While the fallout from the
EMI shuffle/merger has yet to fully reveal itself, we've noticed a trend in recent releases under the imprint, one which certainly smells of on-the-cheap repackaging and dubious canon creation. The past few months have seen career-spanning compilations for the likes of Roxette and the forgotten Jacksons (Freddie and Luscious), a dismal collection of glassy-eyed covers from Diana Ross, and the reissue of the not-quite-essential
Romeo & Juliet soundtrack, re-shilled as the "10th Anniversary Edition." One of the more interesting to come our way, however, was
Van Morrison at the Movies: Soundtrack Hits, a 19-track package that would work nicely for those casual fans who don't already own the 1990 Polydor Greatest Hits collection, much of which reappears here. We are, however, happy to see the
Last Waltz version of "Caravan" is included, although we certainly would have lobbied for the inclusion of a bonus fold-out poster of Van in action (pictured).
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Idolator
Today's Wall Street Journal examines the state of EMI, the super-sized corporation that recently merged together Virgin Records and Capitol Records, and which is currently experiencing what can only be described as "company-wide higgeldy-piggeldy." The story highlights some of the company's tactical mistakes of the last few years, such as relying too heavily on big-ticket acts (Coldplay, Radiohead), and obsessing about unrealistic sales goals. Oh, and doing stupid stuff like this:
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Earlier today, we laid down the odds on which artists will 
