House Cleaning

[Mark-T]

Maybe it was the discussion regarding the Carps' Icon release that got me thinking...

The time had come. I had amassed so many CDs, that it was time to be brutal and donate those I really wasn't listening to any longer. The space for storing discs had run dry, so the pressure I placed on myself was something to act on.

It was clear that I was storing hundreds of discs but never listening to them. A pattern of not enough time and no longer not enough money either to keep building my collection. The books would be next, but this was a good first step.

In the 80's and 90's, I had become kind of a completest when it came to my favorite artists. Or even one hit wonders- mainly artists discovered on American Idol. (Here's looking at you, Elliott Yamin.)

Starting slowly with one box, I picked out discs no longer listened to by America, Gloria Estefan, George Benson, Any Grant, Michael Buble, Doobie Brothers, the Eagles, Olivia Newton-John, and more. So many more. Sure, I kept many Greatest Hits packages and every disc by Karen and Richard Carpenter, of course. But for every one I kept, I offloaded seldom listened to discs by Sting, Ambrosia, Neil Diamond, Michael Jackson, various soundtracks and compilations...even some Beatles. I am sure among the 160 or so discs I donated, there are some gems serious collectors will be wanting.

The aftermath was a sense of release, a bit of sadness for letting go some of my history (isn't it amazing that we music fans associate so much of pieces of our life- good and bad- to our favorite songs?) and ultimately, more space in my life.

 

[arthowson]

i have a bunch of framed posters of the Carpenters but now that I'm an adult and have a family, the C's don't really mix well with the photos of my kids and family. they are in the garage.

 

[Rudy]

CDs are such a mixed bag these days that unless you are willing to check the going value of each and every CD (and checking the exact release), it is better to donate. A few local stores won't even take in CDs anymore--they just aren't selling. While at the same time, vinyl has really caught on. And as far as "premium" digital, gold CDs and SACDs are still selling well, so at least those are worth something.

I'm kind of in the same boat but luckily (for now), I have room for storage. Since I have moved most of my digital collection to a server, I don't really have a need to keep the physical discs in my listening room, and I rarely if ever look at the art anyway. I also have a box and a half with a few hundred CDs which are not really in favor, but have those one or two tracks I want to hang onto from each. Once I move the CDs out of the room, I can add more storage for vinyl. I still have a lot stored in boxes, although most of the prime stuff is up here already.

 

[A&Mguyfromwayback]

It's bittersweet, but also incredibly liberating to thin out the music collection.....I have no idea how many thousands of LPs and CDs we had, but we've probably purged 40% of it in the last few years......

 

[Jeff]

There's something refreshing balancing past, present and future whether inanimate or physical. I must admit tho balance ain't my thing. Often stuck in yesteryear...fog forward....dream on.
Thank the great KAREN above you had the space to keep her shelved. Uh oh n Ooops shelved is a poor choice of words.
But Ms. Newton-John the living goddess, muse and inspiration on the chopping block? That had to hurt. Anxiously I could chew my nails to the nub at the prospect. Hell I'll be honest. I'd chew these mf's down to the last knuckle.
I take comfort in having opened some of my collection for sale that I have amassed enough to play n share. Still don't think the bulk of items aren't missed but back to balance....there's a strange comfort in lightening the load particularly with devotees of the dear departed she.

Jeff







​

 

[Rudy]

I am weeding out multiples--some LPs I'd bought used, but others did not live up to their grading, or were too worn to be worth keeping. Some I will hand down to my daughter once I can set her up with a decent system, and the rest may need to be donated if they're too dicey.

 

[Harry]

My big purge came with the move south, but it was mostly junkier LPs I'd taken from the radio station. They'd been relegated to the basement and hardly touched since placing them there. After weeding out any potential rescue-worthy item, the rest went out in a yard sale, with some guy giving me a bit of cash for the whole lot. I have a feeling that he thought he would go through them and hit paydirt, but I assured hem there were no Beatles or anything valuable in there. Still, one man's trash...

The CDs have been weeded out a couple of times while down here, mostly to pitch CD-Rs that I'd saved for one reason or another that no longer were needed. I still have a few of those that will go in the next purge. But I've yet to throw away any real CDs, and space is getting to premium status.

Harry

 

[Dave]

Did you hear the one about the guy who spent a fortune on his listening material, sold off/traded/gave away what he didn't want, built up another collection, (even amassing stuff he'd gotten tired of, just to actually enjoy again) then sold off & traded his stuff there (and gave away even more of what he couldn't get in the way of value that first time) and is now building up even more hard-copy media?

Well, that guy is me...


-- Dave

 

[A&M Retro]

My nephew counted up my copies of 'Ticket To Ride' once in all the different configurations....29.
Yikes. OCD to the max. They say admission of one's problem is the first step to recovery, but they're staying put.

 

[GaryAlan]

I've attempted to 'clean house'.
And, with every move to a new place,
I swear to rid myself of hundreds of boxes of (physics/math) books,
along with the albums, cd's , 45's, and assorted memorabilia (I only collect Carpenters!).
But, who am I kidding?
I love spinning the records, visualizing the memorabilia, (re-) reading the books--
admiring the look (and the texture) of days gone by.
Well, I may not drink from my Christmas Portrait and Passage Mugs, but they do fill me
with a real sense of beauty.
And, that smile of Karen's--every bit as much as that voice-- does wonders
on a Rainy Day...so, the Posters remain, as do the glossy promo shots.
So, I never saw them in Concert, but, I can peruse the Tour Books....and, imagine.
Thus, I have contemplated the inevitable....some day something will have to go.
Not Now, though!

 

[Jeff]

I hafta say oh heifer dust! If I recover from anything else I'll be staring at the blank walls n singin the ol HELLO WALLS. I do have the novelty cd. The lp's save CarpenterS primarily have been excised. With cd's the staples that will be pried from my cold dead hands ( perish the poor bastard/bitch who tries ) are Carpenter(S), OLIVIA NEUTRON - BOMB, RONSTADT, GARLAND, CHER, MISS ROSS, ABBA and a little more sumpin sumpinz.

That said, OCD or collecting to the average Jo, has yet to give me another Dui. Incidentally, November 7 is 7 years w/o that decrepit nonsense.

Yippee n some skipped,

Jeff

 

[Jamesj75]

Imagine, if you will, during the 70s, a thin, young, shy, quiet, awkward, polite teenage boy (we'll call him Jimmy), already in the throes of some form of "OCD" (long before the term was coined) who dutifully catalogued his music collection. He was so proud of his music collection, though other collectors amassed much more... He ended up with 300+ singles (45s) and 50+ albums (most of which cost approximately $1 and $5, respectively). He would spend his hard-earned cash from working in fast food on these records. He would alphabetize the albums by artist and the singles by year, then title. His mother and sister would sometimes find Jimmy in the living room with his records, always organizing, always adding the latest releases to his list. His escape from some demons would be to listen to these wonderful songs on his record player. The Carpenters were instant favorites with Jimmy. How he loved hearing Karen's voice, and how he loved singing along with her and Richard. He learned to sing by singing along with Karen. The singing and the enjoyment of Karen would end up being lifelong pursuits. When Jimmy moved out on his own, he brought along two prized boxes, containing his singles and albums. After repeated moves over many years, he would always cart along those boxes. Even after buying a few music cassettes and then an avalanche of CDs (many of which were purchased to re-create in part his record collection) and even after he no longer owned any form of record player, he would still maintain possession of his prized singles and albums. Even though he has maintained a stable residence for many years, his records command a steady, calming presence in his bedroom. He will do various forms of house cleaning, but the singles and albums will always be there. One day, it will be someone else's decision as to what to do with these boxes of records. And in the meantime, not far below the surface, Jimmy still exists...

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

I can relate to all these accounts ^^^^
I'm so glad that I'm not alone in this world of (O) fficial (C) arpenters (D) ependency