worst packaging ever?

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Heh. That does make some sense, Dan.

I still use the AOL thingys for giving out mix CDs. You can flip the card inside over and write a little message (or track listing) on it, too.

Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Friday, 5 March 2004 21:20 (twenty years ago) link

You: worst packaging ever: stereolab aluminum tunes
Me: HOLY SHIT....the middle buttons fell out on DAY ONE
Me: so dumb
You: exactly
You: i tried to glue them back
You: then i felt like writing a nasty letter to someone important
You: then i cried
Me: i glued em back...then sold it...havent looked back since

ddb, Friday, 5 March 2004 21:21 (twenty years ago) link

you = me

cutty (mcutt), Friday, 5 March 2004 21:22 (twenty years ago) link

Word.


Me=ddb

ddb, Friday, 5 March 2004 21:23 (twenty years ago) link

Oh, and the FIRST guided by voices box set on vinyl was the biggest piece of shit.

And although I do love June of 44's packaging...the cds are now so fucked I cant listen to them.


thanks fellas...

ddb, Friday, 5 March 2004 21:26 (twenty years ago) link

shellac's "1000 hurts" was ok, but "terraform" and "at action park" are FAILURES IN PACKAGING. the cheesecloth or whatever from action park did nothing to protect me from fireproof.

cutty (mcutt), Friday, 5 March 2004 21:28 (twenty years ago) link

Those permanent cardboard longboxes that Sierra used for the first editions of the _Gram Parsons Live 1973_ and one of the Muleskinner titles (forget if it was the studio or the live one). Both in the 'great music, shame about the packaging' category.

Jeff Wright, Friday, 5 March 2004 21:31 (twenty years ago) link

My Dad is Dead-Chopping Down the Family Tree

Long Slim Cardboard (Similiar to the long boxes but flat)...I have now place to put it...so it ends up in my LP's...I find it every 8 months or so...then I forget to listen to it.

ddb, Friday, 5 March 2004 21:35 (twenty years ago) link

now=no....duh

ddb, Friday, 5 March 2004 21:36 (twenty years ago) link

julian cope - interpreter
fuck - pretty ...slow
=both of these came in shellac "1000 hurts" style boxes .
fuck - "baby loves a funny bunny" matchbook cover stylee

william (william), Friday, 5 March 2004 21:36 (twenty years ago) link

drukqs

mmmmsalt (Graeme), Friday, 5 March 2004 21:37 (twenty years ago) link

Also, pretty much all picture discs. The plastic sleeves that they generally seem to come in fall asunder in hours. One of the discs from my copy of NSC 1-4 cracked after falling out the bottom the first time I put it back into the sleeve.

mmmmsalt (Graeme), Friday, 5 March 2004 21:42 (twenty years ago) link

1. Lots of Blackbean & Placenta releases packaged with construction paper sleeves with a cheap Xeroxed 8-1/2" x 11" sheet glued to 'em.

2. Some early Wimp Factor 14 CD that came in a 5" x 8" manila folder with screen printing on it -- where the heck am I going to file that?

3. And, any CDs that come with no info on the spine or spines so thin it's impossible to print anything on them; they might as well be invisible on the shelves.

Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Friday, 5 March 2004 21:57 (twenty years ago) link

The Wax Trax Black Box set. The discs were housed in opaque, black jewel cases. The plastic wasn't as strong as a normal, clear jewel case and the front lid/cover on all the discs cracked in half.

boldbury, Friday, 5 March 2004 22:03 (twenty years ago) link

anything packaged in glass (Maeror Tri, the 'Marteau de Verre' comp), a safety-pinned diaper and metal tins filled with rock salt (what was Nigel Ayers thinking?), oversized wood and/or metal with screws sticking out from all sides (Blade Records a prime offender), or needlessly oversized cardboard boxes (just glancing around the room... TNB est Mort, Spalax's Radio Gong trilogy).

but the absolute worst? the Technoise/Hyware 2CD on i. a stickered cardboard box (like something you'd use to ship an order of 4-7 CDs containing a pair of unsleeved discs and some cheap B&W cards sandwiched between large styrofoam blocks. what's the point? makes Aluminum Tunes seem practical.

echoinggrove, Friday, 5 March 2004 22:09 (twenty years ago) link

just remembered the Aube CD with "heat-sealed" water packets. which burst one hot day and flooded my Popol Vuh CD section with blue-tinted liquid. WTG, Manifold wizards.

Records that sabotage other records - C/D?
yes, yes, and Vini Reilly to thread....

echoinggrove, Friday, 5 March 2004 22:18 (twenty years ago) link

my porter ricks has a minor crack near the center.

Mine has the same crack (although my cdplayer bravely ignores it :). Was the first one everybody bought right? After that all those cd's went into a plastic or paper cover and then into the bloody tin.

Most of those double-cd's that open outwards, I dunno what it is but those holders never actually hold the cd. I hate that.

I love digipacks though.

Never can make up my mind if the package of Faze Action's first album is cool or irritating (you know LP style inner sleeve). Also see Endtroducing right?

Omar (Omar), Friday, 5 March 2004 22:19 (twenty years ago) link

June of 44 TOTALLY. Where the fuck am I gonna put a matchbook?

My hubby got a noise CD that was packaged between two sheets of steel. He regretted this when we had our next fight, ouch

Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Friday, 5 March 2004 22:21 (twenty years ago) link

TOTAL RECALL SPECIAL EDITION DVD RULES

astroblaster (astroblaster), Saturday, 6 March 2004 00:24 (twenty years ago) link

Storm and Stress's second record...umm, what the fuck.

ddb, Saturday, 6 March 2004 03:51 (twenty years ago) link

new Talking Heads box set... Jesus Ache!

donut bitch (donut), Saturday, 6 March 2004 03:56 (twenty years ago) link

nb the Fall DVD/video is entirely worth acquiring anyway because of the spastic Brix dancing on the Eat Y'Self Fitter video, it is God

ferg (Ferg), Saturday, 6 March 2004 04:43 (twenty years ago) link

The Cult's Rare Cult box set is very poorly made.

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 6 March 2004 04:55 (twenty years ago) link

Well, just everything that exceeds the dimensions af a jewel case. Therefore: digipacks are cool. But the cd-wrecking white carton the Basic Channel disc originaly came in, the New Tweedy Bros packaging (an incrediblely large carton hexagon) and a lot of the Staalplaat Label repertoire (just use whatever material you'll find and put a disc with it) originated in hell.

Roger in Mokum (Roger T), Saturday, 6 March 2004 09:11 (twenty years ago) link

But the cd-wrecking white carton the Basic Channel disc originaly came in

Really? I didn't mind that one (esp. compared to those Chain Reaction tins). That cd still works perfectly.

Omar (Omar), Saturday, 6 March 2004 09:25 (twenty years ago) link

It didn't fit into my cd-cabinet, so... When the tin-boxed version came around I exchanged it almost immediately.

Roger in Mokum (Roger T), Saturday, 6 March 2004 09:47 (twenty years ago) link

haha, everyone knew this thead was going to be about aluminum tunes. basically, any card/digipak/fancy sleeve is always a mistake in the long run

gareth (gareth), Saturday, 6 March 2004 10:03 (twenty years ago) link

All four disc trays fell out of my copy of the Joy Division Heart and Soul box on the first day.

Hayden Nicholls (Pop the Weasel), Saturday, 6 March 2004 12:39 (twenty years ago) link

They should've just used chewing gum on those.

Andy K (Andy K), Saturday, 6 March 2004 13:16 (twenty years ago) link

This one's a real bummer - the Harry Smith vol.4 CD-book thing on Revenant. I've actually LOST the first CD somewhere - those fuckers just roll out all over the place. And the hardcover on the book seems to be slowly bending outwards. Shame, really, considering the effort that went into this thing.

radio morocco (radio morocco), Saturday, 6 March 2004 14:22 (twenty years ago) link

oh god, heart and soul...i remember admiring it lovingly on the walk home, and by the next day it looked as if the dog had been chewing on it all night.

strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Saturday, 6 March 2004 14:32 (twenty years ago) link

the charlie christian box set "genius of electric guitar." cool looking idea--the box looks like an old amplifier, but inside is a terrible foam base that you have to shove the cds into.

marcg (marcg), Saturday, 6 March 2004 15:07 (twenty years ago) link

I'll echo what everybody's been saying about Tougher Than Tough-style box sets and Basic Channel/Chain Reaction CDs, but let's face it, standard jewel cases are crap, too. The tray clasps and hinges always break, and who can be bothered to replace them?

Any single-record vinyl release with a doublefold jacket, especially when there's just a crummy photo inside and nothing useful like lyrics -- did another tree have to die just to satiate your vanity?

Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Saturday, 6 March 2004 15:08 (twenty years ago) link

For that matter, multi-CD jewel boxes, while sturdier, also blow. If you get the slim ones, it's often tricky to get the 2nd CD underneath the tray; the standard boxy ones always have clasps with a tenuous hold on the CD for some reason.

Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Saturday, 6 March 2004 15:11 (twenty years ago) link

CDs stored in DVD cases are cool, and solve a number of the aforementioned problems, but are usually impossible to file.

Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Saturday, 6 March 2004 15:13 (twenty years ago) link

Any opinions on the SaCD jewel case? I like them.

Roger in Mokum (Roger T), Saturday, 6 March 2004 15:17 (twenty years ago) link

I hate anything where the size is based on the LP. I was cleaning out a closet and I found the Dylan Biograph box set, complete with LP-sized liner notes. I just stared at those notes, thinking What the fuck am I going to do with these? I think I wound up throwing them away.

subgenius (subgenius), Saturday, 6 March 2004 15:27 (twenty years ago) link

I know it's standard procedure, but I have always hated those clingy plastic sleeves newer records and reissues are released with. It's like shoving a garbage bag into the jacket.

Also, the original vinyl of Sticky Fingers could get honors in both "Worst Packaging Ever" and "Best Packaging Ever".

Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Saturday, 6 March 2004 17:41 (twenty years ago) link

new Talking Heads box set... Jesus Ache!
amen to that. I think it affected my enjoyment of the music, i.e. nothing sounded as good as I remembered. and the liner notes totally sucked, like bad short stories from the 1980s. Yuck!

lovebug starski, Saturday, 6 March 2004 18:37 (twenty years ago) link

I use one of those big books to keep all my CDr burns and promos and other things that didn't come in jewel cases.

I'm finally going to get one of these soon for my mp3 discs. I only just got around to cataloging the damn things so I knew what exactly I had (unsurprisingly, it was quite a lot).

Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 6 March 2004 18:54 (twenty years ago) link

nuts, subgenius, i wish you had mailed that biograph booklet to me! i love huge, cool pics of dylan.

morris pavilion (samjeff), Saturday, 6 March 2004 19:33 (twenty years ago) link

btw ned, I owe you a CD, it'll be on the way shortly...

Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Saturday, 6 March 2004 19:42 (twenty years ago) link

:-)

Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 6 March 2004 19:47 (twenty years ago) link

The original packaging of Bowie's Sound + Vision box set was quite clunky. Likewise Metallica's Binge & Purge boxset (augmented with now unbelievably dated VHS tapes)

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 6 March 2004 20:28 (twenty years ago) link

Any LP with angled jacket corners. Don't fuck with the formula, wiseguys.

maypang (maypang), Saturday, 6 March 2004 20:32 (twenty years ago) link

Mmm, yeah. But this Monty Pythons Flying Circus Album with the cover artwork that you could transform in such a way that it resembled a large stack of crazy non-existent albums was cool.

Roger in Mokum (Roger T), Saturday, 6 March 2004 20:37 (twenty years ago) link

Heh. I saw one of those things put together the other week. I didn't realize it came from an actual record jacket.

maypang (maypang), Saturday, 6 March 2004 21:24 (twenty years ago) link

Bjork - "Family Tree"
I simply don't have two hours to put that shit away before I pick up the kids from soccer. It's enough making sure the vials are hidden.

Bjorn Kipling, Sunday, 7 March 2004 05:07 (twenty years ago) link

Boy, am I glad I bought Aluminum Tunes on vinyl - lovely fold-out triptych and it still smells good. Chain Reaction - usually have more trouble getting the thing back in than out.

Worst - David Sylvian's Everything and Nothing comp. Four-panel digipak: disc 1, bonus disc 3 in very snug slide-in slipcase, artwork, disc 2. Getting bonus CD out means folding pack back on itself or digging around in slip panel with fingernails. Yes, it's ripped.

Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Sunday, 7 March 2004 19:13 (twenty years ago) link

The one time I bought a Japanese version of a Stereolab release was the Aluminum Tunes package. I guess in retrospect, it was a wise decision.

donut bitch (donut), Sunday, 7 March 2004 19:17 (twenty years ago) link

xpost .. (never read the extra post before hiting submit ..

mark e, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 09:44 (seventeen years ago) link

Those Volume compilations from the 90s... great idea, big thick book full of interviews with CD stuck in the back, but the cd was held in place with a disc button glued into the back cover and most of mine are broken/have come unglued and the cds keep falling out and going missing gah.

Trayce, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 09:45 (seventeen years ago) link

(xxpost)

11 July 07
War Stories LIMITED EDITION
Apologies to those who have been experiencing difficulties opening the limited edition War Stories. The vacuum packing technique looks great but does require some patience when opening. The secret is to give it time and not use any sharp implements that may damage the pack. Here is the process for picking the lock on this treasure chest of new UNKLE tunes:
Step 1: Pull the sides apart for about a minute to loosen up the outside package and let air in.
Step 2: Grab the box with the sliding end facing away from you and shake it hard for a couple of minutes.
Step 3: Once the inner case slides out a bit, grab it and pull.
Step 4: Smile because you've opened the new UNKLE treasure chest.
Step 5: Put the CD in, turn up the volume, check out the artwork in the booklet and enjoy!

www.unkle.com

lol

StanM, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 09:47 (seventeen years ago) link

Dear Plaid and Bob Jaroc,

Not only is your "Greedy Baby" DVD+CD double pack possibly the most half-arsed thing I have ever decided to spend money on, but as soon as I opened the shrinkwrapping the discs launched themselves out of the packaging and scratched themselves on my desk, meaning I can't even sell them. I put them away as carefully as I could and they fell out again. I had to give up and put them in CD sleeves inside the packaging, except the packaging is so narrow the sleeves don't even fit.

I haven't even PLAYED the audio-only disc (those tracks were lame enough with visuals) and it's scratched to hell. It's almost like you want all your potential fanbase to have to buy the thing new because there aren't any used copies out there even though nobody wants it. Hmm... ok, well planned.

a passing spacecadet, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 10:08 (seventeen years ago) link

i have this as well. i has a little lever which is great for ejecting the cd. getting the cd BACK IN is, however, less easy.

http://www.discogs.com/release/958456

koogs, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 10:16 (seventeen years ago) link

prolapse - backsaturday

what's wrong with this? i mean, sure, the spine's on the top instead of on the side, but it fits in your rack just fine and my CD's never fallen out or anything.

CharlieNo4, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 13:41 (seventeen years ago) link

my favorite AND least favorite packaging gimmick of all time was the pre-stained cardboard box that Alice Cooper's 'Muscle Of Love' came in...it was very cool, but unfortunately not made to last...my copy of the record ultimately had to take residence inside the 'Love It To Death' gatefold...

henry s, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 13:56 (seventeen years ago) link

prolapse - backsaturday
what's wrong with this? i mean, sure, the spine's on the top instead of on the side, but it fits in your rack just fine and my CD's never fallen out or anything.

Yeah but you can't see what it is! Which is annoying. And even if you put the unlabelled side out it's a bit oversize. It fits in my current shelving but not in my last set.

(I have the US Jetset pressing, I don't know what the Lissy's one is like.)

a passing spacecadet, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 14:15 (seventeen years ago) link

I hate anything where the size is based on the LP...

These are great, if you also play LPs, as they make for great category dividers - Mosaic sets are like this, my original Nick Drake box is like this, so is one of Ella's. Actually i prefer the LP-size to the long-box, which make it clumsier to stack a bunch of them together.

I don't have the Talking Heads box, but it sure looks unwieldy.

My vote:
The boxset "The Man from Impanema" for Antonio Carlos Jobim is a three disc set, contains 60 pages with each disc nestled within a different section, is too tall AND wide to fit on any standard shelf, and to top it all off, it's friggin' spiral-bound. This package won the Grammy for best packaging in 1997 --ack-- yet another reason to disregard any conclusions those idiots come to.

christoff, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 15:57 (seventeen years ago) link

quickly checked the thread and realise no-one has mentioned the brilliant, but short life span of the Sudden Sway package - Space Mate.
The contents are well known and rather extravagent, but how on earth anyone could have a prime copy of the box it all came in is beyond me. way to flimsy - just getting it home made the fragger fall apart.

mark e, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 17:04 (seventeen years ago) link

Regarding sleeves: Does the new Prince album contain any info on the contents anywhere at all?

I mean, nothing wrong about the hologram cover. It's great and brilliant, as opposed to the primitive hologram on the original "Diamonds And Pearls". But I would have preferred a sleeve giving someindication on what's inside.

Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 25 July 2007 08:32 (seventeen years ago) link

what hologram cover ?
the freebie MOS version was just a skinny cardboard cover with no detail on it at all.

mark e, Wednesday, 25 July 2007 09:50 (seventeen years ago) link

Re: Prolapse - Backsaturday, I think I have the UK version and that's the same. My shelves are too big for normal CDs so things like that fit OK.

Colonel Poo, Wednesday, 25 July 2007 10:10 (seventeen years ago) link

The boxset "The Man from Impanema" for Antonio Carlos Jobim is a three disc set, contains 60 pages with each disc nestled within a different section, is too tall AND wide to fit on any standard shelf, and to top it all off, it's friggin' spiral-bound.

It's lovely - I bought it for my wife in '99 or so. We just keep it on display, propped up on top of the shelves with the boxsets. It's still in good nick.

Michael Jones, Wednesday, 25 July 2007 10:44 (seventeen years ago) link


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