(Why) Do You Collect Music?

[Ojai Sam]

Rejoining Music Boomerang, the CD trading site out of whose predecessor MG evolved, has caused me to think. This is always a dangerous pastime, but I decided that my musings were too structured to fit comfortably into our “random thoughts” thread.

At first I was going to caption this new thread “why do we collect music?” but then I realized that not all of us do that. To further focus my thoughts I decided not to write about collecting in general, but rather, the specific phenomenon of collecting recorded music.

So why the hell, at an age when many people have been retired for a decade, am I still spending time, money and energy to accumulate shellac, vinyl, plastic and mp3’s when all I have to do is fire up Spotify?

Nobody wants to read a long, self-referential post. In fact, no one may want to read my short, self-referential posts either. So I will stop here, and gather my thoughts with an eye toward posting occasional bite-size chunks of what passes for insight around here. Feel free to chime in if the mood strikes you.

Thank you for listening. We now return you to our regularly scheduled posting.

 

[Unsomnambulist]

Why do I collect lossless music for storage on a hard drive? Basically, even though Apple Music, to which I subscribe, offers lossless, I don't trust them to always have the music I want to listen to. Licensing agreements can and do expire. I don't want to suddenly find that some favorite music has become unavailable.

Other than that, I wouldn't say I'm a collector. I just want a copy of music I like so I can play it anytime I want to.

 

[Ojai Sam]

Why do I collect lossless music for storage on a hard drive? Basically, even though Apple Music, to which I subscribe, offers lossless, I don't trust them to always have the music I want to listen to. Licensing agreements can and do expire. I don't want to suddenly find that some favorite music has become unavailable.

Other than that, I wouldn't say I'm a collector. I just want a copy of music I like so I can play it anytime I want to.

Yes, I don't want to give Neil Young the right to stop me from enjoying his work just because he's mad about something.

Neil Young Says His Music Is Returning to Spotify

Neil Young's music is returning to Spotify, says the singer-songwriter, who noted the end of the streamer's exclusive deal with Joe Rogan's podcast.

www.billboard.com

I would add that a lot of the music I listen to is not available for streaming, whether due to licensing issues, age, or obscurity.

 

[Ojai Sam]

… I collect lossless music for storage on a hard drive….

This observation raises the whole question of what format or formats we choose to collect in. I have a 20 TB capacity external drive loaded with high-quality (320) MP3’s, so I certainly see the virtues of digital music. Some of these are my vinyl or CD rips and some I purchased as downloads, depending on how much I like the record. However, since this is not my primary collection, many years ago I made the decision not to invest in the additional disc space for lossless files.

What are the advantages of digital files?

Convenience, portability and permanence (assuming you have a back up regimen).

Why am I not all in for digital?

There is no tangible art or written material. I’d like to tell you that I am diligent enough to scan or download any written material and read it word by word, but I am simply too pressed for time or lazy to do that. There is also another key aspect of my music listening experience that is missing from clicking on a digital file which I will dive into in a future post.

 

[axolotl]

...whether due to licensing issues, age, or obscurity.

But, that's enough about me.

 

[Unsomnambulist]

But, that's enough about me.

Oh no! You've discovered the world revolves around you!

 

[axolotl]

Oh no! You've discovered the world revolves around you!

As with all these listed things, one (hopefully) gains maturity.

Spoiler

There is a yuge, sucking, gravitational mass coming out of Florida, tho'. So not all things gain in requisite maturity.

 

[Nickyboy]

Oh no! You've discovered the world revolves around you!

His parents always said he was their sun.

 

[axolotl]

His parents always said he was their sun.

I wish. There were two other contenders for that title.

It's a good thing I ended up liking them.

 

[Ojai Sam]

Here's a news item and some back story that relates to music collecting:

The Internet Archive recently lost the appeal of their lawsuit with the book publishers.

The Internet Archive Loses Its Appeal of a Major Copyright Case

Hachette v. Internet Archive was brought by book publishers objecting to the archive’s digital lending library.

www.wired.com

They have also been sued by the major record labels for posting 78’s.

Music labels sue Internet Archive over digitized record collection

Universal Music Group , Sony Music Entertainment and other record labels on Friday sued the nonprofit Internet Archive for copyright infringement over its streaming collection of digitized music from vintage records.

www.reuters.com

The Archive had a large and comprehensive collection of 78's, many of which had been cleaned up sonically by experts. For every example of "White Christmas" cited in the lawsuit, there were ten obscure Lois Butler songs which would never see the light of day otherwise. Most of these songs have now been taken down, presumably to minimize damages if they lose this lawsuit too.

This is really a shame since I'm not aware of any alternatives for people wanting to study older music that will never be reissued by the major labels.

 

[axolotl]

^ Damned capitalism! <shakes fist at cloud>

 

[axolotl]

I have been considering adding a little something to this thread ever since Sam created it.

Oh, I did. But I mean... adding something on-point. Something valid. Something meaningful.

(1) Since remodeling, I have been using my once-laden bookshelves to house my records and CDs collection. This has opened up availability to place my CDs in some better places. Maybe, I'll take a photo or two. Maybe, I'll even learn how to post them here. Please don't count on it any time soon.

(2) I have misplaced or lost my classical CD collection from A to B. I intend to keep looking through boxes and rediscover them. At the moment, there is a whole shelf empty. This prevents me from getting Bax to where I once belonged. Yes, this includes Albinoni, Arnold (the composer with this as his last name), Johann Sebastian Bach (full name, so as not to misidentify with the guy from Skid Row), Barber, the aforementioned Arnold (Bax, this time), Ludwig, Berwald, Boccherini, Britten.

(3) I seem, for the time being, to be in a state of merely amassing (or having amassed) a collection. I have no way to play anything right now, other than on my computer. Nothing is hooked up. I need to get two 20-year-old leather couches out of the house, which are taking up space in my living area. They are unusable to me and Quinn as they are dirty, beyond repair, and tipped over one other, forming a wall atop and in front of the listening area. Once they are removed, I can make some headway. I need to contact someone. I need an intervention.

(4) This situation reminds me of the middle of 2018, when I was terminated from my job and depressed and anxious because I feared not being employed again. I unplugged my audio system from the wall to control utility expenses. A number of people remarked that this was probably not particularly beneficial and had minimal effect. I observed that I could listen to music when I am depressed, but I could not bring myself to listen to music when I am anxious.

It took me many months after re-employment to reinstall everything and return to listening.

Now, I have to do something very similar.

 

[axolotl]

Oh, one other thing. Upon restocking my CDs, I saw a ton of them I did not remember and really would like to hear again.

Then, upon listening to my Pantha du Prince CD entitled The Triad earlier yesterday (in the car, naturally), I came here to display it. I proceeded to go into RYM, and found that I rated The Triad Ambient Versions back in 2017. Oddly, I found I rated this album, and that I even have this version on vinyl. Great Googly Moogly! I still have not verified that I actually own this by looking for it in my collection.

That is two things. How easily I miscount.

 

[Unsomnambulist]

Oh, one other thing. Upon restocking my CDs, I saw a ton of them I did not remember and really would like to hear again.

Then, upon listening to my Pantha du Prince CD entitled The Triad earlier yesterday (in the car, naturally), I came here to display it. I proceeded to go into RYM, and found that I rated The Triad Ambient Versions back in 2017. Oddly, I found I rated this album, and that I even have this version on vinyl. Great Googly Moogly! I still have not verified that I actually own this by looking for it in my collection.

That is two things. How easily I miscount.

 

[axolotl]

I have misplaced or lost my classical CD collection from A to B. I intend to keep looking through boxes and rediscover them. At the moment, there is a whole shelf empty. This prevents me from getting Bax to where I once belonged. Yes, this includes Albinoni, Arnold (the composer with this as his last name), Johann Sebastian Bach (full name, so as not to misidentify with the guy from Skid Row), Barber, the aforementioned Arnold (Bax, this time), Ludwig, Berwald, Boccherini, Britten.

I located the box with these lost treasures. I am whole again.

It was only 12 feet away from where I park my computer. The couches had secreted the CDs away kept the CDs safe and secure all this time.

ETA: I also found half of my ECM New Music collection in the same box.

 

[Ojai Sam]

 

[Ojai Sam]

More is always better, right? Not necessarily. Take this album, for instance, today's "Vinyl Spin of the Day":

Big Bill Broonzy - The Young Big Bill Broonzy (rec. 1928-36, Yazoo comp. 1968)



Big Bill recorded nearly 300 songs between 1927 and 1947, all of which were released on a dozen CD's by Document Records. So why would anyone still listen to this collection of 14 songs from a small slice of his long career? Because, as the insightful liner notes (themselves a major feature of Yazoo Records) observe, they were selected to counter the public perception Broonzy created for himself as a simple country bluesman. In fact, his unusual guitar tunings and the unique style that resulted were heavily influenced by ragtime. One of the songs here ("Eagle Ridin' Papa") was even appropriated by the leading Western Swing Band, Bob Wills' Texas Playboys, for its theme. (They also "borrowed" Sylvester Weaver's "Guitar Rag" without attribution, but that's a story for another day).

So, even many decades later, a listener can benefit from the accumulated knowledge of serious blues students like the late Nick Perls, founder of Yazoo Records. Binge listening to a forest of 78's in chronological order won't teach you much about the individual trees themselves.

Collecting Tip: This early Yazoo release was later reissued with more sophisticated cover art derived from the same photograph. Which one do you prefer?

 

[Unsomnambulist]

More is always better, right? Not necessarily. Take this album, for instance, today's "Vinyl Spin of the Day":

Big Bill Broonzy - The Young Big Bill Broonzy (rec. 1928-36, Yazoo comp. 1968)

View attachment 14653

Big Bill recorded nearly 300 songs between 1927 and 1947, all of which were released on a dozen CD's by Document Records. So why would anyone still listen to this collection of 14 songs from a small slice of his long career? Because, as the insightful liner notes (themselves a major feature of Yazoo Records) observe, they were selected to counter the public perception Broonzy created for himself as a simple country bluesman. In fact, his unusual guitar tunings and the unique style that resulted was heavily influenced by ragtime. One of the songs here ("Eagle Ridin' Papa") was even appropriated by the leading Western Swing Band, Bob Wills' Texas Playboys, for its theme. (They also "borrowed" Sylvester Weaver's "Guitar Rag" without attribution, but that's a story for another day).

So, even many decades later, a listener can benefit from the accumulated knowledge of serious blues students like the late Nick Perls, founder of Yazoo Records. Binge listening to a forest of 78's in chronological order won't teach you much about the individual trees themselves.

Collecting Tip: This early Yazoo release was later reissued with more sophisticated cover art derived from the same photograph. Which one do you prefer?

View attachment 14655

Second one is better.

 

[Ojai Sam]

Cream - Wheels Of Fire (1968)



Vinyl Spin of the Day.

Here's the latest item in my Selective Vinyl Reacquisition Project. You may recall that not long ago, I posted about the terrific Polydor Chronicles 4-CD Those Were The Days box which included all of this material. So why did I buy it again?

Two reasons:

First, although the box did include all of the same live performances, they were remixed, sequenced differently and extended. As noted above, more is not necessarily better. I played the grooves off my copy of WOF back in the day and I wanted the same listening experience, not an "improved" one.

Second, I really enjoy revisiting albums like this one that were given special treatment by the record company. From the real foil cover to the psychedelic gatefold staring back at me, the graphics are an inextricable part of the message imparted by this record.



Even the historic Atco paper sleeves extolling the virtues of everyone from Mr. Acker Bilk to The Coasters have a unique charm.



For the SVRP, quality counts for a lot. So I searched around and nabbed a beautiful stereo Monarch first pressing. When I dropped the needle, I realized that I had received another unexpected bonus. Wiki tells us that "some pressings of this album contain a longer version of 'Passing the Time'. The 'long version' is extended by one minute and 13 seconds...." and that "original pressings of Wheels of Fire incorrectly listed the running time of 'Deserted Cities of the Heart' at 4:36 (rather than 3.38." Well, my copy has both the longer version of 'Passing the Time' AND the 4:36 version of 'Deserted Cities'. What's more, the mixes on several of the studio songs sound slightly but noticeably different from the familiar ones of my youth. The sound seem less "processed" and more organic, which is fine with me.

on the Sam-O-Meter.

Trivia note: when Mrs. Ojai was learning to play Korean classical drums, I happened to be playing "Toad" from WOF. She informed me that Ginger Baker was employing the very same rhythm patterns she was taught.



(Not Mrs. Ojai, but this is just like her drum kit)