Listening practices

I've listened to every song on every CD and every LP at least once.

I used to have a customer that easily had 5000 CDs and twice that in LPs (he had a 10x12 guest room totally full of LPs in racks).

Half of his software, again conservatively, was still in plastic. He used to say "I hate not having new music to listen to".

Had an ARC tube preamp, one of their SS amps, and Martin-Logans old enough I had to install new panels in them. Really nice guy, what the hell was his name....big Coke memorobilia collector-- he's probably on here somewhere....

It all gets listened to when it first comes home - how often it gets heard thereafter depends on how much I liked it the first (few) times out. I suspect quite a bit gets put on the back burner and forgotten until something triggers a renewed interest in it.

There are for me two listening venues. Home where I have what passes for high end.....well I am getting there, and my car. My car's CD player has cartridges each of which holds six CDs. I have three cartridges. My music library is stored alphabetically. I load all three cartridges, beginning with 'A' and I load the first into my car's Cd player. When it is done I load the next cartridge and re-load the first cartridge. this means I go at least a week going through the next two cartridges before I play the first cartridge that has the new CDs. Since my music collection is about 400 Cds, I go more than a year without hearing the same CD twice. In my home I listen to my favorites, sometimes the same CD most of the evening in 'repeat' mode.

There isn't any pattern to my listening habits although I go back to certain artists more frequently than others. So many great recordings go unplayed if they can't be seen. I've always stored my albums so I view the face like the old days of browsing through the record shops. It's quick and eay. My system is better thought out and the albums stand nearly upright. They don't tumble on the floor either but I had to learn the secrets of accomplishing that feat the hard way. If I stored them in the conventional manner I'm sure I wouldn't play the diversity of music I enjoy so much.

After collecting music for over 30 years, I find myself centered around 30 discs I play on a regular basis out of 600 plus CD collection. My favorites include the Allman Brothers' Live at the Fillmore East, Chicago VII, Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks, Renee Fleming's Beautiful Voice, Sticky Fingers by the Rolling Stones, Derek & the Dominos' Layla & Other Love Songs, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's Deja Vu, and Santana's Abraxas, pretty much anchor my sound. The 70's music is how I came to love music and these are the touchstones of my musical soul. After the fads of punk-disco-techno-rap have blown through the airwaves, I'm still listening to my few favorites.

If I was really honest (and not so cheap), I could lose half of my CD's and not even notice.

Years ago I sold (to a used cd store) about 50 discs that were collecting moth balls on my shelves. I wanted to listen to many of them since, of course. The cds, I've learned, are worth the sitting around time (I keep them dusted, now) for the, even, one time I may have a desire to listen. I learned a lesson. Hey, what's a few more shelves? peace, warren