Bands where you know you want to acquire the entire back catalog of, but have not as of yet due to the cost, size and listening tediousness of getting it quickly

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Sonic Youth
The Beatles

Jonathan Williams (ex machina), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 15:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Queen
Prince
Springsteen
Beatles

for really big bodies of work that i know i'll want all/most of eventually, i just try to go chronologically. which i figure gives a good perspective of how those albums sounded in light of what they'd done before when they first came out.

Al (sitcom), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 15:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Neil Young, Sonic Youth

teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 15:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Strokes

, Tuesday, 17 December 2002 15:24 (twenty-two years ago)

the fall

leigh (leigh), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 15:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Miles Davis. There's just too much, but I can't imagine NOT wanting one of his albums.

James Ball (James Ball), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 15:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Nurse with Wound.

jot eff pe, Tuesday, 17 December 2002 15:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Everyone.

Nick A. (Nick A.), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 15:34 (twenty-two years ago)

I guess if I was interested in 'em, I'd say Nurse With Wound.

I'm usually looking more for weird, rare one-off albums by obscurities than artists with humongous discographies, because usually the latter have at least a couple duds in there.

hstencil, Tuesday, 17 December 2002 15:35 (twenty-two years ago)

The Normal

Sterling Clover (s_clover), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 15:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Muslimgauze. Oh how I dream.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 15:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah,

I third Nurse With Wound. Current 93 is probably a higher priority though.

And Tom Waits.

Don't you just hate it when the Wire does one of those Primers on someone you hardly heard of, and they make the whole back catalogue sound so essential, that your life is totally meaningless until you've got, and got into, those records.


phil jones (interstar), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 15:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Beatles
Dr. Eugene Chadbourne
John Coltrane

Colin Meeder (Mert), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 15:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Don't you just hate it when the Wire does one of those Primers on someone you hardly heard of, and they make the whole back catalogue sound so essential, that your life is totally meaningless until you've got, and got into, those records.

I hate this. As if everybody has the luxury of buying them all, or is fortunate enough to know someone that will copy them. Even in this age of mp3s, it's still a lot to assume.

Nicole (Nicole), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 15:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually, I hate it when The Wire presents something as a complete discography when it clearly isn't.

hstencil, Tuesday, 17 December 2002 15:57 (twenty-two years ago)

"Don't you just hate it when the Wire does one of those Primers on someone you hardly heard of, and they make the whole back catalogue sound so essential, that your life is totally meaningless until you've got, and got into, those records."

Nope.

, Tuesday, 17 December 2002 15:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Underground Resistance

stevo (stevo), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 15:59 (twenty-two years ago)

A good reason why not to read the Wire! Some discographies just daunt (but then you look at the Christian Death one when all you need is three or so albums and there are about a hundred, and you laugh).

Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 15:59 (twenty-two years ago)

" "

mar acardipane (got yr email stevo....i'm in koln, replzy when i get back)

gareth (gareth), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 16:00 (twenty-two years ago)

the dittos were for UR not christian death!

gareth (gareth), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 16:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Unwound, Hood and Low.

Callum (Callum), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 16:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Plastic People of the Universe

nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 16:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Jad Fair, Thelonious Monk

dave q, Tuesday, 17 December 2002 16:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Sun Ra

Chris Barrus (xibalba), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 16:53 (twenty-two years ago)

I discovered a good way to cheaply catch up on the Miles Davis catalog: BMG Music Service. (covers head, ducks). No, really. They have a ton of Davis CDs (good ones!), and you can get good deals on their boxed sets when they are on sale.

Here are the keys to subscribing to BMG:
Only buy the one required purchase, and when you do so, wait for the "Buy 1, Get 2 Free" offer (you may have to wait a few months).
If you don't respond to the featured selection, and they send it to you, DON'T OPEN IT. Write "RETURN TO SENDER" on it and put it back in your mailbox. That's all you need to do.
After you buy your required purchase, and before you tell them you want to unsubscribe, sign up for a new account, using the old account as a referrer (you get 5 free CDs this way).
Don't buy any extra CDs unless they are like $1.99, since the per-CD cost averages out to be less than $5 (incl. s/h).
And...if you get a CD with a cracked case, email them, and they'll send you a new case for free.
Subscribe, refer, unsubscribe, repeat.

Ernest P. (ernestp), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 16:54 (twenty-two years ago)

"Miles Davis. There's just too much, but I can't imagine NOT wanting one of his albums."

I take it you haven't heard "Aura" then?!

Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 17:10 (twenty-two years ago)

"I take it you haven't heard "Aura" then?!"

No, not yet, but if that's the only shite one out of 100+ then he did alright.

And is it really bad in a 'Landing on Water' or 'Never let me down' way or is it just inessential?

James Ball (James Ball), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 17:25 (twenty-two years ago)

I need a 100-CD Bach box set
Beethoven too
better make it all classical ever
Serge Gainsbourg (though Soulseek is remarkably helpful)

dleone (dleone), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 17:36 (twenty-two years ago)

George Jones.

Arthur (Arthur), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 17:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Sonic Youth, PJ Harvey and, in another lifetime, Frank Zappa. I only need one more Le Tigre CD and 2/3 more Shonen Knife.

But I think I've largely kicked the completist habit nowadys, it's much better when you can be less than a _total_ fan. You don't have to pretend everything they do is great, it saves a lot of money and frees up time for listening to other stuff.

meirion john lewis (mei), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 17:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Bowie, mostly done now. of course, i just wanted all the albums up to 1990 or so, and hopefully for $5 or less a pop.

g (graysonlane), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 17:51 (twenty-two years ago)

The BMG thing is the truth ... I filled out my Sonic Youth, Zappa, and Bowie collections - And then bought a few box sets when they were on sale - Cream $20, The Who $20, Johnny Cash $12 .. and then quit ...

It's a good deal if you don't buy past your obligation...

dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 17:55 (twenty-two years ago)

.. sadly, they didn't have The Fall catalogue ... even not including the live releases, there's just too many ...

dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 17:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Led Zeppelin, The Kinks, Jimi Hendrix...

(I need to be schooled more on classic rock, I must admit)

donut bitch (donut), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 20:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Funkadelic, The Cure, Bowie

Clarke B., Tuesday, 17 December 2002 20:15 (twenty-two years ago)

".... is [Aura] really bad in a 'Landing on Water' or 'Never let me down' way or is it just inessential?"

It's probably a bit unfair to Miles' legacy that this album was ever attributed to him in the first place (although of course he does have his own ego to blame for that!)

Basically it's a load of self-indulgent navel-gazing wankery supposedly recorded as a tribute to Miles but which The Man (With The Horn) himself was somehow persuaded to come and add a few aimless tootles over the top of.

Fortunately it bears no resemblance to anything else (I've ever heard) in Miles' back catalogue.

"... if that's the only shite one out of 100+ then he did alright."

Very true; although I really wouldn't bother with his autobiography either unless you're prepared to read the phrase "like a motherfucker" being used to describe absolutely everything and everyone Miles ever encountered!

Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 22:02 (twenty-two years ago)

the Fall, Bowie, Beefheart, the Boredoms

Ferg (Ferg), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 23:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Saint Etienne. Most of it never released here and I hate importing.

edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 23:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Plastic People of the Universe

True. Though audiogalaxy and soulseek were helpful.

original bgm, Wednesday, 18 December 2002 00:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Saint Etienne. Most of it never released here and I hate importing.

All of St Etienne's "proper" albums were released locally in Aust

electric sound of jim (electricsound), Wednesday, 18 December 2002 00:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Boredoms, UR, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Si Begg, Carl Craig (almost!) Cursor Miner, Pulsinger/Tunakan, possibly Dick Hyman and Perrey-Kingsley, Juan Atkins, Telex.

Also, I would really like to hear John Barry's scores for the Connery 007 flicks through mid-Moore, plus a few others (Black Hole, Zulu) remastered from the original tapes and not conducted by some tame weenie in Prague.

Born about a decade late, really.

Tom Millar (Millar), Wednesday, 18 December 2002 01:13 (twenty-two years ago)

I really wouldn't bother with his autobiography either unless you're prepared to read the phrase "like a motherfucker" being used to describe absolutely everything and everyone Miles ever encountered!

That's what makes it classic!

Sean (Sean), Wednesday, 18 December 2002 01:26 (twenty-two years ago)

acid mothers temple. someone stop them releasing records long enough for me to catch up. oh and they're all super expensive.

simon 803 (simon 803), Wednesday, 18 December 2002 03:14 (twenty-two years ago)

One time I thought I wanted to buy everything Donna Summer ever released. I got over it before I realized I'd have to get a job.

Adam A. (Keiko), Wednesday, 18 December 2002 03:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Muslimgauze--Ned is as usual OTM
Sun Ra (got a lot, still missing a lot)
The entire Billy Childish discography (so I can boil it down to one brain-meltingly great CD)
And I still want to acquire everything Rev. Julius Cheeks ever recorded, & nobody will tell me which Sensational Nightingales records I want!

I actually got my hands on the complete (post-'59) Coltrane catalogue this summer, and am very happy about it.

Douglas, Wednesday, 18 December 2002 06:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Another AYE for Sonic Youth. Aphex Twin and Butthole Surfers, also.

weasel diesel (K1l14n), Wednesday, 18 December 2002 10:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Zoviet France. Their back catalogue is about as inobtainable as John Barry's. I wonder why.

jot eff pe, Wednesday, 18 December 2002 11:41 (twenty-two years ago)

**Entire back catalogs** = dud

Dr. C (Dr. C), Wednesday, 18 December 2002 12:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Now that you speak of it - the term 'entire back catalogue' does have a ring of Thom Yorke and Warp Records, doesn't it? Eew.

jot eff pe, Wednesday, 18 December 2002 12:37 (twenty-two years ago)

but then you look at the Christian Death one when all you need is three or so albums and there are about a hundred, and you laugh

A second person who thinks about this, even for a second! Good heavens but it's a small world.

(ObThread: that my own tiny band hasn't made this list is rather disappointing to me, as I have made it my mission in life to construct a daunting & largely unobtainable back catalogue)

J0hn Darni3ll3 (J0hn Darni3ll3), Wednesday, 18 December 2002 12:47 (twenty-two years ago)

All you lucky bastards who put Bowie above - it's not too late.

Don't buy 'Never let me down'!!!!!!!

James Ball (James Ball), Wednesday, 18 December 2002 14:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Muslimgauze--Ned is as usual OTM

Hey, thanks!

A second person who thinks about this, even for a second! Good heavens but it's a small world.

The fact that one of your album essays was a tribute to Rozz says it all, John. ;-)

that my own tiny band hasn't made this list is rather disappointing to me, as I have made it my mission in life to construct a daunting & largely unobtainable back catalogue

But you then sabotaged it with the three CD rarities collection and now we all have everything. Well, I have some. Did you ever hear the Peoplemover cover of you from 1993 or so? And this is the Eric J. Lawrence-led Peoplemover, not the other one.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 18 December 2002 15:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Aphex Twin and Led Z for sure

Jonathan Williams (ex machina), Wednesday, 18 December 2002 15:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Jacques Brel, Residents, Sun Ra, John Zorn, Pizzicato 5, Fushitsusha

A Nairn (moretap), Wednesday, 18 December 2002 16:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Rolling Stones

Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 18 December 2002 16:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Rolling Stones, The Fall, Pixies, The Cure, Unwound, Arab on Radar, Nick Cave, Tom Waits...

Ian Johnson (orion), Thursday, 19 December 2002 01:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Fernando Sor, Isaac Albeniz, Arnold Schoenberg, John Cage, Fred Frith (post-Henry Cow/Art Bears), Ravi Shankar, MS Subbalakshmi, Lalgudi Jayraman, AC/DC (at least up to Back In Black)

sundar subramanian (sundar), Thursday, 19 December 2002 02:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Voivod also.

sundar subramanian (sundar), Thursday, 19 December 2002 02:04 (twenty-two years ago)

And Black Sabbath at least as long as Ozzy Osbourne was in the band.

sundar subramanian (sundar), Thursday, 19 December 2002 02:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Daniel Johnston

Curtis Stephens, Thursday, 19 December 2002 03:40 (twenty-two years ago)

the Blue Note back catalogue

t\'\'t (t''t), Thursday, 19 December 2002 04:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Saint Etienne. Most of it never released here and I hate importing.
All of St Etienne's "proper" albums were released locally in Aust

Yes, but that constitutes, what, one half (if that) of everything available, no?

edward o (edwardo), Thursday, 19 December 2002 04:38 (twenty-two years ago)

well the beatles are not hard to do -- anthology pt.3 is the definitive accessory -- friends, parents -- really, very finite

sonic youth ? don't bother (musical tediousness, out of date allusions, empty pretensions)
sun ra ? probably technically impossible
zappa ? beneath musical tediousness

webern is easy, varese would be 3 cds max., stockhausen DG lps is the phase one set, whereas you don't need any john cage stuff at all

jandek, caroliner et. al., no neck blues, acid mothers etc., haino, oscar peterson, coltrane, miles davis (you just need one album for each 'developement' if you think davis is interesting)

monk is feasible with a finite set of compositions but maybe consistency = tediousness -- steve lacy ? (a. braxton would be tedious) -- ken vandermark ?

george gosset (gegoss), Thursday, 19 December 2002 05:57 (twenty-two years ago)

There's a 2-CD set of Varese's complete works and a 3-CD set for Webern.

sundar subramanian (sundar), Thursday, 19 December 2002 07:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Y'know, as someone who owns, um...(I'm thinking)...18 Miles Davis CDs (NOT including the Quintet and Bitches Brew box sets) and 10 LPs, as well as the autobiography (a great read, "like a motherfucker" indeed), I must say that I am still far short of a fair representation of all of his music. I could totally use alot more of the Coltrane/Adderly/Miles years, as well as the pre-Bitches Brew, post-Tony/Herbie/Ron/Wayne/Miles In-A-Silent-Way era stuff. I think the Prince of Darkness's middle name was "prolific".

Oh, and as for back catalogs that are too extensive to even know where to begin...FRANK ZAPPA.

nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 19 December 2002 16:17 (twenty-two years ago)

(ObThread: that my own tiny band hasn't made this list is rather disappointing to me, as I have made it my mission in life to construct a daunting & largely unobtainable back catalogue)

It just seemed gauche to mention here. But I have not let friends burn me copies of Zopilote Machine or Hot Garden Stomp or any of the other currently unavailable albums; it would take all the fun away.

That, and my own presumptions of immortality and good luck that I will some day come across for $1 at the Goodwill. Or that 3BOS will rerelease them; even when I lean towards being a completist I avoid being a fetishist about first editions and whatnot. Which probably makes me a boring person.

Anyway, as for the original question: This is even more relevant to me for genres. I have for the most part avoided jazz or hiphop or "world" music because of the sheer amount of music I'd have to buy and listen to. Sigh!

Chris P (Chris P), Thursday, 19 December 2002 18:09 (twenty-two years ago)

nickalicious - It was once suggested the best way to approach Davis' catalog was to pursue it chronologically. I'm currently at (the wonderful) L'Ascenseur pour l'Echafaud and i'm getting geared-up for the post-Coltrane/Adderley material. I must say, though, my Complete Prestige box set (Chronicle) is one of my most valued posessions.

I agree with Chris Barrus in his suggestion of Sun Ra, and i'd add in John Fahey.

christoff (christoff), Thursday, 19 December 2002 18:37 (twenty-two years ago)

"Oh, and as for back catalogs that are too extensive to even know where to begin...FRANK ZAPPA."

Actually that's incredibly easy - begin at the beginning: Freak Out, Absolutely Free, We're Only In It For The Money. After that, I agree, a very large sieve is required.

Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 19 December 2002 21:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Charles Mingus. I'm workin' on it, but they just keep releasing stuff and it's on like 500 different labels.

Matt C., Thursday, 19 December 2002 21:40 (twenty-two years ago)

seven months pass...
I'll wade in with Sun Ra again. Also Caroliner and Xhol. Johnny Cash wouldn't be bad. Masayuki Takayanagi, another vote for David Bowie, Lard Free, David S. Ware, William Parker, Matthew Shipp, Paul Flaherty/Randall Colbourne, Lucinda Williams, K. Stockhausen, the Banana Splits, and Lancelot Link & the Evolution Revolution.

John Bullabaugh (John Bullabaugh), Sunday, 3 August 2003 18:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Jandek

Curt1s St3ph3ns, Sunday, 3 August 2003 19:02 (twenty-two years ago)

The Fall, Beefheart, Bowie, Acid Mothers Temple, No Neck Blues Band, John Fahey

T. Weiss (Timmy), Sunday, 3 August 2003 19:20 (twenty-two years ago)

''K. Stockhausen''

are you sure abt that?! even the operas?

Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Sunday, 3 August 2003 19:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Jandek

When it comes to cost it's actually fairly efficient to get his stuff (and Eclipse Records stocks 'em all anyway).

Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 3 August 2003 19:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Sonic Youth (too extensive)
Poster Children (hard to find here in Portugal)
Curve (web-only, expensive releases)

JP Almeida (JP Almeida), Sunday, 3 August 2003 20:25 (twenty-two years ago)

I'll see your John Fahey, and raise you Jackie-O-Motherfucker, Wolf Eyes and Sunburned Hand Of The Man.

Also, with all the mentioning of Acid Mothers, perhaps I should mention that I saw Monghang last night, which has members of AMT. They dress all in funny costumes/headdresses and dance VERY WELL to their funky/surfy/psych music. We got the drummer really trashed before the show, and he said he went to the school of Ganja when we asked him if he went to college in Japan. He ruled.

Ian Johnson (elmo oxygen), Sunday, 3 August 2003 22:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Jandek

it's a piece of piss to get his whole catalogue in one job lot! that is, if you're happy to spend the $160-odd on 40 cds.

electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 4 August 2003 00:51 (twenty-two years ago)

i've got almost all the drexciya stuff collected and i'm really apprehensive about "completing the collection", as if having all of it there in my room will make their legacy somehow finite and smaller. ditto for underground resistance, etc. i can't imagine running out of sun ra albums to buy, it'd be like reaching the end of music.

vahid (vahid), Monday, 4 August 2003 01:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I've been wanting to pick up some Beatles cds ever since I moved away from my roommates who always had most of the records. Mind you that was about seven years ago and for the past four or five, I keep waiting until they update the masters.

Charlie Parker's back catalog is a confusing mess. I've got a nicely put together 2cd compilation that Rhino put together and a cheapy best of Verve collection, but I get the feeling that there are some other really good records to hear, but where to start next is not easy to discern.

There are some good compilations of The Fall out there, you have to weed them out, but starting with the "Early Years 77-79", Rough Trade "Totally Wired" & "458489 (A Sides)" compilation will give you a really good overview. Of the five CDs, there is only one song that would appear twice, 'Rowche Rumble' and it is a live version from Totale's Turns on the Rough Trade compilation.

earlnash, Monday, 4 August 2003 02:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Derek Bailey
Evan Parker
Merzbow

aka. More Perennial The Wire Faves With New Releases Seemingly Every Few Weeks

Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Monday, 4 August 2003 04:11 (twenty-two years ago)

a.c.

kieron, Monday, 4 August 2003 19:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Zappa is so impossible, I think it isn't worth it...then I hear an obscure live piece from somewhere in Europe and I'm on track again...
John Lee Hooker is also near impossible, so many rare recordings and they sound like wax cones recorded in a hollow log...but they reach out and grab you anyway. I need a better paying job.
I think I got all the Mummies records (at least one pressing each, I'm not a completest).

Brandon Welch (Brandon Welch), Tuesday, 5 August 2003 14:00 (twenty-two years ago)

This is really embarrassing: Lagwagon. Yeah. So.

My days of rushing out and buying everything by X artist are over, I think, unless I come across something sometime in the future that's just crazily strong. I'm more into having a collection of good records than having every record by a particular group.

Wire is my favorite music magazine b/c I buy it and there's 8 things I want to read at once, and then later I can pick it up when I have a better understanding of the other movements/reviews showcased and have my mind blown all over again (I've never thrown away a copy), and dream of hitting a good record store for Sukteh or something (one of these days!). No other music magazine makes the obscure so sexy, so totally makes learning about music as engrossing as wandering into gigantic comic stores, mouth agape, as I did when I was younger and determined to spend money differently than I do now. Unfortunately, there's only one bookstore in the area that sells Wire.

Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Tuesday, 5 August 2003 14:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Good point Julio. Scratch him off.

John Bullabaugh (John Bullabaugh), Tuesday, 5 August 2003 19:06 (twenty-two years ago)


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