The completist in me would love full Columbia treatment as love2000 suggested, with every scrap of everything compiled into really tight, period-based sets, so you could really peek into his mind as stuff came together.

On the other hand, tighter, more manicured sets get around the problem that Gumdrops points out: not everything is good. But then again, who are we trusting to determine what should stay and what should go, or even what the criteria is for making that decision?

I think that whoever takes control of the process would benefit from thinking long-term, in decades even... I could imagine a scenario like the following:
1) Get the albums rereleased in some nice formats (again, Columbia did well with Miles, or Rhino with Costello (although Costello had a *huge* hand in those album releases from the early '00s). Good liners, a handful or 2nd disc of critical bonus tracks from the period. This is the first big goal and should be the first round to come out.
2) Plan some compilation releases that compile the "best of" unreleased and little known material. These could be curated by ex-bandmembers or engineers or whatnot.
3) Bootleg series of live shows a la Dylan: these are going to be a must-do eventually, and again Columbia does them right. Get a schedule going and release 1 or 2 a year. Start with the classics... full performances with little editing except for time.
4) The completist sets (like the Davis ones)

But what do I know? I want it all, and thinking about this shit and typing this out makes me feel uncomfortable...


-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~