Over 20 Years of CDs
Posted on | February 12, 2005 at 5:10 pm | 2 Comments
Sharp-eyed readers may have noticed that a couple of days ago, I added a link over there on the right to my cd list. That’s something I’ve been meaning to do for a long time. The CD database software I use, Music Collector has an option to export your list to HTML, which I used to publish it. Music Collector is the third database I’ve used to catalog my CD collection (following a self-written DOS-based program and an Access database), and I imported all my CDs into it from the Access database. I still need to finish going through it and cataloging all the essential information for the CDs (track names/times, cover pics, etc.), but I figure that’s going to take me a couple of years. You can see my progress by noting how many of the nearly 4000 discs have “length” and “tracks” listed.
Yes, 4000 discs. So beware if clicking on that link. It could take a long time to download.
You’ll notice that some of the CDs don’t have a purchase date. That’s because I bought them before I wrote that first cataloging program (approx June, 1986). I didn’t keep track of the purchase date back in those early CD days, when it was hard to believe I’d ever have this many and would need to keep track of them.
The CDs are stored in plastic sleeves (from Bags Unlimited) instead of jewel boxes, for the most part. Otherwise there’s no way I’d be able to store them all. I sold most of the jewel boxes years ago to a guy who did music transcription services.
At the same time I’m re-cataloging the individual CDs, I’m also ripping MP3s of many of them to put into iTunes and the iPod. When I get a new PC with a bigger hard drive, I may even attempt to make MP3s of all the CDs. Except for the really stinky ones that I shouldn’t even own. Anyone want some John Tesh CDs?
Latre.
Comments
2 Responses to “Over 20 Years of CDs”
February 13th, 2005 @ 10:07 pm
Is there some way for Music Collector to run a mass update of tracks and lengths, so you could find the duration of your entire music collection without having to feed every disc into the drive? 4000 discs at 50 minutes each comes out to about five months worth of 24/7 play.
And that Velvet Underground & Nico CD is messing you up.. The only disc I noticed in that huge collection recorded before 1974.
February 14th, 2005 @ 7:58 am
There is a way for MUC to do that, but it would just be checking the disc names against Internet sources and I don’t trust it to get the tracks totally correct that way. So, my plan was to do them one at a time by putting the discs in the drive. Although I suppose I could always do the mass update thing in the interim, just to get some raw data.
Hey, CDs didn’t exist before 1974 (or before 198? for that matter). I still have a lot of albums sitting in my garage that are that old, which I never replaced on CD. Assuming the data I have in the program for “Recording Year” is correct, I count 38 CDs recorded before 1974.
Blue Oyster Cult: Blue Oyster Cult
Blue Oyster Cult: Tyranny And Mutation
David Bowie: The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars
Camel: Camel
Chicago: Chicago II
Crosby, Stills, Nash And Young: Deja Vu
The Doors: Waiting For The Sun
The Doors: Morrison Hotel
The Doors: L.A. Woman
Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited
Good Rats: The Good Rats
King Crimson: In The Court Of The Crimson King
Don McLean: American Pie
The Moody Blues: Days Of Future Past
The Moody Blues: In Search Of The Lost Chord
The Moody Blues: On The Threshold Of A Dream
The Moody Blues: To Our Children’s Children’s Children
The Moody Blues: A Question Of Balance
The Moody Blues: Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
The Moody Blues: Seventh Sojurn
Bill Nelson: Northern Dream
Mike Oldfield: Tubular Bells
Pink Floyd: Dark Side Of The Moon
Renaissance: In The Beginning…Prologue/Ashes Are Burning
The Shaggs: Philosophy Of The World
Stalk-Forrest Group: St. Cecilia: The Elektra Recordings
Steely Dan: Countdown To Ecstasy
Al Stewart: Orange
Al Stewart: To Whom It May Concern 1966-1970
Strawbs: Bursting At The Seams
T.Rex: Electric Warrior
The Velvet Underground: The Velvet Underground And Nico
Yes: The Yes Album
Yes: Fragile
Neil Young: Harvest
Neil Young: Neil Young
Neil Young And Crazy Horse: Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Neil Young: After The Gold Rush