The alphabetical project

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this seems like a good place to bring this up....

i have a lot of music. probably not nearly as much as some of you, but more than i think i need (about 750 LP's, 400 cd's). as i've seen my record collection swell to an enormous size in the past two years, i've started to feel that i am not exactly the most "zen" person in the world and i need to reduce the size of it. and it's not even that - i just realized that i have tons of records i have never listened to at all, or listened to once and shelved. and it seems fairly unnecessary, especially for someone like me who is young and mobile.

so i embarked upon a project at the beginning of 2003 to listen to my entire record accumulation (i prefer this term to "collection") in alphabetical order (by artist). for the past two months i've been trying to listen to at least one record a day, though i'm averaging about two, and really LISTEN to it, not just put it on as background music. this way i am assessing what i have accumulated over my young life, thinking about what it means to me and why it is important. also, i am discovering that i have quite a few records i could live without, so ultimately this should serve to reduce the size of my accumulation. (vinyl only for now, but cd's can come later)

i've been keeping a journal of this, too - creating a sort of weird John Fail Press record guide that i use to record my thoughts on each LP. the writing is personal but it's helped me a lot i think critically.

so far i am halfway through the B's (Last record i listened to was Bluiett, Hamiett - "Endangered Species"). i don't know why i brought this up, except that i have a vision of ILM as a total super music nerd board, so perhaps there are some of you who have tried something similar to this. it's going to probably take me two full years to finish, but i have been fairly dilligent so far, and it's also saving me some money (i am not buying new music because i feel like i have a 'goal' for current listening).

― john fail (cenotaph), Friday, 7 March 2003 20:45 (twenty-three years ago)

h fucking stencil to thread!!!

post fucking haste!!!!!!

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 7 March 2003 20:48 (twenty-three years ago)

You are a glutton for punishment. We just buy music as an INVESTMENT.

― Jon Williams (ex machina), Friday, 7 March 2003 20:49 (twenty-three years ago)

We just buy music as an INVESTMENT.

ALARM! ALARM! hstencil to thread!!!! this is not a test!!!

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 7 March 2003 20:51 (twenty-three years ago)

it definitely makes it easier to slide into antisocial behavior.

anti-social behavior in ICELAND!

― john fail (cenotaph), Friday, 7 March 2003 20:53 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm here. I've been listening to my collection in order since the year 2000.

― hstencil, Friday, 7 March 2003 20:56 (twenty-three years ago)

Dirty vinyl makes me whett.

― christoff (christoff), Friday, 7 March 2003 20:56 (twenty-three years ago)

i had a similar project for a time that's kinda faded... i'd write about every piece of music i owned... after writing about it i could really choose whether or not to keep it...

i fell behind with the flush of new stuff coming in that i was writing about. only so much time in the day.

sometimes it's really hard to come up with anything worth saying about certain records too.

the mechanical aspect of the whole process made listening to music a bland experience.

yours sounds more rewarding.
m.

― msp, Friday, 7 March 2003 20:56 (twenty-three years ago)

i tried this too. after two months of eight records a day, i quit at the letter c.

(i think the hardest stretch was listening to every beastie boys album. i hate them, but for some reason i own every single fucking record.)

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 7 March 2003 20:58 (twenty-three years ago)

the mechanical aspect of the whole process made listening to music a bland experience.

*yells "Welcome to ILM!" out car window*

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 7 March 2003 20:59 (twenty-three years ago)

stencil, how far along are you? are you going alphabetically like me? is it still rewarding after two years?

the hardest part so far was listening to eight kevin ayers records in a row. some are brilliant, but does anyone want to buy a copy of "Yes, we have no mananas"?

i've been posting here for two days and i've already shown my true colors as a total geek.

― john fail (cenotaph), Friday, 7 March 2003 20:59 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm somewhere in the Ms. I've been skipping around a bunch lately, not sticking to plan.

― hstencil, Friday, 7 March 2003 21:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I've developed alphabetical listening habits too, though they're a little more flexible. I listen to a letter a week (the Cs this week, the Ds the next, etc.) I don't hear all the records this way, but it saves me from asking "What do I want to listen to now?" and staring blankly at my shelves. Plus, there are 26 letters, and 52 weeks, which works out neatly and satisfies my bizarre OCD requirements.

― Keith Harris (kharris1128), Friday, 7 March 2003 21:18 (twenty-three years ago)

i hate them, but for some reason i own every single fucking record.
Your real name is not by accident Tanya Headon, Yanc3y? Did you always hate them? Even when you bought all those albums? I don't hate the Beastie Boys but I don't really care for them. Result: zero records in my collection.

The alphabetical project is something on my agenda as well. I have about 1200-1300 CDs and maybe 300-400 vinyls. Listening to two albums per day would make that project last at least four years. That's an awful long time. I have to rethink about this. Maybe I could listen to ten albums per day in music scan mode, ie the first 30 seconds of each song. That would make the whole thing a one year project. Records I wouldn't be sure about after the scan would have to be listened to in their entirety. Records I know I want to keep I wouldn't listen to at all. It would be feasible this way.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Friday, 7 March 2003 21:27 (twenty-three years ago)

if you are listening through cds alphabetically does that mean you have them orgainized as such physically? have had many debates about the best way to order ones collection / accumulation and am curious as to how others organize their objects.

― marcg (marcg), Friday, 7 March 2003 21:30 (twenty-three years ago)

this is crazy!!

― g.cannon (gcannon), Friday, 7 March 2003 21:33 (twenty-three years ago)

I have about 1200-1300 CDs and maybe 300-400 vinyls. Listening to two albums per day would make that project last at least four years. That's an awful long time. I have to rethink about this. Maybe I could listen to ten albums per day in music scan mode, ie the first 30 seconds of each song. That would make the whole thing a one year project. Records I wouldn't be sure about after the scan would have to be listened to in their entirety. Records I know I want to keep I wouldn't listen to at all. It would be feasible this way.

UGH!!!!!!!!! this is worse than shouting out a car window in my book. (no offense at all alex)

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 7 March 2003 21:35 (twenty-three years ago)

Did you always hate them? Even when you bought all those albums?

Other than a brief love affair with "Sabotage," I've pretty much always disliked them. However, I was always convinced (based on my friends' urging) that I was missing something, and somehow, over time, I accumulated everything! (I think most of them were Columbia House selections, though, which is a little better)

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 7 March 2003 21:37 (twenty-three years ago)

the hardest part so far was listening to eight kevin ayers records in a row.

Seems like you spent too much time at Jerry's (rip) and you've got the consitution to make it the whole way through the alphabet-Good Luck.

― brg30 (brg30), Friday, 7 March 2003 22:51 (twenty-three years ago)

I've been doing this for about three years now. See, this is how I've been doing all that reviewing for the AMG -- I just work through my collection. Currently in the Ps.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 7 March 2003 23:13 (twenty-three years ago)

I've tried this, though now I'm just listening to albums I think I might wanna sell in some vague alphabetical sense. An A, then a B, then a C...until I can go through my collection and not wince ever.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Friday, 7 March 2003 23:17 (twenty-three years ago)

Interesting, I didn't see this thread earlier John. I've been thinking about doing something sort of similar. I've got around 8000 records total (cd and lp), which is just way too many. I want to pare it down. I'd also like to create a database, somewhat similar to what Martin has done.

The problem is if I tried the alphabetical method, at say 4 records a day it would still take 5 or 6 years to cycle through. The main impetus is that I want to sell some stuff, so something like Anthony's approach is what I need. But the problem is that I really don't wince at anything now! like the other day I stared at my cd rack and honestly had at least vague positive recollections for everything.

So I'm not sure how to approach it. I think the thing I'm going to do is just listen to everything I know I haven't heard in say, three years. Even then it will take a fuck of a long time. I don't like the idea of being "obligated" to listen to anything. On the other hand, I like the idea of arbitrary juxtapositions.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Monday, 10 March 2003 21:51 (twenty-three years ago)

I tried this a few months ago, and I couldn't do it. I have less than two hundred CD's.

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Monday, 10 March 2003 22:01 (twenty-three years ago)

yeah, i know what you mean. i definitely think there is something redeemable about everything, but a lot of times i have to think "is it really necessary to own this?" if i really want to hear this again, do any of my friends have it? could i tape the parts i like? mp3?

i do have a database - i indexed my LP's, CD's and MP3's into a postgresql database which is kept on the server i administer at work. it gets backed up to DAT tape every night. i'm a big fucking nerd. i made a searchable web index to them. it's actually very useful to find mp3's scattered across the 75 or so cd-r's that i have.

― john fail (cenotaph), Monday, 10 March 2003 22:05 (twenty-three years ago)

What a great thread... I really thought of this many times before, but I stop at the idea of listening music as an obligation. But it just makes me wanna cry when I know there's so much good music in my collection that I haven't listened to in at least 2 years...

― JP Almeida (JP Almeida), Monday, 10 March 2003 22:42 (twenty-three years ago)

My huge collection (god knows how many - probably 1000+ vinyl and 1500+ CD) and am just trying to make sure to listen to everything which I didn't file away twice. There's about 100+ cheapo lps I've never played. But I did give 14 lps a once through a few weekends back when I was at home.

― tigerclawskank, Tuesday, 11 March 2003 10:30 (twenty-three years ago)

i would not even consider this. i would be tied up for years. i'd have close to 40,000 songs here. oh god.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 11 March 2003 10:49 (twenty-three years ago)

Good god, it takes me about 7 hours to pick what's going in the Discman before taking the bus somewhere. Or would do, had I one

― dave q, Tuesday, 11 March 2003 18:31 (twenty-three years ago)

I've done similar exercises in the past - listening to letters of the alphabet, etc. I guess I'm not as organized as some of you since I've never come close to finishing a letter without my attention span wavering. Plus, my records are all over the place: car, work, home, bedroom, not to mention the records stored elsewhere (which at this point is quite a few)...

But, I'm glad that you brought up paring down because lately I've been entertaining thoughts of getting rid of ALL (or the vast majority) of my stuff, first going thru and burning everything to cd or keeping it as an mp3 and then unloading the hardcopies. I already unloaded about 1000 pieces of vinyl over the summer (when I was moving, and needed some space/cash), which was completely painful but easier to get over then I expected. Problem is, part of the reason I like buying records is that I like the object, the booklet, the album cover, the liner notes, the artwork. But I also feel like my life is totally cluttered and a mess and cutting out my records will free me up and create some calm! Any thoughts/advice?

I'm interested in how you all stay organized, and if, in the end, you think it's even worth trying?!

― scott m (mcd), Tuesday, 11 March 2003 21:19 (twenty-three years ago)

It's easy when you have to commute - that's two albums every day without any effort.

― Siegbran (eofor), Tuesday, 11 March 2003 21:40 (twenty-three years ago)

i listened to the first four of my ten thomas brinkmann 12"s last night. it's going to be hell to get through these. my journal entries have taken on more abstract, "bananfish"-style reviews: "this cut sounds like a car pool of earthworms going to work", etc.

― john fail (cenotaph), Tuesday, 11 March 2003 21:45 (twenty-three years ago)

I tried to listen to my whole collection about 8 years ago in a summer holiday from college. Though it was definitely do-able, I only had a draw full of CDs at the time and I was going to ignore my tapes, I gave up after about twenty.

There is no point. Music listening should be fun, not systematic or a duty.

A couple of months back I decided to weed out the rubbish from what I've got and there's really not much I needed to get rid of. Maybe twenty albums and the same number of CD singles. I think I might get rid of one of my Killing Joke albums just to prove I have no completist urge.

I think this link is worth reading and could offer some of you hints:

http://www.vinylconfessions.com/records.htm

I got it from ILM in the first place. You haven't got anything else to do with your life have you?

― mei (mei), Tuesday, 11 March 2003 21:57 (twenty-three years ago)

john-if you're typing the journal you should put it up as a blog-it'd probably be fairly interesting to read...

― robin (robin), Tuesday, 11 March 2003 22:02 (twenty-three years ago)

ten months pass...

oh my lord. that vinylconfessions site makes my mind boggle. do people really think so hard about their collections (er, sorry, accumulations)?
me, i just like music a lot, file it, find new space, get drunk, pull out old stuff, sell stuff if i start to resent it...i don't mind the overload (but i'm only 800 CDs deep).
i like books too, have lots. i don't dress especially well. i don't have a car, and i don't go on expensive holidays. but i like the stuff i like, and, without sounding facile, that's fine with me.

― paulhw (paulhw), Friday, 16 January 2004 22:52 (twenty-two years ago)

That's odd. I started doing this when I last moved house, in july 2002. Currently I'm grooving to The Dave Clark Five (filed under "D", silly!), so I'm viewing it as quite a long-term thing, even though I'm only doing LPs rather than CDs (but I have about three times as many LPs, around 3500), and naturally I'm listening to other music in between. But on those evenings when I can't think of anything I want to listen to, but want to listen to *something*, it's a perfect solution.

I think there are plenty of other good reasons to do it (discovering lost gems, getting a "bigger picture"), so perhaps I'll be writing about it occasionally on my recently set-up lj if anyone wants to pop by. http://www.livejournal.com/users/small_circle/

― harveyw (harveyw), Tuesday, 20 January 2004 12:36 (twenty-two years ago)

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