Culling The Collection (sick of records related)
holmes
3,532 Posts
Suggestions please, I want to get rid of some shit, how do you guys decide what stays & goes? Flip a coin? Whenever I do this I am always scared I'm gonna get rid of something I might need again in the future. I think I'm gonna look at removing all the pre-modern Jazz Jazz, heaps of Rock & all my Rock & Roll stuff, I kinda feel like removing heaps of old NZ stuff too which I bought because it was local stuff, but because it is local (like most old NZ stuff) it just plain sucks shit, but the nagging sensation is what if I start DJing oldies parties again, but then again most of the people into that shit will probably be dead soon anyways...I'm definitely gonna list some Jazz 10"s that I have laying around today for a start.....ideas anyone.....
Comments
I keep the stuff I collect specifically (local stuff, small label soul/funk 45s, etc.) and the records I've been after for a while. Pretty much everything else gets put up on the big scree, or tossed in the trade bin.
I think it feels good to let go of records I know I won't see again for a while. It distances me from my records and prevents me from thinking that I'm doing something more important/valuable than collecting objects. Regrettably, it's also a sign that I am not a great collectro.
It is actually a sign that you are a greater collectro than most - if you truly love something, set it free. If it never comes back, it was never yours to begin with.
Most records turn up again.
I think I can count on less than five fingers the records I've sold that I might never see again in my life.
Quality not quantity.
BTW its tough to do at first but once the ball gets rolling its almost hard to decide where to stop.
oh, and fuck a rarity factor. that's another thing that used to keep me holding onto rekkids that i realized i didn't even listen to. fuck that. cash in, re-up, keep it moving.
That said, I'm gonna try for a massive upload in January.
This will save a lot of time...
That does it. I'm coming over. I owe you for those 45s, anyway.
This should factor heavily into any decisions you make. I listen to my records via mp3 probably 80% of the time (in the car, with the ipod, etc.). A full expedit is a pretty thing, and there's a warm feeling that goes with owning the authentic object, but you have the music dude, you have the music.
you're an oddball too.
soundclip?
My goodness, these are OBJECTS, not people! "If you love it, set it free?" Usually I've heard that said about human beings! Things like records, on the other hand, are MEANT to be used! Hell, I love my arms, but I'm not gonna cut them off - geez!
Well, with that out of the way...what determines whether I get rid of something?
If I don't like it.
Or if I somehow wound up with more than one copy of the same item.
Yes, I'll admit to hoarding a few records I know I wouldn't want to play again. But, as big as my collection is, I've weeded out things from time to time. Without regrets, I'm happy to say.
My musical tastes are fairly stable; I know good and well what I like. And I know what I DON'T like, so once I cut something loose, it's GONE. I'm not gonna sell my funk and soul raers on a whim then wish I had them back later on. These aren't trading cards. And I'm not a hip-hop producer, so I don't worry about keeping dull records that have open drum breaks. I do deejay a lot, but it's usually things I listen to at home; I've never bought records ONLY because I knew they'd go over on the dancefloor. So, that's how I try to maintain the collection without having too much waste.
That just means you don't really love your arms.
I'm having pretty much the same problem, although not sick of records I just need to make room. I know what I can get rid of but I've already trimmed the collection by roughly 400-500 pieces so now I'm really cringing to get rid of shit (F*CK!). Once I start though I know it will just pile up quickly, my goal is to get rid of another 200 or so... Plus its not like I got the raers, but more than anything its just records I really like - DAMMIT!
Yup.
Sounds retarded, but thats my plan.
let's hear 'em....
I'm not gonna lie - I actually have replaced the occasional vinyl LP with the CD. Usually it was something relatively common, or something I only vaguely liked but couldn't bring myself to get rid of. That's how I unloaded my copy of Mean Greens by Eddie Harris (a good but inconsistent artist, IMO). I've written about music for different magazines, so when a 2-CD reissue of four Harris albums arrived in my mailbox...and one of them was Mean Greens...well, out the door the OG album went...
I've tried the purge the collection / MP3 route for a bit there and have regretted it ever since. MP3s have no soul and the sound quality cannot touch vinyl. Back to hoarding.
Thats it, man i have tried explaining this little addiction we have to people over the years (not least my wife, god bless her patience) and for me anyway, i guess it comes down to the fact that these little black discs and cardboard covers amount to a slice of history, they are windows to the past and when you dig long and hard and come up with an original piece that you have been searching for, shit, you cant beat that feeling, you are holding in your hands a peice of the past, and most senses are covered as well, sight, touch, sound (duh) and am i the only one that sniffs records?
I love my mp3s for pure practicality, cds are coasters, i still play my old tapes (showing my age)but vinyl?
Ahhh yes. And i thoght i was the only one. although i remember one crate in a thrift shop in Sydney (St. Vinnies) and there was this goddamn awful stench, so im checking my shoes, looking sideways at the old dude rummaging through pots and pans, but i couldnt place the smell, so i pull out a copy of innervisions and in the sleeve is what i think once was catshit. shit was all hairy and mouldy.
traumatised.
I try to be very selective up front, as this process is a real pain in the ass.
Anyone getting rid of 45s, let me know.....