I Was A Physical Music Hoarder

I often joke that I invested in CDs all my life --- they just didn’t come from a bank. Mine came from music stores across America. If I took all the money I spent on music CDs and put that intobank CDs, it’s possible I could give Warren Buffet a run for his money. It’s a true statement, humor aside. I invested in the wrong type of CDs for too many years.

It started in junior high school when cassette tapes were all the rage and I happened to have a drawer under my bed that was perfect for holding them. That was also the same time I fell deeply in love with music, specifically hard rock music. It was also the time where I said goodbye to boyish things like baseball cards and embraced the teenage manhood love affair of music.

My parents hooked me on music early. I was rocking out to Bob Seger before I entered pre-school and I had a deep appreciation for Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac, and the Righteous Brothers by the time I was seven. Music always had a special place in my house and the joy it brought was something that resonated with me eternally. Thus, when there was a chance to add that much joy to my life in the form of an actual music collection, I had to do it.

It was my father’s music collection that set me down the path of physically hoarding music. Prior to basking in his collection, I was happy to buy cassette tapes and maybe work my way up to 100. 100 music albums all in one place? That was a lot. More than I could ever imagine, actually. Who would need more than 100 albums to listen to?

Then I spent a Christmas break with my father in Florida. And I sawhis entire record collection for the first time. There were literally thousands of records all in pristine condition. A spectacular stereo system to play them on, and of course a brush and liquid solution for the needle before any record was played. I was in awe. I must have spent half a day just staring at his collection, going through it, and asking to play certain records. I was amazed. My father’s collection caused a pang of jealousy and I knew that I wanted to have a record collection that rivaled or even outdid his.

I slowly worked my way toward adding more cassettes to my pitiful collection in as many ways as I could. When there was money in my pocket, I would buy a record I really wanted. If a friend had an album that I wanted, I would ask to borrow it and make a copy. Blank tapes were only seventy-five cents, whereas actual albums were $7.00. There’s some easy math for ya! And yet, things still grew too slow. There had to be a way to grow my collection faster, even if I didn’t have money to spend.

And that’s when I discovered record clubs. I jumped all over that 12 for a penny deal and even added in the grand bonus of buying my first album for the low, low price of $3.99 and getting 3 more albums FREE! Whoo-hoo! What a deal! For years, I would relish record clubs as a great opportunity to add music to my collection in bulk. I belonged to all of them, and though I didn’t realize it at the time, they were costing me a small fortune. It didn’t matter though. Each package delivered to the house was a small treasure trove of greatness in the form of new music. Nothing was more exciting than that.

In the late 80s, compact discs came out and slowly but surely became the new rage. They were portable, virtually indestructible, and had much better sound quality than cassettes. I got my first CD player at 16 and it was one of the greatest gifts I ever received. Soon after, CDs for the collection would follow. These could also be purchased through record clubs and purchase I did. A lot! By the time I moved out of my home and into my first apartment I probably had around 300 cassette tapes and 100 CDs. A 400-album collection. Not too bad, but nowhere near the thousands that my dad had. I would have to keep working at it. And even with record clubs and CD sales at the mall, the collection wasn’t growing fast enough. There had to be a way to grow my collection faster, even if I didn’t have a lot of money to spend.

Being introduced to record shows was a magnificent experience for me. Here was a place that had an endless limit of compact discs and vinyl records for sale at great bargain rates. There were some discs that could be had at the low, low, price of 2, 3, or even 4 for a dollar. A quarter for a CD? Sign me up! And even the known bands that had popular new releases would only cost $5 – a bargain if I ever heard one. The record show was monthly and for many years I was a regular attendee. So many albums so little time.

The collection grew and grew and grew. I had a spreadsheet to track all my music, what format it was in (tape, CD, vinyl, etc.) and of course what year the record was released. Through years, I kept adding and adding to my collection. Building and building until it nearly overtook a room in my house. By that time, I had close to 2,000 CDs and I was on my way to overtaking my father’s collection with a massive one of my own.

Storage became an issue though. Where on Earth could you keep that many CDs? Large CD racks were purchased, and one section of my house looked like a never-ending CD sale. And when it came time to move from one place to another … let me just say that CDs are not light when bundled together into moving crates. And having to reset them every time I moved became an unwanted pain. I would have to re-alphabetize them once I set the racks up in the new home, and that could take days or even weeks. Sure, it would give me an excuse to listen to some of them, but ultimately it would be a painstaking chore. And not one that I looked forward to.

Then one day, MP3s came out. There was no longer a need to have a physical piece of music, you could get what you wanted digitally and store it with ease, because it did not take up any space. I resisted the digital movement for as long as anyone, but in the end, of course, it consumed me, and I was sucked up with the rest of the music junkies. I got my first IPod and worked on the chore of converting my physical CDs to a digital library.

The biggest issue with the digital movement was the loss of holding an album in your hands. I always loved the smell of a new cassette tape, or the triumph of getting the factory sealed plastic off a new CD, followed by that annoying sticker label that was put across the top. And being somewhat OCD, I had to make sure that all the sticky tape was removed. Otherwise I would sit there with that jewel case in my hands until it was.

Collecting music was an unhealthy obsession at times. Anytime I heard a new song that I liked even a little, I had to have the entire album. If I heard the song more than a couple of times and really get into it, I would usually find a way to run out and get the album immediately. Nobody Beats The Wiz had even given me a credit card with a $750 limit. I went CD shopping there at least twice a month. Classic albums, modern albums, and even new “super audio” CDs were all whisked into my collection. Disc after disc. Album after album. Artist after artist. I had to have them all.

Nowadays, the youth doesn’t know anything about growing a music collection. Between the digital age of streaming on demand and listening to whatever song they want to hear on YouTube or some other similar path, there aren’t many music collections like there used to be and there certainly aren’t as many collectors as there used to be. Some are still out there, but they are few and far between. I myself have gone digital. I subscribe to Amazon Music Unlimited and have recently thought about joining Spotify.

Occasionally, I will still buy a CD to add to the collection, but it must be one from a favorite band or a disc that I really want to listen to repeatedly. The only place I play CDs anymore is my car. I still have my stereo, my 5-disc changer, and my 300 Disc jukebox, but I never use them. It’s like we’ve gone backwards in time and regressed to a machine with headphones to play music back on. From the Walkman to the I-Phone in two generations. 

And while I still have most of my physical music collection, it is just collecting dust. I sold the vinyl. There’s been a resurgence with collector’s looking for vinyl and I was more than happy to sell mine and pocket the money. I’m eyeing up my cassette collection to sell next. There is a slow growing movement of people who want cassette tapes for some odd reason and I do still have over 400 cassette tapes – all in pristine condition. If I price them right and someone wants them, I have no problem selling those too. A large part of my life and one of the most important parts of my youth would be gone forever, but that’s all right. The collection has become nothing more than a status symbol. A, hey, I did it, moment that not many people care about anymore. A huge music collection used to be impressive, now it just means you spent too much money on something that is bulky and hard to move and most likely going to be thrown out once you’ve died. The kids can stream it, why would they want to move 2100 CDs?

I’ve yet to decide on what I will do with all my CDs. I changed the way I store them from multiple racks in a room, to several leather zipper cases that hold the CD and the booklet that came with it, but all the jewel cases have been recycled. Even if I were to try and sell the collection, I don’t think there would be many buyers for a CD collection without the original jewel cases. And thus, I am probably stuck with the massive number of CDs I’ve acquired over the years. So, yes, I was a physical music hoarder. And that’s okay, I suppose. It will serve as a constant reminder of a fond period of my life. Like looking at old pictures in a photograph album and remembering great times from days gone by.

50 Rock Albums To Start Your Collection

Everyone gets this question eventually, but writers of the genre get it more frequently: If you were starting a music collection what albums would you recommend? I’ve been giving that question a lot of thought lately as I go to the roots of my personal album collection and try to reconnect on a deeper level with the music I love. If I had to strip it down to 50 records, what would they be? If I was telling someone to start their own rock music collection, which 50 albums would I tell them to buy?

Below is my list of recommendations. It blends modern rock, classic rock, metal, punk, guitar rock, and all other versions of “rock music” smoothly. For the purpose of this recommendation, I included bands such as Wilco and The Eagles as rock music. Some may argue that they are alt country, or pop, but whatever. First, as most of you know, I am not a big fan of labels to begin with. Second, if it has a guitar solo, it is close enough for me to call it rock.

Knowing that growing a music collection can be painfully expensive, I have arranged the list by putting the must have albums first. In other words, if you could only afford 10 of the 50, those 10 are marked 1 through 10. Hence the numbers listed next to the album is not necessarily a ranking order, as this is not a best rock album list, but more of a priority order.

I also purposefully left out double albums, live albums, and greatest hits. The goal of this exercise was to make a list of 50 great rock albums to start a music collection with. Many factors go into making that decision, and one of the major factors was that it had to be an album in the purest sense of the word. Live albums and greatest hits records are compilations. As for double albums, I’ve always felt they are too gimmicky. Yes, you could make a strong argument that Pink Floyd’s The Wall and Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness by The Smashing Pumpkins should be on this list and I could not disagree. But for the purpose of this list, I wanted single albums only.

If you are just starting out your music collection, it can be an uncharted sea that is tough to navigate. The following albums are my map to the start of a great collection. I hope it helps those starting out and those who have been collecting for years.

1.       Appetite For Destruction – Guns N Roses

Any rock music collection must contain the self-titled debut from Guns N Roses, and it should be the first album in the collection. Appetite For Destruction was revolutionary and influenced countless bands. It is also a flawless record that can be consumed over and over and over again and never get old. There really is no other album to launch a rock music collection than this.

2.       Destroyer – Kiss

3.       IV – Led Zeppelin

It’s not even my favorite Led Zeppelin album, but every rock record collection needs to include “Stairway To Heaven.” It’s a must.

4.       Nevermind – Nirvana

5.       Back In Black – AC/DC

6.       Under The Table And Dreaming – Dave Matthews Band

7.       Born To Run – Bruce Springsteen

8.       Rumors – Fleetwood Mac

Rumors is one of the best selling albums of all time for good reason. This is an exceptional record that is high on the priority list because it is so darned good.

9.       Paranoid – Black Sabbath

10.   Bat Out Of Hell – Meatloaf

This is progressive rock and roll at its finest. Every song on Bat Out Of Hell is like a mini-opera. The record is perfect and meant to be savored.

11.   Dark Side Of The Moon – Pink Floyd

12.   Van Halen – Van Halen

13.   Vs. – Pearl Jam

There is a reason that this album sold over one million copies in one day---it’s exceptional!

14.   Night Moves – Bob Seger

15.   Hotel California – The Eagles

16.   Highway 61 Revisited – Bob Dylan

17.   Revolver – The Beatles

18.   Metallica (The Black Album) – Metallica

19.   The Stranger – Billy Joel

20.   Dookie – Green Day

Punk pioneers that paved a path to the mainstream and kicked down the door for many acts to follow, Green Day were at their absolute best with their major label debut album, Dookie.

21.   Number Of The Beast – Iron Maiden

22.   Eat A Peach – The Allman Brothers

23.   Moving Pictures – Rush

24.   Cowboys From Hell – Pantera

25.   Up From Below – Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeroes

26.   Boston – Boston

27.   Tattoo You – The Rolling Stones

This is perhaps one of the greatest records The Rolling Stones ever recorded. Ever song is brilliant.

28.   White Blood Cells – The White Stripes

29.   Night Visions – Imagine Dragons

30.   Slippery When Wet – Bon Jovi

31.   The Joshua Tree – U2

32.   The Lucky Ones – Doug Keith

33.   Heartbreaker – Ryan Adams

34.   MusicForTheMorningAfter – Pete Yorn

Ever since I first heard the opening notes of “Life On A Chain,” I have been in love with this record. It’s magnificent and an exceptional gateway into other genres of rock music.

35.   No Depression – Uncle Tupelo

36.   Yankee Hotel Foxtrot – Wilco

37.   Hi Infidelity – REO Speedwagon

38.   Sigh No More – Mumford and Sons

39.   Nothing’s Shocking – Jane’s Addiction

40.   Hozier – Hozier

Brilliant! Just freaking brilliant! One of the best albums I have heard in a long, long time.

41.   Whitesnake – Whitesnake

42.   Synchronicity – The Police

43.   Celebrity Skin – Hole

44.   British Steel – Judas Priest

45.   Hybrid Theory – Linkin Park

46.   War of Angels – Pop Evil

47.   Pretty Hate Machine – Nine Inch Nails

48.   News Of The World – Queen

49.   How Will I Laugh Tomorrow…When I Can’t Even Smile Today – Suicidal Tendencies

Thrash metal at its finest! This album opened so many doors for me and turned me on to the whole speed metal genre.

50.   Damn The Torpedoes – Tom Petty

The Scent Of Music

Recently I pulled out a Rolling Stones mix tape that I made over twenty years ago. I wanted to listen to the ingeniously titled, “Rolling Stones Mix” as part of my Every Album Challenge. The mix was recorded on the Maxell Brand that was popular at the time. I remember buying those blank tapes in packs of ten for all of the mixes that I made. And all of them had outstandingly creative titles like “Kiss Mix,” “Aerosmith Mix,” and “Rolling Stones Mix.”

When I pulled the “Rolling Stones Mix” cassette open and prepared to pop it into the cassette player, something hit me right away---the smell of the cassette. It still smelled new. It still smelled like it had twenty years ago. It was a sweet, plastic scent that was undeniably Maxell. I don’t know if this was caused from the process of manufacturing the tapes, or if the factory coated them with a special scent, but I immediately knew the smell. It brought back many memories of my youth.

As a kid, I was big on sense of smell when it came to new music. Whenever I would buy a new cassette, one of my biggest thrills came from ripping off the plastic sheet the cassette was packaged in, popping it open, and sticking my nose on the cassette to get a good whiff. The clear tapes always smelled the best, but the Maxell blanks were a close second.

The joy of smelling my music followed me around as I got older and technologically advanced. I would smell new CDs as they were purchased, and while the covers still had a pleasant scent, the CDs themselves did not smell like much of anything. I believe it was the plastic jewel boxes the CDs came in that secured any scent. The smell was not as invigorating as the cassette tapes, but it was still there.

Now, with modern technology, paper packaging, and electronically stored music dominating collections, we’ve lost a lot of that nostalgic scent. It is the one thing I miss most about collecting music. No new music smells the way the tapes of old did (and amazingly still do). I can’t believe that the scent of the Maxell held up for more than twenty years. I experimented with other cassettes, and while the scent was still somewhat apparent on a few of them, it was non-existent on most. However, every Maxell UR brand blank tape that I sniffed still had a strong smell of “cassette.” They all held up over time.

Has anyone else tried this? Did any of you ever spend time smelling your collection growing up and noticing how great/unique/invigorating the cassette tapes smelled? Was it only the tapes of the late 80s/early 90s? I noticed that the white tapes of the 70s/early 80s somehow did not carry the same scent. It must be the type of plastic that was used.

If you remember “smelling” your collection, drop a line in the comments section. Don’t be shy. We all have quirky habits as music collectors. I know that I cannot be the only music fanatic to have done this on a regular basis. That’s not only highly improbable, it is borderline impossible.

Maxell brand cassette tapes…you rock!

The Grueling Grind Of The Every Album Challenge

I’ll admit it. I may not have realized what I was getting myself into when I signed up to create and master The Every Album Challenge. The idea of the challenge was so alluring that I felt it was something I just had to do. It would also provide the chance to dig deep into my collection and listen to some albums that I haven’t visited in years, possibly decades. While my intentions were in the right place, the execution was not as well thought out. The Every Album Challenge is becoming… a challenge.

That’s not to say I’m ready to throw in the towel. It’s rare that I quit at anything, I wasn’t built that way. I’ve thought about giving in, that’s for sure, but I haven’t come anywhere close to actually giving up. However, it’s only been two months, talk to me after a year and see if I still feel the same way. Yes, part of the challenge is the fact that I do not get to listen to any new albums (except for review purposes). With a new Pop Evil coming soon and Kiss in the studio, there are going to be some days where this challenge seems near impossible. However, right now my biggest hurdle has been selection.

I’ve listened to 100 of the 2,053 albums in my collection. That means 100 albums can no longer be played. Some of my best discs have already been listened to and I may not hear them again for 3 years. So when I am making a selection about what to listen to next, I have to carefully consider many outside factors. The first question I usually ask myself is “can I go years without hearing this again?” That’s why I have not played my Gaslight Anthem CDs yet. I’m saving them for the right moment. Other albums, like Hinder’s All American Nightmare, I just HAD to hear one day. Now that I’ve played it – it’s gone until the end of the challenge. That’s very sad. No more All American Nightmare. No more “Red Tail Lights.” No more “What You Gonna Do?” That hurts. And yet, at the time I chose to play it, I was yearning to hear the record, so I gave in.

The other problem with this challenge is remembering what records I’ve already listened to. Yes, I have a spreadsheet to keep score, which is great when I’m home. When I’m on the road and ready to fire up the IPod though, it becomes an issue. I have to stop and think “Did I listen to this album yet?” If I’m not sure, it means that I can’t play it. Sometimes I end up putting on the radio instead, just to be safe. That gets to be tiresome. It flat out sucks when you want to listen to an album and then can’t because you can’t remember if the record has been listened to or not. The only thing worse than that is when I really want to listen to an album only to discover I’ve already played it. As this challenge wears on, I am certain that scenario is going to play out more and more. That could be the issue that drives me over the edge and leads to failure. Here’s hoping that I can continue to be strong.

Albums Listened To: 105
Albums Remaining: 1,948

What A Long Strange Trip It's Going To Be

Heading down to this year’s M3 Rock Festival in Columbia, Maryland, I was excited for numerous reasons. One of those reasons was the thought of how I would be able to listen to quite a few albums. This excited me not only due to my love of music, but also because it meant that some more albums could be checked off the Every Album Challenge list.

I estimated that during the four-hour ride to Columbia, I could listen to approximately 6 albums (assuming an average of 40 minutes per album). That meant 12 albums for the entire trip. Figuring that I might put the satellite radio on for a baseball game at some point, I conservatively estimated 10 albums would be listened round trip. That thought made me very happy. That thought was also completely wrong. I was able to listen to 6 albums when it was all said and done. That’s right, 6.

Realizing this on the final stretch of the trip home, it dawned on me just how daunting a task I have taken on here. I have currently listened to a total of 74 albums since the challenge began a month ago. 74 albums a month is a pretty good number. However, when you consider the fact that there are a total of 2.053 albums to be played, 74 is barely a scratch. For the first time since I dove into this challenge, I’ve actually stopped to ask, “What have I gotten myself into?”

I know that the new Pop Evil record is due to come out sometime this year. It’s a fact that Kiss is working on a new record with an eye on a fall release. The Cars just released their brand new record (the first with Ric Ocasek since 1987). All of these releases are huge temptations. Yet, somehow I must cast temptation aside and plod on with the many, many albums that are already in my possession. It was hard not to run out to the store on May 10th when The Cars Move Like This came out. I was a huge Cars fan back in the day.

Warrant released Rockaholic on May 17th, and after seeing them live at this year’s M3, I KNOW that I want to own that album. And yet, I can’t. The best I can hope for is a review copy that I will be allowed to listen to just long enough to write a comprehensive review. Then it’s off to the side pile until after the challenge. Did I really think this challenge through before I took it on?

And yet, it’s not all bad. I have enjoyed the rare albums from my collection that I’ve been spinning. And listening to a block of hair metal bands in one chunk was nice. However, it still hurts that there will be no new Warrant or The Cars in my collection anytime soon. I guess that I will have to settle for listening to Cherry Pie and Shake It Up. I just hope they will hold me over.

Albums Listened To: 74
Albums Remaining: 1979

My First Record Club

I started collecting albums when I was 8. The first record I ever owned was Destroyer by Kiss, which I purchased at a yard sale for 25 cents. I would love to say that I still have that record, but I’ve long since traded it away (for other albums, I believe). Of course, I do own the remastered CD, so it’s not like I don’t have Destroyer, I just don’t have my first copy of Destroyer.

When I turned 10, I got two cassette tapes for Christmas that I had been dying to own. The first was Knee Deep In The Hoopla by Starship. I was a huge fan of We Built This City, which sounds dated and cheesy to me now, but at the time, it was an incredible rock song. The second album was Stay Hungry by Twisted Sister. We’re Not Gonna Take It was a massive anthem that I had to hear on a repeat basis. I still own both of those cassettes and they both still work.

When I hit my teen years, I started requesting tapes for my birthday. The bands of the day that I heard on the radio needed to be added to my collection. I would borrow albums that friends had and copy them until I could afford the original myself. When I would get birthday or holiday money, it went to buying more albums to add to my collection. Then one day I saw an ad in the paper (or maybe it was in a music magazine) for Columbia House.

Buy 12 albums for a penny, the ad proclaimed. 12 albums for a penny? What was the catch? How was it possible to get 12 albums for such a low price? How could I sign up for this? After doing some research, I decided to give it a shot. I had saved some of my allowance and by then I was working (odd jobs and part time selling newspapers), so I knew that I could pay the bill when it arrived. I picked my 12 albums, bought the first one for the low price of $7.99 and then got three more for free. 16 albums all at one time was an amazing experience.

I remember sending away the coupon with my album selections and waiting for the mail to arrive. Every day, I would check the mailbox, hoping that my shipment would come. It took a while, but the day that package showed up was one of the finest days of my youthful life. Seeing the big brown box with my name on it was a jubilant experience. When I ripped that box open and saw the massive amount of cassette tapes that fell out, I was in Heaven.

I had never received that many albums at one time. I was overwhelmed! How was I going to listen to them all? And of course, I wanted to play every one of them right then and there. Unfortunately, there just wasn’t enough time to pull that off before bedtime. Compromising, I picked the one I wanted to hear the most and popped it into my little boom box. Then I tore open the packaging of all the other cassettes and read their linear notes. It was one of the greatest days of my life.

From that moment on, I was hooked. Record clubs became my best friend (and a huge drain on my bank account). As the booklets showed up every month, I would go through them, picking out albums that I didn’t own and ordering them for my collection. Every time a package appeared in my mailbox, I got that same giddy feeling that I did the day I received my first one. Getting new music brought me phenomenal joy.

From Columbia House, I would go on to join BMG music and order even more cassettes. Both companies are responsible for filling the majority of my record collection early on in life. They also were the recipients of a lot of my money, but it was worth it. I stayed a member of both record clubs until they finally dissolved in the mid 2000s. With the advent of ITunes and online record shops, Columbia House and BMG could no longer keep up, even though they tried as hard as they could. When they finally closed their doors, it was a sad feeling. It was as if part of my youth had been killed forever. No longer could I order 12 CDs at a time and wait for that package to arrive in the mail.

These days, it’s all instant gratification. We can now go onto ITunes and order any album that our heart desires. If we don’t want the whole record, we can order just the single, or select songs. And while that is really convenient, it takes away from the joy of discovering the entire album. It also takes away from building patience. Once an order was placed with a record company, it was days before that package arrived, which helped me to appreciate it more when it came. Now, with instant downloading, it’s one listen, maybe two, and then it’s off to the next great thing. Hey, what else can I buy online? It’s a shame and it takes away from the joy of the entire record.

When I look over my vast music collection, I still see a lot of cassette tapes that I got from either BMG or Columbia House. When I listen to them, it’s with a smile on my face. Remembering how I would get goosebumps while opening the package filled with multiple albums for me to enjoy. I don’t know if I will ever experience that feeling again, and that is a real shame. Columbia House and BMG Music, you are missed. Thanks for all the great memories.

Comments are open. Feel free to post some.

Determining Your Favorite Band

Anyone but anyone who knows me, knows that I am a huge fan of the rock band KISS. I’ve loved the band since junior high school and they’ve been my favorite act since high school. I’ve spent countless hours reading about them, listening to their music, studying their history, and learning all I could about every member (even Vinnie Vincent). I know more useless knowledge about the band than anyone I’ve ever met. I worshipped the band for quite a long time.

As I grew older, my musical tastes evolved. I segued from hard rock/hair metal, to classic rock, to jam bands, and in my twenties, I developed a taste for my ten favorite bands and left them at that. I never gave it much thought after rounding out the top 5. They were my favorite bands and that’s how it would stay.

Over the years, numbers 4 (The Rolling Stones) and number 5 (Aerosmith) may have switched positions, and recently Aerosmith has even slipped out of the top 5, but that coveted number one has always belonged to KISS. To me, there was no way that would ever change. We had been together for too many years. Too many people knew me as a KISS fan. It had become part of my identity.

Bruce Springsteen was always going to my second favorite band/performer, because when I wasn’t listening to KISS, I was obsessing over the E-Street Band. And when neither of those two were being played, good old number 3 (Pearl Jam) filled the slack.

Then a strange thing happened. About 5 years ago, I re-discovered Dave Matthews Band after a long hiatus. I started listening to this band with an intensity that had not hit me since discovering Kiss in junior high school. I began to collect all of their studio albums. Then I moved on to their live albums. Then I was grabbing their bootlegs by the handful. Slowly they crept into my rotation on a very heavy basis. I couldn’t go more than a month without listening to at least one Dave Matthews Band album. I found myself tracking their concerts and making plans to attend as many of their shows as possible. I didn’t do that with Kiss. I hadn’t done that since my 2003 Bruce Springsteen Giants Stadium run. What was happening to me? Was Dave Matthews Band creeping their way to the top spot on my favorites list?

And that’s when I had to ask myself if KISS really was number one anymore. I love them as deeply as I ever have. If they released a new album tomorrow, I would own it, but I still find myself spending more and more time with Dave Matthews Band. This leads to the question of my post. How do you determine who your favorite band is? Furthermore, can a favorite band ever be thrown out of the top spot? As funny as it sounds, I almost feel guilty for spending all that extra time with DMB when I could be listening to KISS. It’s like having an affair with a really hot mistress.

Now, I know that sounds comical, and that a person can enjoy as many bands as he/she wants to, but there can truly only be one number one. For as long as I can remember, that number one has been KISS. Lately though, I’ve been spending much too much time with Dave Matthews Band, and it’s made me question who is the true number one on my favorites list?

Is it that hard to separate the bands? Does being number one vs number two or three really make that much of a difference? To me, as a music freak, it really does. Holding the number one slot on my favorites list is a highly coveted position. It’s rare that this stronghold is loosened, let alone replaced. And the fact that a band came along and in 5 short years is threatening to knock the hottest band in the land from their perch, well, that says a lot about Dave Matthews Band and their ability.

So, how do you determine your favorite act? Is it based upon how much time you spend listening to them? Is it based on how much you study their history? Is it based on how the music makes you feel, or is there more to it than that? Could Dave Matthews Band share the top honor with KISS, or is that a cop out? These are the questions I ponder as I determine who my real favorite band of all time is.

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How The Internet Killed The Bootlegging Industry

I’ve been collecting music for many, many years. Long before the Internet made it much easier to identify and sample new bands and what albums were coming out, I had to attend record shows or visit my local record store. It was at these shows, or in these stores that I would learn what bootlegs of my favorite bands were available. However, that knowledge came at a price. A Kiss concert from 1977 at Budo Kahn Hall? I had to have it. Queen live in England? Give it to me, no matter the cost. A Bruce Springsteen reunion show? Add it to my collection. Unfortunately, all of these bootleg albums came at a price, and it was never very cheap.

Then came the internet boom. At first, it was a great way to get even more bootlegs. Ebay auctioned them off in droves. There were full sites dedicated to Springsteen and other classic rock band bootlegs. And while DMB fans and Pearl Jam fans would “trade” you a bootleg for B&Ps (blanks and postage), it took forever to hear back from the guy who had the bootleg. And it always felt like even though he/she was helping, they appeared to be a little self righteous because they had the concert you wanted and they could answer you on their terms and their time. There were always endless cries of “newbies, please only request one concert at a time!” Like they were so cool because they had the concert and you didn’t. I particularly didn’t like being called a “newbie.” I had been collecting for years, and just because they were fortunate enough to be able to get a copy of a particular concert I had attended did not make me a “newbie”. It made me a fan.

Record shows weren’t any better. Bootleggers would sell concert CD sets anywhere from $35 - $60 per set. They would claim superior audio quality and how this was a landmark show that we had to add to our collection. And as a huge fan of certain bands (notably Kiss and Springsteen), I had to have these shows. I already owned all of the studio albums. A disc of unreleased rarities had to be added to my collection.

When the internet boom finally took over and almost every home in America had access to high speed internet, things changed. Large file sharing became easier, especially with sites like Megaupload and Rapidshare. And while this also opened the door for illegal downloading of studio albums (something I am totally against), it also opened the door for all of those concerts that I had paid top dollar for, to be added to my collection, for free. The bootleggers and self-righteous collectors didn’t control the outcome anymore. The personal collector did. With a quick scan of Google, we could now find any concert that we ever attended or wanted in a matter of minutes. And in an instant, it could be added to our collection, for free. Bootleggers became less and less and the sites dedicated to selling you those bootleg concerts, they are borderline extinct.

While I’m sure there are plenty of mixed feelings about bootleg concerts, I can’t help myself. If I attended the concert, I want a copy of it. If I adore the band and I own all of their “officially released” albums, I have to have the disc of rare demos. That’s what being a fan is all about. If the band released it officially, I would still buy it. I bought Kiss’ Carnival Of Souls when it was officially released, even though I already owned it on CD and cassette from bootleggers. But, not everyone is like that, and I understand this.

Now with satellite radio, we can even hear bootleg concerts on the airwaves. Rolling Stone magazine has a bootleg column in every issue that tells what concerts we should be searching for. It’s a great way to celebrate our favorite artists. And while it may have brought down the profitability of an illegal industry, I feel no remorse. I don’t think there was ever a need for bootleggers to charge the criminal fees they did. These days, I don’t even need them. A quick search of the internet leads to me all of the concerts I could ever want. And that makes me a very happy collector.

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How Big Is Your Music Collection?

In a recent issue of Rolling Stone, I read how Atlantic Records CEO Craig Kallman owns a record collection of over 350,000 albums. While I’m quite proud of my collection (coming in around 3,000 and growing), 350,000 begs to question – when is it too much? How can Kallman (or anyone for that matter) thoroughly enjoy a record collection that large?

Perhaps it’s the minimalist in me, but a music collection of that volume would take years to listen to if played constantly for 16 hours a day. When can those albums be enjoyed? How would a decision even be made on what to listen to? Personally, I would be so overwhelmed by that many choices in my collection it would have a paralyzing effect on me.

When is it enough? At what point does your music collection stop being a fun hobby and become more of an archival museum? What is the number of albums that pushes the music collection over the threshold?

My only goal ever since I started collecting music was to surpass my father’s music collection and obtain 3,000 of my own albums. I have accomplished that feat, but I am still collecting. As new music comes out, my obsession kicks in and I have to have it. When new live CDs from my favorite bands are made available, I have to have them. And yet, there are some albums that I just had to have back in the day that haven’t been touched in years.

Case in point, The Pet Shop Boys, Actually. When What Have I Done To Deserve This was all over the radio, I saved up my allowance, found a ride to the mall, and bought that album. After about three or four listens, it went away with the rest of the albums I owned. If I’ve listened to that album 4 times since then, I would be surprised. However, the album still counts as part of my collection, but isn’t it overkill? It’s been so long since I’ve even seen that album, that I have to double check that I actually still have it. Is that the breaking point where too much becomes too much?

Music is a very subjective form of entertainment. How you enjoy it, how you listen to it, and how you collect it are open to mass interpretation, so there is no right or wrong answer here. For me though, I’ve always said that when I purchase an album that I already own (without realizing that I already own it), that’s when it is time to stop collecting. I would have to think that if I had a record collection of 350,000 albums that would be bound to happen.
What about you, dear readers? How many albums are in your collection? At what point do you intend to stop collecting and just enjoy what you have (if ever)? How large do you want to grow your collection?

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The Independent Record Store

As a kid, I spent a lot of time during the summer at my grandparent’s house. It was great because they lived in a town where you could get anywhere by bicycle. A quick pedal ride away from their house was an independent record shop known as Mr. Muck’s. This store was one of the greatest I ever visited, even to this day.

Mr. Muck’s had everything: CDs (which were still rather new at the time – yes, cousin Ryo is that old), cassette tapes galore, and lots of vinyl. They even had bootleg vinyl concerts, “imports” if you prefer. Merchandise was a big part of their sales too, and my friends and I would buy countless posters out of our allowance or money from part time jobs.

Iron Maiden and Kiss posters were always purchased with glee, and my friends and I would spend hours staring at them, especially Iron Maiden, where we would try to find the hidden artifacts and Easter eggs .

Mr. Muck’s was a great shop for a young teenage boy. They had a lot of older (cut-out), or used, vinyl records that were cheap, and when you’re a teenager, cheap is great. I bought a lot of music from that store and I still remember almost every purchase.

As a middle-schooler, I was fascinated, and could spend hours browsing the store, going over every nook and cranny. The employees never cared how long I spent in there either, as my friends and I were not disruptive, and eventually, after enough time, more often than not, we were going to buy something. This is what helped to fuel my love and addiction for music. Quality time spent in a great record shop.

These stores are now becoming harder and harder to find, and that’s a real shame. The big box stores are putting the smaller guy out of business. The independent record shop is still one of the only places that you can special order that rare import or get the vinyl version of that new album. And yes, you can order rare music online, but you’ll miss out on that human interaction.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean enough to most people in the instant gratification world of today. Try spending four hours browsing Best Buy or WalMart’s music section and see if you don’t get kicked out, or at the very least, asked fifty times if you can be helped. Try getting into a music conversation with the Target worker (if you can even find one) and ask him or her where the latest from the Old 97s, or The Clarks is. They’ll look at you like you’re a Cyclops.

Independent store owners’ and workers’ knowledge of music is second to none. I could have a twenty-minute conversation with an independent record store owner about Suicidal Tendencies, and then switch the conversation to Ryan Adams with no transitional issues at all. Try doing that with your local Best Buy boy. Chances are he doesn’t even know either of those bands.

Last year, the independent record stores gathered together and hosted the first ever Record Store Day. Some big name bands even came out to support it. This year, they are doing it again (This Saturday - April 18th). Hopefully it will inspire the few remaining independent stores to band together and announce their presence. We need more of them and more people need to know they are out there.

If you get the chance, do yourself a favor. Look in your town for an independent shop. Check your phone book. Search the Internet. If you do find one, go visit them. I guarantee that you’ll be a happier music fan.

Want to know more? Learn all about it here: www.recordstoreday.com

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