The '12 CD' search and destroy

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Generally used as a put down for those poor souls who aren't as obsessed by music as we ILM types. But which ones are actually good (or you admit to liking)?

i.e the ones which are unfairly maligned because of their popularity.

― Billy Dods, Monday, 11 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Everything popular is unfairly maligned. Only some doesn't deserve fair malignment.

― Sterling Clover, Monday, 11 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Moby's Play. Immaculately sequenced, groovy little tunes for getting drunk in a bar to, some interesting samples, decent reviews, all very well. Then 3 million sales later, a couple of dozen car adverts, Joe Bloggs buys it in Tesco along with a microwave pizza and 24 bottles of belgian lager then everyone suddenly starts hating it.

― Billy Dods, Monday, 11 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Mezzanine. hoo, I'm gonna go listen to it right now.

― Dan I., Monday, 11 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

everyone suddenly starts hating it

Nonsense. I hated it from the start.

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 11 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I would like to point out that if Sade were an unknown and _Stronger than Pride_ had come out on some tiny boutiquey little label and gone right out of print, it would be as much a collector-geek favorite as the Marine Girls or Young Marble Giants. Well, maybe Weekend rather than YMG.

― Douglas, Monday, 11 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

EMINEM

― Ramosi, Monday, 11 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

everyone likes Portishead don't they?

― hamish, Monday, 11 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

oh god i can't handle it or even really understand it, how there's this whole type of people who have like yeah about 12 cds and they all have the same ones. at least in new zealand the offending cd collection includes:
Garbage (that pink one); something by Crowded House; Pearl Jam; Massive Attack (usually mezzanine but i have encountered an incidence of it being blue lines in one of these syndromatic collections); Radiohead ok computer; Breeders last splash; sometimes Veruca Salt; AfroCelt soundsystem (?); maybe some Peter Gabriel; REM; and Stellar.
and my sister is one of these people.

― elizabeth anne marjorie, Monday, 11 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

If 'Last Splash' really is a part of 12-CDers 12 CDs (which I find EXTREMELY hard to believe, but never mind), it would be one of mine too, if I was only allowed 12.

― dave q, Tuesday, 12 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

the first 3 sade albums are excellent... can anyone reccommend the last two (Love Deluxe & Lovers Rock)? ARe they available on vinyl? thanks

― g, Tuesday, 12 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I love Neil Young's "Harvest" and REM's "Automatic". Music on the verge to Kitsch has always fascinated me. I guess those two would be in the 12 cds, or am I wrong?

― alex in mainhattan, Tuesday, 12 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

No, they'd fit I think (except in crazy New Zealand). Though Harvest would be an indication that they harbour secret urges to be a record collector.

― N., Tuesday, 12 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

B52's Wild Planet. Although only listenable once a year.

Suprisingly, to me even - Fleetwood Mac's Rumours. Everyone owns this record - and although I haven't listened to it in 15 years, I think there are a few songs on it that I would still like.

Seetly Dan - Katy Lied. (See above.)

― Dave225, Tuesday, 12 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My dating-a-12-CDer expertise informs me that ABBA Gold should be SEARCHED and that the token New Age CD should be DESTROYED.

― Tom, Tuesday, 12 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Seetly = Steely (+maybe some sweetly)

― Dave225, Tuesday, 12 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Fleetwood Mac's Rumours. Everyone owns this record

Wrong. I guess I know a couple of songs on it, though.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 12 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I own two copies of Rumours to off-set Ned.

― Vic Funk, Tuesday, 12 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

One to abuse and the other to play? I like that idea. ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 12 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

most people are choosing real mainstream CDs but there are indie '12 CD' kids all over the place. Along with the aforementioned Breeders they have the Pixies and some Smashing Pumpkins and the best of the Smiths. Some of them even have Velvet Underground and Nico (ie my flatmate), which is the only one i can think of thats any good at the moment. Harvest is pretty good but i've never seen any 12CDers with that one.

― hamish, Tuesday, 12 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Autechre - Tri Repetae Aphex Twin - RDJ Album/SAW 1/Windowlicker/Come To Daddy. In short, RDJ is "instant credibility". Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children At this juncture I must proclaim, "My god! I'm describing my own collection! I suck!" DJ Shadow - Endtroducing Bjork - anything

― Lee, Tuesday, 12 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I agree with dave q. If you're listening to last splash and ok computer, you could be doing a LOT worse. One may or may not like the breeders, but I for one don't think they deserve to be a part of this conversation

― Ron Hudson, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hey, take a look at this from todays Guardian

The Dido demographic

― mms, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I have nine of those.

― Sterling Clover, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I, to my horror, have 23 of these.

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

― Ronan, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My wife and I have 13 between us so supposedly we are part of the Dildo demographic. Except we're not.

Out of interest, what 2 don't you have Marcello?

― mms, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

One of them is DIDO surprise surprise! The other one is David Gray.

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Only two on CD: Dummy and Solitude Standing.

― alex in mainhattan, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I've got 6.

― Tom, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

But 3 of the first four - eek.

Why not 'Graceland'?

― Jeff W, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

me too on 6 (and one of those is deeply shameful)

― Alan Trewartha, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Five. I threw the (downloaded) Strokes CD away.

― helenfordsdale, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I had 6 as well.

Is Dastoor to blame? I like to think he is to blame for everything.

― Nicole, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I know about Kid A and Amnesiac, but they scare me.

― Curt, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Got it wrong, have Protection as well, that makes it 3. Largely sufficient.

― alex in mainhattan, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Four, but they are the four hippest albums on there! I'm not part of the Dido demographic, honest!

― Vinnie, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i. who the hell are Texas?

ii. i have owned several of these in the past but the only one i've got now is The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill which is close to perfect.

iii. the writer says "look, people buy these sometimes good albums just to stay au courant" - okay - but assuming that people will always behave like this, he implies that there are unnamed albums out there that would actually be EFFECTIVE in fostering this impression among au courant buddies, so he's really just calling out a tactical mistake in keeping-up-with-the-joneses, a larger gameplan that he does not reject. i think most annoying is the implication that no one could simply like these albums for other reasons. i know it's part of the schtick of his piece, but it's tired. he might do well to read this thread.

― Tracer hand, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

7, no big surprise to me. Except the fact that the Beautiful South is one of them -- got that free years ago and only just listened to it a couple of weeks back.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You know, I don't think those are such bad records. They seem really purposeful, like "this one's great for washing dishes to, this one's for when my college friends come by, this one's for smoking a joint to, this one's for getting ready for a night on the town." So they're use-oriented - suggesting a life beyond music. Music collectors instinctively sneer at this, as if someone having The Strokes record without owning any VU records is a personal affront. "Mrs. Crabtree! They haven't done the assigned reading!"

― fritz, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

And people who worry about the size of their collections are really worried about the size of their erections.

And I have 15 milkcrates of manhood to prove it.

― fritz, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

2. i can't decide if this is good or bad, actually.

― jess, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I can't find the thread where we initially discussed this...what was it? Can someone help me?

I think it was something like "What music do people who don't listen to music own?" but I aint sure.

― cybele, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I've got 5, of these I bought two 'Dummy and OK Computer' and I have copies of Is This It?, Bedtime Stories, MM lp

Can't rememeber the last time I ever listened to any of them though.

― chewshabadoo, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

for more of this same conversation (dido demographic) see metafilter posts for 2/13

― Ron Hudson, Wednesday, 13 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

If you're listening to last splash and ok computer, you could be doing a LOT worse.
but this is what makes it worse - they have a chance to open some things up through having heard these, but no. I would include portishead as groups people with these predictable, very limited cd collections, in my experience, have. And Hole's "celebrity skin".

― elizabeth anne marjorie, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

6. Though at one point I had 7.

― Melissa W, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hole's celebrity skin in the greatest pop album of the nineties. Okay maybe not the whole album, but Malibu is as ned would say

COMPLETELY FUCKING GODLIKE

― Paul barclay, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I have two (Macy Gray and Moby), but I only bought one of the two I have. On the other hand, I bought at least one of the others (Portishead in particular) and took it back to the store. I liked the Macy Gray immediately and was very excited about enjoying something that was being hyped, for a change, but it quickly wore off. I'm not sure what to make of it now. It's not really bad, but. . . what? Maybe I just used up whatever was of value there in the first few weeks I got it. And "Play" is pretty good for that type of thing, but it's not something I expect to listen to a whole lot in the future.

I like Dido though, at least from what I've heard on the radio (at the gym), which isn't much. Here in Philadelphia, I've heard her songs played alongside Missy Eliot, Jaz Z, Jill Scott, and Aaliyah, and no one seems to mind. (I wouldn't really know since I don't talk to people much about the radio.) Rather embarrassingly, I thought she was Sade for a while. Does that make everyone completely write off my ears? (I'm writing your ears off, starting now, mister.)

The whole premise of the article, though, is annoying. And so what that some people aren't as involved with listening to music as we are. It may be hard to relate to, but given the overall picture of my life, I am in no position to feel superior to someone else just because they aren't heavy CD collectors. I think some of these other albums are okay, but I don't think I have a desire for any of them.

― DeRayMi, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I kept meaning to get the David Grey for a while after hearing Babylon for an old focus group, but then I never got round to it coz there was so much else more visceral and exciting.

― Sterling Clover, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

as ned would say

I'm a byword for hyperbolic exuberance? Yow! And that is a great song, but I like the acoustic version my friend Chelsea does better.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The article gets it exactly wrong, doesn't it? The writer assumes that each record is being bought in order to seem cool to one's peers - but people with only 12 or 24 or whatever CDs don't (generally) buy CDs for this reason; they buy them because they think they might like them.

― Tracer hand, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Anybody else need anything obvious pointed out? I should shut up? Oh, okay.

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

can someone puleeeze pretty please with sugar on top tell me where to find the thread where people initially talked about what kind of music people who don't listen to music own?

thanks thanks!

― cybele, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

http://www.ilxor.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=007lH6

ya KNOW dat

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You made a brave confession upthread, Marcello. You are a better man for it.

― Robin Carmody, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

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