Completism, being a Completist: C/D?

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Close call! Hard to tell which would be the more boring in polite company.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 17:12 (8 years ago) Permalink

Zappa leads me to think there's two different types of completism: one, where you have a massive official catalog, plus a long touring career with many bands (i.e. many worthwhile bootlegs). Then there's the Smiths/Cure type of completism, where you have to buy the EPs, the b-sides, the vinyl-only type of thing just to get one or two tunes. And I guess some artists are even guilty of both.

Country completism has to be the most insane, since so many big artists were really prolific and the albums are very unavailable (as opposed to jazz per se). I couldn't imagine trying to get everything by Johnny Cash or George Jones.

― Keith C (kcraw916), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 17:13 (8 years ago) Permalink

It only makes sense to be a Beefheart completist. It's not that hard to get everything, and of course you are going to want everything. There's not much super-rare stuff to track down other than a couple bootlegs here and there.

Stewart, do you have this?

http://www.rhinohandmade.com/artistink/index.mgi2

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 17:15 (8 years ago) Permalink

'Fraid not - I've dropped hints for the last couple of Birthdays and Christmases but so far nada!

I'm more interested in stuff with the band(s) really. I'd rather like (at least a copy of) the CD with the poetry readings that comes with that set, but once you start to get into Don's art on any level above just enjoying images on the web or at a push going to an exhibition, you're getting into a whole new - and substantially more expensive - ballgame.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 17:20 (8 years ago) Permalink

"It's not that hard to get everything"

I think that kind of depends on your definition of "everything"!

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 17:23 (8 years ago) Permalink

haha, yeah I don't have it either. that is a little too rich for my blood! I'd love to browse a copy sometime though.

I think I have basically everything by the Captain recording-wise though! as well as Mallard albums and Mu albums and so forth. I guess I never picked up that Unconditionally Guaranteed-era boot that was floating around tho..

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 17:26 (8 years ago) Permalink

What's the difference between a Completist and a Compleatist?

― Ken L (Ken L), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 17:31 (8 years ago) Permalink

Compleatists show off their sheet music collections at Renaissance fairs.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 17:43 (8 years ago) Permalink

Really? I thought they showed off their collections of polyhedral dice and multicolored hexagonal graph paper at Gaming fairs. And shouldn't that be Faires?

― Ken L (Ken L), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 18:40 (8 years ago) Permalink

I think it's a total dud unless you are fantastically wealthy and/or at a point in your life where new music no longer interests you. (which is sad, but I'm not judging.) Otherwise, you're opting for something you've basically heard before over something totally new. I belive in being shallow but broad, rather than narrow and deep. (Deep and broad is, of course, ideal, but money and time are both finite, so it's not a real choice for most mortals.)

I think the only bands I even own every album by are Sleater-Kinney and the Dismemberment Plan.

― Lyra Jane (Lyra Jane), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 22:57 (8 years ago) Permalink

6 months pass...

And after you've exhausted the "official" catalog, do you feel the need to get into b-sides, singles, ep's, demos, bootlegs, commentary tracks(!?), demented scribblings, side project detritus, etc?

when did "official" catalog stop meaning singles (listing both b-sides and singles seems redundant) and ep's?

― Dan Gr (certain), Wednesday, 5 October 2005 08:09 (7 years ago) Permalink

skip from Trans to Ragged Glory and you'll be ok.

I quite like both of those albums. Though not everything in between. Was that an exclusive or inclusive statement?

― Ian John50n (orion), Wednesday, 5 October 2005 15:29 (7 years ago) Permalink

2 years pass...

i think catering for completists has ruined a lot of best of overview compilations. not everyone needs 2 full cds of an artist at once. especially when it includes not so good or not that interesting early material instead of the hits/unquestionably good stuff.

― titchyschneiderMk2, Saturday, 12 January 2008 10:39 (5 years ago) Permalink

Classic albums reissued on CD with some really shite b-sides tacked on at the end - definite dud. (I know that, in theory, you can program them out, but life's too short.)

― Soukesian, Saturday, 12 January 2008 20:40 (5 years ago) Permalink

As for completism, where it's actually possible, I find I want to resist snagging that last item - because then it's over.

― Soukesian, Saturday, 12 January 2008 20:41 (5 years ago) Permalink

Great when I was 17, glad to get rid of this habit as an adult.

― Whiney G. Weingarten, Saturday, 12 January 2008 21:17 (5 years ago) Permalink

I find I want to resist snagging that last item - because then it's over.

Heh, I try to resist because I know it'll inevitably be disappointing if it's the last (and most likely weakest) album in an artists canon.

― Mr. Odd, Saturday, 12 January 2008 21:46 (5 years ago) Permalink

I think completism for the sake of completism (rather than for the sake of love of that artist's work) is a dud.

I tend not to be a completist, but I've lately been finding riches being more of a completist, e.g by seeking out solo albums by bands I like (like the Who and Kiss), which in the past I wouldn't have bothered seeking out. So I think there's something to be said for seeking out lesser-heralded albums by bands you like, as long you don't go in with too high expectations.

― Euler, Saturday, 12 January 2008 21:50 (5 years ago) Permalink

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