[United States]

I got my vinyl of Oceania yesterday. I was surprised to get it on time, let alone 2 days early.

The album is great! I listened from start to finish and didn't have a single complaint about the album. The mix is good, the vocals are good, the lyrics and music are great. It looks like BC is back on the right track again.

Has everyone else gotten theirs on time??

[Lunatic]

My LP came in yesterday, too. :thumbsup:/>

[cc3078]

Lunatic, on 17 June 2012 - 09:36 AM, said:

My LP came in yesterday, too. :thumbsup:/>

Me too. Quite a good day. The volume control is getting a heavy workout today.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Gx2a-3za0Yo/T90AV9uggYI/AAAAAAABAAc/epw0brUZaiA/s800/DSC_1932.JPG

[themadcaplaughs]

Glad to see everything went well this time. I'm still never going to use them again after the fiasco last winter, but I'm glad to see efforts were made to get the merchandise out early. Enjoy your record!

[MachinasDei]

I ordered LPs too, still haven't showed up, but it is still before release date.

[chrisothoulos]

quick.. everyone send a tweet to billy saying that they got their albums early...

[takerdemon]

I'm in the UK and UPS attempted delivery today so it certainly was timely.

However, I think that SP needs to re-evaluate the costs for international orders for the official store. I've purchased the audiophile bundle (CD, LP and download) and the bundle that came with a t-shirt and hoody. In total, I paid £115 for the items and shipping (shipping came to just under half of this) and now to have another £26 to pay for import tax seems like a slap in the face especially considering I also paid £8 to iTunes today so I could listen to the album at work this morning (this totals to more than $200 for my US friends). I think that this should be factored into the price if possible or at least made abundenly clear on how much additional (approx) we're going to have to pay.

I had the same problem with the original Teargarden boxset which cost a lot to order from the official SP store but I felt that it was going to the band directly so I preferred to do things that way, however I got stung for import tax on that as well when I could have gotten it locally on the same day for much cheaper. The thing that upset me was that I didn't have time to go pick up the item until the weekend meaning I couldn't have something on release day even though I'd pre-ordered, purely because of the additional tax.

I feel like I'm between a rock and hard place. Due to the Teargarden vol. 1 tax, I pre-ordered my Gish/SD resissues (LP and CD's) from Amazon.co.uk and didn't have any of the problems however I then missed out on the Blissed flexi-disc because I didn't order directly. I had to pick it up from eBay for £30. As a genuine international fan that attends each tour (multiple dates) and is a genuine hardcore SP collector, I think there must be a better way. I understand much of this is out of the band's control but would like to know that the issue is being addressed and have some clarity on the matter of shipping and whether I should come direct to the SP store.

HOWEVER, I don't want to be too negative, just something that has been bugging me and I hope the above is constructive feedback. I wish to end positively and say the album itself is worth every single penny so the above is all moot when thinking about the content value. I can see this one being an album I revisit for years and years to come in full. Something that demands to be listened to in it's intended form. Thanks to anyone that took the time to read this and thanks to the band/team behind Oceania, it really is a masterpiece.

[chrisothoulos]

takerdemon, on 18 June 2012 - 03:53 AM, said:

I'm in the UK and UPS attempted delivery today so it certainly was timely.

However, I think that SP needs to re-evaluate the costs for international orders for the official store. I've purchased the audiophile bundle (CD, LP and download) and the bundle that came with a t-shirt and hoody. In total, I paid £115 for the items and shipping (shipping came to just under half of this) and now to have another £26 to pay for import tax seems like a slap in the face especially considering I also paid £8 to iTunes today so I could listen to the album at work this morning (this totals to more than $200 for my US friends). I think that this should be factored into the price if possible or at least made abundenly clear on how much additional (approx) we're going to have to pay.

I had the same problem with the original Teargarden boxset which cost a lot to order from the official SP store but I felt that it was going to the band directly so I preferred to do things that way, however I got stung for import tax on that as well when I could have gotten it locally on the same day for much cheaper. The thing that upset me was that I didn't have time to go pick up the item until the weekend meaning I couldn't have something on release day even though I'd pre-ordered, purely because of the additional tax.

I feel like I'm between a rock and hard place. Due to the Teargarden vol. 1 tax, I pre-ordered my Gish/SD resissues (LP and CD's) from Amazon.co.uk and didn't have any of the problems however I then missed out on the Blissed flexi-disc because I didn't order directly. I had to pick it up from eBay for £30. As a genuine international fan that attends each tour (multiple dates) and is a genuine hardcore SP collector, I think there must be a better way. I understand much of this is out of the band's control but would like to know that the issue is being addressed and have some clarity on the matter of shipping and whether I should come direct to the SP store.

HOWEVER, I don't want to be too negative, just something that has been bugging me and I hope the above is constructive feedback. I wish to end positively and say the album itself is worth every single penny so the above is all moot when thinking about the content value. I can see this one being an album I revisit for years and years to come in full. Something that demands to be listened to in it's intended form. Thanks to anyone that took the time to read this and thanks to the band/team behind Oceania, it really is a masterpiece.

I'm sure Billy Corgan wont be mad at you if you by his album in your local music store... dont screw yourself over

[takerdemon]

chrisothoulos, on 18 June 2012 - 03:58 AM, said:

I'm sure Billy Corgan wont be mad at you if you by his album in your local music store... dont screw yourself over

Oh I know but it's nice to get things directly if possible. Plus, if there are bonuses like 'Blissed' are going around then I want those too. I know that was an anamoly but still...

[CoolAsIceCream]

you're a bit silly, in my opinion.

how "directly" do you think buying it through topspin is?

hey, if you don't mind spending £140 on oceania, i'm sure i've got a lot of other items you'd love to blow cash on. they are more collectible than oceania. let me know if you're interested.

you can buy them directly from me. which is a plus for you, i'm sure.

[takerdemon]

CoolAsIceCream, on 18 June 2012 - 04:18 AM, said:

you're a bit silly, in my opinion.

how "directly" do you think buying it through topspin is?

hey, if you don't mind spending £140 on oceania, i'm sure i've got a lot of other items you'd love to blow cash on. they are more collectible than oceania. let me know if you're interested.

you can buy them directly from me. which is a plus for you, i'm sure.

Well, that's as maybe but I still attest the 'Blissed' point is valid. If you're putting out top quality music then I'll happily support you 'directly' too! :-)

...and yes, if you have stuff I need then by all means price it and send me a list and I'll be happy to be silly with my cash again. We'll have to discuss import tax though ;-)

[CoolAsIceCream]

i'm in belgium. i don't think import tax applies. i'm not sure.
also, i wouldn't tell them what the value of the content was, so even if taxes apply, they wouldn't be able to add them.

what do you need?

the blissed point is a very weak one. i understand you feel left out, because you would have preordered if you had known this would have given you a copy of the flexi. but you could not possibly know that in advance. so now to preorder everything from sp.com, resulting in a massive extra cost, just in case they fuck up again, and on top of that, decide to compensate this mistake with an exclusive release again, is a silly gamble. and even if it would happen again, in the end it would still be cheaper to buy the extra release on ebay.

[whywontyoulisten]

CoolAsIceCream, on 18 June 2012 - 04:30 AM, said:

in the end it would still be cheaper to buy the extra release on ebay.

Is that how you ended up with four copies? :lick:/>

[CoolAsIceCream]

three copies.
and no, i didn't buy them anywhere. topspin sent them to me for free.

[takerdemon]

CoolAsIceCream, on 18 June 2012 - 04:30 AM, said:

i'm in belgium. i don't think import tax applies. i'm not sure.
also, i wouldn't tell them what the value of the content was, so even if taxes apply, they wouldn't be able to add them.

what do you need?

the blissed point is a very weak one. i understand you feel left out, because you would have preordered if you had known this would have given you a copy of the flexi. but you could not possibly know that in advance. so now to preorder everything from sp.com, resulting in a massive extra cost, just in case they fuck up again, and on top of that, decide to compensate this mistake with an exclusive release again, is a silly gamble. and even if it would happen again, in the end it would still be cheaper to buy the extra release on ebay.

Hmm, probably not if it's in the EU.

In regards to what I need, there's a few things... will PM you.

The 'Blissed' point is a weak one if we base this all on missed deliveries, however it was my understanding that the benefits of ordering 'directly' were that you'd have access to exclusive material. Maybe that only applied to SPRC content and I missed the point (because I have very little time usually to read any of the forums) but I thought this access to exclusive material was meant to extend past that. If you're correct, in fairness you probably are, then I can always get the non-SPRC releases elsewhere and only get the SPRC stuff when it's available via the site.

Cheers though!

[CoolAsIceCream]

ah, yes, there was an exclusive sprc download for anyone who (pre?)ordered any of the gish/siamese dream reissues from sp.com.
as far as i know, there is no such thing for oceania.

more info: http://www.spfc.org/...l?discog_id=288

Quote

A zip file named "SPRC Welcome Package", containing the first 4 downloads, plus an instrumental version of Frail & Bedazzled (not the same as the one slated to be on the re-issues), was given to anyone who pre-ordered the Gish and/or Siamese Dream re-issues from the SP web site.

[takerdemon]

CoolAsIceCream, on 18 June 2012 - 04:42 AM, said:

ah, yes, there was an exclusive sprc download for anyone who (pre?)ordered any of the gish/siamese dream reissues from sp.com.
as far as i know, there is no such thing for oceania.

more info: http://www.spfc.org/...l?discog_id=288

Ah right, that's it. I knew I remembered something. Looks like I need to look at this all on a case-by-case basis. Cheers CAIC!

[whywontyoulisten]

Everyone got the instrumental "Frail & Bedazzled" anyway as it was shared online pretty much straight away; "bonus" digital content is entirely pointless.

[zeromickv2]

I'm in Australia and my vinal/shirt package turned up here this morning, looks like Topspin got their shit togeather this time.

[Sophie]

takerdemon, on 18 June 2012 - 03:53 AM, said:

HOWEVER, I don't want to be too negative, just something that has been bugging me and I hope the above is constructive feedback.

I've been complaining (whining some would say) on this very forum about the shipping prices of the items sent by SPRC for ages. :rant2:/>
Simon once said he had sent the information to a higher level but no news since then.

I used to buy through SPRC but I did not for Oceania and bought my copies at my favorite record store (copies which by the way were made in EU and had an alternate sticker with a funny typo on it). The shipping fares from SPRC were just an insult. I would have loved to pre-order the Audiophile package though as well as a poster.

[frosty]

CoolAsIceCream, on 18 June 2012 - 04:32 AM, said:

three copies.
and no, i didn't buy them anywhere. topspin sent them to me for free.

:shocked:/> i would like one, CAIC.

[amu1167]

Yes! Just got an email with my download from topspin :)/>
The rest is in the mail- can't wait!

Awesome- there's a digital booklet

[CoolAsIceCream]

frosty, on 18 June 2012 - 05:43 PM, said:

:shocked:/> i would like one, CAIC.

in your dreams. i'd rather burn it. melting would be nice too. or maybe i should fold/iron one in four, and then send it to you.

[PumpkinHarvest]

I received my order on Saturday. Been playing it nonstop ever since. I had friends asking how I got it that early. I had to laugh considering I don't really know either other than things just worked out that way.

[CoolAsIceCream]

the cd has been in the shops here since friday or saturday.

[Behived]

is the LP already available in the shops in Belgium?

[CoolAsIceCream]

i don't know.
i didn't look for the LP.

[hellokittycat]

So, I pre-orderd the premium digi pack and was suppose to receive an email around 12:00 last night with the digital download from topspin, but sadly no email. So I checked this morning to see if they had sent me the download, and to my surprise nothing from topspin. I just wanted to see if anyone here has had the same problem and could possible help me sort out this whole situation. thanks. :D/>

This post has been edited by hellokittycat: 19 June 2012 - 09:28 AM

[hellokittycat]

Ok never mind. they just delivered the actual CD. XD

[ShamanO]

I wanna know why the hell my shirts came before the album which I placed the order for the album 2 days before I placed the shirt order and people in different countries have managed to get theirs. What the hell kind of business is this exactly being run by this topspin? Take my damn money and can't deliver on time. bullshit! That is horrible customer service. And to make it even more fucking brilliant the damn hi-fi download keeps on failing when it's almost completed. I'm pissed.

[ShamanO]

I hate topspin. robbed me of my money for no product

[Black_Milk]

Where did everyone that got the Vinyl (from anywhere other than the official site), get it? (especially if you're in Europe, though unfortunately, Amazon is no good for me)
I picked up the CD Friday and hoped to pick up the Vinyl too, but nobody has it, I could order it through the stores, but it would probably work out better to get it myself.

[Clive]

I ordered mine through topspin.. hasn't arrived yet. I went with domestic standard shipping (5 - 10 days) and it shipped on the 14th.

[Sophie]

Black_Milk, on 19 June 2012 - 12:26 PM, said:

Where did everyone that got the Vinyl (from anywhere other than the official site), get it? (especially if you're in Europe, though unfortunately, Amazon is no good for me)
I picked up the CD Friday and hoped to pick up the Vinyl too, but nobody has it, I could order it through the stores, but it would probably work out better to get it myself.

On monday in a record store where there was approximately 15 copies of those...
I think I've read on Blamo that some people got theirs at FNAC (to be checked).

[frosty]

CoolAsIceCream, on 18 June 2012 - 11:12 PM, said:

in your dreams. i'd rather burn it. melting would be nice too. or maybe i should fold/iron one in four, and then send it to you.

:cry:/> why don't you go suck on the disc instead?!

[Black_Milk]

Sophie, on 19 June 2012 - 12:41 PM, said:

On monday in a record store where there was approximately 15 copies of those...
I think I've read on Blamo that some people got theirs at FNAC (to be checked).

Ah, right, thanks.
I emailed a few record stores last night actually, apparently only 1 is going to stock it, the others offered to order it in for me.
The one stocking it won't have it until the 29th for some reason though, but I can wait :)/>

[Guglielmo]

The tote bag with the pyramid and V of Ingsoc is way cool. I ordered my cd a while back and it still hasn't shown up. But that's alright.

[Sophie]

Guglielmo, on 20 June 2012 - 01:43 PM, said:

The tote bag with the pyramid and V of Ingsoc is way cool. I ordered my cd a while back and it still hasn't shown up. But that's alright.

Didn't they say there is no connection with 1984? :unsure:/>

[Guglielmo]

I haven't analysed it enough (or seen an analysis) that shows the music or lyrics to be connected to 1984. But it's hard to ignore the title and the V from the Ingsoc logo. The symbol/visual is clearly from 1984. It could also be a reference to the compass and square of Freemasonry. It could be both or it could be Billy just playing around. I really don't want to get into referencing of conspiracies. Who really knows?

http://images.wikia.com/cybernations/images/8/81/Ingsoc.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/Square_compasses.svg/220px-Square_compasses.svg.png

This post has been edited by Guglielmo: 20 June 2012 - 04:28 PM

[samuelmills]

yeah, it has to be from 1984. it's no coincidence. the song titles and lyrics are very descriptive of a dystopian society (opposite of a utopian society).

also,

A Panopticon is a theoretical prison where the prisoners never know when the guards are looking at them but they are always afraid that they are. Unseen guards are also conversely seen by the prisoners collectively but they cannot communicate with each other so they live in constant fear and anxiety.