Saturday, May 15, 2010

DESERT ISLAND DISC PRELUDE

On the Tossing It Out blog, it’s called Fantasy Island Discs, but if I were on Fantasy Island, I’d be able to have any CD any time, so I’m calling it by the title I’ve heard the exercise referred to in the past, where you pick the albums you can’t live without.

When Mr. McCarthy asked me to participate in this blogging event, my initial reaction was to decline.

After all, if you’re shipwrecked on a desert island, you’re pretty much going to be stuck with whatever you brought on board the ship with you.

If you knew the ship was going to be lost at sea, would you board?

If you had your fifteen desert island discs with you, what would you play them on (does anyone else remember that “Lost” scene from season one when Hurley’s


CD player batteries went out)?

And if you did have the foresight to bring your favorite music, and unlimited battery power on the island, why wouldn’t you either burn your music to CD in MP3 format (so you’d fit more like 200 titles onto fifteen CD’s), or better yet, stuff an iPod full of everything you own (wouldn’t work for me, anyway)?

All in all, the whole “what fifteen discs would you bring if you were shipwrecked on a desert island” scenario is just not realistic.

On those grounds, my first inclination was to decline. But Stephen is a good friend, and it seemed important to him that I participate.

So, being a music junky, I buckled under the pressure! There weren’t any rules listed for this endeavor,so I asked Stephen T. a few questions.

For example-how are multi-disc sets treated?

Are they treated as one CD, or as the number of discs in the set?

This led to some discussion. I pointed out that on the original CD release, the Beatles' white album was sold as two separate jewel cases.

Stephen countered that Dylan’s Blonde On Blonde is in one case and was clearly meant to be one piece of work.



My retort pointed out the inconsistencies in various CD releases- Tommy was put on a single CD in one release, as was Frampton Comes Alive, but both have also seen two disc releases.



What to do, what to do?

After some discussion, various threats of bodily harm (well, not really), and lotsa debate, we both agreed that if you could go in and buy it off of the shelf as one purchase (scanned only one UPC), it counted as one title for this exercise, no matter how many discs were inside.

So if you want to bring that 50 disc Elvis box, go for it! Of course, you better hope you don’t have to swim to shore, or the King may be your anchor.

The other rule I decided to try to impose on myself is to stay away from greatest hits collections. I typically do not like them, and when people comment on gaps in my collection, they usually exist because all that is available for that artist is some kind of “essentials” collection, and I prefer the albums as they were released.

Stephen and I do not agree here, and my suspicion is he's stacked his list with compilations. After several dissertations from Lonesome Dogg about the "spirit" of this endeavor, I was surprised we were so polarized on this one. I ran this by three other music collectors (all of whom own collections north of 1,000 discs) who all agreed with my point of view. But we collectors are all a little south of sanity. And the whole thing was Stephen T.'s idea.

I recognize that Mr. McCarthy and other civilians may actually own greatest hits collections for the hits, and not for the one bonus track that wasn't available anywhere else. That just seems weird to me...

To sum up-greatest hits collections are certainly allowed, but I think original albums make the exercise more interesting and I'm going to try to compile my list without any.

I’m typing these words before I’ve finalized the list, so I may cave by the end and include a compilation, but I’m going to try to stick to my audio high ground!

One last coment to my good friend D-Fens-on your blog you mentioned I have 9,000 CD's. It's actually 12,847 as of right now (but I haven't been to Zia or the mailbox yet today). And that's not counting the 1,500 or so records in the other bedroom. Everyone may as well know how deep the addiction goes and how serious the problem is.

I almost forgot-what about bonus tracks-do they spoil the integrity of the original album? Should we limit this to the original CD releases?

Maybe I'm starting to over think this...

3 comments:

  1. TODDFAN DISCMAN ~
    --> So if you want to bring that 50 disc Elvis box, go for it! Of course, you better hope you don’t have to swim to shore, or the King may be your anchor.

    HA!-HA! Don't drown with Fat Elvis clingin' 'round yer neck. It's just SO un-American! :o)

    --> Stephen and I do not agree here, and my suspicion is he's stacked his list with compilations.

    Not only will I be (proudly) including "Greatest Hits" and "Best Of's", but - solely to please you - I have even stooped so low as to include two compilation albums featuring tracks from a variety of different artists! (Didn't really wanna take 'em to the island, but the thought of your conniption fit was just irresistible to me.)

    --> To sum up - greatest hits collections are certainly allowed, but I think original albums make the exercise more interesting and I'm going to try to compile my list without any.

    We're not really after "interesting". We're after "authenticity". As in, "Which albums would you REALLY keep if you had to get rid of all but 15?"

    In some cases, sticking only to original releases dilutes the genuine spirit of the thang. I mean, does anyone REALLY think that there is one original Pat Boone release that is superior to his "Greatest Hits"?

    --> I’m typing these words before I’ve finalized the list, so I may cave by the end and include a compilation, but I’m going to try to stick to my audio high ground!

    Don't sell out, Discman! Don't prostitute yourself in the name of "hits" and "popular tunes" favored by the unwashed masses. You're better than that, Brother!

    Dude, "IT'S ONLY ROCK AND ROLL" . . .
    (even if you do like it!)

    --> One last coment to my good friend D-Fens-on your blog you mentioned I have 9,000 CD's. It's actually 12,847 as of right now (but I haven't been to Zia or the mailbox yet today). And that's not counting the 1,500 or so records in the other bedroom.

    And I have a $12,847. dollar-a-day cocaine habit, but I don't publicly advertise it.
    Uhm...
    Oops.
    ;o)

    --> I almost forgot-what about bonus tracks-do they spoil the integrity of the original album? Should we limit this to the original CD releases? Maybe I'm starting to over think this...

    Starting?
    Starting?
    Did you REALLY say "Starting"?

    ~ "Lonesome Dogg" McD-Fens

    POSTSCRIPT:
    --> But Stephen is a good friend, and it seemed important to him that I participate. So, being a music junky, I buckled under the pressure!

    And don't hand me that! You're enjoying the dialogue and the thought process this project has engendered and ya knowz it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Back atcha, D-Fens!

    >HA!-HA! Don't drown with Fat Elvis clingin' 'round yer neck. It's just SO un-American!


    Actually, wouldn't drowning with Elvis be THE American way to go? A surefire way to get a parade in your honor, especially if you somehow saved the Elvis CD's.

    >I have even stooped so low as to include two compilation albums...

    I have achieved my goal! You have lost sight of your true mission-the discs you cannot live without-and altered your list to add fuel to the fire! You better hope those coconut-oil ladies haven't taken a canoe to my island....

    >the thought of your conniption fit was just irresistible to me.)

    Is conniption really a word? I'll need some guidance on how to have one.

    >In some cases, sticking only to original releases dilutes the genuine spirit of the thang. I mean, does anyone REALLY think that there is one original Pat Boone release that is superior to his "Greatest Hits"?

    I disagree on your first point, and have lost all respect for your musical savvy on the second. The fact that you knew there was a Pat Boone's Greatest Hits gets you kicked out of the Airhead-Zona Musical Appeciation Society.

    Fortunately, there is a Phoenician's Easy Listening For People Who Don't Know Where The Atlantic Ocean Is Society that will probably snap you right up as a member. Heck, they took me.

    Unrelated topic-just watched "One From The Heart." Liked the music (of course). I wonder if I'd have known it was filmed on a set if I didn't already know-if you know what I mean.

    The technique to film was good, especially for the time (1980-ish?).

    The story didn't wow me-too many "fantasy sequences.

    It almost makes we want to consider adding the soundtrack to my list, though.

    Sad that Tom had to go into bone machine land and lose his way.

    Thanks for loaning that to me, Mac! I'd probably never have seen it otherwise.

    LC

    ReplyDelete
  3. TODDFAN DISCMAN ~
    --> Actually, wouldn't drowning with Elvis be THE American way to go?

    Only if you drown with "The Sun Sessions", but not with "Fat Elvis".

    --> Is conniption really a word?

    Why soitenly.

    --> The fact that you knew there was a Pat Boone's Greatest Hits gets you kicked out of the Airhead-Zona Musical Appeciation Society.

    Really? I would have thought it would get me honored by the Society.

    Well, you probably think I'm joking, but you will discover tomorrow that Pat Boone REALLY WILL BE ON MY TOP 15 LIST.

    No. Not even I can type that with a straight face.

    --> Fortunately, there is a Phoenician's Easy Listening For People Who Don't Know Where The Atlantic Ocean Is Society that will probably snap you right up as a member. Heck, they took me.

    I wouldn't want to belong to any Society that would have ME as a member. (Stolen line, but it's a classic.)

    --> I wonder if I'd have known it was filmed on a set if I didn't already know

    I know. Wasn't that pretty freakin' amazing? Of course it was a lot of money unnecessarily spent to build indoor sets when one could have just obtained a permit to film the outdoor shots on the REAL locations. It was a dumb, dumb move from a business perspective, but impressive as all hell.

    I mean, I've been to Vegas at times when the real place didn't even seem THAT real. The attention to detail just blew my mind.

    --> The story didn't wow me-too many "fantasy sequences.

    Oh, really? Actually, I dig the fantasy sequences. I thought they kind of made the story interesting, because otherwise it was just an overly basic plot: Boy loses girl; boy gets girl back. In fact, the story was too basic even WITH the fantasy aspect, but...

    Another thing I enjoy is the humor. There are a couple of really funny bits of dialogue in there. Particularly involving Harry Dean Stanton but also Lainie Kazan. Oh, and that pickup line that Frederic Forrest uses on Nastassja Kinski. HA!-HA! I was no lady killer, but even at my most bumbling I was never THAT inept!

    --> It almost makes we want to consider adding the soundtrack to my list, though.

    I hear ya, Brother! I know you won't feel this way, but I think that soundtrack is quite possibly my second favorite Tom Waits album.

    --> Thanks for loaning that to me, Mac! I'd probably never have seen it otherwise.

    Not a problem. Glad I could.

    ~ "Lonesome Dogg" McD-Fens

    ReplyDelete

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