Collections

[Ken Dryden]

At one point Scott Yanow kept some records in his garage, not a great place to store them. He has since moved, though I don't know if the house is bigger, I'll have to ask him.

 

If you have so many recordings that they are simply stacked in boxes where you can't access them to play, you're a hoarder, not a collector, in my view.

[mikeweil]

Indeed!

 

[Big Beat Steve]

16 minutes ago, Captain Howdy said:

If you have more recording than you can ever play, you're a hoarder, not a collector, in my view. 

I know there are (probably plenty of) records/recordings in my collection that I will never play again before I leave the building - but of course I don't know today which ones they are (though they ARE accessible like the rest) so they are keepers. (For the foreseeable time being, anyway )

If you keep a checklist of the records you have played and scribble the dates you played a record on the inner sleeve you are not a collector (nor even a real music enthusiast) but a bookkeeper and bureaucrat, in my view.

30 minutes ago, Ken Dryden said:

If you have so many recordings that they are simply stacked in boxes where you can't access them to play, you're a hoarder, not a collector, in my view.

I must admit it keeps baffling me how often I read around here (from US forumists, in particular) that they cannot access this or that of their records to check this or that detail "because they are in storage" (and, as was hinted at between the lines, seem to have been so for quite a while in some cases). "In storage" being something that sounds like "in a lockup storage box" to me.
Is that a way to really enjoy your records?
Or are you intent on providing stuff for an upcoming episode of "Storage Wars"?

Edited July 28, 2019 by Big Beat Steve

[jazzbo]

My collection is out of hand. I do cherish my recordings, but I now have to pay to store a third of it, which my wife feels is ridiculous and I have over the last few years realized that it is. I've begun downsizing. I sold a few hundred duplicates the last few months and that's a beginning but still . . . a drop in the bucket. Wish me luck altering my behavior and succeeding in downsizing.

[sidewinder]

53 minutes ago, Big Beat Steve said:

I know there are (probably plenty of) records/recordings in my collection that I will never play again before I leave the building - but of course I don't know today which ones they are (though they ARE accessible like the rest) so they are keepers. (For the foreseeable time being, anyway )

If you keep a checklist of the records you have played and scribble the dates you played a record on the inner sleeve you are not a collector (nor even a real music enthusiast) but a bookkeeper and bureaucrat, in my view.

I must admit it keeps baffling me how often I read around here (from US forumists, in particular) that they cannot access this or that of their records to check this or that detail "because they are in storage" (and, as was hinted at between the lines, seem to have been so for quite a while in some cases). "In storage" being something that sounds like "in a lockup storage box" to me.
Is that a way to really enjoy your records?
Or are you intent on providing stuff for an upcoming episode of "Storage Wars"?

Talking of ‘storage wars’, there was a UK show some years back on TV and one episode featured the chap who used to run the ‘Rays Jazz’ store in Foyles bookshop. There were CDs and LPs stored all over the place, together with tour memorabilia, I recall.

Mole Jazz owner Ed Dipple apparently had a collection which sold well in excess of £1M after he had passed on and much of it was kept in a garage lockup.

 

 

Edited July 28, 2019 by sidewinder

[Big Beat Steve]

32 minutes ago, jazzbo said:

My collection is out of hand. I do cherish my recordings, but I now have to pay to store a third of it, which my wife feels is ridiculous and I have over the last few years realized that it is. I've begun downsizing. I sold a few hundred duplicates the last few months and that's a beginning but still . . . a drop in the bucket. Wish me luck altering my behavior and succeeding in downsizing.

I do wish you luck and I think I understand. My collection is sizable but no doubt smaller than that of MANY around here but purchases have slowed down because the threat of running out of shelf space is looming (I'd rather not tell how I freed up vinyl shelf space close to 2 years ago to ease the problem for a few more years, hopefully ). But I've begun downsizing in my "other" collecting area (classic cars - mostly 50s) and have passed on a few car books and magazines and have started downsizing my spare parts stocks. Still only a drop in the bucket but a start in an ongoing effort ...

[gmonahan]

I too have slowed down...or tried to... Luckily, I don't have to keep anything in storage (most--not all--fits in cases along one fairly long wall), but I keep trying to tell myself: *Only* get records you're going to listen to more than once or twice or three times! Alas, then comes an announcement that cdjapan has some cool stuff from the old Time Record label, and suddenly, I have five new cds in a nice package at my front door. Or Resonance is out with a new Nat Cole box, or Mosaic is doing something cool with Hank Mobley...  Sigh.

 

 

gregmo

[BeBop]

I haven't had access to my collection since 1999, aside from two or three holiday weeks, now decades past.  At that point, my life expectancy aligned well with my collection size.  Now, the years have passed and my continuously renewed expectation of "next year" feels delusional.

[Ken Dryden]

I have a bit of my jazz collection boxed, only awaiting the arrival of the prefab CD shelves (9,000 capacity) on Monday or Tuesday, depending on when the movers come. I've had no access to them for a few weeks (unless I felt like cutting the tape) but that beats the last time around, when I was still working. I started boxing around January, moved in July, then had to wait fo have my eventual music library room finished (the builder failed to included drywall and a drop ceiling) plus the addition of custom wall shelves. It was around the following February when I had access to all of my music once more.

 

[Milestones]

Older style collecting presents difficulty because of the space issue.  CDs (as opposed to LPs) are easier, especially if kept in jewel cases of slip covers (if that's the right term).   

My collections is big (I don't think I can give any kind of reasonable estimate), but it's nothing compared to some numbers thrown around here.  but a lot it has gone the ways of files on the computer hard drive (much of which will never make it to CD).  You can build up a nice collection that way, with no worries about space. 

But if we are talking about tangible items, there's a lot of difficulty and complications in being a serious collector--as well-illustrated by Ken Dyden and many others.  

 

 

[Justin V]

I am a bit younger than many here (37), which means that I missed out on the days of the LP but have been able to take advantage of the demise of the CD and ridiculously low prices.  Most of my buying comes in bulk from bargain bins and library sales, while I buy new albums at the gigs I attend (~30-50 a year).  At some point, I would like to digitize my collection to FLAC and get rid of most of my jewel cases to save space.  I'd venture a guess that the number of albums I own, including legal downloads is 1,500-2,500 albums. 

I plan on selling some and giving away others.  At a certain point, you have to think about the albums you love that you haven't listened to for years because your collection has become so large.  There are then the albums that are pleasant but you find yourself wondering whether you need to listen to them ever again.  You then have to decide what the saturation point is for artists, whether that be 2 albums or 50.  

I am not up on pop culture but have heard of Marie Kondo, who is apparently an expert organizer.  Wikipedia says that her method amounts to "gathering together all of one's belongings, one category at a time, and then keeping only those things that 'spark joy.'"  That sounds like a reasonable way to approach one's collection when it hits a certain size.

 

[Milestones]

Many jazz artists record so much that it is simply difficult to keep up.  And do we need to keep up on all of it?  For many artists, owning 20 records is scratching the surface.  Are there people here who have 20 records by Red Garland?  I'll bet some do.  Yet his prolific period was relatively brief.  I know I don't own 20, but I have quite a few, several due to the selling point of Coltrane as sideman.

But the question becomes this: what is essential?

  

Edited July 28, 2019 by Milestones

[CJ Shearn]

Same Greg. Some people feel me having 1,000 CD's is a bit much.  To the non collector yes, it seems a bit much, but it's important to me.

[Gheorghe]

When I was a bit younger I was eager to collect as many BN as I could. My Dream was to have the complete 1500 series and Maybe many Things from the 4000 series, but at some Point I gave it up. 

And now let´s say if you have a dozen or more of Lou Donaldson, Hank Mobley, Jimmy Smith etc, you don´t listen to ALL of them any more. It´s not important to have each Album of them, but at least some essential: I listen from the above mentioned artits for example mostly to "Blues Walk" "Soul Station" and "The Sermon", usually many others remain in the shelves…..

[sidewinder]

It’s when your abode has room names like ‘The Mosaic Room’ and the ‘BN 1500 and 4000 series Room (with Liberty extension)’ that you start to realise that you might have a slight problem..

[Milestones]

There are artists like Lou Donaldson and Jimmy Smith where most of the records sound pretty much the same--or so it seems to me.   I can't imagine going for 30-50 discs by these artists, even though their output is huge.  Probably less than 20, and the main factor would be the sidemen.  

 

[HutchFan]

8 hours ago, sidewinder said:

It’s when your abode has room names like ‘The Mosaic Room’ and the ‘BN 1500 and 4000 series Room (with Liberty extension)’ that you start to realise that you might have a slight problem..

LOL!

[Dan Gould]

3 minutes ago, Milestones said:

There are artists like Lou Donaldson and Jimmy Smith where most of the records sound pretty much the same--or so it seems to me.   I can't imagine going for 30-50 discs by these artists, even though their output is huge.  Probably less than 20, and the main factor would be the sidemen.  

 

Guess you wouldn't consider collecting LD concerts either, many with the exact same set lists and stage-patter. ("We will now play some Charlie Parker, not to be attempted by fusion or con-fusion musicians.")

I love 'em.

[Brad]

1 hour ago, Milestones said:

There are artists like Lou Donaldson and Jimmy Smith where most of the records sound pretty much the same--or so it seems to me.   I can't imagine going for 30-50 discs by these artists, even though their output is huge.  Probably less than 20, and the main factor would be the sidemen.  

 

I don’t really understand this post, sorry. You could say that about many people, like Art Blakey for instance, and I can’t imagine not having or listening to the recordings he made over the years. 

[Big Beat Steve]

2 minutes ago, Brad said:

I don’t really understand this post, sorry. You could say that about many people, like Art Blakey for instance, and I can’t imagine not having or listening to the recordings he made over the years. 

Question (again) of personal tastes, that's all. The kind of discussion that will never lead anywhere.

[Brad]

40 minutes ago, Big Beat Steve said:

Question (again) of personal tastes, that's all. The kind of discussion that will never lead anywhere.

Agreed but shouldn’t your post be directed to Milestones. 

[Big Beat Steve]

It was meant to be.

[felser]

11 hours ago, sidewinder said:

It’s when your abode has room names like ‘The Mosaic Room’ and the ‘BN 1500 and 4000 series Room (with Liberty extension)’ that you start to realise that you might have a slight problem..

And if you have a United Artists Era room, you are beyond hope!

[Milestones]

Art Blakey is a different case (for me), as he was such a dynamic drummer, a great bandleader, a phenomenal talent scout, etc.  Plus he would record the pieces of talented composers, most notably Wayne Shorter.

  

[JSngry]

I still like buying shit just to hear it. That's why I'm not too picky about vinyl condition, cd packaging, etc. Not as long as it's priced accordingly. I don't really "collect", I obtain. When somebody else takes it over, that's when it will be a "collection". Right now, it's just music that I like to have on hand,for if and when.