MANUFACTURER DEFECT UPDATES! Since I received my original box set from Amazon pre-order, I have gotten my other two pre-order boxes in from Rough Trade. The original review posted below reflects my impressions of that initial Amazon box, which I was very pleased with. My experience with the orders from Rough Trade have been very different, and this article has been updated. These amendments can be found at the end of this article, or click here to skip to the end.
Back in 2019, Ozzy Osbourne released the original See You On The Other Side box set, which may very well be the coolest vinyl box set that has ever been released in any genre of music. Including all sixteen of Ozzy’s original albums (which was all of them at the time) plus rare bonus material, the 150g, hand-pressed, color splatter records not only look beautiful, but also sound amazing. The box also comes with a flexi-disc, 10 exclusive posters, and a numbered certificate of “Ozzthenticity” signed by Ozzy himself. As if this weren’t enough, the box and the posters also contain triggers for some amazing, augmented reality. Just download the free Arilyn app onto your smartphone and watch some really cool stuff happen right before your eyes!
Upon its release, See You On The Other Side sold for 499.99 USD and was limited to 4500 copies. Aside from being an instant Ozzy record collection, this box set was, and still is, the only place you can get vinyl copies of albums like Ozzmosis, Down To Earth and Scream without paying hundreds of dollars each for them. In other words, there were a lot of reasons to be excited about this release. As you might imagine, after the copies were sold out at retail, the prices on the secondary market skyrocketed. Boxes were selling for, in some cases, well north of 2,000.00 USD. I know this, because I happened to be one of the people who bought it at those inflated prices. Collectors have been calling for a repress, and the Osbourne camp has finally answered. Enter See You On The Other Side V2.0! I definitely wasn’t going to miss out this time, so I bought three of them, because triples is best. Triples is safe.
First Impressions:
This new version looks pretty much the same as far as design goes, but there are some key differences. The most obvious one is that the original box is gold, and the new one is silver. The new version is also missing the See You On The Other Side flexi disc. On the original, this small clear disc was attached to the outside of the box on top of the turntable artwork. You could pop it off and play it or use the augmented reality to watch the record player come to life and “play” the disc right before your eyes. Even though it’s been over six years since the release, the app is still available for download, and the augmented reality stuff still works. I have tested this feature on the 2.0 box, and I am happy to report that it works! It does not, however, work with the posters and certificate as it did with the original version. I suspect that it working on the box was probably unintentional, as it isn’t mentioned in any ads.
On the inside, we have all the albums from the original set, plus Ordinary Man and Patient Number 9 which have been released since then. There are 26 records in total included in the box, all pressed on black vinyl. This is in contrast to every album in the original set being pressed on various colors of splatter vinyl. There are also 10 brand-new, full-size posters that are very different than the original versions, as well as a gold, bat-themed Ozzy slip mat. I have to say the design on this is a little disappointing, as they appear to be leftovers from the ones which were included in Patient Number 9 deluxe boxes. So, if you have that set already like I do, you already have this mat. Last but not least, every box sold in the USA includes a hand numbered certificate signed by Ozzy himself! These certificates are inlaid into the inside lid of the box. When the set was announced, the autograph was the first thing to raise a controversy.
The Autograph:
It seems like there’s always some sort of issue around Ozzy autographs. These range from times when he’s been physically unable to attend signings that people paid lots of money to attend, to his record label using an autopen to sign CD’s. Because of this, there were rumors floating around that the certificates wouldn’t actually be signed, but I’m happy to report that this is not the case. As someone who has a rather large Ozzy autograph collection and also has multiple of these boxes, I can tell you that they are authentic, and they look great. These signatures actually look even better than the ones for the original box, as they signed in a thick silver marker. The autographs on the original boxes, in contrast, are much smaller and are signed in a thin pen. The numbering is actually printed on the certificates and is not hand done but looks great in matching silver. Considering Ozzy charges around 250.00 USD for an autograph, this adds a lot of value to the set.
This is great for US customers, but collectors who ordered the EU version have recently gotten some bad news about their copies. When the set was first announced, it appeared to only be available in the US. Then, months later, copies appeared for preorder in Europe. This version was cheaper, but there was no mention of it being limited or signed. Fast forward to release week, and customers have been getting messages from Sony indicating that they have apparently just discovered that the EU version will not in fact be signed or numbered at all. Some people are pretty upset about this and have stated they are cancelling their orders.
When I first saw the boxes go on sale, I have to admit I was a little bit suspicious about the numbers. For comparison, the original 1.0 version had 4500 signed and numbered copies available, and the 2.0 version claims to only have 2,000. Given the popularity of V1 and the extreme increase in price on the secondary market, I wasn’t sure why they would make so fewer copies of this version. On top of that, a ton of places had these for preorder. Unless all the stores only got a small handful of copies, I didn’t see how everyone could have enough to go around. With the Sony announcement, we can now be sure there will be many more than 2,000 copies available, but there will be an obvious distinction between signed and numbered copies versus the generic version.
Personally, I ended up getting one copy from Rough Trade and one from Amazon. My third copy is coming from a relative who ordered one for me without knowing I had already made a purchase elsewhere. Amazon sold out within a few hours, but some of the other stores seemed to have available copies for a lot longer than I expected them to. Maybe people just weren’t ordering boxes, or figured they could hold off on it. Cut to today, and all the preorders have long sold out, eBay is littered with scalper copies, and people are already complaining.
The Review:
When I finally got my hands on a copy of the original set, I could not have been more pleased. The quality of everything from the packaging to the pressing of the records, down to the colors chosen for the splatter is amazing. With the 2.0 version, I got that same feeling when I opened it up. If you were on the fence about buying one of these for the 650.00 USD price point (all inclusive, after taxes and shipping), I can tell you I immediately realized where my money went when I opened the package. My copy from Amazon came undamaged, as it was very well packed (in the same manner as the original box) in a heavy duty, form fitting cardboard box. That box was then placed inside another box, and that’s how it showed up on my doorstep. The record box itself has a very nice reusable plastic cover on it, but you’ll need to take your time removing it if you want to keep it nice. A good tip here is that it opens from the bottom, not the top.
After the unboxing, the first thing I did was remove the records and posters and place the two boxes side by side. The most obvious difference between the two is the color. The new version looks a bit weird to me with no flexi disc attached, but all the other fine details are present. Both boxes have raised texture on certain parts of the artwork, and the quality is identical. One addition to the 2.0 box is some silver artwork on the sides of the box, where the original version is just black. I like this change, and it will help people tell the two apart at a quick glance.
Next, I went through the posters. The original versions are great, but these new ones are totally different. They are also very large and well made. The printing quality and image clarity is second to none. Obviously, the posters are folded to fit in the box, so that might be a concern for you if you are planning on displaying them. As someone who collects vintage movie posters that were often issued folded, I can tell you that your best bet is probably to get a high-quality frame. I imagine though, that most people will just keep them in the box like I do with nearly all of the bonus items I get in record sets.
The gold slip mat is thick, high quality, and the printing looks great. I don’t use a slip mat on my turntable anymore, but those who do would have no issues using this one. It’s heavy, and I think it would fit in with almost any setup. The original box didn’t come with a mat, so this is a totally new addition. As far as bonus items go, it should be mentioned that Patient Number 9 is the version with the McFarlane cover art. Inside the jacket, you’ll find a sealed copy of the comic book along with a printed lyric sheet. I really didn’t expect to find that in there, so it was a bit of a nice surprise. For those who aren’t familiar, the comic sort of tells a background story about the mythology surrounding the album and is a cool and fast real.
I have already mentioned that the certificate is inlaid into the upper portion of the box and is signed in silver marker, but I should also mention that it’s a bit loose in there. This is the same way the original boxes were made, and it’s almost as if the certificate was designed to be removeable to some extent. If it becomes crooked, it’s easy to straighten out. If for some reason you wanted to frame it, you could probably get it out of the box without causing any damage. This makes sense, because mounting any kind of signed item with permanent tape or glue is never a good idea.
Of course, the main attraction to this set should be the records themselves, right? Well, I’m happy to report that once again, the pressing is stunning. When I first heard about it, the idea of a fully standard black box set sounded a little bit boring. Looking at everything in person now though, I think it was a great idea for multiple reasons. The first version of the set had newly designed labels, whereas the 2.0 versions have perfect recreations of the original labels. This is especially cool for albums like Ozzmosis and Scream, since up until now, the only way to get the original black versions was to pay hundreds of dollars to import them from the EU.
I’ve read in some unverified reports that the record company used the same plates from the original box. This would be great news, because the splatter version sounds excellent. As far as audio quality, from what I have heard so far, these pressings are also spectacular. I’ve listened to Blizzard Of Ozz and Down To Earth in their entirety, and I am very impressed. I examined every disc in the set, and they are all free from visible defects. It’s going to take me a while to get through them all, but I believe that the pressing and sound quality here is good enough to make even the pickiest collectors happy. If you aren’t one of those people who has to have every pressing of an album, you really could just buy this box set and be done. You’d have a full Ozzy collection for your library that looks and sounds fantastic.
It needs to be mentioned that this set does not include the live album Speak of the Devil. There is some controversy around this, but the reality is that this box is focused on Ozzy’s “original solo work”, as stated in the ad copy. Speak of the Devil is a Black Sabbath covers album, and Ozzy himself hates it. The last time it was pressed at all was a Japanese CD release in 2006. No new copies have been made since, and it’s not available for streaming in the US. I wouldn’t expect any reissues of the album as long as the Osbourne’s remain in control of the catalogue, so if you are after this one, you’ll have to get it separately. Used vinyl copies are still around, as well as the wonderful 22-bit CD versions, so you might want to check those out if you don’t already have them.
Collectability:
But what about the collectability? Will the release of the new version bring down the prices of the original box? This has been a concern for many people who, like me, got on board late and paid a very high price for the OG on the secondary market. I never had any concerns about this personally, because I rarely buy anything with a plan of reselling it. Beyond that, the Osbournes and/or the record label seem to have taken this matter into consideration here anyway. I believe there are reasons to have both versions if you can afford it. I also think that both will become collectors’ items in their own right, with neither version making the other obsolete or any less valuable. This might come as a shock to the people who rushed to sell their original sets to make a profit and then order the 2.0 set instead.
The signed version of the 2.0 box is obviously much more limited than the first version, but it also retails for 150.00 USD more. The appeal for the new version is obviously that it has two additional records (which makes it complete as of right now), plus all the new posters and the mat. For completists, the fact that the original record labels have been recreated is also going to be very appealing. This is all well and good, but it doesn’t take away from the beautiful splatter versions of the original set. Add in the fact that the OG comes with the flexi disc, and that it is of course the first edition, and it’s easy to see why collectors will need both versions.
Looking at the numbers, the 2.0 signed version is going to be harder to get in the long run since less than half the copies are available this time. The only issue throwing a wrench into the works here is the EU version of the set. It doesn’t sound like this one is out yet, but we do know it’s not going to be signed and numbered. Obviously, this lowers the value of that set drastically. They may print thousands and thousands of the unsigned sets, but if there are no more signed and numbered ones, they will be keeping their word and retaining the collectability and value for those who jumped on the offer first and were lucky enough to secure a signed version.
Bottom Line:
If you don’t already have all of Ozzy’s albums, this set is going to be a great value for you. Even excluding the extra items like the posters, mat and signature, you’re looking at paying about 36.00 USD per album, which is not a bad cost at all, especially given that several of these are double or triple LPs. Basically, you’re looking at all 17 major Ozzy releases, with the addition of the Mr. Crowley EP and Flippin’ The B-Side. Flippin’ The B-Side is a single disc collection of non-album tracks, including “Walk On Water” (Demo), “The Liar”, “Hero”, “Back On Earth” and much more.
Right now, it seems like all the signed and numbered versions of See You On The Other Side V 2.0 are long sold out at retail. If you missed out on the pre order, you can still pick up copies on eBay for drastically marked up price. As someone who did miss out last time, my advice would be to bite the bullet and pay the 900.00 USD right now for a copy. As expensive as it is, I think it’s still worth the price for serious collectors. If we look at what happened last time, prices eventually got to double, or even TRIPLE that, so don’t wait. If you aren’t absolutely set on getting a signed version, it looks like you can still preorder copies of the generic one from the EU, which will save a lot of money, even after shipping. If you just want a great deal on the albums, this is the way to go.
Here’s one final tip. This box set looks great to display upright on the shelf, but there’s something you should be aware of. The inside of the box has black foam to keep all the discs snug. However, records are really heavy, and over time, they can sink into the foam causing damage to the material. The best way to prevent this is to remove the records from the box before putting it on display. I left all the posters inside the box, and added some padding so they wouldn’t move around or get bent. This also saves time and wear and tear on the box if you are actually going to be listening to them.
Also, make sure to check every record in the set to verify that everything is there, and that none of it is damaged. When the original box came out, there were reports that a few people got two of the same records in some double albums, and other people got sets that had some damage. At the time, Sony was really good about replacing defects, so hopefully they will do the same this time around if any problems arise. Given the handmade nature of vinyl, it’s always a possibility, even with the most stringent quality control. I know a lot of people buy things like this and put them on the shelf for a while before they are ready to dive in and check it out at a later time. If you wait too long though, any replacement program that Sony might have could end, so it’s best to check sooner than later.
This has been my longest review to date, so thanks for reading this far. This is a release that I’ve been looking forward to for months, so I knew it would be a big one. I hope that I have managed to answer any questions you may have had about this box, and that if you haven’t gotten one already, you’ll have all the information you need to make the choice. Will there be a 3.0 version on the horizon? Will albums like Ozzmosis and Scream finally be available again individually? My guess on those questions is “no”, or at least probably not for a long time. So, if this is something that interests you, now is the time.
Updates! April 3, 2025 – Manufacturer Defects:
The main reason I placed several different pre-orders is that I didn’t expect I would get them all. It seems that with releases like this, a lot of customers, including those who pre-ordered on day one, will end up getting screwed and not receiving the product… even after the retailer in question has held onto their money for several months. In my case, I did receive both pre-orders I had placed through Rough Trade US, but one of them has some major manufacturing defects. I understand that problems do crop up with products like vinyl records, which are essentially handmade, but how these problems are dealt with is a good reflection of the retailer you are dealing with. By now, you can probably sense where this is going, but I don’t anything nice to say about Rough Trade.
Firstly, when I placed my order, Rough Trade promised not to charge my credit card until the order actually shipped. Fast forward a month into the waiting period, and I was informed that they would in fact be charging my card early. I figured that as long as I got my order on time, this would be fine. When it came to release day, however, I heard nothing. A few days later, I received a non-working tracking number that remained non-working until over a week later. I sent an e-mail to inquire about this, and someone, presumably a bot, informed me that I would need to wait until their systems had been changed over (whatever that means) before my order would actually be shipped out. This bot also offered to help me cancel my order, which of course I didn’t want to do.
Over a week later, I checked the tracking again and saw that the boxes were moving. I was kind of concerned that this 600 plus dollar box set had been sent media mail, but I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. Another week later, they finally arrived. Both boxes were battered and had holes in them, but thanks to good internal packaging from the manufacturer, the discs and other contents were in basically good condition, at least from a cosmetic standpoint. I went through everything, and the first box from Rough Trade checked out. Everything was there, and in acceptable condition. The second box, however, was littered with flaws.
The first thing I noticed was that the Patient Number 9 poster was glued to the bottom of the box. It took a while, but I managed to remove it without any significant damage. The poster, however, is still covered with glue which I cannot remove. Looking through the LPs, I noticed that both copies of Patient Number 9 had damage on them. This was curious, because the damage was in the exact same spot on both discs, and it looked like someone had gouged each one with a knife. Obviously, playing something with this type of damage is a major risk to your stylus, so I was pretty unhappy. When I got to Live and Loud, I was disappointed to find that side B had an extra label on it, which was pressed into the dead wax of the disc. It’s not even lying down all the way and is all wavy and unsightly. Clearly defective, but I understand these things happen. Time to contact customer service, right?
I originally reached out to Rough Trade US on the 25th of March. Two days later, I heard back from someone called Jack, who said he was from the UK store. He said he couldn’t help me, but that he would forward my concerns to the US branch. Since I replied to the address in my order receipt, I’m not sure how my inquiry went to the UK store instead of the US one. A few more days went by without a response, and I decided to call the store. The employee I got on the phone was absolutely obnoxious. He kept telling me that I needed to “return the item online”. When I asked how to do this, he kept repeating the phrase “return online”. I would say something like, “you mean contact customer service online?”, to which he would respond, “you need to return it online”. We went around like this two or three times, and he finally went silent. I could hear he was still on the line and asked him to respond, but he just remained there, breathing into the phone like a deranged stalker from a bad horror film, but otherwise silent. More than a bit creeped out, I hung up the phone.
I’m sure you get what I’m laying down here, but I would encourage you to never order anything from Rough Trade. If you need further proof of their terrible customer service and inventory management, just check online for reviews. In some popular record forums and sales websites, people have commented that even though they ordered on day one, Rough Trade has delayed their order until June or July. Even worse, it now appears as though these people will have to choose between either an unsigned box or no box at all, or presumably a refund. I feel that now is a good time to remind this company that without The Smiths, they would have been gone decades ago. Maybe they should have been. The Smiths succeeded in spite of, rather than because of Rough Trade, and even all these years later, it’s comical to see that so little has changed.
After coming to the realization that the retailer wasn’t going to help me, I reached out to Sony. The first phone number I tried connected me with someone who said they couldn’t help me, but I have since found another email address to try. After sending my inquiry, I did get a message back indicating it was received and that someone would be with me eventually. If Sony is actually able to help me, I will share that address and all updates right here on Dawn of the Deadwax, so stay tuned for updates. I hope you aren’t in the same boat as I am, with a decimated 600.00 box set, but if you are, I hope we can all get this sorted out. I stick by my review that when it’s delivered in a acceptable condition, it’s a great set and worth the money. Hopefully Sony, the manufacturer, will come through where the retailer, Rough Trade, is unable to due to indifference, incompetence, and mismanagement.