Records that you’ve hunted for years – are they always a disappointment?

Posted by: jcs_smith on 02 November 2006

There are a few records that I managed to buy after searching for years and I think every single one I’ve played once and never played again. They always seem to be a disappointment – the chase is more exciting than the record itself. Recently I managed to get a copy of Sex Education Class by Clint Eastwood. It’s an album I should have bought nearly 30 years ago but somehow didn’t and have been looking for it ever since. In my mind it has grown into mythic proportions but when I finally got to hear it, it was rubbish. I know some things don’t age well but I can’t imagine it was ever any good. I don’t think I’ll sell it though – getting rid of records is anathema to me. That’s why I’ve got a record collection full of crap that I’ve never listen to.
Other records I’ve had this experience with have been Ogima Dub Slate by Black Slate – I heard one track in the early eighties and thought it was an awesome dub record. I listened to the whole album in 2004 and realise it wasn’t. The first Lifetime album – Tony Williams, John McLaughlin, Larry Young – how can you lose? Quite easily as it happens. Pete Namlook – New Organic Life 2. There’s a reason the initial run of 1000 was never repeated.

So come on what records can you confess to?
Posted on: 06 November 2006 by u5227470736789439
Exactly the opposite here!

In fact the only profound disappointments I have ever had were impulse buys. I follow favourite musicians, and often find very rare performances of great quality from less than obvious sources, like the very beautiful performance I was glad to eventually have of Sibelius' Seventh Symphony as lead by Sir Adrian Boult. This is different to saying that I never eventually go off a piece of music, or performance of a favourite piece which I no longer find myself in sympathy with. These go, ruthlessly... Wagner for example!

Nowadays I never buy on impulse, and always part with things I don't care for, which results in a collection of reasonable proportions that gets a huge amount of use...

For example I have long since wanted to find a recording of Beethoven's Violin Concerto played by Adolf Busch. Twice he was captured by the microphone, and both times with his brother Fritz on the podium. Only in the last two weeks have I discovered that the live concert given at the time of the unissued US Columbia recording has finally emerged. I have no doubt that waiting for more than twenty years for this will lead to anything but a disappointment. The studio set was vetoed at the time by Adolf Busch himself, as he thought the balance favoured the soloist too much! He was no megalomaniac...

Fredrik
Posted on: 06 November 2006 by Gianluigi Mazzorana
OFF TOPIC!

Hi Fred!
Nice to see you back!!!!