> They are all good! Trading should
> augment your collection, not be the focal point.
 
I have to disagree with you on this point.  The bands that I am the
biggest fans of all allow tape trading, and I must admit that I own more
tapes (of concerts, bootlegs if you will) of Phish, Dave Matthews as well
as others, than albums.  The reason for this is that I believe that you
can hear the true musicianship of bands more in concert than on studio
albums.  Although the albums are great, and allow you to hear the
songwriting capabilities and potential musicianship of a band, it really
does not show how well they play together, or their energy level, or
their ability to play the same song in different ways.  On an album you
have almost an infinite number of chances to play the song until you get
it right.  In concert you have one shot.  It is nice to hear how the
bands would like the song to sound (the coneptualized studio version),
which is why I buy the albums (and I do own every Dave, Phish, and
...almost all of the Connells).  But the focal point of my music
collection is bootlegs, that really show how talented the
musicians are in a band.
 Just my $0.002
Matthew
 
P.S.  This is from an aspiring musicians point of view, I am making a
distinction between being a musician and a composer.  A good musician can
play and interpret music well, whereas a good composer can write good music
(with or without the ability to play it well).  None of this is a reflection on
the Connells (whom I admire greatly), just on the point of bootlegs
versus albums.  Does any of this make sense?   Maybe I should have slept
some last night...oh well.