will arrive tomorrow, but from what I have seen, it is no different to any of the other FTD soundboard sets that come with multi discs, in as much that it is quite thick and takes up lots of shelf space because they continue to use those plastic trays to house the discs and which means that to see the inner photos, the whole package has to be opened up and the discs have to be removed. And the layout, like previous releases, would appear to be minimal - just a bunch of photos with very little info about the shows and reviews of the tour.

So I’m not too sure what you are actually saying here, because stating that it is "the best packaged FTD CD set to date" seems a little strong. So you’re saying this release is better than any of the 7" Classic sets or any of the 8" Session sets, the latter of which come in a much bigger size and with decent booklets with the most recent two "Guitar Man -The 67/68 Sessions" and “How Great Thou Art" both with 5 CDs as opposed to 4 CDs yet selling at the same price as this Last Tours set.

What FTD should have done for this series is presented the set in the same way as MRS do their multi disc sets - discs contained within slits so they do not hide any info or pictures and a decent booklet made within the packaging too. To me, and putting aside the shows themselves, this release appears to lack any real creative thinking on how to produce a decent release for the asking price.

Cannot disagree one iota regarding the presentation compared to Mrs packaging Emjel, it works and looks 100% better. Unfortunately the powers that be, the finance people behind FTD, not so much Ernst, know as the Colonel knew that Elvis fans/collectors will buy them no matter what, including me by the way so this kind of packaging presents the greatest profit margin. Really can't understand the reason for still using the plastic holders though as I preferred the little foam center holder that they tried on a couple of the old 7" releases which would make the package a little cheaper.

P.S Glad to see you back posting here, even if you are a Beatles fan first and foremost your opinions are appreciated by some.

Thanks for comments. I do wonder if the use of trays is in fact a cheaper option to give FTD a better profit.

I have a series of Sony NOW 4 CD sets that come in a standard fold out packaging with four slits which means I can store many more sets on the shelf and they sell at a very favourable price of around £10. They also do a deluxe version which come with a 40 page booklet built in to the packaging which includes photos of many of the original "single" sleeves from the relevant year plus info about each track and chart position etc - definitely lots of research required and with more research comes higher costs, yet these 4 CD deluxe sets can be bought for around £18/£19.

Your comment about being a Beatles fan first is certainly interesting. A look around my den would certainly not indicate that, as my Elvis record and book purchases etc certainly outweigh my Beatles collection by around 35 to 1.

Not that big a ratio really when you think of the Elvis market saturation from the minute he signed for RCA.

A ratio of 35 to 1 seems pretty big to me, but understand what you mean if you are talking about record releases. But can anyone qualify on what makes someone a bigger fan of different artists based on record releases and ownership if comparisons are not on a like for like basis.

So how do you really measure someone being a fan of one artist over and above another. For me, I’m not sure it is that straight forward and not sure how you have reached your conclusion.

[dougkapp]

And I still don’t know how they can charge the same for a 4 CD set of partial shows with limited packaging as they do for a 5 CD set of professionally recorded music with superior packaging.

You cant compare a very limited FTD release like this one with.....lets say...the mainstream Memphis release.
The more an item sell/can sell the cheaper the price will be for each copy to produce/make.
To be honest im kinda surprize that we still get releases on the FTD label as the fans who buys these gets fewer every year
and not to mention the poor economy among many people these days.(and FTD releases are really expensive)
I live in one of the richest countries in the world yet here the economy has dropped a lot in the last few years and a lots families struggles in everyday life.

Sales are limited because FTD sells exclusively through fan clubs, which have restrictions on shipping outside Europe. If FTD sold its products through Imusic or Amazon, sales would be much higher.

[emjel]

And I still don’t know how they can charge the same for a 4 CD set of partial shows with limited packaging as they do for a 5 CD set of professionally recorded music with superior packaging.

You cant compare a very limited FTD release like this one with.....lets say...the mainstream Memphis release.
The more an item sell/can sell the cheaper the price will be for each copy to produce/make.
To be honest im kinda surprize that we still get releases on the FTD label as the fans who buys these gets fewer every year
and not to mention the poor economy among many people these days.(and FTD releases are really expensive)
I live in one of the richest countries in the world yet here the economy has dropped a lot in the last few years and a lots families struggles in everyday life.

Sales are limited because FTD sells exclusively through fan clubs, which have restrictions on shipping outside Europe. If FTD sold its products through Imusic or Amazon, sales would be much higher.

Fan clubs do not have restrictions on selling FTD releases outside of Europe - they can sell wherever they like and there are two well known outlets for FTD in the US. As I wrote above, comparisons are not being made between Sony mainstream and FTD releases either.

And whilst sales might be slightly more if FTD releases went through places like Amazon, there is nothing to suggest they would be "much" higher especially for releases like this. If the public are not buying into releases like Elvis on Tour or Memphis in a reasonable way which are readily available via Amazon and record shops, why would they buy into releases that only contain part recordings of shows and in mono sound. Sales of FTD releases used to be very good, but have dwindled because even fans have got fed up with buying into shows that are so alike or session sets that don’t offer a great deal more than the albums put out under the Classic Album series.
These days, FTD releases are now going to the hard core collector who buys virtually anything regardless of what’s on the releases.

[billy jack]

And I still don’t know how they can charge the same for a 4 CD set of partial shows with limited packaging as they do for a 5 CD set of professionally recorded music with superior packaging.

You cant compare a very limited FTD release like this one with.....lets say...the mainstream Memphis release.
The more an item sell/can sell the cheaper the price will be for each copy to produce/make.
To be honest im kinda surprize that we still get releases on the FTD label as the fans who buys these gets fewer every year
and not to mention the poor economy among many people these days.(and FTD releases are really expensive)
I live in one of the richest countries in the world yet here the economy has dropped a lot in the last few years and a lots families struggles in everyday life.

Sales are limited because FTD sells exclusively through fan clubs, which have restrictions on shipping outside Europe. If FTD sold its products through Imusic or Amazon, sales would be much higher.

Fan clubs do not have restrictions on selling FTD releases outside of Europe - they can sell wherever they like and there are two well known outlets for FTD in the US. As I wrote above, comparisons are not being made between Sony mainstream and FTD releases either.

And whilst sales might be slightly more if FTD releases went through places like Amazon, there is nothing to suggest they would be "much" higher especially for releases like this. If the public are not buying into releases like Elvis on Tour or Memphis in a reasonable way which are readily available via Amazon and record shops, why would they buy into releases that only contain part recordings of shows and in mono sound. Sales of FTD releases used to be very good, but have dwindled because even fans have got fed up with buying into shows that are so alike or session sets that don’t offer a great deal more than the albums put out under the Classic Album series.
These days, FTD releases are now going to the hard core collector who buys virtually anything regardless of what’s on the releases.

Don't forget the generation(s) who grew up in the 60s, 70s and 80s, but collectors have now unfortunately passed away. Or simply tired of collecting, now cherish what is in the cupboard, but not purchasing anything else. In 1999, when the FTD label started, it was all new and exciting. Now 25 years later with many soundboards, outtakes and reissues with sometimes minimal extra unreleased material on the Session sets, the challenge is no longer there, for some.

[GaryP]

And I still don’t know how they can charge the same for a 4 CD set of partial shows with limited packaging as they do for a 5 CD set of professionally recorded music with superior packaging.

You cant compare a very limited FTD release like this one with.....lets say...the mainstream Memphis release.
The more an item sell/can sell the cheaper the price will be for each copy to produce/make.
To be honest im kinda surprize that we still get releases on the FTD label as the fans who buys these gets fewer every year
and not to mention the poor economy among many people these days.(and FTD releases are really expensive)
I live in one of the richest countries in the world yet here the economy has dropped a lot in the last few years and a lots families struggles in everyday life.

Sales are limited because FTD sells exclusively through fan clubs, which have restrictions on shipping outside Europe. If FTD sold its products through Imusic or Amazon, sales would be much higher.

Fan clubs do not have restrictions on selling FTD releases outside of Europe - they can sell wherever they like and there are two well known outlets for FTD in the US. As I wrote above, comparisons are not being made between Sony mainstream and FTD releases either.

And whilst sales might be slightly more if FTD releases went through places like Amazon, there is nothing to suggest they would be "much" higher especially for releases like this. If the public are not buying into releases like Elvis on Tour or Memphis in a reasonable way which are readily available via Amazon and record shops, why would they buy into releases that only contain part recordings of shows and in mono sound. Sales of FTD releases used to be very good, but have dwindled because even fans have got fed up with buying into shows that are so alike or session sets that don’t offer a great deal more than the albums put out under the Classic Album series.
These days, FTD releases are now going to the hard core collector who buys virtually anything regardless of what’s on the releases.

Don't forget the generation(s) who grew up in the 60s, 70s and 80s, but collectors have now unfortunately passed away. Or simply tired of collecting, now cherish what is in the cupboard, but not purchasing anything else. In 1999, when the FTD label started, it was all new and exciting. Now 25 years later with many soundboards, outtakes and reissues with sometimes minimal extra unreleased material on the Session sets, the challenge is no longer there, for some.

Pretty much my situation, well apart from not having passed away but according to the wife even that’s debatable.

[rollinson1]

The Last Tours set is the best packaged FTD cd set to date , crisp pictures and well laid out.
Fantastic

My copy will arrive tomorrow, but from what I have seen, it is no different to any of the other FTD soundboard sets that come with multi discs, in as much that it is quite thick and takes up lots of shelf space because they continue to use those plastic trays to house the discs and which means that to see the inner photos, the whole package has to be opened up and the discs have to be removed. And the layout, like previous releases, would appear to be minimal - just a bunch of photos with very little info about the shows and reviews of the tour.

So I’m not too sure what you are actually saying here, because stating that it is "the best packaged FTD CD set to date" seems a little strong. So you’re saying this release is better than any of the 7" Classic sets or any of the 8" Session sets, the latter of which come in a much bigger size and with decent booklets with the most recent two "Guitar Man -The 67/68 Sessions" and “How Great Thou Art" both with 5 CDs as opposed to 4 CDs yet selling at the same price as this Last Tours set.

What FTD should have done for this series is presented the set in the same way as MRS do their multi disc sets - discs contained within slits so they do not hide any info or pictures and a decent booklet made within the packaging too. To me, and putting aside the shows themselves, this release appears to lack any real creative thinking on how to produce a decent release for the asking price.

Cannot disagree one iota regarding the presentation compared to Mrs packaging Emjel, it works and looks 100% better. Unfortunately the powers that be, the finance people behind FTD, not so much Ernst, know as the Colonel knew that Elvis fans/collectors will buy them no matter what, including me by the way so this kind of packaging presents the greatest profit margin. Really can't understand the reason for still using the plastic holders though as I preferred the little foam center holder that they tried on a couple of the old 7" releases which would make the package a little cheaper.

P.S Glad to see you back posting here, even if you are a Beatles fan first and foremost your opinions are appreciated by some.

Thanks for comments. I do wonder if the use of trays is in fact a cheaper option to give FTD a better profit.

I have a series of Sony NOW 4 CD sets that come in a standard fold out packaging with four slits which means I can store many more sets on the shelf and they sell at a very favourable price of around £10. They also do a deluxe version which come with a 40 page booklet built in to the packaging which includes photos of many of the original "single" sleeves from the relevant year plus info about each track and chart position etc - definitely lots of research required and with more research comes higher costs, yet these 4 CD deluxe sets can be bought for around £18/£19.

Your comment about being a Beatles fan first is certainly interesting. A look around my den would certainly not indicate that, as my Elvis record and book purchases etc certainly outweigh my Beatles collection by around 35 to 1.

Not that big a ratio really when you think of the Elvis market saturation from the minute he signed for RCA.

A ratio of 35 to 1 seems pretty big to me, but understand what you mean if you are talking about record releases. But can anyone qualify on what makes someone a bigger fan of different artists based on record releases and ownership if comparisons are not on a like for like basis.

So how do you really measure someone being a fan of one artist over and above another. For me, I’m not sure it is that straight forward and not sure how you have reached your conclusion.

I class myself an Elvis fan first and foremost and everything else from a diverse liking of different acts and genres is second, no third or fourth and so on for me. I'm guessing from posts that you have added to this forum over the years ( not any post in particular) made me think that you were probably similar minded about the Beatles. The never judge a book by the cover saying comes to mind and yes I meant the amount of Elvis releases regarding the ratio statement.

[emjel]

And I still don’t know how they can charge the same for a 4 CD set of partial shows with limited packaging as they do for a 5 CD set of professionally recorded music with superior packaging.

You cant compare a very limited FTD release like this one with.....lets say...the mainstream Memphis release.
The more an item sell/can sell the cheaper the price will be for each copy to produce/make.
To be honest im kinda surprize that we still get releases on the FTD label as the fans who buys these gets fewer every year
and not to mention the poor economy among many people these days.(and FTD releases are really expensive)
I live in one of the richest countries in the world yet here the economy has dropped a lot in the last few years and a lots families struggles in everyday life.

Sales are limited because FTD sells exclusively through fan clubs, which have restrictions on shipping outside Europe. If FTD sold its products through Imusic or Amazon, sales would be much higher.

Fan clubs do not have restrictions on selling FTD releases outside of Europe - they can sell wherever they like and there are two well known outlets for FTD in the US. As I wrote above, comparisons are not being made between Sony mainstream and FTD releases either.

And whilst sales might be slightly more if FTD releases went through places like Amazon, there is nothing to suggest they would be "much" higher especially for releases like this. If the public are not buying into releases like Elvis on Tour or Memphis in a reasonable way which are readily available via Amazon and record shops, why would they buy into releases that only contain part recordings of shows and in mono sound. Sales of FTD releases used to be very good, but have dwindled because even fans have got fed up with buying into shows that are so alike or session sets that don’t offer a great deal more than the albums put out under the Classic Album series.
These days, FTD releases are now going to the hard core collector who buys virtually anything regardless of what’s on the releases.

Don't forget the generation(s) who grew up in the 60s, 70s and 80s, but collectors have now unfortunately passed away. Or simply tired of collecting, now cherish what is in the cupboard, but not purchasing anything else. In 1999, when the FTD label started, it was all new and exciting. Now 25 years later with many soundboards, outtakes and reissues with sometimes minimal extra unreleased material on the Session sets, the challenge is no longer there, for some.

Pretty much my situation, well apart from not having passed away but according to the wife even that’s debatable.

The positive I guess is that if you are no longer buying, or not so much, you don’t get questioned and nagged every time the postie knocks on the door with a delivery.

[dougkapp]

And I still don’t know how they can charge the same for a 4 CD set of partial shows with limited packaging as they do for a 5 CD set of professionally recorded music with superior packaging.

You cant compare a very limited FTD release like this one with.....lets say...the mainstream Memphis release.
The more an item sell/can sell the cheaper the price will be for each copy to produce/make.
To be honest im kinda surprize that we still get releases on the FTD label as the fans who buys these gets fewer every year
and not to mention the poor economy among many people these days.(and FTD releases are really expensive)
I live in one of the richest countries in the world yet here the economy has dropped a lot in the last few years and a lots families struggles in everyday life.

Sales are limited because FTD sells exclusively through fan clubs, which have restrictions on shipping outside Europe. If FTD sold its products through Imusic or Amazon, sales would be much higher.

Fan clubs do not have restrictions on selling FTD releases outside of Europe - they can sell wherever they like and there are two well known outlets for FTD in the US. As I wrote above, comparisons are not being made between Sony mainstream and FTD releases either.

And whilst sales might be slightly more if FTD releases went through places like Amazon, there is nothing to suggest they would be "much" higher especially for releases like this. If the public are not buying into releases like Elvis on Tour or Memphis in a reasonable way which are readily available via Amazon and record shops, why would they buy into releases that only contain part recordings of shows and in mono sound. Sales of FTD releases used to be very good, but have dwindled because even fans have got fed up with buying into shows that are so alike or session sets that don’t offer a great deal more than the albums put out under the Classic Album series.
These days, FTD releases are now going to the hard core collector who buys virtually anything regardless of what’s on the releases.

What I meant by restrictions is that many dealers refuse to sell outside Europe. It's as simple as that. It's not that there are restrictions imposed on these dealers, it's that they refuse to ship outside Europe. This restricts FTD's sales.
But allowing IMusic and Amazon to sell FTD wouldn't damage the label at all.

[Yamaguchi.Y]

The positive I guess is that if you are no longer buying, or not so much, you don’t get questioned and nagged every time the postie knocks on the door with a delivery.

LOL! This is so true!