TIPS ON HOW TO BUILD YOUR COLLECTION

You have been a fan for years, or just discovered the band. You have some disposable income, and you are afflicted by the collecting virus. You want to get started. Now what?

A normal day at the office...

Before you get too carried away, there are a few questions you should ask yourself.

The first question is why? Why are you collecting? This sounds silly but it is actually a very important question to ask oneself before starting any collection. People are collecting for different reasons. Depending on your agenda and interests, your strategy should not be the same, and the items you should go after will also be different.

Let's look at the most common reasons for collecting, and some suggested courses of action for each of them.

A) You collect for the music

If your purpose in collecting is just to have the opportunity to enjoy the band's unreleased back catalogue, that is: rare tracks, demos, etc. and/or experience the Sisters' live sound, your hobby will be quite straightforward and affordable.

In reality you don't even need to buy anything since pretty much everything that exists is available online. A great place to hunt for free digital content is the cult Dark Circle Room. Both sites have made available to fan hundreds rips of gigs and other goodies for free. On Facebook, Mr. Phil Verne's fantastic The Sisters of Mercy 1980-1985 fan group also regularly share rare audio for the benefit of the community.

If you would still prefer to hear your music in analog on a turntable, then the following items should be considered a priority:

+DEMOS, OUTTAKES & RARITIES

...best rarity compilations from the classic era...

The Last Magician Of Rational Thoughts (7") Alt mixes from the FALAA era

Victims Of Circumstance (2x7") Four demos from 1984-1985

Psychedelic Sessions (1984) LP Various radio sessions 1982-1984

Kill the Lights LP Classic compilation of demos from 1983-1986

In The Shadow Of Angels LP Classic compilation of demos mostly from the FALAA era

Hard Reign LP Classic compilation of early "portastudio" demos

...Recent boots (usually better sound but less romantic)...

Angels Of Sin LP Remastered version of Gary Marx' cult Sisters demo tape

The Garden Of Delight LP Remastered demos & outtakes from the FALAA era

Reptiles In The Basement LP Remastered demos & outtakes from 1982-1984

Victims Of Circumstance LP Remastered reissue of Wayne Hussey's tape of demos & outtakes from 1984-1986

The WEA Mixes LP Remastered alt mixes of FALAA tracks

+LIVE RECORDINGS

...the best-sounding live boots from the classic era...

Black Moon LP Luxor, Köln, West Germany, 1984-11-13

Black October 2LP Top Rank, Brighton, UK, 1984-10-22

Brothers And Sisters LP Metropol, Aachen, West Germany, 1985-04-17

Disguised In Black 2LP Tiffany's, Newcastle, UK, 1985-03-13

Floorshow LP Fenders Ballroom, Long Beach, CA, USA, 1985-05-30

In Concert At The RAH (Wake) 2LP Royal Albert Hall, London, UK, 1985-06-18

In The Dark Night LP Tenax, Florence, Italy, 1985-05-01

The Last Time Around 2LP PC 69, Bielefeld, West Germany, 1985-04-21

No Time To Cry 2LP Mostly Kolingsborg, Stockholm, Sweden, 1985-05-17

Possession 2LP Paradiso, Amsterdam, NL, 1983-03-28

Stonehenge LP Lyceum, London, UK, 1985-03-25

We're All Aware Of That Teatro Espero, Rome, Italy, 1985-05-02

...recent quality live boots... (leaning heavily on Australia)...

A Fire In The Hull LP Dingwalls, Kingston upon Hull, UK, 1983-07-01

Boys Of The Spires LP Parkingang Festival, Ancona, Italy 1983-07-31

Ice To The Eskimos LP Trojan Horse, Den Haag, Netherlands, 1984-05-26

Land Of The Kings LP Vikateatret, Oslo, Norway, 1985-05-16

We Forgive As We Forget 2LP Lathe cut compilation of unreleased tracks and covers

B) You collect for the money

It is a fact that recorded music is getting more and more valuable and is now considered as a legit investment vehicle. But like with any investment activity, information and expertise are key to success.

If your purpose is to buy Sisters collectible to generate future income, the first question becomes whether your plan is short term or long term.

+SHORT TERM INCOME GENERATION

If you plan to buy with the intent to resell quickly with a profit margin, I would recommend the following strategy:

1-never buy anything expensive (it is a good idea to set an absolute maximum limit to the purchase price you will consider, ex 50 euros);

2-always buy under market average (in order to know what is the average market value, refer to websites such as Discogs, Value Your Music or Popsike);

3-always try to bargain the price of an item;

4-look for items that have a high "own vs want" ratio on Discogs (1 to 10 or more);

5-buy items in good condition;

6-buy in bulk (whenever possible, it is always a good idea to try and buy several items from the same seller as you will often be able to negotiate a better deal than buying individual items);

7-buy new titles as soon as they are released, especially when they are limited run;

8-buy real vinyls, no lathe cuts;

9-don't buy CDs unless they are extremely cheap (bargain bin);

10-buy titles that have not been repressed multiple times;

11-pay attention to shipping and handling costs (avoid import tax and long distance shipping, and, whenever possible, go for free shipping items).

+LONG TERM INVESTMENT STRATEGY

If your plan is to build a collection with the idea to let it increase in value overtime, I would recommend the following strategy:

1-buy items in excellent condition (or, even better, still sealed);

2-look for true rarities rather than common releases (items or variants that have runs of no more than 100 copies for classic bootlegs and no more than 10 copies for modern bootlegs);

3-only buy COMPLETE items (example: if the release is supposed to come with an insert, or ribbon, or bonus CD, make sure all the elements are there);

4-whenever possible, buy items that come with extras (official releases with promo stickers, press releases or promo photos...)

5-favor official items over non-official;

6-favor classic bootlegs over recent ones;

7-focus on unusual items: rare colors or packagings, test pressings, box sets, rare editions;

8-clean your records, put them in archival inner sleeves outside of their sleeves, and store them upright in a dry and climate-control environment;

9-keep all elements of the original packaging whenever possible (shrink-wrap, hype stickers, etc).

10-avoid playing or transporting your records;

11-whenever you buy a very rare piece, try to find out about its provenance and history and keep the information;

12-buy new releases, especially limited editions, as soon as they are released, before they sell out.

C) You collect for the glory

If your purpose is to build an amazing collection, one that the other collectors will envy, or if you get the most kick out of finding that elusive bootleg variant that has only been mentioned one in 1988 in an obscure German fanzine ("Live In Holland"anyone?), then you better get prepared for a world of pain, because the sheer quantity of Sisters collectible is completely mind-boggling.

It does not help that, forty years after the band's inception and thirty years since their last album was released, new bootlegs are still being produced on a monthly basis.

However, for those of you who are strong, or crazy or wealthy enough to handle it, here are some hard-learned advices:

1-Narrow down the scope of your collection

This is frankly the best advice you will ever get when it comes to collecting Sisters items. Because the quantity of what exists is so huge, it is highly recommended that you focus only on certain categories of collectibles rather than everything, unless you are willing to spend literally hundreds of thousand of dollars on your hobby (I'm not kidding about the sum).

Even though the band, in the big scheme of things, is from a mainstream standpoint quite obscure, the reality is that there is a rabid collectors base who is willing to pay a lot of money for rarities, and thus Sisters collectibles are expensive, especially compared to other bands of similar status/notoriety.

Example of narrow scopes that make sense:

->limit yourself to official items;

->limit yourself to official UK pressings;

->limit yourself to vinyl or cassettes only;

->if you collect bootlegs, limit yourself to records (no CDs);

->if you collect bootlegs, avoid lathe cuts (they are overpriced);

->if you collect bootlegs, limit yourself to classic bootlegs (no modern releases);

->if you collect bootlegs, limit yourself to ONE VARIANT per title;

Whatever you decide, DO NOT, under any circumstance, decide to collect everything. You will go broke or insane, or both.

2-Build your knowledge/expertise

Like any activity, success with building a collection relies heavily on how much knowledge you have about what you are collecting. With more knowledge comes better and more cost-effective decision making, and knowledge will also reduce the risk that you get ripped off or cheated.

To build your knowledge, you can start by checking the very informative Sisterswiki, especially the bootleg section. Discogs has also a lot of great information about most Sisters releases in circulation. Online forums and Facebook groups previously mentioned are also great place to learn or ask questions. Then there are old fanzines, such as Heartland, which also provide some great insight.

3-Expand your network

In order to build a great collection, you will need to connect with fans, sellers and collectors. The more people you know, and the closer your relationship is with them, the easier, faster and most cost-effective it will be to find the pieces you are after. 

If you collect modern bootlegs, try to establish direct contact with the "producers". They aren't so hard to pinpoint.

4-Make use of the Internet

It's never been easier than today to collect because Internet gives you access to sellers around the world. Try to refine your use of the popular e-commerce sites by creating alerts for specific items or categories of items on eBay, or by making use of the want list function on Discogs.

Identify relevant social media groups and pages.

Expand beyond the obvious by looking at some regional or local e-commerce platforms such as Todocoleccion, Tradera or Rakuten.

5-Don't be afraid to ask

If you are interested in an item in someone else's collection, politely ask if they would be willing to sell or trade it. The worst that can happen is that they say no. 

6-Double-check before buying

While a majority of sellers are honest, they are human and often make mistakes. Whenever I buy something rare or pricey, I always double-check that it is the right item before the item ships to me. I may have already paid but it's better to realize you are getting the wrong item prior to shipping than after you receive it. I usually do two things to check the item. First, I request photos prior to shipping and second, whenever necessary, I ask the seller to confirm the runouts/matrices.

7-Trade

Trading is a great way to build a collection. The more items you are willing to trade, the more chance you will have to really get the item that you want. And don't be afraid to offer seemingly great bargains for something you really want, such as two against one.

8-Buy duplicates when a good opportunity arises

To build up your trading resources, don't overlook buying dupes of items you already own, whenever a good opportunity presents itself (i.e. when the price is very good).

9-Consider buying whole collections

If you have the financial capability, buying whole collections is often a very good way to start your own collection. By doing so, you get the benefit of getting good value for each individual item, and you avoid paying multiple shipping and handling fees on all these items if you had to buy them separately. 

As for duplicates, don't be too worked up about them as they will provide you with opportunities to trade. Or you can always sell them.

10-Look for upgrades

Whenever possible, try to increase the value of the items you have, either by replacing better component (better condition sleeves or vinyl, adding missing insert, inner or sheets, adding the related press kits (press release and press photo) to a promo release, etc.

11-Be patient

Another very important advice: don't rush, especially when buying expensive items. If the item is overpriced, or there is an irrational bidding war on it, disengage and wait for the next opportunity. Most legit items will turn up again, sooner or later. You may also get it later as part of a collection you are buying. Overpaying for something will limit your capacity to buy the next thing. And since there are so much content available, you will never be able to own everything, so no point in breaking the bank for one particular item.

12-Keep track

This sounds obvious but you need to be very systematic and precise in keeping track of what you own. Once you accumulate more than a hundred items, it becomes difficult to remember which version you have and maintaining a good file will protect you from buying the same item twice or missing on great opportunities because you wrongly think you already have a variant which you don't have.

Discogs offers great collection management functionalities, so it's a good idea to take the time to put up your collection on Discogs, and update it every time you buy something (don't wait for the item to arrive, add it to your collection as soon as you have paid).

In addition, having your own excel file is also a good idea, which you should back up regularly and in multiple locations. When recording items in your file, you should come up with a notation system that makes sense for you. I will discuss this point in a future post.