You are correct, some of the newer ArkivCD's do indeed have full booklets. But the Mercury were in the original ArkivCD series and unless they started reproducing the booklets somewhere along the lines, they did not as of a year or so ago.
As for shipping to Europe, I wonder if that has to do with specific ArkivCD license agreements -- were you ordering a BMG/Sony title the time you had trouble?
Here in the states, I've had generally good luck tracking down "new and used" options on Amazon for out-of-print classical stuff, but not always. Some titles are ridiculously expensive used and one then wonders what genius bean-counter at Big Music Co X decided to take it out of print if it obviously is still in demand enough to command high prices used. But many other titles can be had cheaper than original street prices, sometimes still shrink-wrapped. There are a few companies, Newbury Comics, ImportCD's, etc, that must have bought out inventory from dead record-store chains at pennies on the dollar and can now sell out-of-print but still shrinkwrapped titles for $5-8 each. For instance, I was able to get several titles from the original RCA Living Stereo reissue CD's that are now out of print but never issued on hybrid SACD's for a few bucks each, still new in the wrapping and not RCA Music Club editions. Same with several of the late 90's Decca Originals reissues.
None of this is to cast any aspersions on ArkivCD -- those guys are doing a great service to music and music fans.
-- Tom Fine
----- Original Message ----- From: "Steve Abrams" <steve.abrams@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 6:56 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Wonderful Mercury Reissues
Some Arkiv reissues are now being produced with booklets. I just purchased my first Arkiv edition - the RCA transfer of the 1947 recording of "Four Saints in Three Acts". This CD was never available in Europe, so far as I know, and has become quite difficult to find second hand.
The transfer is excellent and the 32 page booklet with Gertrude Stein's libretto is included.
There was no problem ordering from the UK. Some time back when I tried ordering from Arkiv they would not sent stuff abroad.
SA TTTTTTT
----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Fine" <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 10:39 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Wonderful Mercury Reissues
The ArkivCD's should be CDR "clones" of now-out-of-catalog CD's. I tried a couple and they sound fine to my ears, keeping in mind that CDR media can be more fragile than manufactured CD's. Too bad they don't reproduce the booklets, which were sweated over profusely. Since Universal chose to take so much of the catalog out of print, this is the only way to hear a lot of this material if you missed the original CD's. Arkiv does a nice job keeping the brand alive. By the way, they have also reissued a bunch of other Universal material, particularly Decca and DGG. And they have a bunch of EMI and Sony/BMG reissues out there also. I think the ArkivCD program is now well north of 2000 titles.
-- Tom Fine
----- Original Message ----- From: "Roderic G Stephens" <savecal@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 12:06 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Wonderful Mercury Reissues
Hi All,
I've been very pleased with my Arkiv CD purchases in the past, but I thought you all should know about the Mercuries that are being reissued by the label, and I'd be interested in any comments regarding them by Tom Fine.
This is from an email I just received from them:
"It's been an audiophile extravaganza this month at ArkivMusic, with our sales on the fabulous BIS label from Sweden (lots of titles back in stock!) and the RCA Classic Film Scores series (my favorites this week are the film scores for Errol Flynn and the Prince Valiant Suite from Franz Waxman). We round out the month with one of the most fascinating audiophile labels of all, Mercury Living Presence. Mercury was a special label in many ways, an American company, from the heyday of classical recording in the U.S., that reproduced some of the most sonically realistic sounds at the dawn of the stereo era. Precious few stereo LPs were pressed when these recordings were issued, and they became some of the rarest and most collectible classical discs ever. ArkivMusic has now reissued over 60 releases from the Mercury catalog, all of which are on sale for a limited time."
Rod Stephens