I personally love them.
I am an artist away from all this audiophile stuff so I can appreciate the progression of ideas. With the exception of the original gallery show (i.e. the album), you would never see the sketch books leading up to the final rendering or show.
Deluxe additions serve this function, by allowing access to the artistic minds. Often times, some of the strongest material never makes it to the final cut, as it might be out of step with the "concept", but can standalone as a powerful track (i.e. Bruce Springsteen's "Loose Ends", Bob Dylan's "Every Grain of Sand", Neil Young's "Winterlong"). It has spawned a whole industry of bootlegs. I appreciate the Beatles, Radiohead, Neil Young, REM, Bob Dylan and Springsteen for officially releasing out-take material alongside their best work, both from a current and legacy catalogue perspective.
Alternative bonus tracks/takes allow you access to the studio, at a specific point of time. I especially respect the Clash, who in 1980 released the entire studio session production of Sandinista, 3 albums for one price, so fans could reassemble the finished album to their tastes.
I am an artist away from all this audiophile stuff so I can appreciate the progression of ideas. With the exception of the original gallery show (i.e. the album), you would never see the sketch books leading up to the final rendering or show.
Deluxe additions serve this function, by allowing access to the artistic minds. Often times, some of the strongest material never makes it to the final cut, as it might be out of step with the "concept", but can standalone as a powerful track (i.e. Bruce Springsteen's "Loose Ends", Bob Dylan's "Every Grain of Sand", Neil Young's "Winterlong"). It has spawned a whole industry of bootlegs. I appreciate the Beatles, Radiohead, Neil Young, REM, Bob Dylan and Springsteen for officially releasing out-take material alongside their best work, both from a current and legacy catalogue perspective.
Alternative bonus tracks/takes allow you access to the studio, at a specific point of time. I especially respect the Clash, who in 1980 released the entire studio session production of Sandinista, 3 albums for one price, so fans could reassemble the finished album to their tastes.