Filing

[Hardbopjazz]

This is something I am sure all of have faced. For me, I store my collection by last name or band name. But, how to you decided who gets the CD stored under his name when there are two main artists on the date? For Example, Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith's two recordings together. Both were the main artists on these recordings. I have several recordings that would fall into this enigma.

[jazztrain]

You could buy a second copy and file one under each name. ?

Or you could file it under whoever's name is listed first. Or perhaps the artist that you prefer. It's really arbitrary. 

[JSngry]

I generally file those under whoever the leader was who was under contract to the label. But in the case of Wes & Jimmy, that's no use. So I file them under Wes because he gets top billing, and because, let's face it, Jimmy Smith played with a bunch of other guitar players, and how many of them got ANY billing.

Failing that, I use the reflex test - when I think of recod X, whose name comes to mind first.

[jcam_44]

I file by the artist I like more

[Hardbopjazz]

I file by the artist I like more

That's how I decided to file.

[xybert]

Yeah, if there's any ambiguity i usually go by who the 'key' artist is for me. If i have no other work by the artist whose name it should technically be under, there's no point in having that one album floating around in the abyss where i only stumble across it rarely. Sometimes it's just a case of 'who do i listen to that album more for?' Keep in mind that 'filing' has nothing to do with taking away from the other artists or trying to assign credit to the guy i like more or whatever. Some examples:

Most of the Max Roach duet albums i have i file under the other artists name (Braxton, Taylor etc).

Art Blakey with Monk i file under Monk.

Stitt/Powell/Johnson i file under Powell/Stitt/Johnson.

Town Hall, New York City, June 22, 1945 I file under Bird rather than Dizzy.

Bean Bags i file under Bean & Bags rather than Bags & Bean

Little Women's Throat album i just file under Darius Jones

Flute Force 4 - Flutistry (Don't think there's ever going to be another Flute Force 4 record. File this under Threadgill).

Bags and Trane i've filed under Trane &

Refuge Trio i've filed under John Hollenbeck w/

Costumes Are Mandatory: technically an Ethan Iverson album, although he himself said that he considered Lee Konitz to be the defacto leader. As you wish! If i get any further Iverson albums in the future i might refile it but for now i reach for this album to hear recentish Konitz so it's more useful for me to file it under Konitz w/)

Flux and Change goes under Paul & rather than Enrico &

Dual Identity i file under Steve & rather than Rudresh &

 

Edited September 20, 2015 by xybert

[Hardbopjazz]

Nancy Wilson and George Shearing, where should this be filed? Both are on the same label and both appear to be leaders of this session.

[JSngry]

I file mine under "W" for Nancy. But with Cannonball/Nancy, that one goes under "A" for Cannonball. Why? I'll take a wild guess and say that although both bands had equally strong identities at the time, Nancy shifts the music more with Shearing than she does with Cannonball. Mileages are gonna vary on that, I'm sure.

[jeffcrom]

You could buy a second copy and file one under each name. ?

Years ago, a friend told me that he had a dream about my record collection. In the dream, I had three copies of every record: one to play, one to read the liner notes, and one to just stay on the shelf.

[Jim R]

You scared me with the thread title.  I thought it was getting close to April 15th already.

[JSngry]

It's closer now than it was when the thread started.

[Jim R]

It's closer now than it was when the thread started.

Agh- that's not helpful!    (I'm not worried about taxes, of course... I'm thinking more about that ****ing Kay Starr song anniversary)

[JSngry]

aROCKtwothree, aROLLtwothree

(comma a stylistic imperative, please note)

[Jim R]

I like Kay Starr, I'm a big fan of 3/4 time, I'm even okay with most early "rock and roll".... where did my life suddenly go so wrong?  I definitely should have lied.

[JSngry]

Yep.

Either that or else pimp it like Pee Wee Herman, like you meant to do that.

Either way, neutrality not an option, not for this.

[Jim R]

So, nothing we can do about Kay Starr now (except maybe stop posting those goddamn lyrics ), but how do we delay 2016?  I know that's a tall order, but at least think about it.

[mjazzg]

If I can remember correctly the library cataloguing rules I used many years ago at work you take the first named artist on the CD/LP itself (not on the sleeve) and file under them.

who's Kay Starr and where should I file her?

[Jazzjet]

As a slight digression, I catalogue my collection in forename/surname order, ie Cannonball Adderley not Adderley, Cannonball. I started doing this because digital downloads from, er, various sources usually come with metadata in that format and it's too much trouble to change them all. I haven't quite got around to reorganising the physical stuff, CDs and vinyl etc, on the shelves in that format but I'm thinking about it. It's surprisingly easy to get used to. 

[A Lark Ascending]

As a slight digression, I catalogue my collection in forename/surname order, ie Cannonball Adderley not Adderley, Cannonball. I started doing this because digital downloads from, er, various sources usually come with metadata in that format and it's too much trouble to change them all. I haven't quite got around to reorganising the physical stuff, CDs and vinyl etc, on the shelves in that format but I'm thinking about it. It's surprisingly easy to get used to. 

Storing digitally I do that too. When I first started saving downloads I'd rename the file with surname first (habit) but it soon became clear this was going to be silly. So I accept the forename approach.

With physical CDs/CD-rs I file by categories. Where I have a lot by one artist they get a section of their own but within the right shelf. Still throws up the 'but is this blues rock or prog rock?' Issue. 98% of the time I can find what I need (so the filing works) but every now and then. My only Elvis Presley recording is one from the 90s called 'Elvis '56' and I've not been able to find it for years. Starting to wonder if a visiting workman half-inched it. Didn't take the Henry Cow records!   

Big problem comes when a category shelf fills up and reorganisation is called for. Fortunately I've freed up some shelf space retiring my school books to upstairs.  

Edited September 20, 2015 by A Lark Ascending

[BillF]

[mjzee]

I remember an article in Stereo Review from the early '70's that discussed the topic of filing classical records, which is a much more knotty problem than rock or jazz (do you file by composer, conductor, pianist?  what of compilations?  etc.).  Would love to reread that article today.