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| The box was delayed for an additional 2 days thanks to DHL, but it was at least intact |
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Inside was a second box with the warning "PLEASE OPEN WITH EXTREME CARE" Gulp...
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Once inside, a pair of white cotton gloves and instructions on how to assemble your box set are seen
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| Under this there is a folded piece of paper with the credits, an envelope with 5 PVC sleeves and the vinyl records |
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| Then there is the gaudy perspex box which is almost identical to the one from the "Yes" box set but is transparent and has grooves inside to hold the records in place. |
The coloured12" singles are shipped in 'transport' sleeves and are intended to be placed in the transparent PVC sleeves and then slotted into the box (hence the cotton gloves). One of the records is single sided and is signed and numbered on the label.
However, you wont be seeing my box assembled anytime soon. The PVC sleeves are not actually big enough to hold the records
comfortably. To get the records into them involves a great deal of praying and
squeezing. The vinyl makes horrible noises as the edges are dragged
against the PVC to the extent that I thought "This cost £500; I'm not
risking breaking it" and gave up on the first 12". For a product so delayed, one would think they would be able to create sleeves big enough to hold the records.
My confidence wasn't boosted by the fact that the instructions were taped to the top of the box with double sided sticky tape. This tape was applied in a very haphazard fashion and was stuck to the box, the envelope containing the sleeves and the records themselves. The whole idea of having to provide assembly instructions on a £500 box set seems like a complete anathema to me (The Vinyl Factory "hand craft" it and then I have to assemble it myself?) but to then stick tape all over the contents seems crazy.
The piece of paper with the credits feels like an after thought and adds nothing. It looks like it was rushed out on an inkjet printer and is superfluous. The whole package leaves you a bit underwhelmed: it just doesn't seem special enough when you consider the price. However, I shouldn't rush to judgement as I haven't even seen it put together. Maybe I should grow a pair and actually put it together before I condemn it too heavily.
I would never try to justify this purchase in terms of value for money. I have bought it as a collector, I feel a compulsion to own it. Nobody put a gun against my head and made me buy it. But as an object, it is rather disappointing; especially when compared to one of its predecessors. Not only was the "Yes" box set £200 cheaper, it contained exclusive mixes, signed artwork, was packaged in a much more stylish box and had over double the amount of vinyl. I never really fell in love with any of these box sets, but the original "Yes" set is much more special and now feels like a bargain when compared to "The Electric Box".
