What does your collection look like and how do you organize it?

[Mark]

Ummm, yes my wife and I had a 'discussion' about this very point just last week. I'm afraid 'jobs around the house' type requests from her just go in one ear and out the other.

When its something in the kitchen like 'put the meat in the oven at 4.00pm' we have a system of her leaving me written notes.

It works perfectly 0:)

That does it: you ARE me. You've just described my relationship with my wife (at least, in one sense) perfectly accurately.

[George]

I cahn't, maing, I caaahhhhhnnnnt....!

How about one with your girlfriend diplaying your collection, Price is Right style? 

[marvinbrown]

I'm too embarrassed to show my piddling collection now  . Sarge's Wagner collection is completely mouth watering in itself.

  Haffner don't feel bad, I only have 400 (cds+DVDs) all classical which I'm sure is far less than your collection.  On the bright side, I like to think that there is a lot of GREAT music out there that we have yet to explore.........building a collection into the thousands is going to be fun...and a tad expensive 

  marvin

[George]

I have taken the pictures, I need only figure out how the hell to get them onto my computer. 

[Mozart]

George, you are an idiot!


Here is all that remains from my glorious music collection, 1 chance dvd disk that I happened to burn.

[Sergeant Rock]

My parents used to have that same dried grass wallpaper. It didn't last long once we acquired cats. You'd be surpsied how high a cat can climb on that stuff.

You're right. That textured wallpaper can be gripped easily by claws. We could have used one of your cats last year. We had a mouse in the house and I once saw it running across the wall.   Amazing! Your cat, defying gravity, could have chased it 

Sarge

[Sergeant Rock]

  Haffner don't feel bad, I only have 400 (cds+DVDs) all classical which I'm sure is far less than your collection.

Yep, we all had to start small. I have a large collection now but the downside is: I'm old and senile

Sarge

[12tone.]

Sergeant Rock:

I took a look at your opera cd collection and all those Ring cycles.  Where's the Solti cycle?  I think you said Solti but it was on LP?  You don't want the cd set as well or do you just not like the Solti?

[SonicMan46]

Sorry all, comin' in late to this thread - can't really show a 'single' pic of my CD collection - now includes 1800 classical music CDs & 1600 non-classical CDs (mostly jazz & blues, but a lot of 'old' country & bluegrass); thus, about 3400 discs in toto:

Much of my classic music collection is against a wall of the den w/ the books & speakers; the doored cabinets contain both CDs & DVDs (left, country & bluegrass; right, DVDs); just to the right of the cabinets is now a dedicated spot for Boccherini, Haydn, & Mozart; below the stereo equipment to the left are two pull-out storage units (top, British composers; bottom, Beethoven, Brahms, & Bruckner - I've started to 'segregate' certain composers!); in the side table next to the stereo equipment & behind the doors, even more storage, both classical, general & non-classical CDs; on the wall to the left is a unit I built (in fact, I made many to the storage units shown) that now contains my 'Medieval & Renaissance' discs!

Second pic (bottom, left) is around the fireplace - units (look like library storage) containing mainly my Blues & Jazz CDs; the carousel (which I made from cherry) contains DVDs - only musicals and a few others); pic, bottom & middle - newest cabinet built out of mahogany - now contains my Swing Era jazz discs & related music - of course, this could change OVERNIGHT! 

Now, had to MOVE OUT of the den, built the storage units that are now in our 'computer room' (bottom, right), bookcase below & CD storage above - all the CDs are non-classical (moved from the den to make room for the classical discs) - 

[Sergeant Rock]

Sergeant Rock:

I took a look at your opera cd collection and all those Ring cycles.  Where's the Solti cycle?  I think you said Solti but it was on LP?  You don't want the cd set as well or do you just not like the Solti?

Solti was my first Ring. I bought it in the early 70s, one opera at a time over several years (I was a dirt poor Buck Sergeant). My second Ring, Böhm, was bought in 1975 during my first tour of Germany. I preferred Böhm's Ring, especially his Walküre. I bought my first CD player ten years later. My parents-in-law asked me what I wanted for Christmas: I said the Ring. I was expecting Solti; I was disappointed when I opened the package and found Karajan's Walküre instead. (It had never had very good press and I'd never considered buying it.) When I heard it, though, I was utterly seduced and I quickly bought the remaining three operas. 27 years later, it's still my favorite recording of Walküre and I would take Karajan's complete Ring with me to the desert island. I still admire Solti's Ring; it was a phenomenal achievement and still sounds good today, and I love Solti's Rheingold, but of the eight sets I own, I prefer six others (Karajan, Moralt and Barenboim are my favorites...eccentric choices, I know, but I have my reasons). I've never felt the need to replace my Solti LPs with CDs. Maybe someday, if the price comes way down.

Sarge

[12tone.]

Do you think it's worth it to start getting LPs?  They're cheaper than cds and I could get a turntable...but I don't know. 

Is it worth it?

[Sergeant Rock]

Do you think it's worth it to start getting LPs?  They're cheaper than cds and I could get a turntable...but I don't know. 

Is it worth it?

Are you talking used LPs? Or new?

Sarge

[Solitary Wanderer]

Solti was my first Ring. I bought it in the early 70s, one opera at a time over several years (I was a dirt poor Buck Sergeant). My second Ring, Böhm, was bought in 1975 during my first tour of Germany. I preferred Böhm's Ring, especially his Walküre. I bought my first CD player ten years later. My parents-in-law asked me what I wanted for Christmas: I said the Ring. I was expecting Solti; I was disappointed when I opened the package and found Karajan's Walküre instead. (It had never had very good press and I'd never considered buying it.) When I heard it, though, I was utterly seduced and I quickly bought the remaining three operas. 27 years later, it's still my favorite recording of Walküre and I would take Karajan's complete Ring with me to the desert island. I still admire Solti's Ring; it was a phenomenal achievement and still sounds good today, and I love Solti's Rheingold, but of the eight sets I own, I prefer six others (Karajan, Moralt and Barenboim are my favorites...eccentric choices, I know, but I have my reasons). I've never felt the need to replace my Solti LPs. Maybe someday, if the price comes way down.

Sarge

Interesting.

As a relative newbie to the complete Ring experience I'm curious as to how you approach listening to this gigantic epic.

Do you have fave Acts or do you shedule a Ring Week and listen to an opera a day?  

[Solitary Wanderer]

I should have added that I have the Janowski version and I 've listened to Reingold and Act.1. of Die Walkure thus far. I'm very familiar with the Ring Without Words cd which I love.

[12tone.]

Are you talking used LPs? Or new?

Sarge

Both I guess.  But I guess more about used LPs.  The place where I can get them ... oh here, I'll just give you the pictures.  They have LOTS of CDs and LPs.

This is Sikora's folks!  Where I go for classical...


Their main cd isles:





The LP section.  I'm guessing they're mostly used...although some could be new.  I don't know:





What do you think about used LPs Sarge?  What should I expect?

[Sergeant Rock]

Interesting.

As a relative newbie to the complete Ring experience I'm curious as to how you approach listening to this gigantic epic.

Do you have fave Acts or do you shedule a Ring Week and listen to an opera a day? 

Walküre, Act I Scene 3 gets played a lot    Other than that, I usually listen to Wagner in the afternoon between lunch and dinner, one act at a time, going on to the next act if I have the time (and I usually do; I'm retired). I seldom listen to the Ring as if it were a single opera...I mean, I don't start with Rheingold and work my way through the other three sequentially. I normally only do that when I buy a new Ring: I listen through the whole thing once before I begin concentrating on single operas and acts.

Sarge

[Sergeant Rock]

Both I guess.  But I guess more about used LPs.  The place where I can get them ... oh here, I'll just give you the pictures.  They have LOTS of CDs and LPs.

This is Sikora's folks!  Where I go for classical...
Their main cd isles:

The LP section.  I'm guessing they're mostly used...although some could be new.  I don't know:


What do you think about used LPs Sarge?  What should I expect?

Personally I'd stay away from used opera records. The grooves with women's voices especially seem to wear fast and the degradation is very audible. My Wagner records ain't what they used to be.

My advice would be to stay with CDs. For the price of a turntable, you can buy quite a few CDs! There was a thread on the old board about budget Rings. Did you read that? There are several, and several really good ones available. If I were you I'd stick with CDs.

Sarge

[12tone.]

Personally I'd stay away from used opera records. The grooves with women's voices especially seem to wear fast and the degradation is very audible. My Wagner records ain't what they used to be.

My advice would be to stay with CDs. For the price of a turntable, you can buy quite a few CDs! There was a thread on the old board about budget Rings. Did you read that? There are several, and several really good ones available. If I were you I'd stick with CDs.

Sarge

Oh, sorry, I'm not talking about opera here.  Sorry for the change in subject.  I was talking more about just classical music.

[Sergeant Rock]

I should have added that I have the Janowski version and I 've listened to Reingold and Act.1. of Die Walkure thus far. I'm very familiar with the Ring Without Words cd which I love.

Since you are new to the Ring you are proceeding the way I'd recommend. When you start the second act, it will help if you follow along with the libretto. There are several key conversations that really are fascinating to follow word by word. You'll discover that Wotan, the supreme god, is henpecked Seriously, this act is the heart of the Ring, enormously important. When it's done well, it's riveting.

Sarge

[Sergeant Rock]

Oh, sorry, I'm not talking about opera here.  Sorry for the change in subject.  I was talking more about just classical music.

Ah, that's different. I still love the sound quality of vinyl and most of my orchestral and chamber records still sound good (except for the snap, crackle and pop...but many records had those even new!). That's why I haven't sold my LP collection.

Whether you should start collecting them: Well, I guess it depends on how cheap the records are. With so many budget CD issues avaiable, they'd have to be much cheaper than say a Naxos CD to make up for the cost of a turntable and cartridge. If you aren't used to the noise of the LP, if you grew up with the silence and pristine quality of the CD, that could be a problem too.

Sarge