I have a record library, a book library, and a movie library. It's exactly what I've wanted all my life. I browse spines to see what I'm in the mood for. If you have the space...why not.
I don’t think we need to think too much about whether we have played the record or not. There’s no hard or fast rule. There are many in my collection that I haven’t played in a long while, but I absolutely love having them in my collection. Why is that joy any lesser than the joy from playing them themselves? Owning physical media goes much deeper than simply the concept of having to play all your records. It’s multi-faceted. Great video Frank!
Love my vinyl collection (my wife does NOT!) In spite of the fact that there are many that I have not listened to in a few decades, let alone years. The main reason is that there are simply not enough hours in the day for me and I am pretty much waiting for that glorious day that I can retire, which will then allow me the time to start with A and work my way through Z! Elvis is King and so I usually find myself playing him over pretty much everyone else! Love your channel!😊
Been collecting over 50 years. I first started with music I liked but as years went by I stated collecting other genre’s and basically I collect unusual music. I also started collecting those artists/bands were the asking price is very low under $5 dollars. Now I have pretty much all I will ever need (4,000+ vinyl pieces). I have given away some of my vinyl but I never sold anything that I purchased. It still relaxes me going on a vinyl hunt. Peace & love
I have almost 3000 records, 1500 cds, 500+ cassettes, 300+ reel to reel, 100+ 8 track and a smattering of minidiscs. I would have to throw most of it away if I had to purge what I didn’t listen to in a year. Knowing it is there is good enough for me.
As I understand it; A music library is all the music you like to listen to regardless of format. A record collection focuses more on the item and its condition (first press) VG+ etc.
On the topic of cataloguing your collection, don’t make it a chore that you dedicate time to. Instead catalog each record the next time you play it. Not only does this make it a trivial task, but it gives you an excuse to dive into the less frequently played records, which is always fun.
I have a modest collection (366 at the moment), but that's largely because when I was a teenager and young adult, I used to purge my collection a lot. Now, looking back, I regret doing it and have been re-acquiring a ton of the albums I had gotten rid of. Because of that, I don't plan to ever part with any of my music again.
Nice video. I pulled my albums out of storage about 6 to 8 months ago when I finally added a turntable to my system. My collection was about 150 albums, and the last one I purchased was in 1982. I started buying new albums to add to my collection but find it quite expensive. Two months ago I decide I was going to double my collection size and am sitting at 200 at the moment. I think that is about as large a size I would want to go with the 4 to 5 hundred CD's I have. As much as I would think a large collection would be cool to have, I'm not willing to sacrifice the space or money. This keeps me in buying only albums I would listen to.
Great vid Frank. I agree with you STRONGLY disagreeing about needing to get rid of something if' it's been a year since you listened to it. That puts the emphasis on TIME and not THE MUSIC/ALBUM. Get rid of records you actually have a negative reaction to, on some level, being in your collection. I don't care if you've had it 1 month or a year. KEEP EVERYTHING that makes you "smile" when you see it knowing you have it in your collection. I don't care if you haven't spun it in 7 years!!! Let your heart be the guide of what to purge, not a random time factor.
I'll say this about the last question - another one-time onliner (no longer online) once made a good point - If you like something, why call it a "guilty pleasure"? If you love something, guilt doesn't play into it at all.I love everything in my collection, which ranges from current hits to classic rock and R&B to (shudder) DISCO to Eurovision classics to 70s teen idols to the soundtrack from the TV special "Flashbeagle"....and i'm not ashamed to admit I LOVE all of it! I like your attitude about not being embarrassed about anything - neither am I, and if you like it, you shouldn't be! Great Q&A show as always!
Quality not quantity not only applies to the amount of objects you own but also the frequency that you listen to it. I don't at all buy into the notion that if you don't listen to it at least once a year it's not that important to you. That's a very short sighted view. There's rock music that I fell in love with as a teenager that helped shape who I am as a person. Deep, thought provoking music that piqued my interest in philosophy, other cultures, poetry, mythology, and other art forms. That music took me into the depths of learning who I am as a person, my world views, morality, etc. I only listen to that music once every few years now. That music has more meaning to me than anything I would listen to once or more a year. It took me on journeys that I don't need to revisit constantly anymore but only need to be reminded every so often. The listening experience should be measured by the impact it has on you not the frequency you hear it. It's for that reason that I consider what I have to be more of a library than a collection. I don't feel the need to pressure myself into listening to everything I own once a year. I have it for the times when it is the right time and I'm in the right headspace to need to hear it and be reminded. I savor my listening experience rather than gobbling it down.
Mine is more like a Museum than a Library or a Collection. I have so many different things from casually collecting them at flea markets, garage sales and various stores that I could never use them all on a frequent basis. However, it warms my heart to know that I have them should I want to experience them again and I almost never part with anything.
Collection: A growing group of albums that have special value to you & that you personally wanted to own. Library: A group of albums that include titles you acquired through various methods ( A deal at a yard sale, A gift from someone, etc.). My opinion. --- Bill
I've gotten into new cppies of Blue Note reissues. They're typically $30 - 40. Buy one or two a month and listen to each several times after buying. Jazz is new to me and I find with each listen the music soaks into you a little deeper each time. Never thought I would be here, but have become a great lover of jazz and feel like I'm charting unknown territory as opposed to rehashing all the classic rock for the umpteenth time. I feel revived in my collecting, learning all this new stuff and having fun again. Recommend Hancock's Maiden Voyage or Coltrane's Blue Train as two great starting points to anyone wanting to give it a try. Love the channel, thanks.
@Mark-tw5ws I only got into jazz a few years ago...Oscar Peterson's Night Train was my gateway drug. Found a mint copy at a thrift store for 25 cents. Turns out in the end it it cost a lot more than that once I caught the bug 😀
I have the opposite definition of library and collection. To me, a collection is owning lots of things, but not necessarily to use. A library is something where the materials are in circulation, being taken off of the shelf. So, for me, I call my vinyl a library because I always listen to what I buy.
Before watching this video I have always thought of my music collection as a library, the same thing with my books and videos. I can listen to or read or watch whatever as long as I have it.
Aloha Channel 33 RPM Great topic. Since I'm now at the age of 68. I no longer consider any of my music I bought as a kid embarrassing. I even have some Osmond Brothers record albums of course they are all near mint condition DJ Promo Copies, with the yellowish color, vs the standard label. As far as 45 rpm's go my collection is long gone. Thanks again for this video. Looking Forward to watching your next video. Mahalo Ed
Ok, here's I started. I wanted every alumb from bands I am into, and then members left the bands for other projects, so I tried to keep up with all members and their projects. Over time, I felt overwhelmed because I was in so many different bands. I have slowed down this point in life. I got cds,vinyl, concert VHS, and dvds everywhere. I feel like purging but never do some reason.
There’s another term you hear a lot nowadays besides Library and Collection and that’s ARCHIVE. This is especially prevalent in the film collecting hobby. I think a lot of people feel so privileged now in owning their favorite and/or meaningful art that they are playing a part in preserving it, ergo maintaining a kind of Archive. I like that idea and I support it because it makes us feel a part of the process and that we are doing a service toward a greater good by engaging in collecting. What do you think, Sir Frank?
Since I have a healthy library, I am more focused on my want list on Discogs or what strikes me by looks and catalog on the site as well. Any album upgraded to stereo or quad gets replaced, but any album at a nice price gets added immediately, as I've made huge mistakes by passing by and regretting later.
Interesting topic - definitely think it can be looked as archiving pieces of you (ie library). But you are right - the prices are such that it makes it hard to stay steadfast on that path. Plus - SPACE! There's only so much of that 🙂
As someone getting into vinyl, price is self limiting to a collection vs a library. Some may not like CDs but I picked up 28 CDs and 2 Blue Rays for just under 100 USD this weekend which I will rip to a server in FLAC. Vinyl is for music I really like, more from the vinyl era with some exceptions, and recordings which I don't want to be tempted to click to another track.
My library is my father's and my uncle's collections that were given to me. MY collection is the stuff that I like to listen to and that I purchase... but it can also include stuff from my dad's and my uncle's collections. If that makes sense.
I'm a huge Black Sabbath and Judas Priest fan and in my library I have every Sabbath album and all Priest 70's & 80's albums on vinyl. You should do a video on your Sabbath & Priest library. 😊
The first part of the video I was questioning if my 1K records was library, but after hearing 25K I was feeling much better about it. As for records I have that I never listen to, my example would be KISS originals. I’m glad I have it from a collectibility point of view, but will listen to the individual albums when I want to listen to the music.
I’ve just been resleeving a couple of boxes of 12” singles, loads of stuff in there I haven’t listened to for years, played them all as resleeving and absolutely loved it, not one in there I would choose to get rid of. I have a lot of original presses that have been redone recently (really well) and as such I’ve put the originals in storage in the garage. I’m moving to a larger space by the end of the year and will have a dedicated listening room. Haven’t had a purge yet, but I love all my records, when I pick up duplicates which happens occasionally, I tend to pass them on to my nephew or a couple of mates who also collect. I catalogue in Discogs, and heads up, I’m in the Discogs app beta and the upcoming app is exceptional, they’re doing a fantastic job!
The terminology surrounding music formats has always fascinated me. Specifically, I've often wondered why people insist on saying 'vinyl records' when, in fact, the correct term is simply 'records.' The addition of 'vinyl' seems redundant, as if clarifying the material composition of the medium is necessary. But when did this linguistic trend begin? Was it a marketing ploy to distinguish analog from digital formats? Whatever the reason, I find it quite curious that we've adopted this phraseology. For me, it's simply a record - a timeless vessel for music that transcends the need for extraneous descriptors.
Library or collection? Good question! - I’m kind of addicted to collecting, and to me it is this great thrill to see full shelves of music or books I love! Definitly liberary for me, because that is what makes me happy. And on a side track, anyone can have a collection, but a liberary speaks of a labour of love and passion to me.
Not sure what I call my music. I love Iron Maiden and have almost all there albums. I don’t have the need to listen to the first 5 albums because I’ve listened to them SO MANY times. I know those albums inside and out. BUT I’d never get rid of them. Once in a blue moon I do pull them out.
4:45 Frank, that's a great point regarding new reissues of certain albums not sounding as great or dynamic as the original pressings. That original David Bowie 'Let's Dance' album has such superior sound compared to new pressings that it even won a spot on the TAS Super LP List (TAS stands for 'The Absolute Sound' magazine) along with many other sought-after LP albums and 45 rpm singles across various genres. :)
I was just thinking about 20 years, and then you said it. Brilliant! If you have 1000's of records, you can't play them in a year anyway. Ownership is a huge part of collecting music.
I generally agree with your take on on the Library/Collection though it is a bit reversed for me. The titles I know and play often are in my Library which are available within reach in my Music room. My collection are titles I don’t play often and are in Kalax units in my Music room closet. Over the years as my tastes change or I learn about a particular artist/band titles that were in my Collection move out into the my Library.
started collecting about 2 years ago and have a little over 100 records and maybe 20 CDs. for the most part I have all I want, other than a few grails and future releases. I don't think I could have over 200 records, at that point I don't think an individual album would mean as much to me. I see it as the smaller the collection, the more each individual piece means to me. If that makes sense.
This was a great video Frank. From the word go, we’ve always bought vinyl that we absolutely know we’ll listen to on a regular basis. Whether it’s vinyl or CD, we always catalog them immediately into our Discogs account. Scanning its barcode saves us a lot of grief. Due to Chris’ Parkinson’s, we no longer buy vinyl(too cumbersome)like we once did. Only audiophile vinyl per se or Blur Note and Deluxe CD’s of particular albums. Keep up the great work, your ire still one of our favorite VC Channels!-Chris & Beth🎧🙏🏻 #channrl33rpm
I don't completely agree with vinylpenguin that you should get rid of albums you haven't listened to in a year, but you should definitely keep track of what you skip over. I keep a Google sheet of my collection and keep track of how often I play things.
I put my records in my own airtable database with some information from discogs (yes, I know!) when I clean them. put a new inner and outer sleeve before playing them for the first time, but my shelves are a mess
I would reverse the definition of a Library vs. Collection. I would visit a library to read "Hamlet," but I'd go to a collector if I wanted to read the Penguin Classics "Hamlet" from 1952 or something. As a music lover, I need a very special reason to have a duplicate copy of any album.
Library or collection could go either way but the part about if you haven't listened to within a year getting rid of it. I know I have things that I haven't listened to longer than that but I'll never get rid of because of some special meaning.
I have been picky buying records for decades. I call what I have a library. To me "collections" are for "collectors". I am not a collector. A collector will buy records they either don't even like or just to put up on a wall and never play and mostly thinking they will go up in value that they could sell one and buy a house from the proceeds. To me, records are for playing and enjoying. I buy records to do exactly that (ok, I restore them first because I am also somewhat a historian, but none the less they get played)! My "library" is about 820+ records currently with almost no room left for more. Most are original pressings. If I took the prices I see them going for now seriously, I would have to call it a "collection" because it would be worth over $1 million, but I deal in reality and if I were to go and sell all my records I would get around $1650 on my luckiest day with all the planets lined up. I don't sell my unwanted records, I just give them away to thrift stores or something. It would cost me more to sell them than what I paid. Of course I don't purge often because I am picky. I do an evaluation about every two years. If there is a record I have not played in two years or more, I consider purging it. I don't buy new records, I don't believe in "audiophile records", etc. I buy music I like, music I grew up with and I want to hear original pressings, flaws and all, I don't care. It is important to me to hear how it was originally done because of the history. I also research all my records, I like learning about them, about the music, the expression the artist was going for and all that. I could care less about how much a record is claimed to be worth, who likes it and how doesn't and all that.
Great video ! Always look forward to your videos. "To each their own." I'm happy with the records, cds and tapes I have in my "library". Some I have purchased to complete my collection of a particular artist only to find that some really are lousy mainly due to the way it was recorded or engineered or the material was not that great. Oh well. Live and learn. Now, I only buy after I've heard some of the songs and decide whether I like it or not. As far as Crown Royal and Royal Crown cola (RC cola), I've tried recently also Crown Royal with Coca-Cola. I prefer Crown Royal "straight". Both cola's ruined the taste, LOL!
I've never put much thought into weather I have a library or a collection, I refer to it as a collection, I also primarily collect CD'S. I have approximately 3000 CD's and around 900 LP's currently. I do periodically purge my collection, often its Greatest Hits/Compilation albums I let go of for artists I've since become a more in depth fan. One thing I admittedly rarely listen to with a few exceptions is 45's and I have probably 300 of them, some of which I've probably never listened to but since most of them have been handed down from my parents, relatives etc.... I can't bring myself to let them go.
Embarrassing childhood? Guilty! I show my “hard-ass” approval because I bought my first album in 1969 (15-years old) of Iron Butterfly’s “In-a-Gadda-da-Vida”. But my younger brother reminds me that my 45rpm collection includes groups like “The Archie’s” and “1910 Fruitgum Company”!
I know I'm a newbie to this when a lot of veteran collectors post-purge collections are at least 10× larger than mine which is as big as it's ever been. 😅
I'm more a library, record sanctuary. While a have a very large collection of music that would be considered regular collector items (from The A's to ZZ Top), I also have around 300 albums on the Arc label (a cheapie label of incredibly obscure artists from the 60s and 70s). I also have around 700 Christian albums - the kind where all the men wear the same suit and the woman have the same dress and hairdo. I also have private pressings of churches, high schools, colleges and community recordings. Things that, if I didn't pluck them from the cheapies bins, they'd end up in a dump and probably lost forever. I feel a sense of duty to viny records - they've meant so much to me over the years - I'm hopefully repaying some of the debt.
Great video Frank! I agree with having a collection. Unless you listen to records everyday ...... and I'll bet most don't...then having a library is expensive and wasteful. I use Discogs to keep track of my collection. I too almost bought the same record twice before. I checked my collection and I have an original copy of Bowie's Let's Dance. I must have got it used somewhere. I'll clean it and give it a spin one day soon. I finally set up a cleaning station and boy oh boy did I get a lot of dirt from my records! Grails? Maybe just completing my discography for groups or singers I like. E g. April Wine, Linda Ronstadt....etc. Keep on spinning Frank 👍
COLLECTING RECORDS...A Poem Twas the night before the Record Show When all through the House Boxes of Records were Everywhere Barely room for a Mouse Boxes of records were hung from the ceiling with Care No more flat surfaces left and the cupboards weren't all Bare The Moon on the Breast of the new fallen snow. Gave the lustre of unplayed vinyl to the record cleaning machine below You should get rid of your cat, that advice I respect Their claws can be a disaster to the things I collect The start of Football Season is only several weeks more There's no room to jump up and down with so many records on the floor Crates of records inhabit most of my bed All you really need is enough space to lay your head The ride was quite long to get to the show What records people will have I can't wait to know The line is full of anxious people galore Just waiting and drooling for them to open the door The doors have now opened and I went straight to my work Cramped quarters for sure. Don't elbow me or I'll call you a jerk Reissues and re-pressings are here all around You don't put out originals if you're a real record hound Mr. Elbows again with a pipe in his teeth He got ushered out, when the smoke encircled his head like a wreath The best records will be gone in the first half an hour Flipping through records fast as lightning; look that record was from Towers A lot that I want but no flat surfaces at home; including the bed If Frankenstein came over I could put a box on top of his head I hope that I live to a hundred and ten To play all my records once will take at least until then The show's now over; and they heard me exclaim as I drove out of sight Vinyl is king; warps, ticks and pops are alright
My collection is also a library. If I didn't want it I wouldn't have bought it. Everything, CD's and records are inventoried , using a jukebox titlestrip program. My entire collections are organized by artist in shelving unit. I am far from a completist but I do have some artist(s) complete recorded output, but shy on different variations. Most of my Records and CD's I may not have played in decades or since I originally bought them. It is an ongoing process, but I have maybe recorded about 1/3 of my LP collection to hard drive as wav(lossless) files. I do digital transfers of all the new records and CD's I acquire, so I keep up on that end. All of my several thousand CD's have been recorded to hard drive(s) also as wav(lossless) files. My goal is to transfer everything to hard drives so that I have my entire collection digitized and can carry it all on large capacity external hard drives and smaller external hard drives for back-up. With my 7" 45 rpm and Quadraphonic LP collections, I sporadically do them, most often when I am digitizing a certain artist of the stereo & mono versions of LP's. I haven't got around to my R2R tape collection.
Library or collection, doesn't make a big difference to me. Years ago, I took some kind of career test and my highest score was for "librarian!" I've never been employed as one, but I do think I scratch that itch with my music collection (and other collections as well). I would disagree with the suggestion of one year being the marker for when to get rid of an album. When you get into your 60s you'll see that one year is hardly anything. I understand that some specific amount of time would be useful, but I'd make it longer than one year. I should add, though, that I've owned albums for years before ever listening to them at all! Perhaps the 1-year figure could apply in those cases. As for a good record for testing equipment, I'd suggest "Somewhere I've Never Traveled" by Ambrosia. The album was produced by Alan Parsons and the sound is immaculate.
Haha. My go-to system test song is Love Is Alive by Gary Wright! You laugh, but seriously, though - it has a crazy dynamic range - it seems like a test of all frequencies, i guess. I can tell right away what's missing or what there is too much of in the soundstage, and adjust accordingly. I sometimes do a second check with either a TG pressing of Steppenwolf's Born To Be Wild, or a Canadian red label Zep 1. Both sound amazing, but, more importantly, i know how they "should" sound. Not sure where the Gary Wright thing came from. They first time i tried it as a test was on a big system. I'm not sure why i chose that, but it turned out to be a good one, and i wasn't the only ones that thought so.
The rare books library at my old university was called "Special Collections". So the distinction between library and collection does not hold, IMHO. A library is a collection of data carriers, regardless of size. In contrast a base ball card collection or an art collection, however large, is never a "library". Re buying frequency, about the same, I guess. Maybe a bit slower. Last year I bought ~200 titles.
Some times we get what I call a mind jog (were our mind is the library ) and it can happen when we see an advertisement on the tv playing a track in the back ground to compliment the advertisement. And you haven't heard that particular track for a very long time you think hec I have that tune somewhere in my collection on an album .you pull out the album. And low and behold .it's like a Renaissance. You start playing the album. If that makes any sense. Mine was the first bars to benny and the jets Elton John yellow brick Road Regards from over the pond
Good video, I have had to down size my collection, the prices keep going up so Liz said I have to name at least 3 songs from the album to justify buying it lol😂 enjoy your break Frank
Please allow me to answer Damian's question: 😂I have some Osmond's, as well as The Jackson 5, Partridge Family, David Cassidy and Bobby Sherman LPs. And I am not embarrassed by owning those one iota. It's music I grew up listening to as well as Motown, soul, crooners and more. Of course as I got older I got into more rock like The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Journey, Billy Squier, Men at Work, Billy Joel, Supertramp, Bryan Adams and much more. If I have it in my collection it's because it is music I had growing up or some newer bands or artists I enjoy.
Always interesting to listen to you. I grew up in a different generation so it's a gas to find out what your favorites are. Now I just turned 75 so do not think the Beatles for me. I like my music a bit off the cuff with some standards thrown in there for happy connection. Best wishes to you.
I have a music library, since my library is all digital I can have more and not worry about space. I don't delete anything, hate having to look for something again I might have deleted. There are certain artist where I want a complete discography especially in the Jazz genre but in say Rock I just want certain artist in Flac format. In R&B and Hip-Hop I use MP3 320kps on most artists unless it's a classic.
Never really thought about it like that before . I have albums that I havent played for years,, but I would not purge them coz i know i will play then again. I could call it a library as I dont have a huge amount of records!! I have slowed down on my vinyl purchases, simply due to the cost. I have really got to want it now, otherwise I will get it on CD !! Did you say the Smurfs ha ha ?? Enjoy your summer break Frank !!
You can answer this after vacay if at all Frank but what albums do you have that are 20 yrs unplayed, would love to know. Guessing 80's metal. I just relistened to my entire vinyl collection (600 or so) over the last 2 years and had a ball. Even the Kiss and Beatles 45 box sets-yes I had a bunch of time on my hands then! Had several records I had aquired but never played (Elder, King Diamond, Overkill, and one called All That and World War 2-Beatles covers). Great stuff-and fresh!
Mine seems more like a library…but I like to have options. One day I’d listen to an album I have listened to 100 times. Next day I listen to a random cd or record I bought because it looked cool.
You’ve often talked about Walmart and that you’ve not been. Well I went to check out their vinyl and I was underwhelmed. Not only was the selection very limited, but the shelving was entirely inappropriate for vinyl records. It was marginally better than Target, but nothing special. On the positive side it makes vinyl accessible and over time will help build the market.
Hi Frank! I passed on a brand new copy of Alice in Chains self titled/doggie album years ago at C.D. Alley in Greenville, N.C. because i alrready had the CD! 😂 big thanks to you and the family
I look the records from my youth much like photos from my youth: they are a point in time, and certainly nothing to be embarrassed about, and I absolutely did not appreciate the music enough at the time, or how great I looked! Ha!
Man, I think mine is a library. I only have a little over 500 items. About 400 being vinyl albums. I have albums I’ve had over 50 years. It’s funny when I get back into some of them I find little notes and trinkets from back in the day. I found a note my buddy wrote on the inner sleeve, said can you two please leave the room? There were two boys and two girls in the room. You guys can figure it out. We left. Those kind of things are priceless. I will never get rid of my old records. I don’t care what happens to them when I’m gone, but I have one son that said he would like to have them. So I am comforted by that. I don’t really like the question. That’s over thinking.
Catalogin on discogs is kinda tricky, I noticed that some albums that I had added in my collection disappeared for no reason. My guess is that someone heavily edited or deleted the release from discogs somehow at one point.
My collection has become a library. Purge is not in my vocabulary. I own 78rpms -- some accoustics made before 1925, 45 singles and ep's, lp's in mono, stereo, 10-inch and 12-inch, retail cassettes, compact discs. I even own a cylinder from 1920: "Chili Bean" by Billy Murray -- don't own a machine to play it, but it's here on RUclips.
I have around 50 albums and 45s. But Im at 1452 CDs since starting collection last summer. Over 99% of my CD collection came from Goodwill and were a dollar or less. At that price I usually buy every CD I come across that I atleast like one song. 😂. It also allowed me to find new artists and genres that I thought I would never enjoy listening too. I was averaging 100 CDs a month.
Every month I generally buy 1-3 pieces of music whether it be CDs vinyl or cassette but I have bought a lot last month where I was on vacation and went crate digging
I broke down and did a discogs list. But it is only for my 45's. All 963 of them. Took quite awhile to do it. Maybe 2 months because it gets boring after awhile. But it sure makes it easy to find out what Madonna records I don't have yet. Kept finding doubles and triples, and some quadruples. Speaking of Royal Crown Cola. Whatever happend to Faygo and the C Plus one called Wink? Are all these sodas disappearing faster then those East Coast only flavors that Crush makes. Pineapple, Ginger Beer, Strawberry. And whatever else. We were always looking for those when we lived there. But good luck outside of the far east of Ontario. Swear "that fresh lobster guy" drives so far into Ontario and that's it. He must be smuggling them out somehow.
When I see the word "library" I think of radio stations (back in the day) having a "music library". Listener calls in: "could you please play___"... dj: "if I can find it, I'll get it on for ya!"...
I have about 2000 titles on cd and albums and I would say I have a collection. I listen to everything but not once a year sometimes. Test songs, Or Was I by KD Lang, the Dixie Dregs greatest hits, Montrose's Open Fire, especially his cover of Town Without Pity.
Growing up in the Bronx in the 70's I loved Royal crown soda. I would also love the early Sabbath albums on vertigo but way too expensive. I do have a '73 pressing of paranoid on WWA, that used the original vertigo stampers with corresponding matrix numbers on the run out groove. Closest if not identical sound at a fraction of the cost. I'm heading out to London later this year, maybe I can find some at a reasonable price. But highly doubt it.
When you purge your records or complete an artist’s discography, you are curating. You are selecting what’s most meaningful to you. The term collection seems to get associated more with inanimate objects like figurines, cards, dolls, etc. Records come to life like a story read in a book triggering your imagination. So I’m partial to the term: a curated music library
No embarrassing records? Did they use to call you COOL HAND FRANK?! 😉 I’m 51 and didn’t really buy records until I graduated high school and started college. My first cassettes were Run DMC (King of Rock & Raising Hell) and Beastie Boys.
Maiden. Man, I'm with you on that one although the last one I really like is Dance of Death. They have become bloated and self-indulgent but like you, I keep buying them I guess out of some kind of misplaced loyalty. I really wish they would make a 45 minute banger with maybe one epic like the old days. Of course they've earned the right to do whatever they want but I just can't sit through another plodding 80 minute snooze fest. Hopefully lesson learned.
About 1 year ago I decided to enter everything into Discogs. I did this in phases as I don’t have a lot of free time between work and the family. I mainly did this on my days off while listening to records. Not as bad as you think. I did maybe 20 records a week until I was done. Took forever but I’m glad it’s done now.
@ChrisDons_TheLounge I did the same thing. 37,440 entries. It took a couple of years. A bar coder made the cds go fast but man the records were slow because I made sure the exact releases were catalog correctly. You end up learning a lot about what the dead wax etching mean
@@waltonstreet5740 100% agree about learning a lot! I did the same thing with the records. Made sure I found the exact pressing with all the markings, etc. The newer records way easier with the barcodes. The older records were the pain! Crazy how many pressings there are of some records like the Doors Debut!
@ChrisDons_TheLounge or any led zep album...hundreds of different pressings even when you filter to the right country there are dozens of reprints..that could come from one of (around 4?) Of the main pressing locations. I have a lot of mid century and those weren't bad..often there was only a couple of choices. I found I had tons of Canadian pressings I had to enter as american because there was no entity in discogs for the Canadian counterpart and I didn't have the time or patience to go through the process of adding a new entity.
I agree with you're thinking on this. Vinyl Penguin is just trying to get people to sell off their collection they haven't listened to for a year so he can buy it. 🤣😂🤣
If I went by the rule of get rid/sell it if I haven't listened to it for a year most the collection would shrink to the point I would get bored of listening to a lot of what's left with less choice available.
Regarding collection or library. I would say that time (available time) is a major factor for not listening to all your favorites within a year. Sleep, work, kids, wife, movies and, yes, something called RUclips, will get in the way. Life gets in the way. If it weren't for the sound system in the car, ...
There are a lot of albums i love and mean a lot to me but i just dont listen to anymore. Its not that i dont care about them tho. MJ’s Thriller means a lot to me. Grew up on it, got it from my mother when i was really young and still have it in my collection. I dont really listen to it. But i will never get rid of it.
I’ve always called my records a collection for the simple reason that it’s the most elementary yet precise definition of my actions over the last 30 years. However my lovely wife may have a different (inappropriate word) definition for it 😂. I collect records for many different reasons. Some records are NOT even for listening but just for the cool covers. Why do people insist on having one answer, one way, one option etc? In my recent video a viewer was diagnosing collectors who bought sealed records to never open and play with mental illnesses. 😂 Impossible to improve the OG David Bowie Let’s Dance Masterdisk RL Robert Ludwig pressing. That’s as good as it gets. I’ve never heard the 2018 reissue. Thanks for killing my curiosity. Having owned a record store in the past my collection is definitely alphabetized and sectioned by genre. In the end people should be able to collect what they want, who they want, how they want and why they want to. Fun questions, Frank! ✌🏽 Steve
I would be OVERWHELMED by 25,000 records. Not to "cap" on broe, but sensors indicate O.C.D. I have records that I have never listened to! When I am open to something other than the usual, there it is. Half got into regular rotation! The other half? At least I gave it a fair hearing.
Why not both? I have all kinds of wax (and other things) I don’t listen to yearly. Partly because I work too much to sit and relax, but partly because everything I have has a story. Like I remember buying certain things even though I don’t listen to it. I have my grandparents 78s. I’ve never listened to those. Comfort.
My Uncle who passed years. Got kicked out of his apartment. Because he built shelves for every wall in the place except for the bathroom and the kitchen. After a few years management came knocking and said there was emergency and they needed to inspect his apartment because the renters below said their ceilings were sinking 😂.
I have a record library, a book library, and a movie library. It's exactly what I've wanted all my life. I browse spines to see what I'm in the mood for.
If you have the space...why not.
A Library Of Me is the way I look at it...
Yes me too!
I don’t think we need to think too much about whether we have played the record or not. There’s no hard or fast rule. There are many in my collection that I haven’t played in a long while, but I absolutely love having them in my collection. Why is that joy any lesser than the joy from playing them themselves? Owning physical media goes much deeper than simply the concept of having to play all your records. It’s multi-faceted. Great video Frank!
Love my vinyl collection (my wife does NOT!) In spite of the fact that there are many that I have not listened to in a few decades, let alone years. The main reason is that there are simply not enough hours in the day for me and I am pretty much waiting for that glorious day that I can retire, which will then allow me the time to start with A and work my way through Z! Elvis is King and so I usually find myself playing him over pretty much everyone else! Love your channel!😊
Been collecting over 50 years. I first started with music I liked but as years went by I stated collecting other genre’s and basically I collect unusual music. I also started collecting those artists/bands were the asking price is very low under $5 dollars. Now I have pretty much all I will ever need (4,000+ vinyl pieces). I have given away some of my vinyl but I never sold anything that I purchased. It still relaxes me going on a vinyl hunt. Peace & love
I have almost 3000 records, 1500 cds, 500+ cassettes, 300+ reel to reel, 100+ 8 track and a smattering of minidiscs. I would have to throw most of it away if I had to purge what I didn’t listen to in a year. Knowing it is there is good enough for me.
As I understand it; A music library is all the music you like to listen to regardless of format. A record collection focuses more on the item and its condition (first press) VG+ etc.
On the topic of cataloguing your collection, don’t make it a chore that you dedicate time to. Instead catalog each record the next time you play it. Not only does this make it a trivial task, but it gives you an excuse to dive into the less frequently played records, which is always fun.
I have a modest collection (366 at the moment), but that's largely because when I was a teenager and young adult, I used to purge my collection a lot. Now, looking back, I regret doing it and have been re-acquiring a ton of the albums I had gotten rid of. Because of that, I don't plan to ever part with any of my music again.
Nice video. I pulled my albums out of storage about 6 to 8 months ago when I finally added a turntable to my system. My collection was about 150 albums, and the last one I purchased was in 1982. I started buying new albums to add to my collection but find it quite expensive. Two months ago I decide I was going to double my collection size and am sitting at 200 at the moment. I think that is about as large a size I would want to go with the 4 to 5 hundred CD's I have. As much as I would think a large collection would be cool to have, I'm not willing to sacrifice the space or money. This keeps me in buying only albums I would listen to.
Great vid Frank. I agree with you STRONGLY disagreeing about needing to get rid of something if' it's been a year since you listened to it. That puts the emphasis on TIME and not THE MUSIC/ALBUM. Get rid of records you actually have a negative reaction to, on some level, being in your collection. I don't care if you've had it 1 month or a year. KEEP EVERYTHING that makes you "smile" when you see it knowing you have it in your collection. I don't care if you haven't spun it in 7 years!!! Let your heart be the guide of what to purge, not a random time factor.
Well said!
i still have my happy days album with fonzie on the cover
I'll say this about the last question - another one-time onliner (no longer online) once made a good point - If you like something, why call it a "guilty pleasure"? If you love something, guilt doesn't play into it at all.I love everything in my collection, which ranges from current hits to classic rock and R&B to (shudder) DISCO to Eurovision classics to 70s teen idols to the soundtrack from the TV special "Flashbeagle"....and i'm not ashamed to admit I LOVE all of it! I like your attitude about not being embarrassed about anything - neither am I, and if you like it, you shouldn't be! Great Q&A show as always!
Quality not quantity not only applies to the amount of objects you own but also the frequency that you listen to it. I don't at all buy into the notion that if you don't listen to it at least once a year it's not that important to you. That's a very short sighted view. There's rock music that I fell in love with as a teenager that helped shape who I am as a person. Deep, thought provoking music that piqued my interest in philosophy, other cultures, poetry, mythology, and other art forms. That music took me into the depths of learning who I am as a person, my world views, morality, etc. I only listen to that music once every few years now. That music has more meaning to me than anything I would listen to once or more a year. It took me on journeys that I don't need to revisit constantly anymore but only need to be reminded every so often. The listening experience should be measured by the impact it has on you not the frequency you hear it. It's for that reason that I consider what I have to be more of a library than a collection. I don't feel the need to pressure myself into listening to everything I own once a year. I have it for the times when it is the right time and I'm in the right headspace to need to hear it and be reminded. I savor my listening experience rather than gobbling it down.
Mine is more like a Museum than a Library or a Collection. I have so many different things from casually collecting them at flea markets, garage sales and various stores that I could never use them all on a frequent basis. However, it warms my heart to know that I have them should I want to experience them again and I almost never part with anything.
Collection: A growing group of albums that have special value to you & that you personally wanted to own. Library: A group of albums that include titles you acquired through various methods ( A deal at a yard sale, A gift from someone, etc.). My opinion. --- Bill
I've gotten into new cppies of Blue Note reissues. They're typically $30 - 40. Buy one or two a month and listen to each several times after buying. Jazz is new to me and I find with each listen the music soaks into you a little deeper each time. Never thought I would be here, but have become a great lover of jazz and feel like I'm charting unknown territory as opposed to rehashing all the classic rock for the umpteenth time. I feel revived in my collecting, learning all this new stuff and having fun again. Recommend Hancock's Maiden Voyage or Coltrane's Blue Train as two great starting points to anyone wanting to give it a try. Love the channel, thanks.
@Mark-tw5ws I only got into jazz a few years ago...Oscar Peterson's Night Train was my gateway drug. Found a mint copy at a thrift store for 25 cents. Turns out in the end it it cost a lot more than that once I caught the bug 😀
@@waltonstreet5740 Nice! Just added John Coltrane's Lush Life and Kenny Dorham's Quiet Kenny to my collection. Definitely recommend both
Library when it takes up a wall , Collection when it fills up few boxes .
I have the opposite definition of library and collection. To me, a collection is owning lots of things, but not necessarily to use. A library is something where the materials are in circulation, being taken off of the shelf. So, for me, I call my vinyl a library because I always listen to what I buy.
Before watching this video I have always thought of my music collection as a library, the same thing with my books and videos. I can listen to or read or watch whatever as long as I have it.
Aloha
Channel 33 RPM
Great topic.
Since I'm now at the age of 68.
I no longer consider any of my music I bought as a kid embarrassing. I even have some Osmond Brothers record albums of course they are all near mint condition
DJ Promo Copies, with the yellowish color, vs the standard label.
As far as 45 rpm's go my collection is long gone.
Thanks again for this video.
Looking Forward to watching your next video.
Mahalo Ed
Ok, here's I started. I wanted every alumb from bands I am into, and then members left the bands for other projects, so I tried to keep up with all members and their projects. Over time, I felt overwhelmed because I was in so many different bands. I have slowed down this point in life. I got cds,vinyl, concert VHS, and dvds everywhere. I feel like purging but never do some reason.
There’s another term you hear a lot nowadays besides Library and Collection and that’s ARCHIVE. This is especially prevalent in the film collecting hobby. I think a lot of people feel so privileged now in owning their favorite and/or meaningful art that they are playing a part in preserving it, ergo maintaining a kind of Archive. I like that idea and I support it because it makes us feel a part of the process and that we are doing a service toward a greater good by engaging in collecting. What do you think, Sir Frank?
Since I have a healthy library, I am more focused on my want list on Discogs or what strikes me by looks and catalog on the site as well. Any album upgraded to stereo or quad gets replaced, but any album at a nice price gets added immediately, as I've made huge mistakes by passing by and regretting later.
Interesting topic - definitely think it can be looked as archiving pieces of you (ie library). But you are right - the prices are such that it makes it hard to stay steadfast on that path. Plus - SPACE! There's only so much of that 🙂
I haven't listened to With the Beatles in 50 years but would never get rid of it. That would be sacrilege 🎶🎶
As someone getting into vinyl, price is self limiting to a collection vs a library. Some may not like CDs but I picked up 28 CDs and 2 Blue Rays for just under 100 USD this weekend which I will rip to a server in FLAC. Vinyl is for music I really like, more from the vinyl era with some exceptions, and recordings which I don't want to be tempted to click to another track.
My library is my father's and my uncle's collections that were given to me. MY collection is the stuff that I like to listen to and that I purchase... but it can also include stuff from my dad's and my uncle's collections. If that makes sense.
I'm a huge Black Sabbath and Judas Priest fan and in my library I have every Sabbath album and all Priest 70's & 80's albums on vinyl. You should do a video on your Sabbath & Priest library. 😊
The first part of the video I was questioning if my 1K records was library, but after hearing 25K I was feeling much better about it. As for records I have that I never listen to, my example would be KISS originals. I’m glad I have it from a collectibility point of view, but will listen to the individual albums when I want to listen to the music.
I’ve just been resleeving a couple of boxes of 12” singles, loads of stuff in there I haven’t listened to for years, played them all as resleeving and absolutely loved it, not one in there I would choose to get rid of. I have a lot of original presses that have been redone recently (really well) and as such I’ve put the originals in storage in the garage. I’m moving to a larger space by the end of the year and will have a dedicated listening room. Haven’t had a purge yet, but I love all my records, when I pick up duplicates which happens occasionally, I tend to pass them on to my nephew or a couple of mates who also collect. I catalogue in Discogs, and heads up, I’m in the Discogs app beta and the upcoming app is exceptional, they’re doing a fantastic job!
The terminology surrounding music formats has always fascinated me. Specifically, I've often wondered why people insist on saying 'vinyl records' when, in fact, the correct term is simply 'records.' The addition of 'vinyl' seems redundant, as if clarifying the material composition of the medium is necessary. But when did this linguistic trend begin? Was it a marketing ploy to distinguish analog from digital formats? Whatever the reason, I find it quite curious that we've adopted this phraseology. For me, it's simply a record - a timeless vessel for music that transcends the need for extraneous descriptors.
Library or collection? Good question! - I’m kind of addicted to collecting, and to me it is this great thrill to see full shelves of music or books I love! Definitly liberary for me, because that is what makes me happy. And on a side track, anyone can have a collection, but a liberary speaks of a labour of love and passion to me.
Not sure what I call my music. I love Iron Maiden and have almost all there albums. I don’t have the need to listen to the first 5 albums because I’ve listened to them SO MANY times. I know those albums inside and out. BUT I’d never get rid of them. Once in a blue moon I do pull them out.
Have a great vacation Hope we get to see some of your record store stops along the way
4:45 Frank, that's a great point regarding new reissues of certain albums not sounding as great or dynamic as the original pressings.
That original David Bowie 'Let's Dance' album has such superior sound compared to new pressings that it even won a spot on the TAS Super LP List (TAS stands for 'The Absolute Sound' magazine) along with many other sought-after LP albums and 45 rpm singles across various genres. :)
I didn't know that about Let's Dance. Cool to hear. It is an amazing sounding album.
I was just thinking about 20 years, and then you said it. Brilliant! If you have 1000's of records, you can't play them in a year anyway. Ownership is a huge part of collecting music.
I generally agree with your take on on the Library/Collection though it is a bit reversed for me. The titles I know and play often are in my Library which are available within reach in my Music room. My collection are titles I don’t play often and are in Kalax units in my Music room closet. Over the years as my tastes change or I learn about a particular artist/band titles that were in my Collection move out into the my Library.
started collecting about 2 years ago and have a little over 100 records and maybe 20 CDs. for the most part I have all I want, other than a few grails and future releases. I don't think I could have over 200 records, at that point I don't think an individual album would mean as much to me. I see it as the smaller the collection, the more each individual piece means to me. If that makes sense.
I don't get rid of anything unless I really got too!
I bought it to own it,regardless if I listen to it or not.
This was a great video Frank. From the word go, we’ve always bought vinyl that we absolutely know we’ll listen to on a regular basis. Whether it’s vinyl or CD, we always catalog them immediately into our Discogs account. Scanning its barcode saves us a lot of grief.
Due to Chris’ Parkinson’s, we no longer buy vinyl(too cumbersome)like we once did. Only audiophile vinyl per se or Blur Note and Deluxe CD’s of particular albums. Keep up the great work, your ire still one of our favorite VC Channels!-Chris & Beth🎧🙏🏻 #channrl33rpm
I don't completely agree with vinylpenguin that you should get rid of albums you haven't listened to in a year, but you should definitely keep track of what you skip over.
I keep a Google sheet of my collection and keep track of how often I play things.
My collection is still pretty small, but I don’t mind. I think it represents my music taste well so it’s sort of a “library” of my tastes
I put my records in my own airtable database with some information from discogs (yes, I know!) when I clean them. put a new inner and outer sleeve before playing them for the first time, but my shelves are a mess
I would reverse the definition of a Library vs. Collection. I would visit a library to read "Hamlet," but I'd go to a collector if I wanted to read the Penguin Classics "Hamlet" from 1952 or something. As a music lover, I need a very special reason to have a duplicate copy of any album.
Library or collection could go either way but the part about if you haven't listened to within a year getting rid of it. I know I have things that I haven't listened to longer than that but I'll never get rid of because of some special meaning.
Asia's first album or Yes - 90215 are great system test albums.
I have been picky buying records for decades. I call what I have a library. To me "collections" are for "collectors". I am not a collector. A collector will buy records they either don't even like or just to put up on a wall and never play and mostly thinking they will go up in value that they could sell one and buy a house from the proceeds. To me, records are for playing and enjoying. I buy records to do exactly that (ok, I restore them first because I am also somewhat a historian, but none the less they get played)! My "library" is about 820+ records currently with almost no room left for more. Most are original pressings. If I took the prices I see them going for now seriously, I would have to call it a "collection" because it would be worth over $1 million, but I deal in reality and if I were to go and sell all my records I would get around $1650 on my luckiest day with all the planets lined up. I don't sell my unwanted records, I just give them away to thrift stores or something. It would cost me more to sell them than what I paid. Of course I don't purge often because I am picky. I do an evaluation about every two years. If there is a record I have not played in two years or more, I consider purging it.
I don't buy new records, I don't believe in "audiophile records", etc. I buy music I like, music I grew up with and I want to hear original pressings, flaws and all, I don't care. It is important to me to hear how it was originally done because of the history. I also research all my records, I like learning about them, about the music, the expression the artist was going for and all that.
I could care less about how much a record is claimed to be worth, who likes it and how doesn't and all that.
Great video ! Always look forward to your videos. "To each their own." I'm happy with the records, cds and tapes I have in my "library". Some I have purchased to complete my collection of a particular artist only to find that some really are lousy mainly due to the way it was recorded or engineered or the material was not that great. Oh well. Live and learn. Now, I only buy after I've heard some of the songs and decide whether I like it or not. As far as Crown Royal and Royal Crown cola (RC cola), I've tried recently also Crown Royal with Coca-Cola. I prefer Crown Royal "straight". Both cola's ruined the taste, LOL!
I've never put much thought into weather I have a library or a collection, I refer to it as a collection, I also primarily collect CD'S. I have approximately 3000 CD's and around 900 LP's currently. I do periodically purge my collection, often its Greatest Hits/Compilation albums I let go of for artists I've since become a more in depth fan. One thing I admittedly rarely listen to with a few exceptions is 45's and I have probably 300 of them, some of which I've probably never listened to but since most of them have been handed down from my parents, relatives etc.... I can't bring myself to let them go.
Embarrassing childhood? Guilty! I show my “hard-ass” approval because I bought my first album in 1969 (15-years old) of Iron Butterfly’s “In-a-Gadda-da-Vida”. But my younger brother reminds me that my 45rpm collection includes groups like “The Archie’s” and “1910 Fruitgum Company”!
I know I'm a newbie to this when a lot of veteran collectors post-purge collections are at least 10× larger than mine which is as big as it's ever been. 😅
Frank~your collection looks intense and wicked!!! I took your advice and Discog’d my collection ⚡️⚡️
I’m a new record collector and I buy maybe one record bi-monthly it depends on my budget
I'm more a library, record sanctuary. While a have a very large collection of music that would be considered regular collector items (from The A's to ZZ Top), I also have around 300 albums on the Arc label (a cheapie label of incredibly obscure artists from the 60s and 70s). I also have around 700 Christian albums - the kind where all the men wear the same suit and the woman have the same dress and hairdo. I also have private pressings of churches, high schools, colleges and community recordings. Things that, if I didn't pluck them from the cheapies bins, they'd end up in a dump and probably lost forever. I feel a sense of duty to viny records - they've meant so much to me over the years - I'm hopefully repaying some of the debt.
I bought my Leathür 2nd press TFFL in May '82, new @$7.98US. Got it signed by Mars and Tommy a few yrs later. Plan to keep it for now.
Nice!
Great video Frank!
I agree with having a collection. Unless you listen to records everyday ...... and I'll bet most don't...then having a library is expensive and wasteful.
I use Discogs to keep track of my collection. I too almost bought the same record twice before.
I checked my collection and I have an original copy of Bowie's Let's Dance. I must have got it used somewhere. I'll clean it and give it a spin one day soon. I finally set up a cleaning station and boy oh boy did I get a lot of dirt from my records!
Grails? Maybe just completing my discography for groups or singers I like. E g. April Wine, Linda Ronstadt....etc.
Keep on spinning Frank 👍
This is another great/fun set of questions. I might have to do a video answering them too lol. \m/
Thanks Brandon. I would love to hear your responses.
COLLECTING RECORDS...A Poem
Twas the night before the Record Show
When all through the House
Boxes of Records were Everywhere
Barely room for a Mouse
Boxes of records were hung from the ceiling with Care
No more flat surfaces left and the cupboards weren't all Bare
The Moon on the Breast of the new fallen snow.
Gave the lustre of unplayed vinyl to the record cleaning machine below
You should get rid of your cat, that advice I respect
Their claws can be a disaster to the things I collect
The start of Football Season is only several weeks more
There's no room to jump up and down with so many records on the floor
Crates of records inhabit most of my bed
All you really need is enough space to lay your head
The ride was quite long to get to the show
What records people will have I can't wait to know
The line is full of anxious people galore
Just waiting and drooling for them to open the door
The doors have now opened and I went straight to my work
Cramped quarters for sure. Don't elbow me or I'll call you a jerk
Reissues and re-pressings are here all around
You don't put out originals if you're a real record hound
Mr. Elbows again with a pipe in his teeth
He got ushered out, when the smoke encircled his head like a wreath
The best records will be gone in the first half an hour
Flipping through records fast as lightning; look that record was from Towers
A lot that I want but no flat surfaces at home; including the bed
If Frankenstein came over I could put a box on top of his head
I hope that I live to a hundred and ten
To play all my records once will take at least until then
The show's now over; and they heard me exclaim as I drove out of sight
Vinyl is king; warps, ticks and pops are alright
My collection is also a library. If I didn't want it I wouldn't have bought it. Everything, CD's and records are inventoried , using a jukebox titlestrip program. My entire collections are organized by artist in shelving unit. I am far from a completist but I do have some artist(s) complete recorded output, but shy on different variations. Most of my Records and CD's I may not have played in decades or since I originally bought them. It is an ongoing process, but I have maybe recorded about 1/3 of my LP collection to hard drive as wav(lossless) files. I do digital transfers of all the new records and CD's I acquire, so I keep up on that end. All of my several thousand CD's have been recorded to hard drive(s) also as wav(lossless) files. My goal is to transfer everything to hard drives so that I have my entire collection digitized and can carry it all on large capacity external hard drives and smaller external hard drives for back-up. With my 7" 45 rpm and Quadraphonic LP collections, I sporadically do them, most often when I am digitizing a certain artist of the stereo & mono versions of LP's. I haven't got around to my R2R tape collection.
Library or collection, doesn't make a big difference to me. Years ago, I took some kind of career test and my highest score was for "librarian!" I've never been employed as one, but I do think I scratch that itch with my music collection (and other collections as well). I would disagree with the suggestion of one year being the marker for when to get rid of an album. When you get into your 60s you'll see that one year is hardly anything. I understand that some specific amount of time would be useful, but I'd make it longer than one year. I should add, though, that I've owned albums for years before ever listening to them at all! Perhaps the 1-year figure could apply in those cases. As for a good record for testing equipment, I'd suggest "Somewhere I've Never Traveled" by Ambrosia. The album was produced by Alan Parsons and the sound is immaculate.
Haha. My go-to system test song is Love Is Alive by Gary Wright! You laugh, but seriously, though - it has a crazy dynamic range - it seems like a test of all frequencies, i guess. I can tell right away what's missing or what there is too much of in the soundstage, and adjust accordingly. I sometimes do a second check with either a TG pressing of Steppenwolf's Born To Be Wild, or a Canadian red label Zep 1. Both sound amazing, but, more importantly, i know how they "should" sound. Not sure where the Gary Wright thing came from. They first time i tried it as a test was on a big system. I'm not sure why i chose that, but it turned out to be a good one, and i wasn't the only ones that thought so.
The rare books library at my old university was called "Special Collections". So the distinction between library and collection does not hold, IMHO. A library is a collection of data carriers, regardless of size. In contrast a base ball card collection or an art collection, however large, is never a "library".
Re buying frequency, about the same, I guess. Maybe a bit slower. Last year I bought ~200 titles.
Some times we get what I call a mind jog (were our mind is the library ) and it can happen when we see an advertisement on the tv playing a track in the back ground to compliment the advertisement. And you haven't heard that particular track for a very long time you think hec I have that tune somewhere in my collection on an album .you pull out the album. And low and behold .it's like a Renaissance. You start playing the album. If that makes any sense. Mine was the first bars to benny and the jets Elton John yellow brick Road Regards from over the pond
Good video, I have had to down size my collection, the prices keep going up so Liz said I have to name at least 3 songs from the album to justify buying it lol😂 enjoy your break Frank
I may be the only one when I say I've never been a big fan of Iron Maiden. I just never could get into their music. Awesome video 👍☺️
Please allow me to answer Damian's question: 😂I have some Osmond's, as well as The Jackson 5, Partridge Family, David Cassidy and Bobby Sherman LPs. And I am not embarrassed by owning those one iota. It's music I grew up listening to as well as Motown, soul, crooners and more. Of course as I got older I got into more rock like The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Journey, Billy Squier, Men at Work, Billy Joel, Supertramp, Bryan Adams and much more. If I have it in my collection it's because it is music I had growing up or some newer bands or artists I enjoy.
Always interesting to listen to you. I grew up in a different generation so it's a gas to find out what your favorites are. Now I just turned 75 so do not think the Beatles for me. I like my music a bit off the cuff with some standards thrown in there for happy connection. Best wishes to you.
I have a music library, since my library is all digital I can have more and not worry about space. I don't delete anything, hate having to look for something again I might have deleted. There are certain artist where I want a complete discography especially in the Jazz genre but in say Rock I just want certain artist in Flac format. In R&B and Hip-Hop I use MP3 320kps on most artists unless it's a classic.
When you have a few thousand lps, it is hard to listen to everything in one year.
Never really thought about it like that before . I have albums that I havent played for years,, but I would not purge them coz i know i will play then again. I could call it a library as I dont have a huge amount of records!! I have slowed down on my vinyl purchases, simply due to the cost. I have really got to want it now, otherwise I will get it on CD !! Did you say the Smurfs ha ha ?? Enjoy your summer break Frank !!
Haven't listened to Spirit Twelve Dreams of Doctor Sardonicus I'm gonna sell it for 3 bucks. Cracked out a 40 year old Yes Fragile today!
BTW, Royal Crown Cola is at its finest when drank from an icy-cold GLASS bottle! 😊
You can answer this after vacay if at all Frank but what albums do you have that are 20 yrs unplayed, would love to know. Guessing 80's metal. I just relistened to my entire vinyl collection (600 or so) over the last 2 years and had a ball. Even the Kiss and Beatles 45 box sets-yes I had a bunch of time on my hands then! Had several records I had aquired but never played (Elder, King Diamond, Overkill, and one called All That and World War 2-Beatles covers). Great stuff-and fresh!
Frank, I'm at a point in my life where I only buy albums that I am going to listen to. 📀
Mine seems more like a library…but I like to have options. One day I’d listen to an album I have listened to 100 times. Next day I listen to a random cd or record I bought because it looked cool.
You’ve often talked about Walmart and that you’ve not been. Well I went to check out their vinyl and I was underwhelmed. Not only was the selection very limited, but the shelving was entirely inappropriate for vinyl records. It was marginally better than Target, but nothing special. On the positive side it makes vinyl accessible and over time will help build the market.
Hi Frank! I passed on a brand new copy of Alice in Chains self titled/doggie album years ago at C.D. Alley in Greenville, N.C. because i alrready had the CD! 😂 big thanks to you and the family
I look the records from my youth much like photos from my youth: they are a point in time, and certainly nothing to be embarrassed about, and I absolutely did not appreciate the music enough at the time, or how great I looked! Ha!
Man, I think mine is a library. I only have a little over 500 items. About 400 being vinyl albums. I have albums I’ve had over 50 years. It’s funny when I get back into some of them I find little notes and trinkets from back in the day. I found a note my buddy wrote on the inner sleeve, said can you two please leave the room? There were two boys and two girls in the room. You guys can figure it out. We left. Those kind of things are priceless. I will never get rid of my old records. I don’t care what happens to them when I’m gone, but I have one son that said he would like to have them. So I am comforted by that. I don’t really like the question. That’s over thinking.
Catalogin on discogs is kinda tricky, I noticed that some albums that I had added in my collection disappeared for no reason. My guess is that someone heavily edited or deleted the release from discogs somehow at one point.
My collection has become a library. Purge is not in my vocabulary. I own 78rpms -- some accoustics made before 1925, 45 singles and ep's, lp's in mono, stereo, 10-inch and 12-inch, retail cassettes, compact discs. I even own a cylinder from 1920: "Chili Bean" by Billy Murray -- don't own a machine to play it, but it's here on RUclips.
I have around 50 albums and 45s. But Im at 1452 CDs since starting collection last summer. Over 99% of my CD collection came from Goodwill and were a dollar or less. At that price I usually buy every CD I come across that I atleast like one song. 😂. It also allowed me to find new artists and genres that I thought I would never enjoy listening too. I was averaging 100 CDs a month.
Every month I generally buy 1-3 pieces of music whether it be CDs vinyl or cassette but I have bought a lot last month where I was on vacation and went crate digging
I broke down and did a discogs list. But it is only for my 45's. All 963 of them. Took quite awhile to do it. Maybe 2 months because it gets boring after awhile. But it sure makes it easy to find out what Madonna records I don't have yet. Kept finding doubles and triples, and some quadruples.
Speaking of Royal Crown Cola. Whatever happend to Faygo and the C Plus one called Wink? Are all these sodas disappearing faster then those East Coast only flavors that Crush makes. Pineapple, Ginger Beer, Strawberry. And whatever else. We were always looking for those when we lived there. But good luck outside of the far east of Ontario. Swear "that fresh lobster guy" drives so far into Ontario and that's it. He must be smuggling them out somehow.
When I see the word "library" I think of radio stations (back in the day) having a "music library". Listener calls in: "could you please play___"... dj: "if I can find it, I'll get it on for ya!"...
I have about 2000 titles on cd and albums and I would say I have a collection. I listen to everything but not once a year sometimes. Test songs, Or Was I by KD Lang, the Dixie Dregs greatest hits, Montrose's Open Fire, especially his cover of Town Without Pity.
Growing up in the Bronx in the 70's I loved Royal crown soda. I would also love the early Sabbath albums on vertigo but way too expensive. I do have a '73 pressing of paranoid on WWA, that used the original vertigo stampers with corresponding matrix numbers on the run out groove. Closest if not identical sound at a fraction of the cost. I'm heading out to London later this year, maybe I can find some at a reasonable price. But highly doubt it.
When you purge your records or complete an artist’s discography, you are curating. You are selecting what’s most meaningful to you. The term collection seems to get associated more with inanimate objects like figurines, cards, dolls, etc. Records come to life like a story read in a book triggering your imagination. So I’m partial to the term: a curated music library
I like it - great phrase.
I moved 4 times in 7 years. My last and final move was when I realized I needed to have a big purge!!
No embarrassing records? Did they use to call you COOL HAND FRANK?! 😉
I’m 51 and didn’t really buy records until I graduated high school and started college. My first cassettes were Run DMC (King of Rock & Raising Hell) and Beastie Boys.
Maiden. Man, I'm with you on that one although the last one I really like is Dance of Death. They have become bloated and self-indulgent but like you, I keep buying them I guess out of some kind of misplaced loyalty. I really wish they would make a 45 minute banger with maybe one epic like the old days. Of course they've earned the right to do whatever they want but I just can't sit through another plodding 80 minute snooze fest. Hopefully lesson learned.
About 1 year ago I decided to enter everything into Discogs. I did this in phases as I don’t have a lot of free time between work and the family. I mainly did this on my days off while listening to records. Not as bad as you think. I did maybe 20 records a week until I was done. Took forever but I’m glad it’s done now.
@ChrisDons_TheLounge I did the same thing. 37,440 entries. It took a couple of years. A bar coder made the cds go fast but man the records were slow because I made sure the exact releases were catalog correctly. You end up learning a lot about what the dead wax etching mean
@@waltonstreet5740 100% agree about learning a lot! I did the same thing with the records. Made sure I found the exact pressing with all the markings, etc. The newer records way easier with the barcodes. The older records were the pain! Crazy how many pressings there are of some records like the Doors Debut!
@ChrisDons_TheLounge or any led zep album...hundreds of different pressings even when you filter to the right country there are dozens of reprints..that could come from one of (around 4?) Of the main pressing locations. I have a lot of mid century and those weren't bad..often there was only a couple of choices. I found I had tons of Canadian pressings I had to enter as american because there was no entity in discogs for the Canadian counterpart and I didn't have the time or patience to go through the process of adding a new entity.
I agree with you're thinking on this. Vinyl Penguin is just trying to get people to sell off their collection they haven't listened to for a year so he can buy it. 🤣😂🤣
If I went by the rule of get rid/sell it if I haven't listened to it for a year most the collection would shrink to the point I would get bored of listening to a lot of what's left with less choice available.
Regarding collection or library. I would say that time (available time) is a major factor for not listening to all your favorites within a year. Sleep, work, kids, wife, movies and, yes, something called RUclips, will get in the way. Life gets in the way. If it weren't for the sound system in the car, ...
There are a lot of albums i love and mean a lot to me but i just dont listen to anymore. Its not that i dont care about them tho.
MJ’s Thriller means a lot to me. Grew up on it, got it from my mother when i was really young and still have it in my collection. I dont really listen to it. But i will never get rid of it.
I’ve always called my records a collection for the simple reason that it’s the most elementary yet precise definition of my actions over the last 30 years. However my lovely wife may have a different (inappropriate word) definition for it 😂. I collect records for many different reasons. Some records are NOT even for listening but just for the cool covers. Why do people insist on having one answer, one way, one option etc? In my recent video a viewer was diagnosing collectors who bought sealed records to never open and play with mental illnesses. 😂
Impossible to improve the OG David Bowie Let’s Dance Masterdisk RL Robert Ludwig pressing. That’s as good as it gets. I’ve never heard the 2018 reissue. Thanks for killing my curiosity. Having owned a record store in the past my collection is definitely alphabetized and sectioned by genre. In the end people should be able to collect what they want, who they want, how they want and why they want to. Fun questions, Frank! ✌🏽
Steve
I would be OVERWHELMED by 25,000 records. Not to "cap" on broe, but sensors indicate O.C.D. I have records that I have never listened to! When I am open to something other than the usual, there it is. Half got into regular rotation! The other half? At least I gave it a fair hearing.
Why not both?
I have all kinds of wax (and other things) I don’t listen to yearly.
Partly because I work too much to sit and relax, but partly because everything I have has a story.
Like I remember buying certain things even though I don’t listen to it.
I have my grandparents 78s.
I’ve never listened to those.
Comfort.
Don't let your collection exceed floor-load limits.😁
Ha!! I so agree 👍
My Uncle who passed years. Got kicked out of his apartment. Because he built shelves for every wall in the place except for the bathroom and the kitchen. After a few years management came knocking and said there was emergency and they needed to inspect his apartment because the renters below said their ceilings were sinking 😂.