Got an e-mail from Red Floor Records a few days ago (you probably did too, if you bought the $9.99 album download of Daniel Lanois’ Here Is What Is).  Now they are selling “Goldtop” packages for $50 more that have the album, the film, and lots more.  Hurry, only 3000 available!

I don’t know …  it IS a sweet deluxe package and all, with the goodies you’d expect.  No, Lanois won’t be hand-delivering it himself, and no, it does not come with any actual gold.  But what really caught my eye was the deluxe DVD has an hour of extra footage that boasts “alternative versions of songs from the film.”  And you get photographs, a Moleskine notebook and a “classic little rock and roll button.” (Eh?)

Well, OK: the extra footage is sure to have more of U2 jamming away in Fez with Eno and Lanois, right?  And I’d love to watch even more of Lanois making his transcendent music at the pedal steel.  The retail price of all that’s included might indeed approach $50, but sheesh, this fan has got to stick to a budget.

Would you buy this?  How much is too much to ask for the deluxe versions of what we love?