Monday, January 20, 2020

Pay attention to what you buy on AMAZON

Because they will rip you off.  On that front, a victory of sorts.  Sonny & Cher were a hit making duo and they landed 20 hits on BILLBOARD's Hot 100.  They had 12 albums that charted on BILLBOARD's 200 Chart -- that's 5 studio albums, 2 live albums, 1 soundtrack album and 4 compilation albums.

To this day, they have a serious following.  Yes, Cher herself is legendary and popular.  But there are also fans of just the duo Sonny & Cher.

Even casual fans know what the duo's first charting hit was: "I Got You Babe."  What was their final chart hit?


sonny & cher

"Mama Was A Rock And Roll Singer, Papa Used To Write All Her Songs" -- the title track from the studio album of the same name -- their last studio album which was released in 1973.  The song made it to number 77 on BILLBOARD's Hot 100.

AMAZON's been selling the single and the album for some time now.  You could buy the album or the single.  But, here's the thing, AMAZON doesn't know what they're doing.

They've f**ked up THE MAMAS AND THE PAPAS' THE PAPAS AND THE MAMAS because they don't know what kicks off side two.  They listed the tracks as they appear on the back album cover.  And they listed the time of the songs based on those listings.  The problem?  It took three years of complaining to get their problem fixed.  On vinyl "Gemini Child" does kick off side two.  But AMAZON was selling an altered version of the album and of the track.  "Gemini Child" opens with Michelle Phillips singing another verse and chorus of "The Right Somebody To Love."  It's not a separate track.  But people paying for just that track didn't get Michelle's acoustic vocal nor did people paying for the entire album.  Before someone who thinks they know what they're talking about -- maybe you work for AMAZON, we spent a long time explaining this to them -- interjects, we know side one opens with Michelle doing "The Right Somebody To Love."  That's why side two also opens with it.  On side one, it is listed as its own track because there is a break between it and "Safe In My Garden."  On side two, no such break exists.  Michelle's singing of another verse and chorus of "The Right Somebody To Love" merges with "Gemini Child."  Again, it took three years to get AMAZON to correct this.

The good news?  When they did correct it, if you had it in your cloud, it was replaced with the full track.  They didn't charge you again.

We had hoped to have the same success with "Mama Was A Rock And Roll Singer, Papa Used To Write All Her Songs."  Had hoped to.  While we were able to get them to fix their problem, you'll have to buy it again to get the full nine minutes-plus song.  Their argument is that they sold the single version.  That is correct, that is what they sold.  And if you bought it off a compilation, they might be able to get away with that.  But if you bought it with the album of the same name or the track billed as being from the album of the same name, you shouldn't have to pay another $1.29 to get what you thought you were ordering instead of the three minute and 49 second version they sold you.

You need to watch AMAZON very closely when purchasing.