I'm one of those guys that, if I really really like a band, I have to have every studio recording they ever made that's availible. In some cases this can prove to be financially costly . . . and it is made even more so sometimes by the way certain artist's works are packaged.
For example, say you're a big Pink Floyd fan. You decide you want to own all the Pink Floyd studio output availible on CD. Here's what you're going to have to do. Not only are you going to have to shell out all the moolah for the fourteen regular studio albums (from Piper At The Gates of Dawn to the most recent Division Bell), but you are also going to have to invest in two additional compilations, Relics and Works, because they contain a lot of material that is not availible on any of those albums. In addition, you're going to have to fork over even more of your hard earned cash for the soundtrack to the Zabriske Point movie for the few original Pink Floyd songs on there. Oh yeah, and before I forget, you'd better get the 8-CD boxed set Shine On because it contains a bonus CD of single A and B sides which feature a few tracks that aren't availible on any of those albums. And hold it just one second, the most recent compilation, Echoes, contains "When The Tigers Broke Free" availible on no other official release. Assuming you pay $15 dollars per disc (the average retail price for all of this and taking into account that Ummagumma and The Wall are priced as double albums) and you've easily gone over the $300 mark. What price fandom, eh? And this doesn't even count the three double live albums.
I haven't gone this far with Floyd (yet), but I did surrender myself and put out about $32 for the Rolling Stones collection More Hot Rocks just so I could have the six or so Stones tunes that aren't availible anywhere else and complete my complete Rolling Stones on CD collection.
The most crass example of this kind of marketing has to come from Bruce Springsteen's label. A couple of years back, Springsteen released a box set of formerly unreleased tracks. All well and good, except that this was followed up with a single CD which distilled the best of this box set . . . AND . . . (here's the catch) . . . three new previously unreleased studio tracks. So if you are a Springsteen completionist, you're going to have to buy both the box set as well as the other disc.

Aaarrggghhh, I know what you mean Todd. I'm a fan of The Ventures. Pretty much all of their recordings have been re-released as double CDs by 1 US and 1 British label. What's so bad about that you ask?

The 2 companies paired the albums differently (that is album A got paired with album B by the US Co. while the British Co. paired it with album C).

The US versions have extra bonus tracks. Some are un-released studio tracks but, some are from albums that were released only in Japan (the band is hugely popular there) which have recently been made available.

The British releases often have additional & interesting liner notes.

As far as I know there isn't a complete discography available, though they are trying to put one together.

They recorded a lot of albums, something like 40+ from the late 50s thru the mid 70s not counting compilations and hit packages.

At least one album was released under 2 different titles with different cover art.

Pro and con: The joy of being able to get CDs of hard to find stuff against maybe never being sure I've got everything.

Even worse - I've had all of Stevie Ray Vaughan's CDs. Then Columbia/Sony reissued the four studio albums (released in SRV's lifetime) Digitally Remastered and with bonus tracks. Sony is now in the process of reissuing both ELO's and Blue Oyster Cult's inventory - Digitally Remastered with bonus cuts. Why not put the bonus cuts on a separate album? Oh, I forgot. This way they can parse the tracks out on more than one CD. If they released them all on one collection, then that'd be only one album they have for sale.

Rhino Records did the same for The Monkees' CDs. Moreover, they discontinued the Listen to the Band box set and replaced it with The Monkees' Jukebox. I haven't even gotten it yet. (Doesn't seem to have anything I need on it.)

What's bad is on a subsidiary of Rhino, they released I'm a Believer and Other Hits and Datdream Believer and Other Hits. They each had a previously unreleased song (that were not hits. So the CDs names are *wrong*.). I bought both of those discs because of one. song. *Sigh* And they weren't even that good!

As far as "When the Tigers Broke Free" goes, I got lucky and found it on Napster. Up til now, "Tigers" had only been available on a limited edition 45. Pity it hasn't been included on The Wall or The Final Cut. Actually, I wish the soundtrack to The Wall would be released.

Re: The Monkees

>What's bad is on a subsidiary of Rhino, they >released I'm a Believer and Other Hits and >Datdream Believer and Other Hits. They each had a >previously unreleased song (that were not hits. >So the CDs names are *wrong*.). I bought both of >those discs because of one. song. *Sigh* And they >weren't even that good!

Benn, this is a blatant and shameful attempt by the Rhino subsidary to gyp completist collectors out of extra money. There is no reason that these songs could not have been on one of the three Missing Link CDs, or as an album bonus track. Fortunately, these subsidary compilations are very cheap. Supposedly a third one of these Rhino subsidary collections contains yet another unreleased Monkees song from the Headquarters sessions called "If I Learned To Play The Violin". But I've never been able to verify the actual existence of this particular compilation.
"Violin" however does appear on a now out-of-print CD rom.
A while back Rhino also issued a special CD set of the complete Headquarters sessions which also contains these extra tracks we're talking about. However, I'm given to understand that the tracks on this set are presented in their raw unmixed form, and interspersed with studio chatter.

I have the Complete Headquarters Sessions box set. "If I Learened the Play the Violin" is not on it. It does contain early/alternate takes of all the songs from The Monkees' Headuarters, as well as the mono masters. In addiction, there are such previously unleashed tracks as "Memphis, Tennessee" (the Chuck Berry classic), "I Was Born In East Virginia", "Don't Be Cruel", "Cripple Creek", "Fever", "The Story of Rock and Roll" and "Two Part Invention in F Major". There are also early versions of "Midnight Train", "Can You Dig It?", "Nine Time Blue", "Pillow Time" and "Just a Game", songs that would appear on later Monkees albums. Overall, it is a fascinating documentary.

Rhino Handmiade Records (which released The Complete Headquarters Sessions, has also released Summer 1967 The Complete U.S. Concert Recordings, four of the the concerts the Monkees performed in '67. All four discs are the same 26 songs in the exact same order. Disc one is in mono. Beyond that, the only differences in the tracks are in various technical difficulties. Some of the tracks originally appeared on the Live 1967 album released in '87, I believe it was.

And you're right, Todd, the discs I previously referred to, were just a way to rip off fans. Fortunately, I don't think I paid more than $7 for either of them.

Actually, on second thought, those two budget discs are helpful to the Monkees collector because each contains the "Little Bit Me, Little Bit You/Girl That I Knew Somewhere" and "D.W. Washburn/It's Nice To Be With You" singles, which aren't availible on the Rhino reissue albums.

No, but those songs are available on the Rhino record, The Monkees' Greatest Hits.

Update on the Rolling Stones since I made my initial post: they have come out with a 2-CD collection that contains just two new studio tracks.

Ah yes, the 40 Licks album. Is it any good? How complete is the collection?

Actually, there are 4 new tracks on 40 Licks. The compilation is good, but for some reason the versions of Miss You and Beast of Burden are edited down. The tracks are not in chronological order, but it seems to work well. One of the new songs is called Losing My Touch, which has a truly hypnotic vocal by Keith, believe it or not! The other 3 new songs are OK, but I doubt they would make any future greatest hits package.

Sounds about right for Greatest Hits packages. They are never complete or done right. At best, they are only adequate.

Wanted to correct my earlier post on the Monkees' "If I Learned To Play the Violin". As Benn pointed out, it was not done during the Headquarters sessions. It was part of a bevy of songs cut during the sessions for the "Little Bit Me, Little Bit You / Girl That I Knew Somewhere" single, which occurred just before the sessions for the Headquarters album itself properly began.