22.11.21
The Riverside anniversary songs have already entered streaming services. Word on the street is that whenever a band release “the best of”, it means their end is near because, instead of into the future, they’re looking into their past. Well, I hope it’s not the case for us 🙂 and maybe that’s also the reason why we approached this release in a slightly unorthodox way – without physical media, vinyl in seven different colours, a 100-page booklet with pictures from the entire career to date, without coaxing our fans into buying something they already have on their shelves. Obviously, we have seen it done many times, for example, Sting loves to release albums with one new song plus the best of. To be honest, I’ve never really liked it (although it was thanks to “Themes” that I got to know the work of Vangelis :))
Why are we doing it with Riverside then? And why only on digital? The answer is simple: we live in times of playlists on mobile phones, so, for our 20th anniversary, we wanted to create a showpiece of our music for those who have only just discovered us and for those who would like a reminder and a summary of what we’ve done so far.
I know that most of our fans are committed supporters and collectors of the only legitimate physical media. We know one another, we’ve talked many times before and after our concerts, and what all of us have in common are shelves weighing down with LPs. So please, remember that this release is neither an example of sabotage, nor a result of ignorance 🙂 I would approach it somewhat like that:
“What is this Riverside band about?”, you might be asked. “Well, why don’t you listen to their ‘Riverside 20’,” you might reply. “You’ve got it here, on your mobile. And once you’re hooked, come back for their full discography. Their releases are available on a choice of physical media in all good music stores” 🙂
So let’s have fun, celebrate, and make use of what technology has to offer. And we’d like to reassure those of you who really really cannot get over the lack of a physical release that we will try to put a CD out some time later through our fan club, ok? 🙂
Have a nice week Everyone!