Brocken Spectre

This thread is starting to take a familar turn... Like ones we have already read, and have been locked.....

Many of the regulars at melodicrock.com think Wounded Bird really sucks. I don't visit there enough to know exactly WHY , but thats the general consensus over there. Whether or not people think Sam's releases suck doesn't really matter , they are still going for big bucks on ebay so I guess your SOL. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I dont recall ever saying anything about Sams releases in my post, so Im gonna guess that wasnt directed at me..

Hmmm, thats interesting. Thanks for the info!

Dan is right, by no means are their releases going to blow your mind, but at least they are getting the music out cheap. However, I am wondering if Banshee-Race Against Time, or the Badlands albums will be reissued by them. 80s metal collector, why would melodic rock have a problem with Wounded Birds stuff? just curious...

Is the album really that good to demand a $100+ price tag?!

Aldrumz sells boots.. His Heretic-Breaking Point disc he sells is not licensed from Metal Blade...So, with that in mind, I am going to assume the rest of the stuff he sells reeks of bootleg. My 2 cents.

Storm, Your absolutely right, sellers should be stating the items they are selling are Russian pressings, and not just use the word "import" in the listing. Im really shocked to read elsewhere on the net that people really dont give two hoots in hell if the disc is a Russian pressing, as long as they are getting it dirt cheap. This really hurts the US seller who obviously cannot compete with those prices, considering like you mentioned a Nuclear Blast US issue is $8.50 wholesale here in the states. I would be very curious to see what all these sellers on ebay are paying for these bad boys at wholesale. Probably a real steal. People are popping up everywhere on ebay now selling these things..As you stated, smart to always dig through a sellers feedback to look for buyers who were not happy about a Russian pressing..

CD maximum is a biz based in Russia, who presses legit licensed CDs from record labels all over the world, for sale only within the Baltic states. If you are wondering about them, go to http://www.cd-maximum.ru/ and read up about them. There is a great "about us" page in there explaining what they are all about.

Storm, Just so you know, your avatar is kinda creepy..could just be me though

Does this guy have any clue that people are on to his ways?

Mullethead, Exactly my point. Their decision to print the CDs on green tint CD-R is what turned you off to the discs. Business decision they made, and obviously will hurt them. Do others feel the same? Some do, some dont care. As far as band royalties and mechanical fees, they better be getting paid, or yet another decision that could come back to haunt retrospect. My guess is, the bands are getting paid, its just the packaging and pressing thats the issue to some. Different strokes for different folks.

If you dont agree with what this label is doing, then simply do not support it. I dont know much about it, but after reading on here I did look into it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to reissues. Some are good, and some are bad. Guess it just depends on your own tastes, and what you want as a fan and collector. As far as asking costs go, as with any biz its up to the powers that be of that biz to decide what their product is worth. Then, its up to the buying public to decide if that is fair market value for the goods the biz offers. Ultimately the biz will do well, or fall hard. Sam takes a lot of heat on these boards, and I am not here to support or cut him down. There are many many sellers out there who ask very high prices for whatever they are selling. There are lots of old thrash albums I need to replace an aging list of LPs. But, they are going for big bucks. Bucks Im not willing to pay, as where others are. My loss, their gain, but its still my choice to buy or not to buy. Take a quick peek at Gemm and Musicstack. The places are flooded with high priced items, so its not just Sam doing this practice. I say let it die and let Retrospect do their thing and it not be rehashed over and over on these boards. Besides, there are some damn cool people on here I would much rather chat about music than this other suff..

Hey Joel- The reborn classic stuff was burned from LPs were they not? I dont know much about them, but am very curious..

Here is a perfect example of how crappy those "Camp Classics" are The Heretic-Breaking Point album for example Rear cover art still shows the Metal Blade and Enigma logos, and Metal Blades UPC symbol. Whoever is doing these needs to find another scam. Overlooked the most simple items in putting together a "bootleg" item. At least remove all that stuff and attempt to put your own items in there to make it look like a reissue. Plus I got a big laugh when I saw the artwork on the CDs themselves. Lame ass template from a CD-R program.

Could also be this person is a merchant himself/herself and has customers wanting this item...Not everyone on ebay is evil..

After looking at these auctions, I came to a conclusion.. If it isnt Davesmetal, then he for sure has his hands in it somehow. There is a lot of the same type of wording in the auction details, as well as the same titles of CDs he once sold. Could be someone else is now helping him sell. Thanks for the info on this, Ill make sure to avoid this seller as well.

I did pick up "Stop this War" Very happy with it overall. I usually am kind of hesitant when it comes to reissues on labels Im not familar with. Artwork was crisp, and the sound is excellent. Also included the "break out" video for your PC as well. Well worth it!

Im curious, because there are some interesting viewpoints from people who post on here.. Do you collect Cds for their $$$$$ worth, or for the fact you actually "like" the music?

Dan, Not good to hear you received items from people you trusted. Any way of informing us as to who sold you this garbage? If you have fallen victim, you can guarantee others on these boards will to..Might not be a bad idea to issue a heads up as to who these people are.

Mike, Glad to hear you got your stuff..Damn shame it took such a effort!!

After having each and every ebay transaction have problems, I decided to put Davesmetal through an honesty test of his business. I am a collector of picture disc LPs and decided to ask him if he had any for sale. Sure enough, he had tons of em. So I asked him if he some certain titles available, which I knew were never printed in picture disc format. Sure enough, he had each and every one of them. Wow what a shocker, the only person on the face of the earth who owns copies of these LPs never printed on picture disc format. So I decided to see how far he would take it. He was ready to take my money for items that did not even exist. Then, i called him on it, and wow how odd, he never would answer my emails from there on out. No wonder this guy got the boot. Looks like he rooked lots of people out of their items on ebay, and who knows where else. Looks like Gemm was the next place to peddle his nonsense. Nice guy or not, takes a lot more than that to run a honest business.

I happen to stumble on www.powerplayrecords.com and saw they have issued Damien-Every dog.. and Stop this War Can anyone tell me anything about these?

I stay away from ebay period for the real rare stuff. I will get my stuff first hand from only people I know and trust, and can see before I buy. Why dont others live by this? Well, they hope and pray they can score "the big one" for a cheap price. This is why people bootleg, they go after those who take those risks, or are not educated. Same reason I wouldnt spend the money to buy a car on ebay. Why the hell would you spend good money on a car you cant test drive, see yourself, or take to a mechanic? Shouldnt be any different for these "gem" cds that pop up on ebay. Its no mystery, there are dishonest people out there! Here is an idea, why not quit worrying about what everyone else is doing? Like I read in a post somewhere else here, if Vegas is selling illegal copies of stuff, it will catch up to him. If he is not, then no worries. Reading PJ and Vegas go at it like a couple of 3rd graders on a playground goes beyond the pathetic point. Got to be honest guys, hard to respect both of you when you guys are acting like this... Brocken Spectre