The First Albums To Be Purged

The Every Album Challenge is well underway. Although it has been slower to move forward than first anticipated, I am still averaging about 10 albums per week. With my trip to M3 happening this week, I expect to listen to a LOT of albums. It’s a 5-hour ride one-way, so that should help me get through several albums on my spreadsheet. Of course they will mostly be hair metal albums but that’s all right. They have to be listened to at some time.

Last week I tried to play some of the more obscure albums of my collection. I wanted to really dig deep and listen to albums that I haven’t heard in years, or since I bought them. Two of those albums were Greg Garing’s Alone and I Mother Earth’s Dig. Unfortunately for both of these albums, listening to them was bad news. They now have the humble award of being the first two albums to be purged from my collection during the Every Album Challenge.


Dig was an album that I originally picked up at a record show for a dollar. In 1993, I Mother Earth released this debut album and the lead single, “Not Quite Sonic” received a lot of radio airplay. I Mother Earth was one of the sweetheart bands of the early alternative/grunge era. “Not Quite Sonic” exploded on the charts and radio stations everywhere played it constantly. Naturally when I saw it a record show in the mid-90s for a dollar, I had to add it to my collection. I played it a few times, filed it away, and pretty much forgot about it. Until now.

While scouring my collection for some obscure records, I decided to give Dig a spin. It did not reach me on any level. The problem with Dig is that I just find it boring. Even the single it was purchased it for, “Not Quite Sonic,” hasn’t held up well over the years. While still an enjoyable song, it was not enough to make me keep the record in my collection. Overall, the album is just weak. During the entire time that I was listening to it, no excitement emanated from my being. At the end of the record, I knew that it had to go.


Greg Garing’s Alone suffered a similar fate. Also bought at a record show for a dollar, I was a big fan of this album’s first single, “My Love Is Real.” When I purchased the entire record, I think I played it once and then filed it. Pulling it out this week made me understand why it has been silent for so long. While the single “My Love Is Real” is still a solid track and the last song on the album, “Fallen Angel,” is grand, they are not strong enough to save the record from the fate that has befallen. The judgment has been made and Alone will also be purged from the collection.

I haven’t decided just what I will do with the purged albums yet. If anyone has any ideas, drop me a line.

Albums Listened To: 51
Albums Remaining: 2,002