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The Grand Wazoo
22-09-2009, 16:13
A box of 'G's' eh!

I was a passenger in a car once & we went passed a record shop (this was in Worthing when I was a teeneager). We were on our way to a gig & we were late. The record shop was still open, & I told to my mate who was driving to stop, because I had to go & do something really important.

He was pissed off with me, but stopped anyway. I ran into the shop & went to the 'K's' because at that time I didn't have any 'K's'. I bought the first K in the box!

It was King Crimson - 'In the Court of the Crimson King'
Actually, if I didn't buy it that way, it would have been one that I'd have bought purely for the sleeve art!

Apart from all that, it's a great album!

The Grand Wazoo
22-09-2009, 16:16
I've just been & checked - now I've got 47 'K's' - including that & 2 other Courts of Crimson Kings!!

Alex_UK
22-09-2009, 16:18
Great story! I did suddenly notice a few years back a burgeoning of my "K's" - Kasabian, Keane, Kaiser Chiefs, Killers & Kings of Leon - sure there were others - all seemed to hit my radar at the same time!

For some reason, despite 2,000 odd albums, I still seem to be deficient in the "N's"!!!

Alex_UK
22-09-2009, 16:20
I think 47 "K's" counts as "willy waving" and is therefore against the forum ethos, Chris! ;)

The Grand Wazoo
22-09-2009, 16:27
Ah Yes - The slim pickings of the letter 'N'!!!

Mine are pretty much confined to New Model Army, New York Dolls & Nirvana & Kenny Neal.

'O' is a bit of a grim letter too!

The Grand Wazoo
22-09-2009, 16:30
Hahaha..........

If I wanted to willy wave I'd have told you about some other letters!!
'Z' for instance!

Actually, I'd guess that 'B' is the clear winner for me & most people for some reason.

Joe
22-09-2009, 16:49
Ah Yes - The slim pickings of the letter 'N'!!!

Mine are pretty much confined to New Model Army, New York Dolls & Nirvana & Kenny Neal.

There's Nico, Nine Inch Nails, Mike Nesmith, Nazz and New Order too!

The Grand Wazoo
22-09-2009, 17:48
Ermmmmmmmm.........yes, Nesmith & Nico I forgot!
Got no 9" nails or New Order though!!

Nazareth would be in there somewhere too

DanJennings
22-09-2009, 18:37
N is surprisingly one of my bigger letters, due to loads of NOFX and Nine Inch Nails, and modest amounts of Nirvana, Martin Newell, NWA and bits and pieces of other stuff

It still gets beaten hands down though, by B, C, M and S. My smallest letter is probably V, which is mostly Van Der Graaf and Van Halen

I still have more Xs than anyone I know ;)

Anyway, back on topic:
Freezepop - Future Future Future Perfect
Pixies - Surfer Rosa
One Minute Silence - One Lie Fits All
Jedi Mind Tricks - Visions Of Gandhi
Presidents of the USA - These Are The Good Times People
They Might Be Giants - Lincoln

Barry
22-09-2009, 18:55
Hahaha..........

If I wanted to willy wave I'd have told you about some other letters!!
'Z' for instance!

Actually, I'd guess that 'B' is the clear winner for me & most people for some reason.

Can't think off the top of my head of any artists with names beginning with 'Z' that would be of interest to you? :scratch:

The only 'O's in my collection are Phil Ochs, Mike Oldfield, Hazle O'Connor and Ornette Coleman (yes I know it should be filed under 'C', but it's not - that's the way my mind works).

Glad to hear you're on the mend - just as I was going to give you my patented fail-proof receipe for a hot toddy. Oh well, just drink the whisky anyway! ;)

Best Wishes

Joe
22-09-2009, 18:58
'Superstition' Stevie Wonder. Lovely stuff.

The Grand Wazoo
22-09-2009, 19:01
Can't think off the top of my head of any artists with names beginning with 'Z' that would be of interest to you? :scratch:

The only 'O's in my collection are Phil Ochs, Mike Oldfield, Hazle O'Connor and Ornette Coleman (yes I know it should be filed under 'C', but it's not - that's the way my mind works).

Glad to hear you're on the mend - just as I was going to give you my patented fail-proof receipe for a hot toddy. Oh well, just drink the whisky anyway! ;)

Best Wishes

Thanks Barry,
That Quarter Cask Laphraoig has been around for far too long anyway - it's probably gone off, but for the sake of tidyness.......I suppose I'll clear it up!

http://www.laphroaig.com/qc/

It's always been a big dilemma to me where to file people like Taj Mahal, Lightnin' Slim (& Hopkins) etc...........

DanJennings
22-09-2009, 19:09
and where do people file the number bands, like 10cc, 999, 36 Crazyfists, do you spell the number? file before A? after Z?

The Grand Wazoo
22-09-2009, 19:18
and where do people file the number bands, like 10cc, 999, 36 Crazyfists, do you spell the number? file before A? after Z?

I spell the number, but really they should go before A

Barry
22-09-2009, 19:23
and where do people file the number bands, like 10cc, 999, 36 Crazyfists, do you spell the number? file before A? after Z?

Don't think I have anything by performers with numerical names, but if I did I would file them alphabetically.

Even worse is stuff I've picked up on my travels from places that do not use the Latin alphabet, such as Cryllic, Farsi or Chinese. Actually it's not a problem as in my 'World' section, the material is filed according to continent, running eastwards from 0 degree longitude! My mind works in strange ways. :mental:

Regards

The Grand Wazoo
22-09-2009, 19:38
Don't think I have anything by performers with numerical names, but if I did I would file them alphabetically.

Even worse is stuff I've picked up on my travels from places that do not use the Latin alphabet, such as Cryllic, Farsi or Chinese. Actually it's not a problem as in my 'World' section, the material is filed according to continent, running eastwards from 0 degree longitude! My mind works in strange ways. :mental:

Regards

That's not a problem I've ever had to tackle.
I used to have my Blues & Classical subsets, but got rid of the blues one as it grew & the line between it & other types of music became thicker & fuzzier!

Now, I keep my classical/orchestral records seperate but not the CD's (?)

I also try to keep things chronological within bands where possible, with compilations at the end.

Oh! And Various Artists are after 'Z'!

Joe
22-09-2009, 19:39
Oh! And Various Artists are after 'Z'!

Well, yes. Anything else would be Just Plain Wrong!

Barry
22-09-2009, 20:04
That's not a problem I've ever had to tackle.
I used to have my Blues & Classical subsets, but got rid of the blues one as it grew & the line between it & other types of music became thicker & fuzzier!

Now, I keep my classical/orchestral records seperate but not the CD's (?)

I also try to keep things chronological within bands where possible, with compilations at the end.

Oh! And Various Artists are after 'Z'!

Blues are separate from Classical regardless of medium and my filing follows in a similar fashion to yours: chronological within artist(e) and with collections/compilations at the end.

'Various Artists' and other odds and sods (a few 12" singles) are also relegated to the outskirts after 'Z'. No doubt in your collection that means a separate room! :smoking:

One difficulty I have is with the heading 'Folk'. My LPs are filed under this separate catagory but not the CDs. A friend of mine who has an equally large and varied collection does not bother to descriminate: Folk is filed alphabetically in with the Pop and Rock (including Tangerine Dream and Terry Riley). I think I might have to rethink my act here.

Another anomaly is with 10" LPs; they get 'lost' if filed with the 12" LPs. I don't have many, so they are kept together and filed separately.

Blues artists with unusual given names are filed as such: Lightning Hopkins under 'L'; Mississippi John Hurt under 'M'; Blind Boy (anybody) under 'B' etc. Not foolproof but I can usually find what I want.

Perhaps someone might like to write about a logical filing system for the 'Library'. Any takers?

Joe
22-09-2009, 20:07
Perhaps someone might like to write about a logical filing system for the 'Library'. Any takers?

Mheh, not me. I strew the music about the place and grab what's nearest.

Barry
22-09-2009, 20:16
Mheh, not me. I strew the music about the place and grab what's nearest.

Ah so you follow the stochastic school of record filing?

I used to get into that rut by having a pile of recently played records that I hadn't returned. Trouble was, out of lazyness I would simply rumage through them and play them again. After becoming bored hearing the same twenty or so records again and again, I would be forced to put them back and listen to something from the rest of my collection. Quite often that was an education - 'I'd forgotten I had this', that sort of thing. I've grown out of it now.

Regards

Joe
22-09-2009, 20:21
Sometimes the pile of CDs topples over, and a long-forgotten gem emerges from its hidey-hole. I need more shelf space really; the books are winning over the music at present.

The Grand Wazoo
22-09-2009, 20:27
I have a good friend who puts his away in random places, so he's constantly suprised by what he finds. Trouble is, he never plays what he goes to the shelves to get because before he finds it, he stumbles on another long forgotten treasure!

DanJennings
22-09-2009, 22:05
Well, yes. Anything else would be Just Plain Wrong!

Oh well, I guess I'm plain wrong then... oh well.

I go A-Z via artist, chronological within artist, using date of release, ie I have all the talking heads albums, 77 - Naked, and then I have all the reissues, 77 - Naked

But I just file compilations under the title of the album, for example the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack would be filed under 'O'

apart from music mag discs, which go at the end, because it's neater that way. and pesky box sets and CDs that are just a little bit too big for the shelf which have to be hidden away on top of a cupboard because I have no room to display them

How often does everybody refile? Do you wait until you have a certain amount of new CDs to file away, or do you just shuffle them along with every purchase.... I normally wait until I have a stack of around 10, cause it takes ages.

DanJennings
22-09-2009, 22:07
I have a good friend who puts his away in random places, so he's constantly suprised by what he finds. Trouble is, he never plays what he goes to the shelves to get because before he finds it, he stumbles on another long forgotten treasure!

Ha! that sounds a little like Hamish's old filing system, more by accident than by design.... Tell me you've got better, please!

I alphabetised them 2 or 3 times, but it was no use! it took about 3 weeks and it was back to normal again....

John
22-09-2009, 22:23
I have a few systems in place my favourite are placed in Blues Classical Folk etc and then everything else is A to Z
Makes sense to me

The Grand Wazoo
22-09-2009, 22:55
How often does everybody refile? Do you wait until you have a certain amount of new CDs to file away, or do you just shuffle them along with every purchase.... I normally wait until I have a stack of around 10, cause it takes ages.

Is this because you store your discs in something that has a slot for each disc? In which case, when you buy an Abba album, for example, you have to move every single disc you own - from AC/DC to ZZ Top - along 1 slot.

I just use plain shelves & leave room on each one for a few to go on & stick 'em in as I get new ones (well, after the play it a few times honeymoon period has finished).

I think Barry's right, this needs to be the subject of a library article, or a seperate thread at least. Maybe a new thread could lead to the other?

DanJennings
22-09-2009, 23:08
Is this because you store your discs in something that has a slot for each disc? In which case, when you buy an Abba album, for example, you have to move every single disc you own - from AC/DC to ZZ Top - along 1 slot.


No, thank god, I don't think they do slotted shelves for the amount I've got!:lolsign:

It's just a bit of a pain, and I try to be careful so that my cardboard cases don't get squashed, so moving them all along, adjusting, would be a pain if I was filing only one album early on in the alphabet... But then again, it's not that often I buy just one CD either... it's an addiction :doh:

Spectral Morn
23-09-2009, 08:59
I file my music broadly within genres (I don't break the broad heading into smaller sub groups). So I have the following sections.

AOR(melodic rock), Prog Rock, Electronic music, Dance Music, Pop, Female Singer Songwriter, Male Singer Songwriter, Christian Music, Jazz, Classical, Soundtracks, Folk Rock (very small section), World/Foreign. There is then another two sections for SACDs and DVD-As. Everything is sorted A-Z, and numbers are listed by the first letter in the number so Three is under T etc. This works for me.

I shelve my DVDs in a similar way under broad genres.

John maybe you or I should cut this discussion into its own thread and leave this thread to what its normally about....what do you think?

Regards D S D L

The Grand Wazoo
23-09-2009, 09:03
John maybe you or I should cut this discussion into its own thread and leave this thread to what its normally about....what do you think?

Regards D S D L

Neil,
I asked Marco to do that last night but he hasn't got around to it yet.
Interestingly there's also a parallel discussion going on about computer music files.

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?p=67602#post67602

Spectral Morn
23-09-2009, 09:35
Well I don't know about you guys but organising a virtual music collection isn't half as much fun as a physical one;):). Discovering music you had forgot about enjoying the cover art (more so with vinyl). I usually wait until I have a pile before having to shift everything along. Space is tight for me. I bought an Ikea CD wall shelf unit awhile ago to get some of my collection of the floor and it left me very little extra space (not that my collection is growing much these days).

I once had a discussion with a friend about my collection and how I sort it etc. He said to me "Your C section must be very big".. "what I said, No not really" He looked disappointed... " I just thought it would be huge....You know, all that Crap you listen to":doh::(:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:.


Regards D S D L

The Grand Wazoo
23-09-2009, 09:52
QUOTE Joe: Mheh, not me. I strew the music about the place and grab what's nearest.


QUOTE Barry: Ah so you follow the stochastic school of record filing?


Sometimes the pile of CDs topples over, and a long-forgotten gem emerges from its hidey-hole. I need more shelf space really; the books are winning over the music at present.

Although it has a certain stochasistic flavour, would a more appropriate term (especially as it's referring to music) not be Aleatoric?

However, I believe that its actually a Newtonian System, because of it's reliance on gravity! Hopefully the stack doesn't get so big that they land on your head like Newton's apple.

John
23-09-2009, 09:55
For me the biggest thrill is always that intial sense of wowwwwwww when you stumble across a great album and as you listen to it again and again the music becomes a part of your life I would often joke to my friends that I am a member of AA (Album Anonymous)

Spectral Morn
23-09-2009, 10:03
For me the biggest thrill is always that intial sense of wowwwwwww when you stumble across a great album and as you listen to it again and again the music becomes a part of your life I would often joke to my friends that I am a member of AA (Album Anonymous)

It is a thrill. I find the same thing when I am in a shop flicking through the CDs or Vinyl, and you find that something you have been after for ages or spot something that might be worth a punt on. How do you do that when its virtual?


Regards D S D L

John
23-09-2009, 10:16
Yes I remember that thrill spending a few years looking and then suddemly you find the album alas no more

The Grand Wazoo
23-09-2009, 20:39
I really have trouble with my classical recordings. I like to know how to find everything but some of my albums with works by another composer on them. So to file under the composer of the main work is to effectively lose everything else.

I suppose if I played some of them more often, I'd get to know that Debussy's 'Prelude a l’apres-midi d’un faune', also has some Ravel on it.

How do you cope with that?

Spectral Morn
23-09-2009, 20:43
I really have trouble with my classical recordings. I like to know how to find everything but some of my albums with works by another composer on them. So to file under the composer of the main work is to effectively lose everything else.

I suppose if I played some of them more often, I'd get to know that Debussy's 'Prelude a l’apres-midi d’un faune', also has some Ravel on it.

How do you cope with that?

Yes Classical compilations would be problematic. However as I don't have much Classical for me its not a massive problem. Not an answer, maybe Barry or Jeremy Marchant can make suggestions.

Regards D S D L

Alex_UK
23-09-2009, 20:47
Bloody 'ell, Chris & I have a little 'tête à tête' about our "K's" - I go away for 24 hours and a whole thread has grown out of it!

By my nature, I'm very anal about stuff like this, I did go through a period of disorganised chaos when I had no TV, (filed them by colour!) but now I have to have them filed properly! CD Singles (which I never buy any more, except once in a blue moon) are immediately ripped to itunes and I don't bother keeping them available for easy playing (stored away in boxes, without the jewel cases.) Main CDs are stripped of their jewel cases, and filed in clear plastic sleeves, with just the sleeve notes. (Digipack CDs just go naked into the sleeves.) This means that roughly I can store about 6-8 times as many CDs in the same space. Then they are stored in CD boxes that hold around 120-150 each, which are then stored in 2 chests of draws in the downstairs study - now outgrown these, though. They are stored pretty much as DanJennings says:

Alphabetical by Artist (Surname), chronological within artist, but "Best of" always go at the end (No splits by genre, but classical kept separately upstairs.)

Numbers filed at the beginnning i.e. "1 Giant Leap" is the first CD in my collection. Various Artists are all stored separately, roughly by genre. Film soundtracks are filed within the main bulk, i.e. Gladiator is in the box of "G's" - which is a misnomer, as actually it is a box of some G's and H's!

All vinyl stored in upstairs "music room" where my keyboard/PC Music systsem and Guitar is setup - again, following same alphabetical list, but 12" singles are separate to Albums, stored in 12 pine "cubes" I had made by an ex-girlfriend who was a furniture maker about 7 years ago. My 7" singles are stored in a bookcase, again, alphabetically. I can pretty much find anything on any format at the drop of a hat.

I refile when I have around 50-100 loose CD's but vinyl tends to be put away as soon as I am done with it.

See, told you I was anal!

Oh, and I've just checked, I only have 44 K's - so you win on that one Chris! ;)

Oh, and all my 26,000 tracks in itunes have to be exactly right, including cover art!

The Grand Wazoo
23-09-2009, 20:53
Yes Classical compilations would be problematic. However as I don't have much Classical for me its not a massive problem. Not an answer, maybe Barry or Jeremy Marchant can make suggestions.

Regards D S D L

Well, I wouldn't even go so far as to call them compilations. Compilations are easy - they go at the end of the alphabet (not that I have anything I would call a compilation of classical music).
It's a fairly common practice with classical records to pair two or three complimentary works together.

For example:

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/3619/livingstereo.jpg


Here the Mendelssohn is the main work of interest & it has been paired with the Mozart.

If a large number of your records follow this pattern - you file under Mendelssohn, but then you lose the Mozart.

See what I mean?

The Grand Wazoo
23-09-2009, 20:59
Quote AlexUK:

Oh, and I've just checked, I only have 44 K's - so you win on that one Chris!

Only just, mate - don't forget, my 47 includes 3 copies of 1 album!
(If you want to read that as your willy being the same size as mine, then I'm fine with that!)

Spectral Morn
23-09-2009, 21:06
Well, I wouldn't even go so far as to call them compilations. Compilations are easy - they go at the end of the alphabet (not that I have anything I would call a compilation of classical music).
It's a fairly common practice with classical records to pair two or three complimentary works together.

For example:

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/3619/livingstereo.jpg


Here the Mendelssohn is the main work of interest & it has been paired with the Mozart.

If a large number of your records follow this pattern - you file under Mendelssohn, but then you lose the Mozart.

See what I mean?

Yes I do. I must say that that aspect of Classical has always bugged me. If I buy Vaughan Williams then I want all VW and not some other composer thrown in as a filler. Why would you put Mozart and Mendelssohn together?:confused:

I rarely buy compilation or best off albums as I always reckon I would do a better job. When I started buying Cafe Del mar Cds I found Bruno and Jose Padilla to be up to my kind of standard of compiling. When I was younger I was known as the king of the compilation tape:eyebrows: (I think they are known as Mix Tapes now). So I am a bit hard to please in that regard.





Regards D S D L

DanJennings
23-09-2009, 21:13
Quote AlexUK:


Only just, mate - don't forget, my 47 includes 3 copies of 1 album!
(If you want to read that as your willy being the same size as mine, then I'm fine with that!)

Ah, but does that mean you win on girth?

I must have a very small willy, only 35 Ks

The Grand Wazoo
23-09-2009, 21:15
Ah, but does that mean you win on girth?

Well I didn't want to get into that. It really depends how many 12" diam discs he has.

Alex_UK
23-09-2009, 21:51
Well I didn't want to get into that. It really depends how many 12" diam discs he has.

I only counted albums!? Maybe I could be the K-slut after all!!? ;)

The Grand Wazoo
23-09-2009, 22:22
So, Alex apart from upstairs, how do you categorise your classical?