No CD release by PlayTime label ever disappointed me yet, and I believe none will do so - this label is a good example of attractive catalog, which is due to their specific orientation. I can guess with very high probability that not only the content, but also the artwork and booklet of any of their CD's I would have a chance to own will be great.

But if I cut out the racy French soundtracks and start to think about the 'anglo' soundtracks, then the label usually plays no important role. Because of the very high number of existing releases from a heap of labels, I usually start to search for a specific title after either seeing the movie or hearing some very good references. Then it is possible to pick another release from the label's catalog at the same time because of lower shipping etc. (and here is the composer's name decisive). I did so with my two Alex North's Varese club CD's - I was interested in one of them and did not know the other one, but ordered both.

42zaphod, October 9, 2004; 2:57 PM

As a vinyl fetichist (don't get me wrong, I'm only talking about records) I miss the old days, when Varese Sarabande was releasing all these great horror movies soundtracks (Martin, Phantasm, Maniac, Dawn of the Dead etc.) Records with great covers and cool liner notes... I have them all. But I don't listen to them : They are all scratched (At that time, I bought a really cheap turntable.) These records remain, to me, art objects. Not only for the music, also for the cover... I hate the Compact Disc, I hate the MP3, but I have no choice... Sigh!

vodka_kayou, October 10, 2004; 2:26 AM

For this record collector and soundtrack fan, collecting an entire run of one label (United Artists, Varese Saraband, Cam) is the Holy Grail, whether it be lp's or 45's or 10 inchers. I have only, in my long years of collecting, been able to put together one entire run of any label's soundtracks, and that's the American UA collection. Most of the United Artist albums were produced in enormous quantities and so easy to find. It also helped that I was collecting these things while they were still being manufactured and released.

The same could be said about the Varese Saraband line, but that run is far from complete. While I own hundreds, I still need about 75 more to complete my collection on vinyl. I do have most of the rarest, like MARIA WARD, EWOKS ADVENTURE and POLTERGIEST 3.

Cam, is a little different, as you know they're from Italy and I'm here in the States and I came late to trying to collect that label. They seem, like UA & Varese to have manufactured hundreds and hundreds of soundtracks with the vast majority of them being quite rare and extremely expensive and hardly anyone wanting to give them up for sale. Not that I blame them.

Collecting by label is really a side-show of soundtrack collecting and a mark, in my opinion, of a record collector.

weavercp, October 10, 2004; 10:18 PM