Revival

I've decided to revive this blog and write about music again. Specifically, I'm going to try to listen to every album I own in alphabetical order and review it and write some thoughts about it. Though I've listened to music and loved music for my whole life (thanks in large part to a father that always played music in the house), I truly got into it around the year 2000, in the seventh grade. I got my own boombox that year, for my Bar Mitzvah, and was able to tape copies of Beatles and Rolling Stones albums for myself. While familiar with a lot of these songs, this marked the start of a period in my life where I'd listen to full albums and discographies. Certainly, this coincided with VH1's release of 100 Greatest Artists/Albums/Songs of all time around this era. Looking back on it, by making lists of albums I wanted to own and ranking my favorites, I was already exhibiting the signs of a record collector. It's been a long journey. I can remember a time when, in the eighth grade, I told my mom my "to-buy" list was 30 things long, and once I had that, I'd be set. I don't remember what comprised that list, but I do remember that Elvis Costello was the most obscure thing on it. Since then I've listened to and re-listened to thousands of albums. I've done this through tapes, downloads, CDs, records. Through my computer, Discman, Walkman, two hand-me-down stereos, cars, and now a stereo that I've bought myself. It feels like for years I've been buying media, listening to it once, and shelving it. I think I'd make myself nauseous if I really looked into how many albums I've impulsively bought in the last few years, feeling like I immediately needed it, and then only listened to it once. So much of my collection was acquired during adolescence, and the majority of my music is something I've only listened to on an old, blown-out stereo, in a car, or in a Discman. So this project has two goals. Go back and listen to all my music in what is the best stereo I've ever owned. And perhaps slow down on the pace of acquiring new music, and sit back and enjoy what I already have. If applicable, I'll make comments on the various formats and releases of albums I've owned. Some I have on CD and vinyl. Some multiple CDs and multiple records. Thanks for reading.