CD Collections

There are many music labels out there that have created a "series" of releases grouping together a number of artists with a cohesive sound or style.  Sometimes, the entire label is dedicated to the theme, like Windham Hill, or maybe it is a smaller, dedicated label specially made for the purpose.

Some that collect CDs might consider themselves "completists", which means they have to have each release available even if it’s something they wouldn’t normally purchase for themselves.  Another level of completism is purchasing every variant of a release, for example, the US, UK, Japan, and South American releases of a single album, plus each remaster.

These pages focus on a few different label series I have collected.  In my case, I have tried to get as close to the original releases as possible.  For example, my first purchase of Albert Lee – Speechless was a reissue by Edsel.  I eventually purchased the original version when it became available (which wasn’t a easy or cheap prospect).  Similarly, in my research for William Orbit – Strange Cargo, I found I owned a reissue, so I had to hunt down the original to make the collection complete.  In these cases, I try to describe the differences in the originals and the reissues for future collectors.

There are three series I have collected to completion:

MCA Master Series

Universal Master Series

I.R.S. No Speak

Each are comprised of primarily instrumental albums, the first two are in what was termed "new age" in the 80’s, but is considered "smooth jazz" now.  The third is an "anti-new age" rock-based series.