Disc Compact
Some friends are shocked and appalled that I still buy CDs.
My collection started in high school. CDs were expensive, so I had to be very thoughtful of buying CDs I REALLY liked. I would even try to convince myself to like all the songs on a CD to get the most “value” out of it. But as CDs became less expensive, and I discovered the good deals at Newbury Comics, my CD buying increased. At my peak, I was averaging one CD a week. At first it was to replace all the cassettes, and then as my musical interests expanded, so did my collection.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m glad for the invention of mp3s. I can finally create that perfect summer mix, boyfriend mix, break-up mix, rainy day mix, etc that have been swirling around in my head, but was too lazy to do with cassettes. And I don’t miss carrying around CDs. At the time when mp3 players were still too expensive for me (which meant I needed to buy a new computer), I would keep my CD player in my messenger bag, and stealthily change CDs in the bag so that people wouldn’t see my played out way of listening to music. I mastered the art of hiding my discman until I was able to buy my first ipod.
I don’t know if I’ll ever stop buying CDs. I like buying CDs because of the booklets (liner notes, lyrics, and CD art, credits). There’s also something about the tangibility of a CD that makes me feel like I really “own” the music (despite intellectual property laws). Some tidbits of my CD collecting experience:
- Current count of CDs (not including singles & maxi-singles)? over 700
- Singles & Maxi-singles? over 100
- My first CD? A McDonald’s promotion CD of Tina Turner’s hits, for $6.99.
- My most expensive CD? Depeche Mode Remixes 81-11 CD ($29.99)
- My most valuable CD? Sheila E.’s third album, “Sheila E.” (currently selling for over $150 on half.com)
- Favorite CDs? Cyndi Lauper’s “She So Unusual” and “True Colors”
- CD I judged by its cover (never heard a single song before) and liked? Sneaker Pimps, “Becoming X”
- Blind purchase CD which became biggest upset? “It’s Not Me, It’s You” by Lilly Allen
- Old CDs re-discovered as new favorites? Human League, Berlin, CC Catch (thanks to PL)
- Under-appreciated CD? “Hard Machine” by Stacey Q. (thanks again, PL)
- Most regrettable CD purchase? “Elephunk” by Black Eye Peas
- Most CDs of one artist? Madonna (surprised?)
- Most CD singles & maxi-singles? Bjork
- Best CD by artist I don’t care much for? “Full Moon” by Brandy
- Most random CD? Puerto Rican music in Hawaii
- Proudest CD moment of achievement? Getting all 4 original members of En Vogue to sign my CD booklet of their greatest hits
- Most obsessive search to catch up on CDs I should have been buying all along? Kylie Minogue
- Last CD purchased (as of this post)? Gossip, “A Joyful Noise”
(Yellow headphones, ipod speaker, and green T-shirt by Marc Jacobs)
Busco Mas
