Rate our collection.

BaldJean wrote: A played on a record of artist B, and artist A also has a few solo album out, or he played with artist B. then we either get a solo album or a record of artist B. thus our collection is mostly like a kind of family tree. sometimes we venture into an unknown artist when we like an album cover or the line-up of instruments on it, and some of our best acquisitions were made that way. we don't study any magazines for new acquisitions, and this is the only message board about rock music we attend. this may not be the way others collect, but it is our way

I understand why you would do that - I guess that there are two different approaches:

1. Focus on music/musicians you already know and try to get ALL their albums, and then try to explore musical "neighbors".
2. Try to listen to all kinds of music - the more different from what you know, the better.

Both approaches have their advantages ... I try to do both. Today the second approach is much easier than like 10 years ago - if you have a broadband internet connection, you can test-drive virtually every artist right from your living room ... the artists offer free samples, progarchives offers samples, www.last.fm offer their free radio streams ...

BaldJean wrote: we welcome recommendations though. and as I said, we sometimes venture into unknown territory because we like an album cover or the line-up on it.but we refuse to study all kinds of magazines just to get new reommendations. we have a long wishlist, and it is steadily growing, although we keep buying and buying. we will always be behind

That's why I don't try to "complete" my collection - such an attempt will ultimately fail. I try to complete my collection for a handful of artists, but I have no intentions to become a completionist - why buy all CAN albums just because I like Future Days, when I still don't have any Sleepytime Gorilla Museum or Godspeed You Black Emperor? 

BaldJean wrote: it is a different approach. we try to combine both, but if we really like an artist we surely want the output completely. but we draw a line somewhere. we don't need to have every obscure single or bootleg (we don't have any bootlegs), we are content with the albums. if the singles of an artist are published on a sampler we may buy it, provided there are not too many tracks on the sampler we already have; else we lack a little bit of the artist. it is not our fault, in my opinion, it is the artist's fault. why the heck did he/she/they publish a single?

Good question ... I don't buy any singles. I also don't like live albums, unless they contains some particularly spectacular moments. I try to limit myself to studio albums and live DVDs ...

BaldJean wrote: that's where we definitely differ. we love live albums. with the really good bands they are so miuch better than the studio albums. buying a life album of Gensis is nonsense though, in my opinion, with the exception of the first, and that only because of some moments in "The Return of the Giant Hogweed" (the way Hackett shows the anger of the plants) and the superb version of "The Knife" with a much better guitar solo than in the studio version

It really depends on the artist. I love Frank Zappa live albums - I have all YCDTOSAs, Live in new York, Jazz Noise, Roxy, Broadway, Best Band ... like I said: If the live album contains some really special moments, then I have to have it. But given the joice, I'd prefer live DVDs ... especially for artists which I never had (and never will have) the pleasure to see live, like Zappa, Spock's Beard, Pink Floyd.

Why, I'm flattered ... but I'm not an expert on Wishbone Ash, I only know "Pilgrimage" (the album with Jailbait on it).

Danzig are very good ... Sabbath meets AC/DC meets Elvis (love Danzig's voice).