Trying To Listen...

2-19-10 Trying to Listen…

I am always trying to come up with a way to listen to more music. Sometimes, I find myself sitting in silence, reading. I also try to listen to one whole album as I get ready to go to sleep for the night. I always figure that if it’s interesting enough, it will keep me awake.

I had an idea recently to take an entire year – from any starting point – and listen to only one album each day – but each and every day. I thought of that last year, and we’re more than half way through February and – as yet – I have not started this project.

And I’ve already bought several hundred new titles to my collection this year so far. When am I going to get around to listening to everything?

“You have all those records. Do you listen to them all?” – Well, I try to! I’ve made 125 numbered playlists over the last 2 or 3 years. This is where I make an MD and list the songs I pick. Then I put all the playlists into a spread sheet. How many did I duplicate? Not as many as you might think. I do try to listen to everything – at least once!

And all those John Cale shows Dept.: My hearing isn’t what it used to be! My left ear hears better than my right ear. And neither ear is terribly clear at the moment. I know, I know – the guy who buys re-mastered CD’s ostensibly to get clearer, better sound – can’t hear as good as he used to. Does that mean I should buy more DVD’s of movies that have subtitles?

But…but…I’m still interested, damn it! My interest is still there to sift the used bins at all three Amoeba stores in California – as well as countless other record stores! Looking at used records – one of the few time-displacement diet methods that actually work!

I see other people at work with their iPods…looking up playlists on the internet. I do not want to stick anything in my ears anymore! And to wear big DJ headphones at work would just be plain old rude. Yes, I could use my Sony Minidisc MDLP portable, so at least it wouldn’t be an iPoop.

I burn tons of CD’s to play in my car. After I play ‘em maybe once – I give the ‘burns’ to friends. But I do get to listen in the car.

Just the other night, I played Emerson Lake & Palmer “Tarkus” right before I went to bed. I always did like that album, and apparently – so do the Japanese! Side One sounded great. Side Two was never as good, but it all played quickly enough. I stayed awake for the entire album! It would’ve been pushing it to play another album after that. What ran though my mind: “Should I order a new version of Tarkus? Would an ’08 SHM-CD from Japan in a little paper album cover sound better or clearer?” I do already own a Japanese little paper album cover CD of Tarkus. And several original Island UK / Euro vinyl variants of it. And it’s definitely not a question of upgrading to get more / better / different bonus tracks. Tarkus doesn’t have any. Until the 40^th anniversary edition, I bet!