Waking up to "collection bloat"

[mathias broucek]

It's been a bumper time for collecting, hasn't it?

We've had stupidly priced boxes from Sony and EMI, the £0.01 + postage deals from Zoverstocks to say nothing of silly download prices whether intended or otherwise.

And I suddenly realised that there isn't much left that I really-really want and that I spend so much time hearing the new stuff (that I HAD to buy because it was SO cheap) that I rarely listen to existing treasures!

So I've had a break. I've made two hard copy purchases in the last 7 weeks plus a couple of VERY cheap downloads (e.g. Schnabel doing all but one of the LvB Sonatas for £1.09) that I won't feel obliged to listen to in a hurry.

And it's been a joy. I've re-connected with some lovely stuff I've not heard for a while (Celi's Tod from Tokyo, Miaskovsky 6, Perahia's Mozart) or which has really grabbed me (Sinopoli's Daphnis Suite 2).

I dare say my collecting will get out of control again but just now I'm happy enjoying what I have already! Have I lost the plot?

[PJPJ]

.......Have I lost the plot?

Only temporarily, perhaps. Like you, I have been enjoying a few well-loved recordings I've had for decades.

I've also been having a big sort-out as storage space seems to have been used up about 500 discs ago. Yet again, I've begun a one-in-one-out regime; this should work for, oh, a week or so, or until there are no rogue piles of discs on the floor.

[hafod]

Have I lost the plot?

No. It's just a well earned sabbatical.

[cloughie]

It's been a bumper time for collecting, hasn't it?

We've had stupidly priced boxes from Sony and EMI, the £0.01 + postage deals from Zoverstocks to say nothing of silly download prices whether intended or otherwise.

And I suddenly realised that there isn't much left that I really-really want and that I spend so much time hearing the new stuff (that I HAD to buy because it was SO cheap) that I rarely listen to existing treasures!

So I've had a break. I've made two hard copy purchases in the last 7 weeks plus a couple of VERY cheap downloads (e.g. Schnabel doing all but one of the LvB Sonatas for £1.09) that I won't feel obliged to listen to in a hurry.

And it's been a joy. I've re-connected with some lovely stuff I've not heard for a while (Celi's Tod from Tokyo, Miaskovsky 6, Perahia's Mozart) or which has really grabbed me (Sinopoli's Daphnis Suite 2).

I dare say my collecting will get out of control again but just now I'm happy enjoying what I have already! Have I lost the plot?

Your progress will be monitored with interest - one tip - don't look at the Bargains thread - its a bloat carrier.

[gurnemanz]

It's been a bumper time for collecting, hasn't it?

We've had stupidly priced boxes from Sony and EMI, the £0.01 + postage deals from Zoverstocks to say nothing of silly download prices whether intended or otherwise.

And I suddenly realised that there isn't much left that I really-really want and that I spend so much time hearing the new stuff (that I HAD to buy because it was SO cheap) that I rarely listen to existing treasures!

So I've had a break. I've made two hard copy purchases in the last 7 weeks plus a couple of VERY cheap downloads (e.g. Schnabel doing all but one of the LvB Sonatas for £1.09) that I won't feel obliged to listen to in a hurry.

And it's been a joy. I've re-connected with some lovely stuff I've not heard for a while (Celi's Tod from Tokyo, Miaskovsky 6, Perahia's Mozart) or which has really grabbed me (Sinopoli's Daphnis Suite 2).

I dare say my collecting will get out of control again but just now I'm happy enjoying what I have already! Have I lost the plot?

I know what you mean and do try to ration myself. I keep thinking I've reached saturation point and should stop (so does my wife), then something irresistible turns up. My last two purchases arrived on Tuesday: Bridge Orchestral Works box and Tchaikovsky Piano Solos - both containing music almost entirely new to me, both excellent performances, well-presented and reasonably priced and probably not essential purchases.

Part of my "problem" is that I am now retired with more spare time and, post-mortgage with kids long gone and a pension in the bag, I have enough spare cash to feed my habit ..... and a completist urge which I suppose afflicts all collectors.

[Barbirollians]

I have made a start . Deleting the Amazon iPhone app !

[mathias broucek]

I have made a start . Deleting the Amazon iPhone app !

LOL. It's soooo easy to buy on a smartphone just because you're bored!

I once had too many drinks on holiday and ordered 50 CDs!!!! Mostly cheap ones but I ordered some twice which I had to unwind the next morning....

[Ferretfancy]

It's a real problem when you stand in front of loaded shelves wondering what you would really like to hear. I've tried to cut down, but I still find myself buying by searching for old favourites.
I buy far fewer new recordings these days, simply because I have so many fine versions of standard repertory already. I recently bought the Benjamin Grosvenor disc which includes Saint Saens 2. It's absolutely fine, but better than my Rubinstein copy? I don't think so, and how many versions of this piece are necessary?

The sad truth is that since the rush of CD bargains began,prices have been far too low, and I'm sorry to say this, but there's simply too much back catalogue to make it worth getting many of the new performances. I hope this won't happen, but it will mean the end of classical record shops and the demise of CD

[richardfinegold]

It's a real problem when you stand in front of loaded shelves wondering what you would really like to hear. I've tried to cut down, but I still find myself buying by searching for old favourites.
I buy far fewer new recordings these days, simply because I have so many fine versions of standard repertory already. I recently bought the Benjamin Grosvenor disc which includes Saint Saens 2. It's absolutely fine, but better than my Rubinstein copy? I don't think so, and how many versions of this piece are necessary?

The sad truth is that since the rush of CD bargains began,prices have been far too low, and I'm sorry to say this, but there's simply too much back catalogue to make it worth getting many of the new performances. I hope this won't happen, but it will mean the end of classical record shops and the demise of CD

The disappearance of the CD shop has already happened here.
I have also been finding these incredibly cheap offerings, frequently containing recordings that have been well remastered to boot, well nigh impossible to resist. I have a pile of unplaced discs and I need to prune out the shelves to make room for the incoming. I think many of the casualties will be Naxos discs. Cheap and cheerful when they were new, they maybe the first stuff that I burn to a hard drive and then start using as tea coasters.

[Alison]

In contrast to FF. my weakness is for new releases with a particular fondness for pre-ordering so as to get them on release
date or, most exciting, slightly before !

I am trying to curb this particular habit, to let a few weeks to go by to double check if I still hanker after
recordings after the brand newness has slightly worn off.

The Andsnes Beethoven concertos disc is under such consideration. Surely I don't need more versions of
these works, the soloist can seem a shade boring ..... and yet those excerpts on CD Review sounded really
very impressive indeed !!

I was able to resist the complete Paul Lewis set with the BBCSO but his solo Schubert is simply an essential purchase.