Aren’t we all collectors, you may ask? Well, no. There are three basic types of score buyers.

1. Collectors – buy carefully and with precision, usually with some goal in mind. Collectors have smaller collections focused on whatever area they are interested. Example:

Every note Jerry Goldsmith has written
All scores related to War movies
Every good score by a variety of composers
Musicals

2. Accumulators - acquire everything that they can regardless of quality or title. This approach does occasionally turn up gems, but more by accident than design. They usually have huge accumulations of scores that they have listened to once or twice, with a few that they really like.

3.Accumulectors – who try to acquire everything that they can and also try to acquire with a specific scheme in mind. (This group is usually broke from trying to do both at the same time) Accumulectors have large collections with deep runs in specific areas)

Now, keeping the above definitions in mind:

1.Which type are you?

2.What is the GEM of your collection? (What score are you proudest of finally tracking down, What score proved the most elusive prey, etc. It doesn't have to be your favorite score, just the one that makes other collectors go "WOW! You have that?")

3.What Score is THE SCORE that would make your collecting life complete (At least for the moment)

I am an Accumulector whose GEM is Logan’s Run. I loved this film when I was a kid and saw it about 20 times. I had the score on tape and I was ecstatic to finally track it down and assimilate it. (resistance is futile)

My most sought after score is : The Caine Mutiny

[This message has been edited by MWRuger (edited 14 April 2000).]

I accumulate and collect in this way:
I want most everything, but some things I can do without and so don't even bother with them, like most Media Ventures scores (Face Off is horrendous except for the theme).

I do try to collect EVERYTHING i can get my hands on of these composers:

Williams (pops, film, classical works)
Goldsmith
Barry
Rozsa
Doyle
Horner

though that is proving exceedingly difficult.

A tie occurs betwen Black Sunday and Towering Inferno. Having BOTH of those would make my life complete.

NP: Charles Koechlin THE JUNGLE BOOK
Radio Symphonie Orchester Berlin/David Zinman
(RCA/Victor Red Seal)

This is pretty interesting. Some would say I'm an accumulator... but I'm not. I buy an awful lot of music, but I love every bit of it. My "accumulation" is based on a careful yet variable process which in itself is *extremely* precise. So I suppose I'm a collector. Heck, that's what I am. Duh. When I'm out looking for scores to purchase, I don't limit myself to a small range of composers. If I have enough information, I'm willing to try new things and explore new territories. I do try and keep an eye out for the following:

Goldsmith, Williams, Barry, Arnold, Silvestri, Horner, Kamen, Broughton, Poledouris, Elfman, Zimmer, Young, etc, so on and so forth.

A lot of my film music buddies (including Scott and Cole) give me a hard time about liking everything. Tim will be the first to point out that I like everything except Running Man. =) What's wrong with liking everything? I understand that many people have their own preferences... Dantoris isn't crazy about Arnold, for instance. I for one love David Arnold. Of course, I love just about everyone else, as well. Why? Who knows? I take pride in the fact that I can enjoy a wide variety of film music - while others are limited to specific preferences.

One of my many focuses include Sci-Fi and James Bond oriented scores... including spoofs (Austin Powers) and other things. And speaking of sci-fi... where's the Spaceballs score?

Oh well... now I've gotta go meet my father for lunch... so I'll check ya latz!

Jeron

Anyway, I'm not sure which category I'd be in. I do buy carefully, but my collection isn't focused on a certain area, so I guess I'm not a "collector." I don't acquire everything I can regardless of quality, so I'm not an "accumlator," and I'm not an "accumulector."

1) So, I guess I'll have to create a 4th category called: "Average Film Score Fan." I simply buy what I like. I don't narrow my collecting to one specific composer or style or title. I see a movie I like, hear the score, and, if it's a good one, I buy it - if it's available. (If this does fit into one of your original categories, please tell me).

2) I'll break this up in the parenthesized (is that even a word?) examples: A) the GEM of my collection? Hmmm . . . Right now I'd say my 1995 Raiders of the Lost Ark re-issue. But within a week, it'll probably be my expanded The Mummy score. B) Score I'm proudest of finally tracking down: a couple - Innerspace complete and The 'burbs complete, and Platoon Leader. The last should be in my hands today. Gotcha check the mail. C) Score that proved the most elusive: Hard Target. Should also be in my hands today.

3) The score that would make my collecting life complete? Hmmm . . . Let me think for a moment. Either a complete/expanded/whatever of U.S. Marshals, OR Randy Edelman's premiere episode score for The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., OR a compilation score for L.A. Heat, OR a complete set of every Jerry Goldsmith and John Carpenter score.

The GEM(S) of my collection would probably be a tie between two Patrick Doyle scores: SHIPWRECKED and UNE FEMME FRANCAISE. I would like to get a CD of SHIPWRECKED sometime, but for now the tape is fine.

Having John Williams' FAMILY PLOT released would be great.

I have a fair number of score CD's, but really don't know what is valuable and not valuable, anyone care to enlighten me, I'd be most appreciative?

Anyway, I don't have a 200 - 300+ collection with me, mine is just slightly below 100 (inclusive of cassettes). Maybe one of the fact that my collection is not that big is because of the availability of some titles here.

As for the gem of my collection would be:
1. The Star Wars Trilogy Sp. Ed. (all 3)
2. Days of Thunder (which will be arriving soon)
3. The Transformers The Movie (rare)

Gems? "The Star Wars Trilogy", simply for being my first CD. The "Star Wars" limited edition albums (I borrowed money from my mother at that time, fearing that I won't get the limited editions if I'd wait for the money). "Witches of Eastwick", although it's only a copy. My upcoming self-made "Alien" & "Matrix" complete score CDs. The 19-tracks "Lionheart" CD (official, no boot). And "Spaceballs", which I recently got from a friend, with a grin towards Jeron.

J. Williams
Herrmann
Doyle
Korngold

The gems of my collection (the ones that set my blood racing when I found them) are:

How to Steal a Million--Williams (Tsunami CD)
Zulu--Barry (the original Silva CD release)
Where Eagles Dare--Goodwin (the LP)
Henry V--Doyle
Beastmaster--Holdridge (the LP)
Krull--Horner (the Supercollector 2 CD set)

quote:

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Originally posted by JClark:
How to Steal a Million--Williams (Tsunami CD)

---

But such a foolish "collector" as myself will nevertheless have purchased the Tsunami disc of Fitzwilly, as well as pursued Penelope and Diamond Head--because that's what "collectors" do best.

http://home.sol.no/~oeyste/categorizing.htm

Gems include Delerue's "The Black Stallion Returns", "Chouans!", "Tours Du Monde", etc.

The gem of my collection:
THE DAY TIME ENDED (1980 Varese LP) by Richard Band... the finale from this score should rightfully be on EVERY Sci-fi compilation. Unfortunately it can only be found on the original LP.

What score would make me extremely happy to track down:
HOUSE OF CARDS by James Horner. One of his all-time best scores, and one of his most original (unless there's something I don't know).

James

Boy! I whish that I could type!

The Gems of my collection would first be the 2 cd release of Krull. When I first saw this movie, I fell in love with the score but could not find it anywhere, so I bought the Star Trek 2 score because it was very similar. When the complete score came out, I bought it as soon as it was available. In fact, I believe it was one of the first cds I bought online. The other gem would have to be my Predator score I just received. I absolutely love this score and bought Predator 2 because the first one was not available. The second one is nowhere near as good as the first. Plus, this score is the one that I spent the most money on to get it.

As for the score that would make my collection complete, although I am pretty content with what I have right now, would have to be John Williams "The Sugarland Express." Even though this is not one of his better scores, I would still like to be able to say that I own all of John Williams' scores to Speilberg's movies. Plus make every John Williams score release a complete score. Is that too much too ask?

I recognize all the categories as laid out above (including those supplemented by others), but I simply don't fit into any single one of them, but then I never have fit into a given category in life to begin with, so it is only consistent. I do relate to those who say they fit between #1 and #3 the most.

Every note Goldsmith and Ifukube ever wrote -- I won't rest till I have them. Every note Williams and Young ever wrote -- those'll be nice, too, but it's less of a priority (and especially in the present case of Williams, more of a probability that we'll get them, hence, no rush).

Other things ... sometimes I HAVE bought certain discs just for the sake of having them, and sometimes I've been happy and sometimes I've been disappointed. I try not to do this anymore (and given my finances, I mostly succeed.) My focus on filmmusic is narrowing even as my perspective on other kinds of music is growing. And I'm sure as the years roll on and I learn more, my perspective on other kinds of music will narrow too ... once I've found "the good stuff," as my own ears define it.

Frankly I look forward to the era where I have less time even to think about this.

The "gem" of the collection is probably the Polydor Twisted Nerve LP but I also have autographed LPs by Williams, North, and Goldsmith and correspondance with Rozsa and Delerue.

I don't know if there is one score that would make things complete as there are so many scores I'd love to have. I've said a lot about Destination Tokyo in many of my messages. I'd love to see a number of Barry scores see the light of day. The same goes for other British composers like Arnold and Easdale. We need the last remaining Herrmann scores to show up. I could go on and on and on..........

I have to say that I am not surprised that we have no accumulators here. An accumlator would seldom bother with the Fan aspect of collecting unless they needed very specific information.

For all of you who don't like labels of any kind, that's cool. Just tell us what is the "current" GEM of your collection

2. My GEM is Die Hard by Michael Kamen. It's my favourite film and I searched for the score for a decade. Finally, I found it and it cost me £100 (about $150) but it's worth every penny. It may not be that important to anybody else but to me it was like finding the holy grail.

3. Die Hard was THE title I was always searching for and if I stopped collecting scores today I would be happy. Otherwise, probably something like The Monster Squad by Bruce Broughton. I have an poor quality bootleg but I'd love a proper copy.

My gem & favorite is Return to Oz by David Shire (you should all get this one, it's absolutely fantastic). Also I love my 80ies Horner CD's, Gorky Park, Red Heat, Cocoon, American Tail and yes, Aliens (don't get started!)

Guess I'm a real 80ies guy, so my biggest headache is the fact that I don't have Predator or Die Hard. YET!

Hmmm, I wonder if the reason why I like Zimmer so much can be my "old pals" from the 80ies, Harold Faltermeyer and Jan Hammer? Whatever happened to those guys?

This is a cool and informative site, and you guys posting are the reason. Take care!

I have a lot of personal gems - this sounds REALLY pretentious, but I don't totally purchase due to collectibility (well, somewhat more now); I got something if it looked/sounded interesting to me, and I still operate on that level (although I will pick something up from time to time just in case) - in CD's, it'd be the SPFM Goldsmith Tribute disc; in lp's, NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (with Charles Laughton narrating/reading the story - great for Halloween) and BARBARELLA.

I remember trying for a year to get my gems. They proved very hard to find at the time but now I think just about everyone has them. They were;

Bad Boys
Predator
G. I. Jane

To this day those three remain in my top ten must have promo scores, with Bad Boys at the top of the list.

Audacity
NP Cop Land (Howard Shore)*Rating Pending*

[This message has been edited by Audacity (edited 18 April 2000).]