The Bats reissues

When Robert Scott played bass on The Clean's Getting Older in 1982, I'm certain that he didn't envisage getting older involving 3 album reissues of his then-new band The Bats.

Captured Tracks are re-releasing the first 2 Bats albums, Daddy's Highway and The Law Of Things, plus the compilation Compiletely. These are all great records. Annoyingly, the package features previously unreleased songs. I won't be buying it - once you add postage and customs charges, UK buyers will be staring at the business end of £100.

There will be a few obsessives who will buy it for the extra songs. Oh, there's a tote bag, too. It's ok, Captured Tracks, your marketing department hasn't met me, but I won't be using a tote bag this or any season.

I'm not accusing Captured Tracks of cashing in - even though this package has the whiff of Record Store Day about it - but surely the core audience for this 'product' is a younger, poorer audience who don't already own the records.

I know there's a pretty cheap 3 CD alternative. Do kids buy CDs? I don't. Actually, I did buy one this year by mistake: the Hundredth Anniversary ep was so good I assumed it must be on 7" not CD.

There were 2 really good cassette releases last year of Robert Scott's 1987/88 work, Gordon Wallace and The Professor and the Team. I'd be happier if these were issued on vinyl for the first time, or if other material from Scott's legendary archives was issued. But I'm not going to have a difficult conversation with my bank manager for a handful of previously unreleased demos and mixes bundled with records I already own.