Unissued, Alternate Takes

[A Lark Ascending]

Some a/t have interested me (the other version of Flamenco Sketches on KofB, for example). Most don't get more than one play. I can imagine they are useful if you are 'studying' the music (either academically or as an enthusiast for a particular performer or period) but I only listen for pleasure so they are not a great deal of use to me.

I'm quite happy to have them there as others value them but, as others have said, prefer them at the end of the disc. I tend to make CD-Rs of discs (like some Mosaics) where they are scattered in the main body of the music, filleting the released material. I can see the intellectual logic of arranging them chronologically but it makes for awkward listening for the general listener.

[BillF]

When I first heard alternate takes in the late fifties (on Parker Savoy sessions), I thought they were entirely justified because of the exceptional quality of the material. I've never been as convinced since.