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Please Describe your Music Collection

One of the better parts of the forums is reading about other people's systems, but I think it would be even more interesting to hear about people's music collections. Format, type of music, size, how stored, favorite artist, worst purchase, first purchase, ect. Whatever info about your music you want to volunteer. Think of it as a musical biography.

Here's some of my music info:

The collection consists of approximately 2200 records. 300 are CDs and the balance are vinyl. I've transfered about 35% of the collection onto hard disk as part of an iTunes driven digital jukebox. The albums are stored in a separate room on Intermetro modular metal racks. They're alphabetized by artist, but I have separated out the few classical records. By music type approximately 45% is pop/rock and 25% is jazz. The rest is pretty evenly distributed between blues, classical, country, reggae and R&B. I do not have any Broadway musicals.

My earliest musical recollection is my mom listening to William B. William's "Matinee Ballroom" on the radio. Also alot of early exposure to 50's "oldies" and Brill Bldg. pop. However, my first record purchases were the first Manfred Mann album (yes, the one with "Do Wah Diddy") and the Supremes' "Where Did Our Love Go". I still have each album although they are in very poor condition. I still listen regularly to the Supremes, its a truly great record. The guts of my collection is the standard baby boomer Motown/British Invasion/San Francisco Psychedelia/Funk/Punk/Jazz-Fusion/New Wave/sensitive singer-song writer cannon. I'm a pre-grunge kind of guy. My big heroes are Bob D., Beach Boys, Smokey Robinson, Elvis Costello, Little Feat, Steely Dan, Joni, Los Lobos and Jimi.

Starting in high school I started getting exposure to jazz and quickly took a liking to McCoy Tyner, Miles, and Coltrane. Also purchased virtually everything by Larry Coryell and John McLaughlin. I dived pretty hard into the ECM and Blue Note catalogs.

During college the most popular records were Pink Floyd's "DSOTM" and Steely Dan's "Royal Scam". Around this time I also developed a serious interest in electric blues. Over the years I've become a big fan of B.B., Albert and Freddy King, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy.

As a adult my tastes haven't so much changed as solidified. Over the last few years I'm only buying 50-70 records a year. I can't explain why, but I'm not as quick to explore new music as when I was younger. Despite this I still developed a liking for raggae (primarily Steel Pulse, but some others), Mozart, early 90s Brit pop (Lush, Cocteau Twins, etc.), Dwight Yoakam and anything by V.M. Bhatt. As time goes by I've also found that I appreciate Ellington, Sarah Vaughan, Nat King Cole and Louis Armstrong (particularly as a vocalist) even more.

I once recieved a great compliment from a friend. He was looking thru my collection and said, "You have a great collection, even you failures are interesting." As he said this he was holding a copy of Rick Wakeman's "Journey to the Center Of the Earth". Sorry Rick, it's probably my worst purchase.

Tell me about yours.
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marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
I own 1300 vinyls and 100 CDs in my collection. There is also a floating collection that is always changing i.e. I sell in order to get something new.

Most of my records are unique original and $$$. I dig onto progressive rock, fusion jazz, avant-jazz or avant-rock, sophisticated electronics, neo-classical avant-garde, acid jazz. I have very few pieces of a traditional jazz and routine rock such as Zeppelin or Pink. Beatles I keep for my wife although I do hate them since they cary the sin to bring pop onto the music world. I'm a great fan of tango and french chanson and have pretty thick line on my shelf for that as well.

I'm not big fan of classical music but there are a few classical pieces that I simply adore and never get tired listening to: Beethoven symph#9, #5, #6.
Tchaikovski "Swan Lake", "Sleeping Beauty" and "The Nutchacker". Rachmaninoff Conciertos #2,#3 Chopin/Cliburn Waltz C-sharp-m in particular. Vivaldi "4 Seasons".
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61 OP
5,145 posts
 
Thank you Audiogon for changing the subject title. Also thanks to all those who replied.
bishopwill
369 posts
 
Had about 1500 LPs but got tired of bacon frying in the background and sold the lot. Now have about 1000 CDs, 80% of which are "classical" (symphonic, chamber, instrumental, opera, and my particular fancy, English choral music). The remainder are a farrago, omitting hip-hop, progressive jazz, elevator music, and hard rock.

will
spindrifter
105 posts
 
My collection is pretty much all over the map. I started with The Dave Clark Five"Glad All Over",the first lp I bought and still have, to classical ,classic rock,country rock atmospheric(space),singer–songwriter, soul–R&B,world,a very large jazz collection (all kinds),and on and on with alot of non mainstream artists. There are about 1500 lps and 2,000++ cds and have I've culled another 1000 or so from the cd collection.I suppose I aslo have 200 or so cassettes(packed away),and rarely listen to my vinyl now and haven't bought an lp in at least ten years.I have been pretty much a dedicated collector from the get–go and over the years have seen countless live shows as well.
bianchi27
189 posts
 
My musical tastes are varied but I basically own about 400 pop/rock material which spans from Little Richard to the Nikka Costa's offering. I was never into what was really popular at the time. When I was in high school people were into Styx and Journey and I was into Santana, Pink Floyd, Moody Blues and Jethro Tull. I also have about 250-300 jazz items and my favorite periods are bop and swing. I love the period of miles davis's origional super group and tend to listen to more horn players than other artists.

I also own about 30 selections each of blues and classical items. But it is very hard for me to find recordings in these areas that I like. I seem to like blues alot more in a club than on a recording, and alot of classical music just puts me to sleep.

These days I am into finding an artist that gets played on my local public radio station and finding recordings that I like of theirs. Some items I have liked are:

Ben Harper - Fight For Your Mind
Tom Waits - Blue Valentine
Los Lobos - Kiko
Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road

although I find it amazing how I can like one recording from on artist and dislike some of their other recordings so much.

I just love putting music on anytime I am home. From stretching in the morning to something light and inviting, to rocking in the afternoon to Joe Cocker to relaxing in the evening with Gerry Mulligans origional quartet or billie holiday. When people call me they eventually ask what have I listened on that day.
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