Inside the mind of a record collector (it ain’t pretty!)

I didn’t realize that the recent Verve release The Complete Charlie Parker with Strings includes newly discovered alternate takes, that were not included in the big 10-CD Complete on Verve box! Why wasn’t I informed? How come when new Charlie Parker alternates are discovered it isn’t front page news? It’s at Ameoba right now. It’s $30. I must have every note Parker recorded, so I must have these. Besides: this isn’t just another date recorded from the basement at Birdland in 1953 – the sides with strings feature some of the most beautiful Parker on record.

On the other hand, I own a fair amount of these two CDs already. Can’t I just wait until I get it at the library, or find it used, or even, gasp, download it illegally? I should be saving to make my own records! To hell with Charlie Parker! Is having every Charlie Parker recording really relevant to my life right now? I already own at least forty CDs and ten LPs of Parker. How about spending some time composing?

But I really love the Bird with Strings sides, and the sound is said to be improved. And Schaap’s liner notes are always entertaining. Do I have anything I can trade in?

[This thought process repeats itself obsessively every two hours, for days…]

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