Swt Mae Pawb (Hello Everyone!)
I own a lot of LPs* 1537 of them to be precise – well actually 1540 of them now, it has taken me a week to get going. Not a freakish amount, there are people out there with more but no-one I know has. So why do I do this? Why do I trawl ebay, second-hand shop and the Internet compulsively looking for this vinyl?
I like music is the flippant answer and for a more normal sized collection, say 200 LPs that would work fine. However that doesn’t work for me. I can pick up an LP and know that I played it a week ago, however some haven’t been played for a decade, or two and some, I am embarrassed to say may never have been played properly at all. Some LPs I have may never get played again. Why? It’s nonsense. No man needs that many. So why do I crave vinyl the way I do?
I have a plan then, to visit the heart of this obsession and to listen to each and every LP in my collection, in no particular order (I’m not sure I’d make it past The Art of Noise, if I tried it alphabetically…); As a 40 year old family man with, sadly, limited listening time this may take me a while.
Some rules – facts
- I have to listen to the LP itself ( digital doesn’t count) in all its inconvenient non-portability.
- I also have lots of singles, but for the sake of my, relative, sanity I’m ignoring those for now!
- I haven’t counted double LPs as 2, triples as 3 etc ( although I used to to make my collection seem bigger when I was a teenager )
- The book ‘High Fidelity’ has not made this blog pointless, I don’t like it and it still doesn’t really give any proper answers.
- Unlike some chaps I know I never got rid of all my crap, uncool records, so brace yourself.
* and 12″s, about 150 of them. I’m just trying to keep it simple by exclusively using the term LP.
I’ve nominated you for the ‘In Thy Future Challenge’!
To find out more click here: https://nauticazinger.wordpress.com/?p=161&preview=true&preview_id=161
It should be there at midnight tonight.
Hi Joe,
Congratulations! I’ve nominated you for the Dragon’s Loyalty Award!
Here is the link: https://danicapiche.wordpress.com/2015/07/25/dragons-loyalty-award-thank-you/
I hope you will enjoy it :).
Thank you Danica!
It’s absolutely my pleasure :).
I didn’t know where to post it, it’s what i found http://www.wired.com/underwire/2014/02/pop-culture-lego-sets/?cid=18238854#slide-id-441971 I thought you may like it! 🙂
Hi! I think that’s just genius, especially the Mad Men one!
yes, it’s great!
This is fantastic!
I’ve been reading your comments over on Lebrains site for a while now and I kept meaning to get over here to find out what the heck this 1537 thing meant. Now I know!
Yours is an ambitious project, and I wish you well in it. I like how it’ll be 1537 forever, no matter how many more records you buy in future. That was your starting point. Cool.
I am working on something similar (in some ways) on my own blogs (two of them!), thought I’d mention it in case it interests you. The primary site for reviews is keepsmealive.wordpress.com, (the KMA), which has been operating (with my good friend James) since 2006. I think you’ve been there already…? The other site is whatownsme.wordpress.com. (the WOM). It’s a list of everything I own. Music, books, movies, etc. My reasoning for this project is explained a little better on the site…
Of course, it is not complete, as the data entry alone is arduous at its easiest. Especiallly since I am always buying new music, and I am adding all the relevant label information AND links to Wiki or Discogs for album art and even more information. I am also cross-linking, as I go, to my KMA reviews. So the WOM ends up being a tidy list of all that I own (or that owns me, of course) AND an easy way to find reviews I’ve written over the past 8 years. The KMA gets to stay purely a review site, without all the clutter of the album info on the WOM… Fun! Like I said, it’s a huge project. But I chip away at it (almost) daily and I have to think that eventually I’ll see the end of the data entry portion…
The WOM is one you’ll have to check back to, every now and again. I update the info, but it’s all within the same original post, so if I update you wouldn’t get an email telling you so if you follow the blog. Kind of a pain, but I wanted each list in one place and that meant one post per subject.
And I’m totally with you on the lifestyle. I will be 40 this year, I have two kids (4 and 2 years old) and I am a stay-at-home Dad. Oh yeah, some might think. You have lots of time for blogging! Haha no. I believe that you, sir, would understand how precious little time is available when you’re on call full-time for two precocious toddlers. 🙂
Anyway, cheers and all the best. It’s not the time it takes, it’s the passion for the music that sustains great projects like yours. And now I’m off to get reading!
Sorry meant to reply y’day, but got caught up in stuff.
Thank you so much, what you say is very kind. Aw shucks!
Ah don’t go getting all bashful on us now. 😉
ALSO: I have to assume you already know that there is a LEGO MOVIE!!
Hey how do I email you. I have a picture to share.
Hi – got a question for you. In the mid ’80s, I heard a punk version for “Rawhide” that was definitely not from the Dead Kennedys. Unfortunately, I was in a bar at the time, and, well…. Anyway, I did ask who they were, and I was told who they were, but all that stuck in my mind the next morning (well, I was in a bar) is that they were British. I haven’t heard that version since. Ring any bells? (http://justjigglethehandle.com/2012/12/04/special-police-bulletin/)
Thanks for any insights
;-}
Hello, hello – I reckon it could well be The Meteors version, which I only heard once when drunk – they were a punk, rockabilly type band. I can’t point you in the direction of a Youtube version, or anything remotely useful like that!
Many thanks for the effort!
I cannot think of anything more difficult than to say something which would be worthy of this impressive and, for me, memorable occasion, and of the ideals and purposes which inspired the acrasia of your decision to begin following my blog, ‘though many have referred to me as an aeolist.
Seldom in history has any man combined so well the qualities of excellent taste and exquisite judgement as you have with your poetically incomprehensible maunderings truly worthy of an upstanding dringle, such as yourself.
So, it is I, even tough occasionally gambrinous, can state without jactitation, I consider this to be an utterly frabjous day, that you have agreed to my receive my hyperhedonic blog.
(with apologies Lester Pearson),
Mirkin Firkin
Whatever – you start gettin’ all mimsy on my borogroves, even once and your ass is history – you dig? as for getting, sorry gettin’ them mome raths outgrabe – just don’t try me.
It’s covered: http://justjigglethehandle.com/2013/06/02/we-wish-to-apologize-for-the-inconvenience/
Just read your rules for the first time. I like what you did here! Having to listen to the LP on LP, and not digitally. That is a huge constraint! For my blog, I listen any time any where I can, making mental and digital notes as I go. I couldn’t keep going at the pace I go if I chose to only listen to CD or LP.
Second I love that you never got rid of your uncool records. I used to be exactly the same, but somewhere around the turn of the millennium I realized that I had to make room for new music by getting rid of old music that I would never play again. I made some mistakes doing that…but not too many. (Bye bye Mel C.)
Thank you, I like that I have to make time to listen, rather than just having it on in the background. It’s no hardship, although choosing can take a long time.
I know people who have totally altered their collections to make themselves look cooler, nonsense!
Space is always a problem though
Just to let you know I have nominated you for an “Awesome Blog Content (ABC)” Award because of the awesomeness of your site. The link to the award post is here:
http://heavymetaloverload.com/2013/03/30/hmos-abc-of-albums
You are basically invited to come up with an A-Z list of your choice. I look forward to reading what you do with this but I understand that there is a bit of work involved -so I will not be offended in any way if you choose not to play along. I will keep the link to your brilliant site on my blog at any rate!
Cheers, HMO
Thank you very much indeed, I am very flattered, oh mighty Overlord of all Heaviness!
Ps- got the new Clutch LP today – freakin awesome !!
You’re welcome! I’ve never heard them actually, will you be doing a review at some point?
So it can’t be 1537 anymore… how many is there now?
1578 but if Mrs 1537 asks, deny everything!!
Clutch review? 2019 is my bet! Too much vinyl, too much vinyl!!
Hahah I can wait! At least you’re reviewing them faster than you buy them!
Marginally !!
You have me intrigued! I’ll be back to your blog heaps, I would suggest. High Fidelity was alright when I read it ages ago, but maybe I need to take another look. Keep up the quality writing! 🙂
Thank you very much, yet again, for all your kind words. It’s nice to know that when I stay up ’til midnight painstakingly assembling a Lego Judas Priest, chuckling to myself, that I may be making other people chuckle later on.
I don’t read enough blogs myself to fully embrace the SBA yet (sheer lack of hours/day), but I am working on it and when I do, I will.
But thank you.
I was nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award, so now I’m nominating you my friend. If I’m deserving, you certainly are. If you feel like it, check out my latest post and find out all about it. Or don’t. It’s up to you. Love your blog, man.