I was born in the late 70's living my early childhood years in the 80s.. and as you can relate had some of what I consider the best music to grow up with. (I will also accept that anyone growing up in a different era will claim the same thing - and that is okay too!) I took on quite a lot of my early musical influence from my parents. I spent hours going through every inch of their vinyl collections. My mum was a Wham and Culture Club fan - very much new romantics and mainstream pop, slowly evolving with a love of Cher, Simply Red and Celine Dion. My dad liked Big Country, U2 and Eurythmics. My Grandads collection was my favourite however, he had the most interesting things.. from 60s/70s, Country and Western, Elvis, to Electric Light Orchestra, Jeff Waynes War of the Worlds, Fleetwood Mac and The Beatles. He also had a large collection of sounds of nature - wind, rainfall etc which I also cherish deeply. Family parties used to see everyone doing the Jive and all my uncles arm popping to Status Quo.. Good times!
So, like most 80s and 90s kids.. I learned how to record vinyl onto cassettes - transferring all these wonderful albums so I could use them in my Sony Walkman. I also used to scramble to record the top ten charts off the radio on a Sunday night - I know you were not supposed to do it, but I think everyone did.. and it was pretty frugal to be honest!
In the 90s I grew up loving East 17 and my sister loved Take That, so we had a pretty good girly rivalry going there, We purchased every single they released, and had them in our bedrooms on display with pride. I moved on from that loving Everything but the girl, Cranberries, Bjork, Alanis Morrisette and when out clubbing - Nightcrawlers.
At the peak of my Cranberries fangirling.. I purchased a £500 - five disk multi changing CD player. I was almost 18. I absolutely loved it and it became the centre of my world. Music was such a huge part of my life, as I started to attend events with friends. We used to gather together listening to music and it was really a significant part of our identities at the time. We liked to be recognised for being part of that dance scene and felt that It defined us. In each house that I lived in, that stereo was centre hub in my room. More important than a television or book shelf. Then sadly in 1999 my flat was broken into, and it was stolen - along with it my small but historic collection of CDs and cassettes. There was a lot of mixed emotion around this, and I made considerable life changes after this event. The CD changer had been faulty for a while anyway, working temperamentally after many years of good service.. and because of the style of the system, the remote control was essential for switching between any of the built in features and accessing the radio tuning system. Whoever took my stereo didn't realise this as they didn't take that too. Rendering it pretty much useless.
After that loss, my love of music continued but switched to digital content. Rather than replacing the stereo, I simply started to watch music TV channels, primarily Kerrang which triggered a long lasting love of Evanescence, Linkin Park, Papa Roach and Korn. I also bought my first PC around this time (1999) so had access to music online too. I can confidently say that over the past twenty years I have bought less than fifteen CDs because of having no music system other than my PC to play them on. Most purchases were to honour the bands I loved and I felt obliged as a fan to support the artists in this way.
As of today I own no physical music CDs. These are photos of the last few albums I had kept, of which I traded into CEX this year, ready to bring joy to someone else who buys them.
 |
| Evanescence |
 |
| Alanis Morrisette |
I now have a small treasured collection of iTunes, Five Finger Death Punch, Celldweller, Scandroid, Blue Stahli, and Pind are a few regulars that I randomise through.
Like my Grandfather I also enjoy ASMR sounds such as rainfall, ocean waves and have bought a few larger albums to randomise through which I use for relaxation. I love a bit of white noise now and again too. Listening to the sounds of space and nature can be quite the experience.
So.. why all this information?
Well... when I examined my connections to stuff, and things that I get real pleasure and joy from, the number one thing on the top of my list of THINGS I love.. is music!
There has been varying theme tunes playing through every part of my life. Music has inspired me and evoked some of the most powerful emotions I have ever experienced. It has been a deep nurturing source of enlightenment for my soul, right to my very core, and is by far my favourite ultimate thing. I remember times, events and people through songs, and love that we as a species are capable of creating such beauty. I couldn't list every song or artist I love here.. the list would be endless.
So in light of all this, you’ll understand how letting go of my CDs recently was an odd sensation because of my attachment to music. I didn't declutter them during any of our house moves, and carried them with me for years. Giving them a place on a bookshelf, knowing I would never use them. I was holding onto the sentimental memories of times gone by, yet simply listening to those songs brought back all the joy and nostalgia - and I could find all that content online for free.
I will never buy another physical CD for myself, but will continue to buy digital copies of a song I want to listen to when I am out of the house. This choice made easier because I am also a huge YouTube fan. I access most new music there and I love finding niche little bands from far reaches of the globe. I have linked my playlist here, but I have not actually added to that for a while because its pretty awesome as it stands! I tend to flick between Synthwave, Metal and Hardstyle often.
I was asked once if I could be any thing or anyone in the world other than myself what would I be, and I responded that I would love to be a piece of music. If I was asked that question again today, I would still give the same answer.
I do sit and wonder if all the stuff my relatives owned over their own lives is still in their homes.
Has your music cds, vinyl, cassette tapes either been destroyed, sold, donated.. or packed away in a cupboard somewhere?
Time to reflect a little.
No comments:
Post a Comment