The internet way of thinking

On the XM classic soul station ("soul street") recently, I heard a great old David Ruffin solo track from the 70s: "Walk Away From Love." I remember the song from the radio back then: it's one of those classic mid-70s sweet soul records, replete with strings and horns and glockenspiel, courtesy of a beautiful arrangement by Van McCoy. I downloaded the track from iTunes and of course wanted to hear MORE... I told myself that I'd get the download for now, and then just get the track on CD along with "more" Ruffin-by-Van, and I'd be set.

Well, "more" is kind of problematic. The original 1975 LP on which "Walk Away From Love" appeared (Here I Am) is out-of-print on compact disc... "out-of-print" with a caveat. You can get Here I Am if you want to buy a limited edition (5000 numbered copies, on Hip-O Select) boxed set of The Great David Ruffin: The Complete Motown Solo Albums Volume Two. This two-disc set has all four mid-70s solo albums that McCoy arranged and produced for Ruffin... plus outtakes.

Tempting... and I want to hear more...

...but I don't know that I NEED to hear that much more... I don't know that I WANT that much more. I also don't know when I'll have the time to really sit and LISTEN to that much more. Forty more tracks of David Ruffin produced by Van McCoy is about 30 more than I was looking for at the moment, really.

But there's a kind of thinking that the internet seems to encourage (if not spawn)... a thinking that says

YOU WANT
DAVID RUFFIN
ARRANGED AND
PRODUCED BY
VAN MCCOY?
HERE'S THE
COMPLETE
SESSIONS!
EVERY NOTE
THEY EVER
RECORDED!

THIRTY-FIVE BUCKS.

More David Ruffin and Van McCoy than I would listen to for the rest of the year, if I even stayed interested that long. I mean, I love "Walk Away From Love"... it's a gorgeous track. But I'm not writing a master's thesis on David Ruffin and Van McCoy. I just wanted to hear a few more tracks, that's all. I don't want or need all four albums plus outtakes all at once. I just wanted to hear a little bit more, a little bit at a time.

But the internet way of thinking is GET IT ALL. RIGHT NOW.

The thing is: I will probably end up ordering that boxed set eventually. But I know I'd enjoy it more if I could just get the stuff one album at a time, though. It's not the internet way, but it's my way.