Loved the last episode (5.5). Especially the bit about the collector part. It triggered me into writing this very long post
Going through the topics on STBC I see posts from people that know and love everything about scores and soundtracks. I love the passion that one can feel in the remarks and the stories. I love the passion you guys in the Damn Fine Podcast let loose on us all. All of you created something I want to be a part of.
My soundtrack buying history was limited to the score for The Omen on vinyl (because I loved the evil sounding music and the cover), Vampyros Lesbos on cd (in love with Soledad Miranda at the time) and now I think of it because I saw the video for it on MTV’s Alternative Nation hosted by Toby what’s his name. And also all the cd’s from the Tarantino movies. Between 2003 and 2013 I didn’t buy a lot of music at all. A year and a half ago I started again, but now records instead of cd’s. I bought the B&O Beogram record player because I saw it in Dawn of the Dead when I re-watched that movie. I didn’t know anything about it, it just looked incredibly cool. A year of buying records from artists I loved ensued. And then all this soundtrack stuff got onto my radar
Since last December I subscribed to One Way Static and Waxwork. I bought 5 OOP Death Waltz releases (4 subscriber editions). Followed by a lot of newly released stuff from almost all the labels that you can find here. Every time Sara from OWS sends a new heads up for some title they get I ask for the Paypal invoice and add it to my Static Club order. For the first months of this year I loved the STPC topic New OST vinyl releases. Thank you for getting me to buy Under Pompelmo and The Silence
I also love my Cindelic releases.
For the last month or so I lost the love for that topic. There is so much coming out. And all this stuff I don’t know, but that sounds absolutely great. It just doesn’t stop. I love the sound on all those library releases. It is a world I was not familiar with at all. But it is just too much…
And now I am a bit at a loss. I need to evaluate what I want (and can afford) to collect. I don’t have a lot of time to put records on, but a lot for listening on my iPhone. That would mean I don’t need to buy a lot if it was only about the music. But for me it isn’t only about the music. I love the feel of the releases. It brings me back to the time I didn’t have a lot of responsibilities and I could endlessly watch VHS tapes and later DVD’s of the movies that have their soundtrack released again now. And all in beautiful packages with brilliant artwork, great sound quality and beautiful coloured vinyl. How I love all those colours and splatter effects
I am very easily triggered by all the hype surrounding new releases. I am envious towards people that say that in the end it is all about the music and that they don’t care about the edition and are happy to just get any copy of a release. Sentences like limited to 300 and this is going to be gone in seconds send a signal to my finger to click again and again on a Buy Now button. I am not holding anything against the labels that just want to have a solid business model because in the end it is me that is spending too much, not them forcing me to. For me the draw is in the complete package. I want the most exclusive version of a release of something that I want to listen to. And I will play that version.
Yes, I am experiencing some heavy first world problems
So what to do now. I know I can’t buy everything. And I noticed that all the hype surrounding releases is just that. A hype. Almost never do records sell out on the same day. A lot of the times you can wait weeks. And if even if you wait months of a year you will find a reasonably priced version somewhere on the internet. So no need to buy immediately. Or for me to buy at all for the coming months…
Most important part is figuring out what I like the most to own and play.
Musically I love on the one hand the dark synths sounds like the ones you find on Prince of Darkness and on the other hand the funky feel good swinging hip sounds on Under Pompelmo. Also the strange avant-garde stuff intrigues me. Big orchestrated pieces played by the London Symphony Orchestra is less my cup of tea. So taste of music is not really a good way to limit stuff I want.
So what does the collector in me want? Am I a completist? Do I want all the variants… No I do not. I thought I did, but the music is more important than having extra copies of a release that remain unplayed. Do I want everything a label puts out? Yes I do
But not from every label. I love One Way Static the most. And because they don’t have that many releases as of yet it is a good place to start. I do love Waxwork and Death Waltz. Mondo less so. But first things first
To conclude: I am going to slow down buying stuff for the next months. Focus on One Way Static. Wait for a normal price for the OOP releases and not hurry in and pay inflated prices.
If there is still anyone reading by this time, thank you :-)I needed to write all this down as a reflection on my behaviour as a consumer in general and a beginning soundtrack enthusiast specifically.
All the best!
Ben.
