I'm through my first CD shelf, nearly 70 percent this project of listening to all the CDs I own. In February, I started with my Elvis Costello CDs, prepping myself for his show with The Impostors at The Wiltern. From there, I moved onto my Madonna CDs, the anticipation building for the release of "MDNA." After, I went back to the beginning of my collection, starting with The Doors "best of" and winding my way through one-offs, past obsessions and treasured memories—Henry Rollins, The Black Crowes, INXS, The Spice Girls, Alanis Morissette, The Beatles, No Doubt, Green Day, Weezer and The Corrs, with dozens more in between.
In all, I've listened to 240 CDs since embarking on this project in February. At times, it felt like excruciatingly slow going, me not finding the time to get through as much music as I'd like. There were other times, thankfully, that I could zip through five or more CDs in a day. Because of those days, I'm actually much further along in this process than I thought I'd be, so much so that I'm currently taking a break, giving myself the opportunity to pick back through that first shelf, revisiting forgotten favorites, mixing new release (Alanis, No Doubt and Green Day) in with their precursors, and spending a bit more time with Elvis Costello and Madonna in advance of concerts for both.
I heard an
interview this morning with a man who wrote a memoir about being in a book club with his mother. The author and interviewer were beginning a discussion on the differences between physical books and e-books when I arrived at work, so I didn't get to hear his thoughts. It did get me thinking about my own preference for the physical over the electronic.
Though not telling the whole story, our possessions do reveal quite a bit about who we are, our interests, priorities, philosophies and habits. If I go to someone's house, I'm curious about the books, movies and music filling their shelves. I do check out the covers of books and magazines people are reading in public. Two grad students actually struck up a conversation with me at a show once because one of the students and I were both reading "The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas."
If I was on a Kindle, we wouldn't have had that conversation; instead I would have just been another person with my face illuminated by a screen.
Going back through my CDs, I feel like the music I own is a good reflection of who I was, am and maybe even could be. I'm not afraid of the impression someone will get of me by scanning the titles because I know each of the 345 CDs on my shelves contains some memory, bit of inspiration or big idea that in some small way makes up who I am.
Throughout this process I've smiled many times, sighed quite often and gotten choked up more than once. I've been transported back in time to junior high dances, high school science classes, the college newsroom, the streets of Dublin, hotel rooms, stadiums, museums, car trips, times high and low. Each artist continues to speak to me and most are deserving of their own entries here, but so many of my big ideas about one have been crowded out as soon as I started playing the CD, certain that, yes, this is it.
The truth is, they could all be it, all be the CD I'm listening to when that momentous whatever happens, the one that inspires me, the one that comforts me, the one that encourages me, the one that conspires with me, the one that pushes me out the door or tucks me in at night. At varying times throughout my life, the CDs in my collection have played at least one of those roles, sometimes more.
On the other side of this break, I have 105 CDs of similar importance. Starting that off will be John Mayer, who I've mooned over many, many, many times on this blog. He's so damn good and I'm very much looking forward to spending some time with his words and music. Also ahead are James Blunt, Robbie Williams, Ashlee Simpson, Fall Out Boy, Amy Winehouse and Adele, just to name a few. The grand finale will be U2.
I used to think that I had too many CDs, the great majority rarely listened to, just taking up space and collecting dust as I continually returned to the same 50 or so. Now that I've started going back through my collection, I've recognized the value in what I have and have no plans to get rid of anything. There's nothing wrong with having a lot of stuff, as long as you use it. With my love for my music reinvigorated, I will use it.
I understand that some people reading this might thinking 345 CDs is nothing. With Amazon selling digital copies for $5 or less and people blindly ripping whatever they can from other people's collections until their iTunes folder consumes their entire hard drive, I can see how having thousands of complete albums is not as big of a deal as it used to be. My collection will continue to grow but will probably never reach those heights because it's physical, buying CDs can be costly and I'm getting choosier about what I will buy.
As long as artists continue putting out CDs, and stores exist to sell them, I will continue buying.
Here's what I've listened to so far this year:
Elvis Costello Elvis Costello With Burt Bacharach: Painted From Memory
The Very Best of Elvis Costello
My Aim Is True (Rhino reissue)
Elvis Costello and The Attractions: All This Useless Beauty (Rhino reissue)
Spike (Rhino reissue)
When I Was Cruel
This Years Model (Rhino reissue)
North
Elvis Costello and The Attractions: Armed Forces (Rhino reissue)
Elvis Costello and The Attractions: Trust (Rhino reissue)
Elvis Costello and The Attractions: Get Happy
Elvis Costello and The Attractions: National Ransom
Elvis Costello and The Attractions: Punch the Clock (Rhino reissue)
Original Soundtrack: De-Lovely
Elvis Costello & The Imposters: The Delivery Man
Elvis Costello Live With the Metropole Orkest: My Flame Burns Blue
Elvis Costello and The Attractions: Imperial Bedroom
Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint: The River in Reverse
Secret, Profane & Sugarcane
Madonna Erotica
The Immaculate Collection
Original Soundtrack: Evita
Ray of Light
Something to Remember
True Blue
Like a Prayer
Bedtime Stories
Madonna
Live a Virgin
Music
You Can Dance
I'm Breathless
GHV2
Original Soundtrack: Who's That Girl
American Life
Remixed & Revisited
I'm Going to Tell You a Secret
Confessions on a Dance Floor
The Confessions Tour
Original Soundtrack: Vision Quest
Hard Candy
Sticky & Sweet Tour
Celebration
Glee: The Power of Madonna
MDNA (clean and deluxe versions)
The Doors The Best of the Doors
Guns N Roses Appetite for Destruction
Lies
The Spaghetti Incident
Use Your Illusion I
Use Your Illusion II
Motley Crue Decade of Decadence
Too Fast for Love
The Eagles Their Greatest Hits
Don Henley: Actual Miles: Henley's Greatest Hits
Henry Rollins The Boxed Life
Wartime: Fast Food for Thought
Rollins Band: Insert Band Here: Live in Australia 1990
Sweatbox
A Rollins in the Wry
Rollins Band: Yellow Blues
Rollins Band: A Clockwork Orange Stage
Big Ugly Mouth/Short Walk on a Long Pier
Think Tank
Live at the Westbeth Theater
Talk Is Cheap Volume 1
Talk Is Cheap Volume 2
Talk Is Cheap Volume 3
Talk Is Cheap Volume 4
Spoken Word Guy 2
Spoken Word Guy
Nights Behind the Tree Line
Tina Turner Tina Live in Europe Disc 1
Tina Live in Europe Disc 2
Simply the Best
Stray Cats Best of the Stray Cats-Rock This Town
Brian Setzer Orchestra: Brian Setzer Live (Two Discs)
Brian Setzer Orchestra: Guitar Slinger
Brian Setzer Orchestra: The Dirty Boogie
Brian Setzer: Rockabilly Riot! Volume One: A Tribute to Sun Records
NKOTB Face the Music
The Black Crowes Three Snakes and One Charm
By Your Side
Lions
Shake Your Money Maker
The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion
Live Circus '95
Croweology
INXS Elegantly Wasted
Live Baby Live
Shabooh Shoobah
Full Moon, Dirty Hearts
The Greatest Hits
The Swing
INXS
Kick
X
Welcome to Wherever You Are
Listen Like Thieves
Beneath the Colours
Shine Like It Does
Ashley MacIsaac Hi How Are You Today?
Original Soundtrack Dazed and Confused
En Vogue Funky Divas
Poison Poison's Greatest Hits
Live Throwing Copper
Patty Smyth Patty Smyth
The Rolling Stones Bridges to Babylon
Hot Rocks
Kevin & Bean A Family Christmas in Your Ass
Super Christmas
Original Soundtrack Grease
Spice Girls Spice
Spice World
Geri Halliwell: Schizophonic
Goodbye
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band Born to Run
Born in the U.S.A.
Bangles Greatest Hits
Original Soundtrack Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion
Everclear So Much for the Afterglow
Stevie Nicks The Best of Stevie Nicks: Time Space
Fleetwood Mac: Rumours
Fleetwood Mac: Greatest Hits
Trouble in Shangri-La
Fleetwood Mac: The Dance
The Enchanted Works of Stevie Nicks
Depeche Mode The Singles 86-98
The Singles 81-85
Dave Gahan: Hourglass
The Red Hot Chilli Peppers Greatest Hits
Alanis Morissette Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie
Unplugged
Under Rug Swept
Jagged Little Pill
So-Called Chaos
Jagged Little Pill Acoustic
The Collection
Flavors of Entanglement
Havoc and Bright Lights
Mariah Carey #1s
Culture Club VH1 Storytellers/Greatest Moments
Lauryn Hill The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Heart Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits 1985-1995
The Allman Brothers Band A Decade of Hits 1969-1979
Etta James The Best of Etta James: The Millennium Collection
Hole Celebrity Skin
Courtney Love: America's Sweetheart
Abba Gold: Greatest Hits
Carole King Tapestry
Love Makes the World
The Living Room Tour
Taylor Dayne Tell It to My Heart
Can't Fight Fate
Sinead O'Connor I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
Sean-Nos Nua
Tracey Chapman Telling Stories
George Michael Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1
Faith
Aretha Franklin The Very Best of Aretha Franklin: The '60s
The Beatles Abbey Road
1
Original Soundtrack: I Am Sam
A Hard Day's Night
Help!
Let It Be
John Lennon: The John Lennon Collection
Revolver
Rubber Soul
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Beatles (The White Album)
Instant Karma: The Campaign to Save Darfur
Magical Mystery Tour
Past Masters
Various Artists 100% Dance
Janet Jackson Design of a Decade: 1986/1996
Destiny's Child Survivor
Bobby Darin The Ultimate Bobby Darin
Cyndi Lauper She's So Unusual
Nirvana Unplugged in New York
Foo Fighters: Skin and Bones
The Pretenders The Singles
No Doubt Rock Steady
Tragic Kingdom
Return of Saturn
The Singles 1992-2003
Gwen Stefani: Love Angel Music Baby
Gwen Stefani: The Sweet Escape
Push & Shove
Jewel This Way
Social Distortion Live at The Roxy
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Deja Vu
Kylie Minogue Fever
Body Language
The Best of Kylie Minogue
Blondie Greatest Hits
Jimmy Eat World Jimmy Eat World (Bleed American)
The Proclaimers The Best Of …
Janis Joplin 18 Essential Songs
The Ramones All the Stuff (And More) Volume Two
The Clash The Singles
Nelly Furtado Whoa, Nelly!
Billy Idol Greatest Hits
The Cars Complete Greatest Hits
The Osbournes The Osbourne Family Album
Green Day International Superhits!
Insomniac
American Idiot
21st Century Breakdown
Uno!
Weezer Weezer (The Green Album)
Weezer (The Blue Album)
Maladroit
Pinkerton
Make Believe
Weezer (The Red Album)
Raditude
R.E.M. In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003
And I Feel Fine … R.E.M. The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987
The Cranberries Everybody Else Is Doing It so Why Can't We? (The Complete Sessions 1991-1993)
No Need to Argue (The Complete Sessions 1994-1995)
Van Morrison Astral Weeks
Tupelo Honey
Moondance
Van Halen Van Halen
The Best of Both Worlds
Original Soundtrack Clueless
X Los Angeles/Wild Gift
Prince and the Revolution Purple Rain
Norah Jones Come Away With Me
Feels Like Home
The Vines Highly Evolved
Winning Days
The Corrs Live in Dublin
In Blue
Borrowed Heaven
Talk on Corners (Special Edition)
Forgiven, Not Forgotten
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