Some vinyl/music collectors have this issue, I am one of them. I did not have this issue growing up as it just worked in my head, especially as I started buying CDs far as they were the next big thing and could be played in the car. They were easier on a shelf to track and organise, much like cassettes before them. It always reminds me of this scene from High Fidelity (Great film). (images are screenshots from the movie)
Dick: I guess it looks as if you’re reorganizing your records. What is this though? Chronological?
Rob: No…
Dick: Not alphabetical…
Rob: Nope…
Dick: What?
Rob: Autobiographical.
Dick: No fucking way.
Rob: Yep. Let me tell ya how I got from Deep Purple to Howlin’ Wolf in just 25 moods. And, if I want to find the song “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac, I have to remember that I bought it for someone in the Fall of 1983 pile – but, didn’t give it to them for personal reasons.
Dick: That sounds…
Rob: Comforting.
Dick: Yes.
Rob: It is.
So what is the answer/order?
- Alphabetically?
- Chronologically?
- Autobiographically?
- A statement display – instagram-able?
Mine has got slightly out of hand, over time it has by habit ended up autobiographical by genre based on live performances with small consciously put together collection that work by association. An example would be all New Order and Joy Division sits with Oasis alongside Supergrass and Gaz Coombes solo albums, but that must be next to the Foo Fighters as although I’ve seen Supergrass and Gaz Coombes live separately, I’ve also seen him back the Foos twice so connected. Audioslave sits next to this due to sharing genre more with Nirvana, Audioslave and Soundgarden link to Pearl Jam via Temple of the Dog but has to then sit with Stereophonics as I saw them Live with Pearl Jam. All 12” rage, techno, acid, house, drum and bass, happy hardcore are all just lumped together.
Gorillaz sit with Blur away from Oasis so no Britpop link but near The Pixies next to Depeche Mode next to Fad Gadget and Nitzer Ebb. Biffy Clyro sits next to Kings of Leon due to and Isle of Wight festival weekend with Radiohead somewhere in between. Vinyl from all the independent venue gigs randomly appearing throughout! Senser sits with the sizeable Beastie Boys collection as there was a cover version of Looking down the Barrel of a gun on the Age of Panic 12”. This also near Audioslave due to Prophets of Rage and genre alongside NWA. Music collection curation is never ending.
I need to catalogue it all? Maybe on Discogs, I don’t know if I can bring myself to spreadsheet it, but that probably would help at record fairs, I recently passed up a Prodigy record as I couldn’t remember if I already owned it! Just wasn’t 100% sure? Followed the gut feeling, left it, fortunately I did already own it.
I could not bring myself to go alphabetically. Certainly while growing up, I could track my entire record and CD collections autobiographically due to life’s overall experience from relationships to school, college, and university.
