| Author | Message | ||
     Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 1705 Registered: 05-2005 |
Here's something I put on my myspace page, but I figure it could be a thread here too. I threw around 160 CDs into the bin the other day. I was playing a CD by New Zealand band Dimmer and I just thought "This is mostly shit" and I'll never play it again. (It was a promo copy I got for $5). So I thought I'd just throw it into the bin! And I added another 159 CDs to the pile. I picked out about another 40 which I'll give to a local charity shop. They'll be able to get a couple of dollars each for them. The ones I threw into the bin are things that no-one would pay for (eg CD singles by Northern Ireland band Cuckoo). It was quite liberating throwing all that crap out. I just regret bringing so many of them to Australia in the first place. I should have just thrown them all into the bin in Dublin (though I did give someone a rubbish bag with hundreds of CDs and tapes before I left). I'll be throwing out / giving to charity shops at least a couple of hundred more before I'm finished with the spring cleaning. Too much bloody clutter and not a big enough flat! Space has really become an issue for me. When I gave away all that music before leaving Dublin the tapes were stuff I had subsequently bought on CD, apart from a few that had emotional attachments for me (such as a C-90 from 1989 - one side is The Pursuit Of Happiness' Love Junk, the other is Hup by The Wonder Stuff. That tape, along with Doolittle, soundtracked my summer in Boston). I've realised lately that I spend far too much time going through reams of stuff I turn out not to even like much, and not nearly enough time playing what I love. I thought about bringing the CDs to a second hand shop but I'd have to carry hundreds of CDs into town; they probably wouldn't take most of them and give me almost nothing for the ones they did take. All too frustrating to think about. Much better to give some to a charity shop and bin the rest. As well as throwing hundreds of CDs out I have also bought 500 plastic mesh sleeves which can hold two discs each. I'll use that to store a thousand or so CDs and throw all the cases out. That will free up a fair bit of space. | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 1785 Registered: 05-2005 |
Padraig, every 6 months or so I take about 40 or so CDs to a second hand shop and the guy normally gives me about Ł2 per disc. Like you say, most of it is crap, or stuff I know I will never play again. I wish I had the will power to ignore 90% of new music thats released these days, most of it is substandard at best, or just plain crap. But I am trapped, I just cannot bear the thought of missing something new that might be great. It doesnt help that I buy about 5 music magazines per month which constantly tempt you into buying stuff,even if its the 20th or 30th anniversary of some masterpiece. Like I said on another post, I have probably bought Two Sevens Clash by Culture at least four times now. I can console myself with the fact that at least I can preview all this new crap on Napster without buying it, then I can make a judgement on whether to purchase on CD or not. Just this morning I played Beggars Banquet for the first time in ages and was blown away by how great it still is. Then I thought that if I wasnt so consumed by the fear of missing all this new stuff I would be able to play things like BB, and Unknown Pleasures, and Murmer, and London Calling, and Hunky Dory,and Blonde On Blonde, and any other classic you care to mention more often. Maybe what I should do is not buy any new albums all year, wait for the end of year polls, sort the wheat from the chaff, sample them on Napster and buy the best dozen or so. However, I know thats probably not going to happen. People like us are "lifers" | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 1706 Registered: 05-2005 |
I agree with every word you wrote there Kevin. Lifers is a very accurate description! | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 787 Registered: 01-2005 |
I have yet to pare down my cd collection one bit! I often wonder though, When was the last time I listened to some of those Fetchin' Bones cd's? | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 689 Registered: 10-2004 |
I don't buy very many CDs, as I mostly purchase LPs, but about once a year a comb through the collection, weed out the crap, and sell it back to Amoeba, of if something's rare and worth a lot of money, I'll sell it on eBay. Since my Ikea "Expedit" is completely filled top to bottom with LPs, this is a necessity because I don't really have a proper place to keep the overflow. However, if I buy an LP or CD that's total crap, I'll take it back to Amoeba for 75% credit. I always get absurdly annoyed when I bring home an album that turns out to be a pile of poop, so getting rid of the thing as soon as I'm convinced it'll never grow on me is usually the best course of action. | ||
| Catherine Vaughan Member Username: Catherine Post Number: 222 Registered: 05-2005 |
God bless your self discipline, guys! The only reason my whole house is not overflowing with CDs is lack of sufficient funds, and the constant game of catch-up. Often, by the time I get around to buying something, I pretty much know that I'm going to like it, because it's at least a few months old. It doesn't mean there are no duds either! I think I should bugger off home, and get busy clearing out the rubbish!! | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 2238 Registered: 03-2006 |
That is great discipline and I completely relate to the need to escape all that clutter. Life is too short to live amongst it...More and more, I think the 80-20 rule applies to most of life and it definitely seems to apply to my CD collection: I spend 80% of the time listening to 20% of my CDs... I'm curious, Jeff. I've been contemplating taking a bunch of my "winners" up to Amoeba in Hollywood. What kind of $$ do they offer up for used discs, and how picky are they about what they take? I would assume the same guidelines apply in Hollywood as in Berkeley... | ||
| Paul N Member Username: Pauln Post Number: 22 Registered: 10-2006 |
I do not think I've ever bought a dud - I wish. Easy to get rid of cds you just don't like, but there are so many with a couple of good tracks on them that tug at the heart strings and stop you from chucking them. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 692 Registered: 10-2004 |
Keith - I've calculated that Amoeba will give you approximately 50% of what they will sell your albums for. And it's more, maybe 2/3, if you choose store credit instead of cash. So you can expect to get about $5 for a CD that normally sells used for $10. They don't usually seem overly picky, although if they have an abundance of a particular title, they may give you less for it, or in rare cases reject it altogether. And of course they won't give you much, if anything, if the CDs are scratched or have damaged cases/artwork. I find that the amount you get can also vary depending on the buyer. Most of Amoeba's buyers seem pretty "with it", but I've probably encountered one or two who were bafflingly ignorant of what was being offered to them. They do seem to price according to some fixed criteria, like CDs in excellent condition go for such and such amount, and I've found that if you have something really rare and worth lots of $$$, they may not take that into consideration. In those cases, I'll sell the item on ebay. So, you obviously lose money in the process, but it's a lot better than nothing. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 693 Registered: 10-2004 |
Actually, strike that - I think it's closer to getting about 1/3 of what your items will sell for if you want cash, and more like 50-60% if you choose store credit. | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 285 Registered: 07-2006 |
how do people know what they actually listen to? like, i know it's a stupid question....but really. i love all of my records and bought them for a very specific reason i can usually recall the instant i look at it. as for the frequency of my actually listening to most of them, well...... | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 1714 Registered: 05-2005 |
Oh Joe, you young kid you! Wait till you hit 40 and see how many records you have. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 2242 Registered: 03-2006 |
Thanks, Jeff. Excellent information. They sound both generous and liberal (ever notice how those two qualities often go together?). Definitely sounds worthwhile to trade with them, so I'll have to pack up my raggedy-ass CDs, face the traffic and head up there. | ||
| John B. Member Username: John_b Post Number: 120 Registered: 10-2006 |
Great thread. Yes, I chuck out CDs frequently as well. Even though my collection is by far not as massive as that of others here on the board. What about books? A lot of people say that books are sacred and you can't throw them out. But I plan exactly that. Is a crap book worth more than a crap CD? | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 2291 Registered: 03-2006 |
Books have the added issue of being too f-ing heavy. I say burn 'em! | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 1376 Registered: 03-2005 |
No, a crap book goes out too. Bookshelf space is even more scarce. I bought a huge wall of shelves to replace the ragtag bookcases scattered around the house and, sadly, there's only about six feet of unused space at this point. Crap books definitely go out. So far I've been too lazy to deal with selling things back to Amoeba and I only live 2 miles from them! Things will get different when I run out of CD shelf space. | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 823 Registered: 01-2005 |
Randy, You can always do what I do, buy another cd storage cabinet! I really should do something about a ton of my old books, paperback and hardcover, that I'll never read again. | ||
| John B. Member Username: John_b Post Number: 121 Registered: 10-2006 |
Thanks guys, that makes me feel better. The crap books will start going out tomorrow. But, living in Germany, it is definitely not the best idea to burn them. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 1732 Registered: 05-2005 |
I've wondered that about books too John. I have in the past gotten rid of crap books, but my big problem is unread books. I have so many that I have idea if they're any good or not. I keep saying I'll get round to them someday, but I'll have to face up to the fact that I won't with some of them. | ||
| Catherine Vaughan Member Username: Catherine Post Number: 248 Registered: 05-2005 |
Burning books? Has some weird right-wing group sabotaged the Go-Betweens webwsite? I've given up on trying to sell unwanted books, and I just pass them to charity shops. About 18 months ago, I decided I was overedue a clearout of books, when I realised I had four - yes, four! - copies of Angela's Ashes. I'll admit to buying one copy, the others were gifts. I ended up with a giant sack of books, which I hauled to "Reader's Paradise" (not really - more like Chick-Lit Hell!) which had a sign in their window, reliably informing me "books bought and sold". While the sack wasn't exactly full of signed Dostoyevsky first editions, it wasn't full of dog-eared Nancy Drews, with the last chapter missing, either! So I was pretty insulted, when I was offered a measly €10.00 There were three unread copies of Angela's Ashes in there for God's sake! I told her to roll that tenner into a tight tube, and..... I brought the sack of books to the Barnardo's charity shop three doors down. I've still not read that fourth copy of Angela's Ashes... | ||
| John B. Member Username: John_b Post Number: 122 Registered: 10-2006 |
Thanks Padraig. I threw out about 10 unread books I wasn't interested in. Some I bought years ago, others were gifts. It didn't hurt, so now I am going for a more radical clean-up. Catherine, no weird right-wing group, I assume that LK has nothing to feed his fireplace | ||
| Catherine Vaughan Member Username: Catherine Post Number: 250 Registered: 05-2005 |
Deep sigh of relief! Although the environmentalists won't be too happy with us! LK, when you say those books are too heavy are you referring to the pounds and ounces type of heavy, or the deep/meaningful type of heavy that occasionally has the word "man" after it? | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 2294 Registered: 03-2006 |
What's that number, again? 451? Seriously, I was kidding, expressing my own frustration over the book issue, which is a lot like the CD issue. You buy 'em, read 'em and enjoy 'em, then they languish on your shelf for decades. Till you move, stick 'em in a box and give yourself or a friend a hernia trying to move them. Last time I moved, I would've cheerfully built a big bonfire of them and would've chanted, "burn, baby, burn", as the flames licked the sky. And, one more thing about books - I love to read, but I know so many eggheady types who sit around in their leisure time with their noses in books. It's a poor substitute for real life. I want to shout at them, "get your pale, pasty arse outside! Go for a walk, go to the beach!"... Of course, there's one thing worse: people who never read books, whom I know quite a few of, too. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 1378 Registered: 03-2005 |
Catherine's idea of giving them to a charity shop is the best one. After all, there's only so much landfill. If someone else can get pleasure from them, then all to the good. In my case, "crap books" is sometimes just a chintzier edition of a book that I love and bought in a fancier edition later on. One silly weakness I've carried forward from childhood is for swank leather-bound editions with acid-neutral paper. So I keep those, obviously, and discard the plebeian copies. Similarly, paperback books go out when replaced by hardbound. Michael, my CD cases are in an inconvenient little closet doing triple duty as garage for the acoustic guitars and vocal booth. I still have some room left but I've been falling into a pattern of procrastination with filing away new things. I finally put away my Oz purchases plus things I've gotten since just last night. It was a big pain in the #%#$E. Still not ready to give up on the physical objects, though. | ||
| frank bascombe Member Username: Frankb Post Number: 163 Registered: 01-2007 |
HAd several clear out of books, and generally give them to charity. Interestingly my wife put a copy of illustrated gynaecology ( no sniggers) in one of the recycling places next to the bottles newspaper etc at the local supermarket.about a month later my wifes sister said she had bought the same book form a local second hand dealer (it had her name in it). Yoou get little for books you might as well give them or leave them someplace. I still have trouble getting rid of unread books but they a probably the same as the CDs you only play once---> send them to the charity shop/second hand CD dealer. I'm much more hopeless with CDs, I once got rid of a load of Jam LPs ( at PAul Wellers nadir several years later) only to buy them again. I even have rouble chucking out WORD/Uncut freebies.But I'm trying to do a Kevin nad listen to old classics etc, but there is always something new to find. I'm trying to be more disciplined with new releases and find that if I let a few weeks go past then my enthusiasm dimisishes nad is replaced by another must have,this worked for the Rilo Kiley and Richard Hawley (so far unpurchased), but now longing to get the Bruce Springsteen. | ||
| Andy Robinson Member Username: Andyblue Post Number: 66 Registered: 03-2005 |
There's no such thing as a "crap book" - just a book that you don't want to read. Books are the best but more disposable than music. There are lots that I would like to read again but that take a week whereas music takes an hour including the possibility of skipping tracks. I've got a lot of books . . . . | ||
| frank bascombe Member Username: Frankb Post Number: 165 Registered: 01-2007 |
Point taken Rob but what about celebrity biogs are they crap? or is that trivia. Some books when you finish them you can reflect are poor quality cliched,I've read a few. |