Demented And Sad

Being a self-professed rock snob sucks. I am compelled to fill in my library with so-called 'classic' albums usually for no other reason than to say "I got that" when I look through music magazines/books that contain a list of great albums of some kind. I am also compelled to get albums on these lists that I don't have.

For example, the lastest issue of Uncut lists the top 50 Greatest Cosmic American Albums. I had 11. I ordered 4 more. Why? I still don't know. Could I live without Shuggie Otis' "Inspiration Information" or Doctor John's "Gris-Gris"? Probably. Would my library be complete without these? Yes... maybe... not sure. But I can't stop. Acquiring music is my compulsion, not listening to it, but acquiring it. I don't have enough time to thoroughly listen and enjoy all the music I get. Much of the new stuff I get I'll listen to once or twice, rate it in iTunes and then hope it shows up again when I hit random.

In my neverending quest to complete my library I've searched high and low for some kind of uberlist of 'classic' albums. Needless to say there isn't one, nor will there ever be one that isn't at least 10,000+ albums long. But I must continue to search and feed the monster that is my library, filling it in with Bowie catalog albums, genre boxsets (like Nuggets or Motown) and greatest hits by the Buzzcocks and The Fall, for no other reason than its what I do and who I am.

My library defines who I am, and sadly I've had this reoccuring fantasy that I will find my soul mate when I find the person who 'completes' my library the most with the 'classic' albums that I still don't have. Currently this means my soul mate is someone with a penchant for female singer-songwriters (Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, Bjork), old country-western (the Carter Family, Hank Williams Sr), electronica, blues, reggae and world music.

Whoever she is, she will walk into the store wearing her Aphex Twins t-shirt, humming something off of "Court and Spark" and want to know which Elvis Costello album to get after "My Aim Is True" and "This Years Model", which cd to begin her Richard Thompson collection with and if "Astral Weeks" by Van Morrison is really worth it. Over several cups of tea we will discuss the top 5 Dylan albums, the wonder of Ella Fitzgerald and if The Flaming Lips are currently the 'Worlds Best Rock and Roll Band'. Then when she says that "The Weight" is her favorite song in the world, I will ask her to marry me.




This post got completely off track. All I wanted was to show a link to this website.

Listening to - Prince - 3121, My Morning Jacket - Z & The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin