What is Discography?
Discography can mean many things. Some websites consider a discography to be a simple list of albums by an artist. Using BRIAN, a discography is considered “session-based”. By this, it is meant that the basic data element needed to create a discography is the record of the recording session – the date, location, type, etc. Once this record is created, we can add the songs performed at the session. Subsequently, to each tune we can add the personnel that participated in each performance.
At this point, where the recorded music can be found can be documented. This is done by creating an issue record – the documentation of each physical presence of the recorded performance. Only songs documented for a session can be applied to an issue record. A single performance may have been issued in many physical formats; 78 rpm, 45 rpm, LP, CD, etc. In some cases, one format may include an alternate take while another may contain the master take. BRIAN will document this easily.
How To Create Discography
BRIAN does not come with discographic information. (The Kind of Blue sessions used as an example is the exception.) It is up to the BRIAN user to create the session and issue records.
Each session and issue record is unique. A session is a specific date where certain tracks were recorded. There can only be one occurrence of a session. If an artist records a song one day and then rerecords the same song the next day, that is two separate session records even though the same song is performed. A specific song performance can occur on many different sessions, but BRIAN will only contain one record documenting the song. A song is “applied” as a performance to a session each time it is recorded. The Sessions window has a field to enter songs performed at the session. This field is a lookup field where the performed song can be selected from the database and applied to the session.
In the same way songs are unique but can be used to create many performances, personnel names are unique but can be applied to as many performances as needed to document the performers appearances.
As shown above, there are two performances of “Flamenco Sketches,” one master and one alternate. (Only non-master takes are specifically notated.) The same song record is used to create each performance.
As shown above, the master recording of “Flamenco Sketches” appears on the CL 1335 issue of Kind of Blue. But notice the selection list of performances for “Flamenco Sessions” includes both the master and the alternate.