I am sure I have already railed against the modern fashion for choice.  Probably about how we sometimes seem to be more concerned that the education and health systems offer choice than about about making them so universally good that choices are pointless.  Or about how as individuals we are either bad at making choices or get paralysed by the range of options available.  Or maybe just about the absurd range of choices available for entertainment with all those cable TV chanels and digital and internet radio stations.  Todays moan about choice concerns CDs.

When I decided to blow my birthday money on David Gilmour’s Live At Gdansk album I went into HMV and there was a choice between the double-CD or, for a few pounds more, a three-disc set that also had the concert film on DVD.  I only hesitated a moment before going for the one with the film on it. Had I gone to Amazon instead I might still be dithering.

This one album is available in at least five different forms.  There is the 2-CD live album (£9), the 2-CD album + DVD concert film (£12), a 2CD/2DVD set (£25), a 3CD/2DVD (£68!) version and the vinyl box set.  I think the 5-disc set is supposed to be about £40, but it is sold out and the £68 is a trader’s price.

The vinyl version is easy to ignore as my turntable is still in the cupboard gathering dust, but the rest of it is too much to choose from.  It was easy enough to decide that paying an extra few quid for the film was worthwhile, but to then double the price for a second DVD?  Or to add another £15 (or £43) for a third CD?

On the one had its all good stuff, but it is just slightly different versions of the same material which might get played once and then just sit on the mp3 player.  Good for completists but would it be worth it?  I’m glad I didn;t know about the other versions or I may have been tempted.  The acoustic version of Echoes sounds like it might be interesting though…