Live - Under A Blood Red Sky (Remastered) by U2

While it's great to see the full concert on DVD at last, to a hypercritical U2 obsessive, this seems like another missed opportunity.

Sadly there was a camera malfunction during "I Fall Down", so that track is missing from the concert footage, but wouldn't it have been worth including the audio as an easter egg?

Both CD and DVD feature horrendous edits during "The Electric Co." due to Bono dropping in a snippet of the tune of "Send In The Clowns". Isn't remastering an opportunity to fix these things? How much was Stephen Sondheim asking for?

Otherwise, the package is nice enough - a slipcase, a booklet with plenty of photos, some wallpaper for your computer and a dodgy old screensaver.

I'm going to dig out my original vinyl copy...

Regatta de Blanc by The Police

I couldn't listen to this album enough when I was younger. I'd first noticed The Police when "Can't Stand Losing You" was a hit second time around and I remember being excited to hear "Message In A Bottle" one afternoon in the car on the way home from school. I finally borrowed the album from a friend a year or two later and taped it, listening to it almost nightly.

It was one of the first albums I picked up on CD, but it's now been surpassed by the boxed set and there's little point hanging on to it.

Sorry Sting, I can easily stand losing this.

Easy Rider

I learned an important lesson when video cassettes were nearing the end of their lifespan. The deluge of cheap merchandise hitting the bargain bins indicates the passing of the format, not an opportunity to fill your boots. Do not repeat the mistake with DVDs - sell them now!

My dad was a bit down on this film when he saw it. I thought it was great. It's about time I watched it again. I think I'd enjoy it...

But the tape is heading out on the highway.

Spaced - series 1

I missed the first series of Spaced first time around, so it was through the DVD I got to know it. A simple idea - a man and a woman pretend to be a couple to rent a flat - done with style and filled with references to pop culture, great characters, well acted. How could it fail?

They did such a good job with the second series DVD, they went back and redid this one in the same style with all the same features, so I thought it was about time I replaced it - especially with Amazon having the double pack on sale.

Then Amazon put the price back up! Grrrr.

Rotten Apples: Greatest Hits/Judas O by Smashing Pumpkins

I bought an early Smashing Pumpkins single - on Sub Pop, I think - around the time of Gish, when they were being touted as the next big thing. I never really got into them, but I thought this might be a chance to catch up.

Sadly, it failed to capture my imagination or my attention.

Spaced - Series 2

An almost-perfect second series which ended on a cliffhanger... then the makers got interested in other things and never returned to it. Perhaps there'll be a "ten years after" special like "Before Sunset" or "This Life".

The DVD has a great subtitle feature which constantly points out all the references which are constantly made to films, TV, games and music. I'm disposing of it merely to get hold of the double pack with the updated first disc.

Although... I'm not sure I really need that.

War Against Sleep by Cassandra Complex

Another freebie with a free 3" CD, something I probably should've disposed of long ago, but I didn't get rid of stuff back then and just let it accumulate.

A member of this group had some involvement with Utah Saints, but this is more industrial or newbeat than techno and I didn't really take to it.

What can you do for me? Not a lot. Off you jolly well go.