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How much JW do you collect on CD? [Improved poll]


Bayesian

How much JW do you collect?  

61 members have voted

  1. 1. How much JW do you collect on CD?

    • Everything, or nearly everything. Every OST, every expanded set, every compilation album, every tribute album, etc.
      25
    • Most or all of the OSTs
      6
    • Most or all of the expanded sets
      15
    • Just the scores that I really like
      13
    • Mostly I collect compilations
      0
    • I don’t collect much or anything by JW
      2
  2. 2. What categories of JW's work do you actively collect, or wish to, on CD (unless otherwise noted)? Mark all that apply!

    • OSTs for films from 1975 (Jaws) and later
      34
    • OSTs for films made prior to Jaws
      24
    • Expanded scores from the specialty labels
      41
    • Interpretations of JW's film music by American or European artists/orchestras
      22
    • Interpretations of JW's film music by Japanese artists/orchestras
      5
    • Soundtracks to sequels or spinoffs of films scored by JW (e.g., Rogue One, Shadows of the Empire, Jurassic World)
      12
    • Albums of concerts JW has conducted (official or bootleg)
      23
    • Recordings of JW's classical works
      24
    • Albums released by Philips or Sony of JW conducting the Boston Pops
      22
    • Star Wars (OSTs, '93 anthology, '97 SEs, Gerhardt albums, demastered box set, etc.) (ennealogy only)
      25
    • For Your Consideration discs for Academy members
      12
    • Albums in which one or two tracks of the program is something written by Williams
      15
    • Blu-rays/DVDs of JW's concerts or concerts of his music
      22
    • Albums of music arranged by JW or performed by JW at the piano in a studio setting
      20
    • JW on vinyl (DG or Mondo)
      9
    • JW scores or sheet music
      11


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I feel like this might have been tackled in other threads, but couldn’t find them after a cursory search on my phone. Hence this. 
 

I’ve been intrigued by discussions of late regarding the state of CD collecting and am curious about how our community views CD collecting, particularly when it comes to JW. Do you obsess over adding to your JW collection wherever possible? Do you collect only the discs of JW scores you love? Do you collect for the sake of the collection itself or maybe for the potential value of the collection decades from now?

 

I personally like collect as much JW on cd as I can, although there are certain OOP releases that are too expensive on the secondary market for me to consider and some tribute albums that don’t do anything for me, and I disregard those. My collection (and the effort of collecting) gives me great personal satisfaction and I harbor no great illusions about my collection becoming monetarily super valuable in the future. My collection is an important statement of who I am, and that alone is worth it. That, plus the opportunity to play the lossless music on a proper hi-do setup someday! That said, if, God forbid, I somehow lost my collection, I don’t think I could bear to start all over again, not would I be able to afford to.
 

Anyone else out there as collection-driven as me?

 

EDIT: I added a second question to the poll that addresses the shortcomings of my first question. I made it multiple choice and there's overlap in some of the options, but my intent was to find ways to organize JW's copious output in natural groupings. (Turns out I was able to come up with 16 of them!)

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I feel I've been so laser focused on completing my collection of commercially released film scores, that I've woefully allowed wonderful concert recordings and non-film work slip by me.

 

I've not even listened to any of the concertos, I'm embarrassed to say.

 

I really hope to backfill starting with the Mutter collaborations and working backward.  Somebody please start a thread of absolutely essential recordings that are not OSTs or expansions. ;) 

 

It's a large pool to dive into.

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IF there was an option for "Almost Everything: Every OST, every expanded set, and any new concert pieces" 

I don't need every recording by every orchestra just trying to represent each piece that has had Williams involvement. 

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22 minutes ago, KittBash said:

IF there was an option for "Almost Everything: Every OST, every expanded set, and any new concert pieces" 

I don't need every recording by every orchestra just trying to represent each piece that has had Williams involvement. 

 

Yes, this option is missing.

 

I want every comprehensive release of every JW soundtrack (i.e. at least one release for each soundtrack, with expansions/remasters except when a new version differs only insignificantly from the one I already have). I have gaps in my collection of concert works, but I want to fill them. I also have gaps in my collection of non-Williams music recorded by Williams, and not everything actively interests me, but with the recent Philips box I'm also at the point where what's missing consists of some things that I do consider relevant and a couple of albums that I probably don't need, but don't want to leave out when I have everything else.

 

But I have little interest in non-Williams recordings that don't offer anything new (e.g. better or interestingly different performance or sound quality), and I usually don't bother with re-recordings of stuff that's not yet available in the original JW version, but likely to come out at some point. I also don't usually care for compilations that only contain material I already have.

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For a while, I was basically buying any Williams expansion that came out. After realizing that some of those really haven't held my attention, I've become a little more judicious. I don't want to miss out on any releases and regret the missed opportunity later...but I also don't want to inflate my collection with scores I'm not likely to listen to, no matter how competent they may be.

 

Same policy for OSTs.

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I collect vinyl because, idk, maybe I’m crazy 😝.  I’ve been a fan of the music my whole life but only started collecting physical media 2-3 years ago. I try to get every new release and then backfill. I buy pretty much anything not just my favorites.

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The only way to start a decent CD collection in 2022 is to murder a collector from the X generation, or wait that he die... and hope his collection will be sell online.

 

I suggest to wait... but it could be a much longer process!

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Just Williams theatrical expansions for me, mostly due to finance's and space. There's so much more of his works that I'm skipping, between TV and concerts, it becomes a rabbit hole that would be difficult to even know where to start, let alone afford going down!

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I can readily understand why someone would opt not to collect John Williams.  I cannot understand why anyone who opted to not collect John Williams to at least some degree would then take the time to register a user account on JWFan.

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I don't see any reason to buy everything just to have everything when I'll never listen to half of it. I passed on the TV scores, Disaster scores, Jaws 2, Fury, SPR, the Philips box...

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I think, I said it before. I used to be very selective concerning Williams' soundtracks. When between two and four used to come out per year. In the meantime, I rather explore the ones I missed, as there is no worthy successor in sight and I almost lost interest in new soundtracks of young composers the upcoming expansions, Fabelmen, Indy 5s and the concert works are the things, that I look forward to.

Still I cannot identify with any of the options from the poll.

1 hour ago, Holko said:

I don't see any reason to buy everything just to have everything when I'll never listen to half of it. I passed on the TV scores, Disaster scores, Jaws 2, Fury, SPR, the Philips box...

But Jaws 2 and The Fury are very good scores.

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I am a John Williams completist, but within my own set parameters: I need to have one good representation of every one of his compositions/titles. I reached that goal years ago, so now it's just a matter of keeping up with whatever new comes out that falls within those criteria. For those things that are not on CD, I have digital files instead (this also encompasses unreleased works in....uhm, "unofficial" format). There are still many things I'm missing -- a small handful of concert works that have never seen the light of day, a whole BUNCH of unreleased television things -- so probably a lifelong quest to find it all, if at all possible. I also need to replace a few things that I only have on CD-R with their original counterpart -- for example, I need to get the GOODBYE MR. CHIPS 3CD set and the original LP of WAGON TRAIN.

 

I'm not a completist of anything else, but I do "casually" collect and explore other things -- like his performer gigs (piano/arrangement/conducting/Pops/what-have-you), and over the years amassed a considerable collection of this material too. But mostly digital files, perhaps only 20% on physical media.

 

So currently, my CD collection looks like this:

 

83868283_10157795659301278_2358208788084

 

With the exception of Williams, Elfman and Goldenthal, I'm not really a film music 'collector'. More of a 'musical explorer' or 'listener' or whatever. I generally have very little interest in 'collector issues'.

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On 17/02/2022 at 12:21 PM, Jurassic Shark said:

Missing option for question 1: I've collected many OSTs and somewhat fewer expanded editions.

 

That's sort of my modus operandi with Horner, Goldsmith, Barry, Silvestri and Kamen, but not Williams.

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Why are the voters anonymous?

On 17/02/2022 at 2:32 AM, GerateWohl said:

You should get a shelf.

I hope you don't have a dog!

 

 

I'm a connoisseur, NOT a collector!

Titles that are expanded from the ost CD:

INDY ....LAST CRUSADE

SUPERMAN

E.T.

 

Screenshot_2022-02-18-15-33-31.png

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Don't really collect scores in the traditional sense - recent JW puchases were the JP/HP boxes, MR and WotW; can't think of anything else.

 

But I never buy scores because of who wrote them - I have to actively enjoy at least a significant part of it. The only cases of my liking all of an artists's output is in the non-soundtrack world, and a handful of artists who have yet to release something I don't like. (but they release far, far less material than composers do)

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5 hours ago, bruce marshall said:

Why are the voters anonymous?

I hope you don't have a dog!

 

 

I'm a connoisseur, NOT a collector!

Titles that are expanded from the ost CD:

INDY ....LAST CRUSADE

SUPERMAN

E.T.

 

Screenshot_2022-02-18-15-33-31.png

...and Star Wars

and The Empire Strikes Back

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Just now, GerateWohl said:

...and Star Wars

and The Empire Strikes Back

I mean I didn't buy the ost CD AND the expansion.

Those were my initial pirchases.

Same with EIGER- I didn't buy the ost and then upgrade to the INTRADA.

I had the ost of E.T. and upgraded to the anniversary edition .

LAST CRUSADE, had the ost and upgraded to the expansion in the box set.

SUPE, had the Rhino and upgraded to LLL.

 

I'm not counting Lps- just CD to CD.

So, in other words, I'm usually satisfied with the ost😁

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13 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

You don't collect JW at all?

 

I collect OSTs, expansions and the bulk of concert works,.compilations etc. for Williams. For those other composers, I mainly collect OSTs and only select expansions, depending on what it is. For example, I have a lot of Goldsmith expansions from the 80s but very few from the 90s/00s as they are not to my taste - the OSTs for me are sufficient in most cases.

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4 hours ago, bruce marshall said:

So, in other words, I'm usually satisfied with the ost😁

Same here. At least I used to be. Meanwhile I made some good experience with upgrades to expansions, especially when I was not completely satisfied with the OST. I am very happy with the upgrades of Minority Report, A.I., Home Alone, Superman, Harry Potter, War of the Worlds and JP/TLW.

Others didn't really add much value compared to the OST like Schindler's List, Home Alone 2. 

For E.T. I am not so sure. I had the OST and the full score CD, so the LLL expansion mainly gave me the alternates tht I don't listen to too much. But of course it is great to have it merged together. But it lead not to me more listening to this score.

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7 minutes ago, GerateWohl said:

Others didn't really add much value compared to the OST like Schindler's List

Unbutchered Workforce!!!

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13 minutes ago, GerateWohl said:

Same here. At least I used to be. Meanwhile I made some good experience with upgrades to expansions, especially when I was not completely satisfied with the OST. I am very happy with the upgrades of Minority Report, A.I., Home Alone, Superman, Harry Potter, War of the Worlds and JP/TLW.

Others didn't really add much value compared to the OST like Schindler's List, Home Alone 2. 

For E.T. I am not so sure. I had the OST and the full score CD, so the LLL expansion mainly gave me the alternates tht I don't listen to too much. But of course it is great to have it merged together. But it lead not to me more listening to this score.

A.I. certainly improved upon the ost.

I only ever had the two cdr promo which itself was expanded from the ost

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14 minutes ago, bruce marshall said:

A.I. certainly improved upon the ost.

I only ever had the two cdr promo which itself was expanded from the ost

Lucky you being in the promo loop.

 

21 minutes ago, Holko said:

Unbutchered Workforce!!!

Yes. That is one of my all time favourite Williams cue. Still the OST version is great enough for me. As I said, it just didn't make me listen to the album more often.

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