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

[Michel]

Nice collection, Michel. I'd certainly be proud of that. Especially as it's taken you just three years to acquire.

About 350 of these have been in the past 4 months, believe it or not!!

I spent hundreds a week.

[Mark]

What's your cataloguing system? And your favourite handful of discs?

[Michel]

What's your cataloguing system? And your favourite handful of discs?

Cataloging, they just sit where they are on the shelf, anywhere..

I record them all in an excel spreadsheet,though, else I would end up buying things I already had.

Favourite discs? Hmmm.

A few:

Bach Organ Works - Walcha
Schubert Late String Quartets - Tokyo
Sofia Recital - Richter
Bruckner Complete Symphs Skrowaczewski
Solti's Wagner Ring Cycle
Mahler 9 Chailly
My Parsifal Collection
Anything by Boris Christoff

[Sergeant Rock]

Nice collection, Michel. I'd certainly be proud of that. Especially as it's taken you just three years to acquire.

I agree. In my first five years of serious collecting I only had about 150 LPs. My collection didn't seriously take off until I divorced my first wife and married a music lover, Mrs. Rock.

Sarge

[Haffner]

You can clearly see Böhm's Ring: the big red box on the top shelf of the LP pictures. Solti is in there too. The CD Rings are just off camera in the second picture. Here are the opera shelves from the reverse angle:



Wagner occupies the top shelf (of course  ) There's a small bust of Wagner my best friend gave me when I returned from Vietnam. Here are my CD Rings:



From the top left: Moralt, Levine, Barenboim; directly below Barenboim, Karajan flanked by Böhm and Krauss. My Rome Furtwängler is on loan to a friend.

Sarge

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

[Mark]

I record them all in an excel spreadsheet,though, else I would end up buying things I already had.

Interesting. My weird brain and its ability to recall the discs I have means that while I have no formal record of which CDs I own, I know instantly - when in a record store or browsing online, for example - whether or not I own a particular disc.

I agree. In my first five years of serious collecting I only had about 150 LPs. My collection didn't seriously take off until I divorced my first wife and married a music lover, Mrs. Rock.

Sarge

Similar thing happened to me. First five years: no more than, maybe, 20 classical CDs (though hundreds of non-classical, most of which has now left my collection). Last five years: probably bought close to 700 CDs.

[Mark]

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

Do it, Andy ... do eeeeeeeeeeeeet!

[Sergeant Rock]

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

But, Andy, your collection is growing nicely and every new purchase you mention is an absolute gem. Besides, there must be a roomful of metal discs 

Sarge

[Haffner]

But, Andy, your collection is growing nicely and every new purchase you mention is an absolute gem. Besides, there must be a roomful of metal discs 

Sarge

Of course there are! It's interesting, after only 10 months of intense classic music collecting, my metal collection is by now halved, eclipsed in comparison.

There are always other performances of the great works to buy and enjoy (ask Harry ).

Do it, Andy ... do eeeeeeeeeeeeet!

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

[Solitary Wanderer]

Interesting. My weird brain and its ability to recall the discs I have means that while I have no formal record of which CDs I own, I know instantly - when in a record store or browsing online, for example - whether or not I own a particular disc.

Same. I've never unwittingly bought the same title twice. It just won't happen.  

I know exactly where every disc is in my collection and can lay my finger on it in a second.  

[Mark]

Same. I've never unwittingly bought the same title twice. It just won't happen.  

I know exactly where every disc is in my collection and can lay my finger on it in a second.  

Beginning to think you and I are rather alike, Chris. We do seem to share one mind on a number of things ... at least, classical music-related things.

[Solitary Wanderer]

Beginning to think you and I are rather alike, Chris. We do seem to share one mind on a number of things ... at least, classical music-related things.

Both a little odd?

[Mark]

Trust me, I'm much more than a little odd.

[Haffner]

Both a little odd?

Ja! I say "odd is GOOT!"

[Sergeant Rock]

Same. I've never unwittingly bought the same title twice. It just won't happen. 

I know exactly where every disc is in my collection and can lay my finger on it in a second. 

GRRRR!!! I hate you young dudes, your minds still intact and functioning!

I have to have a list. Even with my list, I've purchased duplicate discs four or five times. But without a list, my collection would probably be twice as large 

Sarge

[Mark]

Sarge, in most other areas of life, my mind is shot to pieces. If the wife asks me to remember one simple thing, it's out of my head before she's finished speaking.

Or perhaps that just happens whenever my wife talks?

[Sergeant Rock]

Or perhaps that just happens whenever my wife talks?

I think all husbands can relate to that experience...at least occasionally 

Sarge

[Solitary Wanderer]

GRRRR!!! I hate you young dudes, your minds still intact and functioning!

I have to have a list. Even with my list, I've purchased duplicate discs four or five times. But without a list, my collection would probably be twice as large 

Sarge

The typed list is interesting. At another music site where I used to post the guys there had impressive software where they've loaded their entire collections with cover art etc. Great to look at.

I downloaded the software but the task was so daunting and when I really thought about it I couldn't see how I'd benefit from it. I know what I've got and where it is so...? I never bothered.

But you may have a good point there Sarge. My memory isn't as sharp as it was 10 years ago so how will it be in 20 years?

Hopefully it will still be good on the music remembering front  

[Solitary Wanderer]

Sarge, in most other areas of life, my mind is shot to pieces. If the wife asks me to remember one simple thing, it's out of my head before she's finished speaking.

Or perhaps that just happens whenever my wife talks?

I think all husbands can relate to that experience...at least occasionally 

Sarge

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:)

[MishaK]

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.