Upgrades

So back in the 90s I used to just try to obtain the rarest version of any record I liked. One copy was fine. If I bought a copy and then later had the chance to pick up a rarer version, then most of the time I would let the more common version go, either by trade or sale. And then at some point in the early 00s my approach changed, and I started collecting multiple copies of things. But with the way that record collecting has developed in the last few years, I find myself drifting back to my 90s approach of 'one copy will suffice'. This is partly because there are way too many different versions of some records pressed these days, and partly because so many are pressed on cheap plastic that looks like shit.

Well anyway, reverting back to my 'one copy is enough' approach has also made me want to be a little more picky on which one version I want to own. And just like in the 90s, I recently found myself wanting to replace the 'common' versions that I had bought with rarer versions. I guess sometimes I just want the satisfaction of knowing that I have something that is a rarer than the one that most other people have.

Towards the end of last year I picked up the Chat Pile 'Cool World' LP. It's a really great record. And even though I liked the clear blue vinyl copy I bought, I then checked out the pressing info and realised that it was quite a common version and that the rarest copy was still available. So I just decided to just buy it again.

Checking discogs, the pressing info on this record is insane. To date there are almost 13,000 copies of this record pressed, with 23 different versions available. Absolute nonsense. The blue version I originally bought looked nice, but was out of 1000 copies. This 'eco mix' (aka grey) version is out of 100 copies. So its rarer, and it seems like a more suitable colour to me compared to the artwork, so replacing the blue with this one feels like a win / win scenario.

Next up, High Vis 'Guided Tour' LP. I preordered this and bought what I thought was a nice, limited version, which turned out to be one of the most common. I then decided to buy this orange vinyl pressing, which was exclusive to some store in California and one of the most limited colours of 'only' 400 copies. Just like the Chat Pile record, this version seems more suitable when compared the artwork, and is rarer, so has a much more deserving place on my shelf.

And finally, a blue vinyl copy of the Strike Anywhere 'In Defiance of Empty Times' record. I bought a white vinyl copy last year and even though this record isn't that great, I figured it would be a smart move to upgrade my 'most common' white vinyl copy for this rarer and much prettier blue vinyl copy.

The added benefit of upgrading these things is that I can (and will) sell the other copies I bought, which makes the upgrade process much cheaper.

I have lots of records in my collection that I have wanted to upgrade for years, and I'm starting to think that this could be a good project for this year. Let's see how it goes...