My "Nothing Is Real" fan club album. 

Okay.  Now that I've gotten the big band gloat out of the way, I have to return to the roots of my collection.  I began collecting the Beatles post Beatles albums because that was all I could find in the local thrift stores.  I remember hearing the Beatles when I was very young but never realized how many songs I remembered were actually Beatles songs.  Their music was everywhere.  How could you avoid it?  Then I met a someone who taught me how to enjoy the Beatles.  Taught me how to listen for each individual instrument.  Here's the acoustic guitar, here's the piano...  When they first figured out how to split the sound it opened up so many possibilities.  So eventually, there was Sgt. Pepper and all that wonder.

So back to the collection:  The only Beatles album that I do not own (whether by vinyl or CD or MP3) is "Beatles For Sale" and why I don't know.  I've almost never owned a Beatles album before I owned in vinyl.  Perhaps that is the pattern.   Until I find the perfect one to complete the original collection I cannot indulge in any other way.

So that is my quest.

But seriously - within the Beatles collection, I do have some "ho-hum" pieces mixed with some "nice find" ones.  For Sgt. Pepper I have two versions - one with the original cut-out pieces still intact.  Then there's the Nothing Is Real  Fan Club release with 7 versions of Strawberry Fields and the acoustic demo of While My Guitar Gently Weeps with the lost verse.  I have the poster from the White Album and the Rarities Album.  But I have to say, the last digitally remastered versions released on CD and MP3 were worth waiting for.  I invested in the collections.  For years I only ever listened to the Beatles on vinyl on a record player.  Now I just tap a screen and bring up a favorite or make a mix.  I think I got the best of BOTH worlds.

Some of my Glenn Miller pieces. The one on the floor is a red pressed issue of "Glenn Miller Greats!"

Custom made drawers to store my collection. 

A brief glimpse

So, what's in my collection? Follow up question: where do I begin? It started with the Beatles and classic rock albums my uncle left to me. Then a roommate of mine decided to backpack across the North American continent and left his eclectic and eccentric collection behind, eventually bequeathing it to me. (I mean, when you're trying to travel light, vinyl doesn't pack well). So now I'm up to over 500 albums and that doesn't include the untold 45s and 78s I've picked up over the years as well. A better place to begin is telling you what I like to collect the most. When I'm at that hole-in-the-wall thrift store or antique shop - what is it I can't leave behind? The musty smell of aged cardboard jackets and paper sleeves... The improperly stored stacks of hard pressed plastic... My favorite pieces belong to the era of Big Band. I love swing music - but rarely hear it without the hiss, pop, and crackle that only vinyl can give. Most of my big band collection is made up of Glenn Miller albums. I love Glenn Miller, Bill Black, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and all the others. Those who know me may not even realize this about me. My most prized swing piece is actually a multiple album set on 78s called "A Symposium Of Swing". In order to maintain its near mint condition, I've only listened to it a time or two. But since I've recently acquired a USB drive turntable and an external hard drive, I plan to play each album just once more to record it into the digital age. (pics to follow in case anyone cares to have a visual...)

Just the beginning...

... soon I will be adding pictures of my favorite pieces from my collection.  (just gotta get acquainted with this "blogging" thing :)... Stay tuned!