FMD: Music Consumption

On my way to a conference on Monday, I brought along my iPod and the auxiliary cable. I also have Spotify, Pandora and 3-month trial subscription to Apple Music. I only have about 45 songs actually 'on' my phone and I have not taken the leap to download podcasts. I'm not commuting for long enough to hear 1 full episode per sitting and I usually use the limited time in my car to get caught up on news (NPR, KFAN, ESPN, etc.).

The aux cable is about 5 years old and has seen some hard use - the connection was crap: right (passenger side) speakers only. My Rav4 does not have Bluetooth and my data plan is not really big enough to want to do 3+ hours of streaming anyway. I let my satellite radio subscription lapse in 2009. Terrestrial radio between Clear Lake, St. Cloud and points north didn't grab me so I fell back to the old stand-by: CD's!

I had two, 20-disc CD books (containing nothing released more recently than about 2005) in the small holding space in the rear cargo area, in addition to the 6-disc changer holding at the time:
Monolith of Phobos - Claypool Lennon Delirium,
Currents - Tame Impala,
BLURRYFΛCE - Twenty One Pilots,
Plastic Beach - Gorillaz,
Best of the '00's - mixed CD gift from my sister,
-and-
Things I Forgot - Son Little

Having, through repetition, exhausted a desire to listen to any of those already in the player, I stopped for gas and pulled out the CD books. Do you know what caught my eye?

Spoiler SelectShow

I hadn't listened to either in a very, very long time, but I enjoyed them.
If you had an old book of CD's (or tapes/records/etc.) that hadn't received any new music in a decade or two, what do you think you'd find and select for an extended listen?

Also, drop your list.

50 thoughts on “FMD: Music Consumption”

  1. 1. Scandal “Shunkan Sentimental”* Shunkan Sentimental
        a. Louisiana Waterthrush “Song” (Cornell Master Set)
    2. Blondes “Water”* Blondes
    3. The Knife “Like a Pen” Silent Shout
    4. DJ Kool “Let Me Clear My Throat”* Let Me Clear My Throat
    5. Arvo Pärt* “Fratres for Violin, Strings & Percussion” Fratres

        b. Eastern Wood-Pewee “Calls” (Cornell Essential Set)
    6. Emot “My Old Friends” Make You Electric
    7. Andy Stott “Submission”* We Stay Together
    8. Arvo Pä* “Salve Regina (2001/2)” Da Pacem
    9. Dub Colossus “Black Rose” In a Town Called Addis
    T. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers “American Girl” WGOM Summer Mix 2016
    E. Purity Ring “Fineshrine”* Shrines

    *Notes:
    1. "瞬間センチメンタル", the closing theme from the fourth season of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
    When I hear the "Donna shunkan datte, unmei datte" or "Genkai datte, konnan datte", I want to strut like Winry in the animation under it. I just learned that those lyrics mean "Whatever moment, whatever fate" and "Whatever limits, whatever hardship". So: "Shunkan Sentimental" means "Sentimental Moment"?

    2. Originally from the Water/Wine Double-sided single.

    4. I can't think of any other hit song where the definitive [Edit: see below] version was a live version. The fact that this happened in Hip-hop, where live albums are rare makes it even more unlikely. (Covers don't count or there'd be a glut from MTV's Unplugged: Mariah Carey covering Jackson 5, Nirvana covering the Vaselines, etc.)

    5. Performed by the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, Conducted by Tamás Benedeck. This is a Naxos release, so you can buy the CD for pretty cheap. This was my first Pärt album. Naxos was doing such good work in the '90s: good recordings of classical music, cheap. Great for dabblers like me who would never fork out the $20 that new recordings on ECM or Sony Classical were going for.

    7. Wonderful ambient piece from the guy who usually has pretty hard beats. There's a slowed percussion that sounds like echoing waves on the beach.

    8. Performed by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Conducted by Paul Hillier, with Christopher Bowers-Broadbent on Organ

    E. "Cut open my sternum and pull my little ribs around you."

    1. ...any other hit song where the definitive version was a live version.

      How about Frampton's Show Me the Way or Do You Feel Like We Do?

      1. Frampton is closer because as I understand it, he wasn't very successful until the live album came out, and most who have heard and loved the live versions are probably unaware of the presence of studio versions.
        I assume there are some songs that debuted on live albums and were hits of some degree, but I'm coming up short.

    2. I can't think of any other hit song where the definitive version was a live version.

      Rock and Roll All Night -- Kiss

      I Want You to Want Me -- Cheap Trick
      Surrender -- Cheap Trick

              1. Garr. Don't pick at my early-morning thoughts.
                I thought folks could suss out what I meant. I was trying to get things posted before a 9am meeting.

      1. Those aren't really what I meant. Those were released on album and as singles before they became more popular in the live version.
        There is no studio version of "Let Me Clear My Throat" that precedes its live release and chart success.
        Maybe "definitive" was the wrong word, but I was trying to remove songs that were improved live and for which the live single was the one with the most chart success, as the song was still established by the preceding studio version.

          1. Really? I guess I'm unfamiliar with its release history.
            I know I first heard it live in studio on "Nick Rocks!" when TMBG were one-time guest-hosts.

        1. Funny that one was the first to come to mind for me as well.

          Wakeman's Journey to the Centre of the Earth also came to mind; I don't think there's any recording of it but live ones, including the original.

  2. Ooh, I like this question.

    With me it would probably end up being either a couple of soundtracks or Garth Brooks Live (or whatever his release was called).

    1. Actually, I have this happen at work sometimes when I leave my iPod at home.
      Last time it was Basement Jaxx Rooty, Ozomatli Street Signs, and Girl Talk Feed the Animals.

      But, I just found a spindle of burnt-from-pirated-mp3s CDs here at the office. If I had to pick a few for today, they would be:
      Ennio Morricone Il Buone, Il Brutto, It Cattivo (Plus bonus remixes to fill out the CD)
      BARR Summary, Beyond Reinforced Jewel Case, and What Would the Second BARR (All fit on one CD)
      MTV Mash Presents !K7 Clash I have no idea what is on this. I filled up the rest of the space with Dani Siciliano "Walk the Line" EP: another Whatever.
      Luomo* Paper Tigers (Plus the radio edit of "Really Don't Mind", which is a good pop rush)
      *Luomo is Sasu Ripatti (also Vladislav Delay)

  3. 1. Jailbreak – Thin Lizzy
    2. Limo Wreck – Soundgarden
    3. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) – Marvin Gaye
    4. Pachuca Sunrise – Minus The Bear
    5. Me and Bobby McGee – Kenny Rogers

    6. Drum Trip – Rusted Root
    7. Love and Memories – O.A.R.
    8. I Can’t Help It – The Roots
    9. Rival – Pearl Jam
    10. Bottle to the Bottom – Dierks Bentley Feat. Kris Kristofferson

    B1. Glory – Sugar Ray*

    *So close to an objectively unblemished list … man.

  4. Influential album covers. Discuss.

    My hot take: even if this list contains many "influential" album covers, there is no case being made whatsoever. It's just a bunch of pictures. Jiminy. What makes an album cover "influential"? At least make an effort.

    1. bS, I know you're old, so maybe you are thinking of the early days of the internet when people put stuff up because they thought it was important, but now that it's all about the clicks, most of the content on the internet has become:

      The (Top/Bottom) (Number) (Most/Least/Greatest/Worst) (Adjective) (Noun) [optional: of (some timeframe)]

  5. my data plan is not really big enough to want to do 3+ hours of streaming anyway

    Who is your mobile provider? I ask because some, notably T-Mobile but not limited to them, zero-rate streaming services so they don't count against your data cap.

    1. Verizon

      I did not know this was an option, but - depending on the day* - I'm generally:
      A) Inert (or whatever the word is which describes inertia in a person)
      B) A procrastinator
      C) Overwhelmed by the demands of adulthood
      D) All of the above

      * SelectShow
  6. 1. “Little Red-Haired Girl, The” – Ezra Furman & The Harpoons - Banging Down The Doors
    2. “Slight Figure Of Speech” – The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You
    3. “Tubthumping” – Chumbawumba - Tubthumper
    4. “Hide U” – Kosheen - Resist
    5. “New Slang” – The Shins - Oh, Inverted World
    6. “Satellite” – Guster – Satellite
    7. “O Valencia!” – The Decemberists - Crane Wife
    8. “S.O.B” – Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats - Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
    9. “Darlin’” – Houndmouth - Little Neon Limelight
    10. “Tennessee Whiskey” – Chris Stapelton - Traveller
    B: “Wasting Time” - Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats - Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

    3. Ok, this CD might actually be the one I pull out. I really do love it. Many of the songs are very, very good. And be honest, this one hits a certain sweet spot sometimes too.
    4. A band I brought back with me from when I studied abroad. I lost track of them after a while, but this song will always have a warm spot in my heart.
    8. Cripes, this is still the best song released since “Rehab”, isn’t it? What is it about the topic?
    9. “Sedona” made last year’s summer list, but I’m just now starting to listen to more from Houndmouth. I like.

  7. 1. The Jayhawks - "Ann Jane" - Tomorrow the Green Grass
    2. Frank Ocean - "Pink + White" - Blonde
    3. The Cure - "Fascination Street" - Disintegration
    4. Sturgill Simpson - "Keep It Between the Lines" - A Sailor's Guide To Earth
    5. The Beatles - "Polythene Pam" - Abbey Road

    6. Radiohead - "Nude" - In Rainbows
    7. Neutral Milk Hotel - "Two-Headed Boy Pt. 2" - In The Aeroplane Over the Sea
    8. Rogue Wave - "California" - Descended Like Vultures
    9. Queens of the Stone Age - "Fairweather Friends" - ...Like Clockwork
    10. Dinosaur Jr. - "Tiny" - Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not

  8. As much as I love my vinyl collection (see the list above, all pulled from said collection with the exception of the Frank Ocean track) my CD collection from teenage years leaves a lot to be desired.

    I would listen to Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Stone Temple Pilots probably. Maybe some old Newsboys for kicks.

    1. I recently went through a purge phase (part of the "let's fit two adults and an infant into a 550-sq. ft. apartment" experiment) and I decided that I would keep 25 CDs. I have kept whatever I already digitized, but I didn't go through ripping a bunch of CDs that I didn't think were in my top 25.

      1. I maybe should have done it this way.
        Before I had children, I digitized every CD I owned. But, I couldn't pull the trigger on getting rid of the discs, which are now in the basement, mostly collecting dust (or those in an early-2000's era 200 disc changer get some play).
        The above-mentioned iPod is an 80GB, and even though the 500GB external hard drive I got for music is ~half full, most of that doesn't often transition to the iPod in album form - lots & lots of barely-curated playlists.

        1. But, I couldn't pull the trigger on getting rid of the discs

          Hey, are you me?

          Anyway, sounds like you need an Android. I'm pretty sure they are close to supporting at least a 500GB micro-SD card, of they aren't already. (I've got a 64GB card myself, about half of which is music. That's one benefit to having narrow tastes.)

        2. If my wife was not pushing me to do this, I would very likely have just kept all of the CDs, but at least so far, I can't think of a single instance where I needed one of those discs.

        3. I digitized all my CDs around 2006, and have done a good job with digitizing every CD I've purchased since then. I don't listen to the actual CDs all that often, but I pull them out now and again to put them on in the living room, and ive actually enjoyed keeping a small wallet in the car, as well.

          1. I've also digitized all my CDs a while back, plus tracked down digital audio of all my vinyl that I cared enough about. The CDs are keeping dust off a couple shelves, but I have bought LP frames for a couple of my LPs/EPs and have them on display.

  9. My Rav4 does not have Bluetooth

    You should have said something earlier, I would have sent you the Bluetooth receiver from my VW. I've come to the conclusion that no one should have to connect their phone using a cable. Plus, I only got $200 on the trade in, which they probably would have given me with the stock stereo.

    1. my "new" wheels has bluetooth, but I find the volume levels are way low compared to the other audio sources, so I'm going to give Line In/Aux a whirl instead, because cables work

      1. Must be an issue with a particular automaker. I've connected my phone to many different bluetooths and never had any issue with volume as long as I make sure the Bluetooth out volume on my phone is all the way up, including my new ride.

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