What a title for your first “greatest hits” compilation, eh? Diamonds Diamonds emerged the year after Max Webster broke up, with no songs from the final album Universal Juveniles, the only one without Terry Watkinson. Even though these kinds of posthumous records are usually not very good, Diamonds Diamonds is an exception. It’s also one of the hardest Max Webster albums to find on CD, but a generous slice of vinyl at 13 tracks and 47 minutes.
“What do I know?” asks Kim Mitchell in the opening line of “Gravity”, the debut number. Kim knew quite a bit actually, including how to write catchy music without it being overtly commercial. He knew how to challenge listeners while delivering the hooks they craved. “Gravity” is one such slice of brilliance. It’s complex pop.
“High Class in Borrowed Shoes” is a classic rocker from their second album in ’77. As much as it kicks, the lyrics and keyboard arrangement are not typical. The title track “Diamonds Diamonds” followed “High Class” on the original album and it does again here. Like a lullaby, “Diamonds Diamonds” floats on the wings of the backing vocal arrangement. Next is “Summer’s Up” from the incredible debut Max platter. Jangling guitars and dreamy keyboards make for a summer scene by the pool side, with drinks. “Blowing the Blues Away” has a more traditional feel, country and blues and pop rolled into one, with a side order of quirky tones. But it’ll make you feel good. Continuing the feel-good celebration, it’s “A Million Vacations”, one of the greatest Canadian party songs of all time. Kim Mitchell’s guitar work is sublime and baffling at once.
Side A ends with one of Max Webster’s most significant songs, “Let Go the Line” with lead vocals by Terry Watkinson who wrote the song, music and lyrics. In Max Webster, lyrics were usually handled by the poet Pye Dubois. In fact he wrote all but two of the lyrics on Diamonds Diamonds. The two he didn’t (“Blowing the Blues Away” being the other) were written by Watkinson. “Let Go the Line” could not be improved upon if you tried. Kim’s regal guitar line, Dave Myles bass pulse, and the thrift of Gary McCracken’s drums are all flawlessly and perfectly fit to Terry’s ballad. If Max Webster only had one “perfect” song, it’s “Let Go the Line”.
Fearlessly opening side two with furvor, it’s “The Party”! It’s the off-kilter musicianship on tracks like this that had fans often comparing Max Webster to Frank Zappa. Frank liked to have fun, too. Well Max really liked to have fun! “We’re all here for a celebration, the madcap scene and the Max Machine!” That says it all.
Every decent “greatest hits” album needs unreleased songs. Diamonds Diamonds has two decent ones, good songs that might be a bit too mainstream for a Max studio album. “Hot Spots” is the first, a rip-roaring boogie of a good time. By comparison, Kim could have recorded it on one of his early solo albums if Max didn’t release it on this. It is chased by the outstanding “Paradise Skies”, another summery Max hit that keeps Canadian radio stations in business. Melody and musicianship — that should be Max’s calling card. The second of the new unreleased tunes is “Overnight Sensation”, the most ordinary (or forgettable) of the tracks. The bassline really hops, and there’s even some cowbell, but the song isn’t comparable to something like “The Party” or “High Class”.
Although it’s better as an album opener, “Lip Service” (from Mutiny Up My Sleeve) is a bouncer. “Socialutions, written down in our teens. I mailed them to Kennedy, I typed them for Tito.” Brilliance in a pen by Pye Dubois, barely contained by the bopping bass and upbeat keys. Then before it’s all over it goes into a brief jazzy jam! Finally it’s “Hangover”, also traditionally an opening song. It’s the hardest rocker of the bunch, quirky as all hell and actually a good closer too!
Diamonds Diamonds still an important record today because “Overnight Sensation” and the outstanding “Hot Spots” haven’t been reissued on anything else. You can’t say that about any of the songs on The Best of Max Webster (1989). This is the one to get. If you find one on CD, you’ve got yourself a good one.
GETTING MORE TALE #829: Freestylin’ 6 – A Wasted Candy Script for Chaos
Buy local! That’s the mantra these days. The last time we went “Freestylin’“, I explained that I was going to try and buy as much of my music from Encore Records. Having consumed the four albums I ordered last time, I decided to order four more! Like before, I tried to (mostly) focus on albums I’ve never heard before. At the same time I also wanted to pick up some music that people have been recommending to me.
First into the shopping cart: Love/Hate – Wasted in America. Your Heavy Metal Overlord was pleased that I enjoyed their debut album, Blackout in the Red Room, and so commanded me to acquire their second, Wasted in America. Encore had in stock the Rock Candy reissue with two bonus tracks: “Castles From Sand” and “Soul House Tales”. I trust HMO with my dollars — he has rarely, if ever, steered me wrong.
My second purchase was Nita Strauss’ debut CD Controlled Chaos. If you didn’t know, Nita plays lead guitar with Alice Cooper. This one came highly praised by John over at 2loud2oldmusic. “Nothing short of spectacular,” he said. Funny enough, the last time he inspired me to purchase an album, it was another guitar instrumental: Joe Satriani’s Shapeshifting. I am looking forward to hearing a guitarist that, aside from live performances playing someone else’s songs, I’ve never really had a chance to listen to. If Nita is as much of a beast in the studio as she is live, this oughta be a good album.
Uncle Meat has been telling me to buy some Cars studio albums for ages. All I owned to this point was a Cars anthology called Just What I Needed. Meat specifically recommended Panorama, but Encore had the expanded edition of Candy-O for just $16.99. Maybe I’ll get Panorama next. There is no point in getting the versions without the bonus tracks. This one has a number of alternate versions, one B-side, and one previously unreleased song called “They Won’t See You”.
Because I ordered four CDs the first time I ordered from Encore, I randomly decided that I had to get four again this time. My fourth was a re-buy, but a pretty mega re-buy. The nice thing about this one is that it doesn’t replace the version I already own. Rather, it complements the earlier version. EMI already did a pretty excellent job when they reissued the Marillion catalogue in the 1990s. Each of the first eight albums was stuffed with bonus discs packed with rarities and unreleased material. My new copy of their debut, Script for a Jester’s Tear (4 CDs + 1 Blu-ray) duplicates only one track from the EMI original!
For the 2020 box set version of Script, the entire album is remixed, meaning I will need to hang onto my original. The Market Square Heroes EP is also remixed. The only song duplicated over both versions is “Charting the Single”, but here it is in a fresh 2020 remastering. Discs three and four are an unreleased concert, Live at the Marquee Club. “But I have that already!” you protest. Do you? No. The concert on the Early Stages box set was recorded December 30, 1982. This one was recorded the day before, December 29th! While the setlist is identical, the concert is a completely unreleased one.
Finally the Blu-ray disc has the usual music videos and hi-def audio tracks, but most importantly it also has Script remixed in 5.1 surround. It even includes the entire Recital of the Script live video (81 minutes)! In other words, this version of Script is packed to the gills, yet amazingly without rendering your old copy obsolete.
Guitarist Steph Honde told me that the official Marillion website is sold out and he hasn’t been able to find a copy anywhere. Fortunately the Marillion store says they will have more this week.
Thanks to Mark at Encore Records for keeping the rock rollin’. This has been so important to my mental health. I have always ordered new music to give myself something to look forward to in the mail. The only difference in this new reality is that I sanitize the parcels thoroughly. After too many weeks of no new music, ordering from Encore has been awesome.
Wonder what I’ll order next time? Recommend four CDs to me. If Encore carries them, there’s a possibility I might end up buying your favourite album next.
ZZ TOP – Chrome, Smoke & BBQ (2003 Warner limited edition BBQ shack version)
Though it seems an outlandish thought today, there was once a time when if you desired to hear original ZZ Top music, you couldn’t do that on CD. You had to purchase original ZZ Top LPs. In 1987, most of the original ZZ Top albums were issued on CD as part of the ZZ Top Six Pack, which featured remixed percussion to make them sound more like Eliminator and Afterburner. Needless to say this was a very unpopular idea, though it didn’t stop the Six Pack from selling. The original ZZ Top albums were finally given a CD reissue in 2013. Until then, your best bet on compact disc was to buy the 4 CD Chrome, Smoke & BBQ anthology.
Because Chrome, Smoke & BBQ features original mixes and a helping of rarities, it still makes for an enjoyable listen and valuable collectible today. The limited edition version came housed in a box like a little BBQ shack, but both have the same four discs of bluesy, greasy ZZ rock. A well-assembled anthology can make for a great listen even well after its expiry date, and this is one such set.
Disc 1 of Chrome, Smoke & BBQ features three tracks from Billy Gibbons’ first band the Moving Sidewalks. The guitar work is brilliant even in Billy’s youth. These tracks are notably more psychedelic than ZZ Top. The year was 1969, the same year as the first ZZ Top single “Miller’s Farm” / “Salt Lick”. This early version of ZZ Top (credited as “embryonic ZZ Top”) was a transition from Moving Sidewalks and didn’t feature Frank Beard nor Dusty Hill. Organ on a ZZ Top song is an unusual sound, and it’s quite prominent on “Miller’s Farm”. It’s a pretty standard blues with the emphasis on the keys and with one foot solidly in 60s rock. “Salt Lick” has a bit more of the mid-tempo ZZ groove, but the with the organ still part of the whole. Chrome, Smoke & BBQ remains the easiest way to obtain this rare single.
ZZ Top’s First Album takes the spotlight next with three tracks including “Brown Sugar”, the first “real” ZZ Top track. An impactful one it is, and so obviously ZZ Top. It seems by the time the right three guys got together, the ZZ Top sound was born. “Brown Sugar” is so essential to the ZZ Top sound that maybe the box set should have opened with it, chronology be damned! Dusty’s pulse on bass is already present, and Frank’s sheer style adds some much needed character. Then “Just Got Back From Baby’s” has the spare nocturnal blues that is a ZZ signature.
The next three ZZ Top albums – Rio Grande Mud, Tres Hombres and Fandango! are featured much more prominently with seven tracks apiece. This part of the set is deep with essential music. “Francene”, obviously “Francene”, the catchiest song during this part of history, is present and accounted for. (Even in Spanish!) For relentless groove, ZZ Top never nailed one as hard as “Just Got Paid”, slide guitar right in the pocket. “Chevrolet” showed how they could just lay back. For shuffles, “Bar-B-Q” got the spice you need. “Sure Got Cold After the Rain” covers the sad, spare blues that Billy’s guitar can evoke. The music goes on, and on: “La Grange”, “Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers”, “Heard It on the X”, “Blue Jean Blues”, “Tush”. Though the songs in between are all excellent as well, it’s hard to ignore the hit power of these tracks.
Six tracks from Tejas feature on this set, still more than half the album. The ZZ Top direction was gradually making tentative steps towards modernizing. “It’s Only Love”, a bluesy country pop, sounds like something new. They hadn’t left anything behind though, as told by the menacing “Arrested for Driving While Blind”. It’s a cleaner, more studio-driven sound, as heard on “El Diablo” with its subtle overdubs and dynamics. “Enjoy and Get it On” is a nice sentiment, with the slide all greased up and ready to go. Two of the most interesting of the Tejas tracks are the quiet instrumental “Asleep in the Desert” and the twangy “She’s a Heartbreaker”.
At this point ZZ Top took a break to decompress after years of consecutive touring and recording. The Best of ZZ Top came out during this break, but what was going on behind the scenes was to be far more important down the road. ZZ Top’s image began its final evolution when Gibbons and Hill returned from vacation with matching full length beards. Their next album Degüello allowed the music to evolve as well. Six songs from Degüello represent this period, along with a rare radio spot advertising the album.
ZZ Top’s cover of Sam & Dave’s “I Thank You” is iconic enough that many people probably assume it’s an original. What was original was “Cheap Sunglasses”, a staggering hangover of a track — the new ZZ Top. Same with “Maniac Mechanic”, a track so bizarre that you could mistake it for Zappa. Meanwhile “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide” has the laid back, cruisin’ ZZ Top vibe that fans always loved. “A Fool For Your Stockings” showed that Gibbons could still play the blues, too.
Another six tracks from El Loco account for the last hits before the MTV generation took hold. “Leila”, a 50s inspired ballad is clearly an experiment albeit a successful one. As is the surf rocker “Tube Snake Boogie”, a track unlike any ZZ Top ever attempted before. Another ballad, “It’s So Hard” is not out of place, with its roots in soul music. “Pearl Necklace” has surf vibes but is most memorable for its dirty double entendre. “Heaven, Hell or Houston” is even weirder than “Maniac Mechanic”. It’s quite clear that ZZ Top were stretching out, while still maintaining a foot in their bluesy, rock and roll roots.
And then came MTV, the music videos, the car, and the girls. The music was laden with sequencers and electronic percussion, but this unlikely combination is the one that really struck oil. Black gold, Texas tea, and platinum records. Eight tracks from Eliminator are included here, almost the whole album minus three. Only “Thug”, “I Need You Tonight” and “Bad Girl” are left behind. So you get all the hits, and then some. “I Got the Six” had to be on here, a dirty but slick little favourite from the day. “Dirty Dog” is a fun also-ran too, but didn’t need to be on a box set.
When ZZ Top found their successful formula, they really ran with it, right into the next album Afterburner. As we know a sequel rarely tops an original, but the album still features eight songs, and this is where Chrome, Smoke & BBQ begins to stumble. By featuring so many songs from this period, the box set is really unfairly weighted. Surely another few tracks could have been included from ZZ Top’s First Album instead of so many from Afterburner and Recycler. “Can’t Stop Rockin'” and “Woke Up With Wood” could have been dropped, but let’s keep “Sleeping Bag”, “Stages”, “Rough Boy”, Delirious, “Velcro Fly”, and “Planet of Women”. Around Afterburner, ZZ Top had taken their music to its most commercial extreme. They decided to reduce, though not remove, technology on the third album of the MTV trilogy Recycler. Notable from this period: “Concrete and Steel”, “My Head’s In Mississippi”, “Give It Up”, “2000 Blues” and “Doubleback”.
ZZ Top switched from Warner to RCA for their next studio album 1994’s Antenna, and nothing from that era onwards is included. There is still some more music on this box set to enjoy. In 1990, ZZ Top recorded a cover of “Reverberation (Doubt)” by Roky Erickson for the tribute album Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye. Gratefully, this ZZ Top rarity is included here. You can note the Recycler-era sequencers, but they compliment the psychedelic track nicely. This is followed by the two “new” songs that ZZ Top recorded for 1992’s Greatest Hits. “The corniest Elvis song ever” is “Viva Las Vegas”, sung by Dusty Hill, and overproduced to the gills. Huge hit of course. “Gun Love” is also included.
Disc 4 ends with six “medium rare” tracks. Some are actually super rare. These include a spanish version of “Francene” with Dusty Hill singing. It sounds like thie audio could be taken from an actual vinyl single. A live version of “Cheap Sunglasses” comes from a 1980 promo-only single, and it smokes. Then there are some dance mixes from 12″ singles, easily the most skippable part of this box set. None of these will be played regularly by you, the listener. Especially not “Viva Las Vegas”.
The booklet included with Chrome, Smoke & BBQ is impressive on its own. It’s packed with music and text, including a track by track commentary by the band. “Seems like all our songs are about dicks and pussies,” says Frank Beard.
Limited edition box sets are fun to get while they last. Chrome, Smoke & BBQ boasts its box shaped like a steel shack, including corrugated roof. (It’s actually great because it doesn’t collect dust!) Include the box, all four CDs are safely housed in individual jewel cases. If you dig inside a little more you’ll find cut-out characters to add to your BBQ shack display. You could scan and print these cut-outs yourself. Enjoy a picnic table, ribs, sausages, cacti, and of course the guys from ZZ Top themselves (on a bike, or disembarked). Also hidden in the box is an animated flip-book. See the video below for a quick demonstration.
As with many box sets, tracklists could use a little tweaking and everybody will have their own ideas for how to fix that. Perhaps instead of dumping all those remixes at the end, they could have been included chronologically so the set doesn’t end on such a…tepid concept as the extended dance remix. The set could certainly use some balancing away from Afterburner and Recycler with more focus on the earlier stuff. The exclusive rarities are adequate and appropriate for a set of this stature. Not too few, not too many. The ZZ Top completist will want this set for them and will still enjoy giving it a complete spin from time to time.
The regular edition will do nicely, but if you can find a complete limited version for a good price, don’t hesitate to snag it.
Thussy here again with another Sunday Chuckle. Being a veteran contributor for the WTF column, this one came naturally.
Are these fart panties? Do they freshen the scent or muffle the sound? If the top right of the picture didn’t exist I would just think ok these are maybe some sort of padded biking shorts. Admittedly they looks like they would make long distance bike riding more comfortable. Is the top right of it just to show that they are breathable because it just looks like a fart?
This just looks messed. Is this some sort of medieval torture device that just eventually rips your nail off? The two side arms look like they would rip right through the nail making whatever problem these are supposed to solve so much worse.
$8 for what mouldy bread or cheese or maybe fruitcake? I swear this is some joke item someone trys to sell on eBay. I can just see the write-up now. “I found this wrapped up in the back of my fridge. Don’t remember what it is, eat at your own risk or make your own penicillin from it.”
Russian nesting knives? I’m an amateur cook and have a good set of knives and the one thing I know is you need a strong comfortable knife that are well balanced for weight. These look like they fulfill none of those categories.
Wanna see stuff from my collection? All you have to do is ask. This week the request was “Let’s see your favourite box sets”. I’ve rounded up a few for show & tell. I will go live on Facebook April 25 at 7:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. (If you missed last week’s live stream, Rare Box Sets, you can watch it here.)
The subject matter this week is My Favourite Box Sets. Most of these you have seen on my site already but we are about to take a closer look. I’ll be live for roughly an hour with these awesome box sets. Rob Daniels from Visions in Sound will be going live after I’m done so I’ll be jumping over to catch his show!
Join me tonight at 7 PM E.S.T. for some rock and roll shenanigans! Facebook: Michael Ladano
“We’re Van Halen, for those who just walked in.” – David Lee Roth
VAN HALEN – Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo (1975 radio broadcast, Laser Media)
Not all Van Halen was great and not all radio broadcasts worth buying. Some are quite shoddy, but important for historical reasons. Welcome to the 1975 KSWM broadcast CD!
“We’re playing dance music for people who like to party tonight!” says Dave. The first track to dance to is the Stones’ “If You Can’t Rock Me”: Sloppy, ragged, barely holding together, and then the shitty disc fades the song out! This might have been an act of mercy, as it sounds absolutely rubbish. Listen – if there’s no complete song, then list it as such on the back!
“We came unprepared for this, as usual!” says Dave, but my patience with the CD is already wearing thin. “Jean Genie” is a full song (more talking than singing) and it’s pretty terrible. On one hand, at least Van Halen did it in their own still-forming style, but it’s barely listenable, except for Eddie’s free sololing. An original “Women In Love” is actually better than the Bowie cover, but warbling tape makes it difficult to enjoy. Too bad, since this older version is different from the final Van Halen II arrangement.
Dave says wants to get funky on “Rock Steady”, while Michael Anthony acts as cheerleader on stage left. It’s not really funky but it does groove. Like all the songs, it’s a vehicle for Eddie to solo, and that’s always a good thing. A long rendition of “Rock ‘N Roll Hoochie Koo” follows (yes, they spelled the song title differently from the CD title). This one’s a good jam, with Eddie predictably blowing ’em all away. Dave’s with him with the odd “Ow!” and “Woo!” but this is the Eddie Show, from rhythms to leads.
A track called “The Fool and Me” from Bridge of Sighs by Robin Trower is a brilliant inclusion. This allows Eddie to show off that side of him that was inspired by Eric Clapton. It’s also Dave’s first chance to really sing, when his voice was raw and wild. Same with “Keep Playing that Rock ‘N’ Roll” (Edgar Winter). This one is just fun, and the band play it tight. Judging by the change in audio at this point, this is probably the end of the actual radio broadcast.
A couple minutes of rambling chatter with no value is laughingly listed as “Eddie & Dave Talk About Recording”. There is no such talk. It sounds like hitting on a woman.
“Eddie Warming Up” is what it sounds like. It’s cool. He plays several licks, some of which ended up in well known Van Halen songs later on. You can hear the telltale scratch of vinyl, which indicates this one was a vinyl bootleg at one point before being digitized.
Finally “I’m the One (Show Your Love)” is live once more, maybe from the same show as the broadcast, maybe not, who knows. This ‘Halen original is already fully formed, though the flimsy equipment they were playing through can’t communicate the full fury of original Van Halen.
This broadcast is pretty hard to recommend. The centrepiece is Eddie warming up, and that’s not even from the show. It’s pretty hard to play the whole thing through, but at least most of the problems are up front at the start.
1979: Ozzy Osbourne walks out on Black Sabbath, the band he has fronted for 10 years. Things almost get physical, and then Ozzy pledges to rule the world on his own. Tony Iommi swears to come out on top, with or without him. Bill Ward looks down, knowing that it is truly time for a change. Geezer Butler doesn’t want to give it up and recommends they call “that Dio-bloke”.
Malibu comics produced a highly fictionalized version of Black Sabbath’s early history in 1994, with stunningly rich artwork and co-written by one Terence “Geezer” Butler himself. Understanding that this is a mixture of fantasy and history, “The Power of Black Sabbath” is a hugely entertaining comic. The basic bones of the Sabbath story are there. The gradeschool rivalry between Ozzy and Tony was real, but Tony never said “Give it up Osbourne, you sing like a girl!” And it doesn’t matter because it makes for a good panel. Meanwhile, a young Terry Butler is visited by a mysterious entity that allows him a brief glimpse at his own future.
As if like fate, the four members of Black Sabbath eventually merge together. Their early history as “Earth” precedes the fame. Dirty managers, “Blue Suede Shows”, and Jethro Tull stories are rolled out panel by panel. “Why did I ever think about leaving Earth?” muses Tony, as a demanding Ian Anderson commands him to play a solo. After another supernatural encounter, they finally settle on the name Black Sabbath.
Album by album their success grows, but they cannot shake their continuing and strange encounters with entities not of this world. By the time of Never Say Die, tensions between Tony and Ozzy result in the temporary hiring of Dave Walker to replace the singer. Ozzy eventually leaves permanently on his own “Crazy Train”. Ending the story here, we learn that Geezer Butler has come to peace with the supernatural side of his life.
But that’s only half the book. There’s still plenty more content of the non-illustrated variety.
An interview with Geezer Butler is about as revealing as ever. Dig these insightful answers:
Q:Tell us about the new album.
A:It’s called Cross Purposes. There are ten tracks on it. We started writing it last February and finished in mid-July. [He then runs down the band lineup.]
To its credit, Geezer claims that this comic is the most accurate portrayal of Black Sabbath to date, though it does include “poetic license”.
Next is a very cool gallery of photos that you couldn’t easily find anywhere in 1994. These include full colour pictures of the Glenn Hughes lineup of Black Sabbath, and versions with Dio, Tony Martin, Vinnie Appice, and Bobby Rondinelli. There are even a couple monochrome photos with Ian Gillan. At the time these were some of the only pictures I owned of the band in these phases.
The next pages feature a discography, full colour with album art, lineups and tracklistings. Included here is a warning not to buy Greatest Hits or Live At Last! “You have an inferior product both in packaging and sound. You are warned!” Screw it, I’m buying Live At Last! The last page is an autobiographical story by editor Robert V. Conte about buying his first Sabbath album Born Again (my favourite). Within two weeks he had most of their records.
I’ve read a few critiques about this book complaining about the overly fictional portrayal of the band’s history. I don’t think it particularly matters. It’s obvious from the supernatural elements that this is not to be taken as gospel (pun intended). The vibrant ink and colours capture the Black Sabbath members perfectly, and each panel is glorious to look at. Not to mention it’s an oversized comic so every page has more bang for the buck. The stylized dialogue keeps the story moving at a good pace, and though the story is but a brief overview, it’s fine for a single issue.
A year ago we did a massive de-clutter. We had gotten to the point where we accumulated too much stuff. Especially after Jen’s mom passed away. We probably kept too much of her stuff out of sentiment. But in a very short period of time we made massive purge; a painful purge. And it wasn’t the first. As you go through life you get rid of things. You can’t carry all your possessions with you through your whole life.
Although I have forgotten many of the myriad DVDs, books, T-shirts and collectibles that I tossed to the curb, there are some that I now regret losing. Doner’s regret is a very real thing. Some decisions were made in haste and others were made without sufficient foresight.
I used to record all of my CDs and LPs to cassette so that I could play them in the car. Once I had a car CD player, I didn’t need to keep doing that. Eventually I decided to give away all my excess cassettes and that’s how they ended up in a Thunder Bay landfill. I only regret giving away a small handful of my tapes. I wish I had hung onto some of the more obscure ones, and anything that I made cool artwork for. I guess I didn’t imagine that one day people would want to look at photos of old cassettes and read reviews of them.
In years past, any time I have done a major de-cluttering, I’ve thrown a massive garage sale. Sorting through and pricing items gives you some time to process what you’re doing, and make final decisions. It’s an ideal way of getting rid of stuff. But even so, I have made mistakes that I regret now. My childhood rock magazine collection — what I would give to have some of those issues again. They would come in handy with what I’m doing now. I had just about every issue of Hit Parader from 1987 through to 1990. From there I moved on to RIP, Metal Edge and the various guitar magazines available. When I purged my magazines, I hung onto just a small handful, but knowing they were irreplaceable, I kept all my M.E.A.T. Thank God I did! I’d never be able to replace them all if I hadn’t, and those things have been invaluable research sources. At least I know my magazines went to a good home. My old friend Len came to the garage sale and took every one. I know he is someone who would appreciate them for what they are.
I got rid of the magazines when I got married. I had to make space for my awesome new wife and her boxes and boxes full of clothes! Around the same time, I passed all my old Star Wars toys down to my sister Kathryn. Again, I have no regrets. They went to the right person to care for them. I admit I do get a nostalgic craving to hold my Han Solo one more time, but I think that could be arranged if necessary.
More recently, I’m kicking myself for giving away all my Star Trek DVDs. All the movies (I had the double DVD collector sets), and all the seasons of the Original Series. The entire “Fan Collective” series, which were so good. Gone in one trip to the Goodwill store. Decision made far too quickly and I’ve been regretting it ever since. Why donate instead of sell? Because we were trying to do this very quickly. Hiring an organizer is expensive. Getting a couple bucks per disc wasn’t worth trying to hawk them all. I put them in a huge bag, dropped them off at Goodwill and tried to feel good about the regained space.
Don’t get me wrong — I needed the space. But my purge went too far.
So now I have to re-buy all the Trek movies. I can do without the series as they are all on Netflix, but I need the films back. I don’t know what to buy: blu-ray, DVD, whatever has the best content? This would have been simpler had I just kept them all. A couple weeks ago I re-bought an old Star Wars comic that I somehow lost. It must have left the house accidentally jammed between something else because I never would have gotten rid of issue #47, “Droid World”. It’s the only issue that means anything to me and the only one I want to have. I used to try and draw all the different robots inside over and over again. Cost me $5 to replace, but oh well. Never should have left the house.
At least I didn’t let a single CD go. That organiser tried, oh did she ever try.
“So what are we doing with these?” she asked about the three CD towers and numerous mountains of dics in my workspace.
“These are all staying.” I replied bluntly. “These are my life and they are non-negotiable.”
“You know that you can put all of this on a computer now and not have to worry about storing all of these? I mean when can you listen to all of this?”
The same questions everybody asks. Everybody who’s not a music fan that is.
“I’m putting them on my computer all the time. That’s what this setup is for. But I collect CDs, some of these are irreplaceable. I love them all. I could tell you where I got almost every single one. I read the notes inside. I look at the artwork.”
Trying to explain it was like talking to a wall. “But all that stuff is online!” She was begging me to reconsider but guess what. I still have all my CDs.
Still trying to work on a decent storage layout, but I’m not a carpenter. I can barely hammer a nail. I need people to help with stuff like that. It’ll happen one day. But the discs. aren’t. leaving. And just on a logistical level, I need to have my music backed up to a hard copy like CD anyway just in case something happened to my 2-terrabyte digital library!
I would never recommend hiring a professional organiser to any of my music fans. They won’t understand your needs and you could end up making mistakes. Don’t make the same ones I did, but do stick to your guns when it comes to your albums!
MAX WEBSTER – Diamonds Diamonds (1981 Anthem)
mikeladano.com 