The Great Music Marathon

by Jeff Terich

09.18.2005

It's been a pretty long time since I've written one of my Finer Things in Life columns. And if you've been reading the site all year, you could probably guess that I've been pretty busy with all kinds of other projects, as well as an endless stream of record reviews. But I've been devoting a lot of my time to another project, one that I've started countless times, renewing and starting over, only finishing once or twice. It's a project that challenged me since I was 16, as I would see how long it would take to finish, each time ending in my own frustration and stubbornness. It's the great music collection marathon. Many of you may be wondering what I'm talking about. To put it in a much simpler way, I've been listening to every record in my collection, and I'm going to keep going until I've heard them all.

For a task such as the one at hand, there must be some rules established. Considering the magnitude of the task, listening to anywhere from 1500 to 2000 albums, there has to be some sort of regulation on what counts, what can be excluded and how to keep track of everything. Well, a list was made at first, of every album I own. And considering new albums are coming in the mail all the time, of course it grows quickly, making this a much more difficult feat. But, alas, I must count the new along with the old. What I won't count are singles and various artist compilations. They're scattered, random, take a bit too long to get through, and don't add much to the overall experience. As much as I enjoy singles and compilations, when it comes to the marathon, they only unnecessarily prolong the experience, thus making it feel like more of a chore than it has to be.

So it's settled: full-length albums and EPs, as well as "hits" collections by one single artist. And thus, the marathon began. In February of 2005, I began documenting and keeping track of every album I listened to, realistically only adding a few each day, as I spent a lot of time on new releases, getting a feel for them and warming up to them as an impending review approached. Still, I would get through them, one by one, checking them off my enormous list. In a way, I feel like I'm accomplishing something by doing it. It's the music geek's own Mt. Everest climb. I once read a quote from a DJ that said his record collection was a couple hundred feet long, and he would likely die by the time he got to "L," if he were to go alphabetically. I want to be able to say that I can get through them long before that ever happens. In fact, I'd love to get through it before the year is done, with a little time to spare to revisit this year's albums in time for year end lists.

One might be reading this and wondering what the purpose of this ridiculous challenge might be. Doesn't it take the fun out of listening? No, actually, it doesn't. It makes it more fun, actually. It allows you to revisit every old album that you hadn't listened to in a long time. It lets you reflect on your own growth as a music fan while observing how your old favorites have aged. And if nothing else, it's a good way to clean out all the records that probably shouldn't be there.

In the process, however, there were many discoveries about the albums I have called my favorites over time. It's interesting to hear some things now that I may have loved ten years ago, or longer. And it's even more interesting to see if I still love them. Here are some of the more interesting revelations befallen on me during the course of the marathon:
Beulah - The Coast is Never Clear
For a long time, this was my least favorite Beulah album. Yoko was their final, mature masterpiece, while When Your Heartstrings Break was their Pet Sounds. This one, however, seemed a little more difficult. Not as sunny, not as cohesive, just not as good. But upon further surveying, I learned I was wrong, and that even though it may not stand up to their second and fourth albums, it's pretty darned close.

Brainiac - Bonsai Superstar
I absolutely love Brainiac's Hissing Prigs in Static Couture, but this one, I don't know. It just doesn't really cut it. In fact, it's (gasp) really boring. But it was the band in their early stages. There are some highlights, but it's clear that there was plenty of room to grow, and their next album showed just how much growth they had undergone in two years' time.

Chavez - Ride the Fader
I have owned this record a few times. I sold it once in a desperate need for cash, but acquired it again, some time later. I do this a lot. Actually, I should say I did this a lot. I've since learned my lesson. You waste more money re-buying albums that were too good to sell in the first place. And really, I didn't know what I was doing. I was just a kid. Listening to this now, I just shake my head in shame.

Death Cab for Cutie - The Photo Album
I always considered Death Cab's first two albums my favorites. This one was always great, in my opinion, just not their best. But when I listened to it a month or two ago, I found it to be a flawless listen all the way through. I can't say that about too many other albums. I'm blown away, four years later, at how great this record is.

Foo Fighters - In Your Honor
This one isn't even old, but man, I just can't get into it. I tried, really I did. I just feel it could have been so much better. Oh, well.

Helmet - Strap It On
Equally brutal and awesome as the first time I heard it. This album has aged extremely well in its 15 year existence, which surprised the hell out of me. Even by a purely personal standpoint, me not as interested in anything remotely resembling "metal" these days, it's thoroughly enjoyable. I'm excited to give it another spin, now!


Soundgarden - Down on the upside
Well, this one wasn't even Soundgarden's best album to begin with, but honestly, I always had some kind of connection to it. It had some great riffs, some righteous rockers and too many of Chris Cornell's inane meaningless lyrics to mention. But that latter part is what makes it suffer 9 years down the line. It's still a pretty solid album, but it's way too fucking long and dude just seems to wail about nothing at all, at times.
What can you do?

So, that's my update at the moment. I'll keep everyone in the loop on my status. And I promise, for real this time, that there will be more of these columns to come in the near future. How they managed to disappear, I'll never know.



Currently listening to: The Old 97s - Satellite Rides