Compact Disc Collectors Lament

[brotha52]

Discussion of CD as a format always brings me back to the loudness war. If you're looking for CDs with great dynamic range, I have to recommend the site: http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list/dr/desc

[Shunt]

Discussion of CD as a format always brings me back to the loudness war. If you're looking for CDs with great dynamic range, I have to recommend the site: http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list/dr/desc

I'll never forget the impression I got after I saw the numbers for the horridly mastered Ones and Sixes, by Low. Way to destroy a great collection of songs, and it apparently was Alan Sparhawk's idea. The loudness war was nowhere near as bad in 2015 as in the later half of the 00s, so the crime is even more unforgivable.

It's such a shame I've had to look for vinyl rips in order to enjoy certain albums, when a proper CD master would easily be the superior choice.

[PhoenixML]

I bought cds until 2016. I have nothing to play them. Except the car, or maybe a dvd player. Before that, I would buy the cd and place it on the shelf. That's it. 99% of the time, I had already downloaded the leak or something. Then I realize that most of my mp3 were 128kbps because I used to have a 1Gb mp3 player so many years ago. And I hadn't updated my libraries in forever. So once I started to rip my cds again (at work), it became a hassle to keep all my libraries updated (my phone, my laptop, my computer at work, my wife's phone, my wife's computer) and rebuilding all the playlists....

Then it struck me : streaming. The simplicity to have it all. After consideration, Apple Music was the choice because it could hold my own music that isn't available in the service (like b-sides and demos). And here I am, not "owning" music anymore... My kids might never know what it felt to ever buy music, if ever the family plan still exists.

The last cds I bought were Archive and Deftones. Not even Radiohead. I was happy with the "physical components" for the latests ep but then... Bad Witch. Will it be the first NIN release I won't buy "something" for it? That can't be right... I still have 2 days to figure it out.

[Merriweather]

After a couple of moves I’ve pared down my CD collection but I haven’t really gotten into the vinyl craze.

Last week I moved to my wife’s hometown in rural Ohio. It turns out we’re just far enough out of town that the major ISPs don’t have any service out here. Netflix streaming is going to be a major pain, as will any other kind of streaming or downloading. So to say that I’m really appreciating my physical media right now is an understatement.

[MrLobster]

So to say that I’m really appreciating my physical media right now is an understatement.

That's actually one of the reasons I keep a physical collection... just in case things go stupid in terms of net access.

[r_z]

So are there any CDs you guys cherish the most... like in terms of presentation/packaging? Any tips on releases with great artwork etc?

[botley]

So are there any CDs you guys cherish the most... like in terms of presentation/packaging? Any tips on releases with great artwork etc?

King Crimson’s box sets/multi-disc Anniversary editions. Paul & Linda McCartney’s RAM deluxe box. Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon Immersion edition. Bauhaus’ deluxe album box sets. The Beatles in Mono CD box. The deluxe edition of The Rolling Stones’ Blue and Lonesome. I could go on, but they’re all crying out from my shelf to be listened to!

[frankie teardrop]

there were a few CD-era gimmicks that i especially hated:

- hidden tracks
- bonus tracks (that aren't on a second disc and ruin the flow of the record)

i'm with @Jinsai regarding artwork being vastly superior on vinyl, but i kind of liked the smell of certain CD books. i also did spend more time with each new CD the same way i poured over every video game rental, regardless if the game was good or not. when you have limited disposable income, you purchase wisely or learn to love what you have. streaming/downloading certainly does take away from the process of growth and letting music breathe and unfold. for the most part though, i am still vinyl for DJing, and high quality mp3s for listening during commuting.

i do tend to buy CDs from the 80s/90s in lieu of ripping the vinyl and removing the clicks. it's all about time management for me. i had about 3,000 cds back when, but sold all but maybe 100 cherished/rare/sentimental(friends) discs and used the money to buy a juno 60 synth, which i have zero regrets about. i never take my CDs back out once they've been encoded.

[gorast]

there were a few CD-era gimmicks that i especially hated:

- hidden tracks
- bonus tracks (that aren't on a second disc and ruin the flow of the record)

i'm with @Jinsai regarding artwork being vastly superior on vinyl, but i kind of liked the smell of certain CD books. i also did spend more time with each new CD the same way i poured over every video game rental, regardless if the game was good or not. when you have limited disposable income, you purchase wisely or learn to love what you have. streaming/downloading certainly does take away from the process of growth and letting music breathe and unfold. for the most part though, i am still vinyl for DJing, and high quality mp3s for listening during commuting.

i do tend to buy CDs from the 80s/90s in lieu of ripping the vinyl and removing the clicks. it's all about time management for me. i had about 3,000 cds back when, but sold all but maybe 100 cherished/rare/sentimental(friends) discs and used the money to buy a juno 60 synth, which i have zero regrets about. i never take my CDs back out once they've been encoded.

The era of bonus tracks exclusive to a "Deluxe Edition" that only differed by cover art and having those bonus tracks was the worst part of the CD era for me. A completely unnecessary upcharge for songs that either shouldn't have been on the record or should've just been considered part of the "canon" track list. Exactly the sort of greed that's contributed to the industry going into the shitter.

That and the mid-2000s albums with bonus tracks scattered across eight different big box retailers. No, I don't want the Target Edition with either a random, shitty remix, a live track, or a demo that sounds awful.

[MrLobster]

Some slightly esoteric CD info: https://www.danielmcadam.com/AAD-ADD-DDD.html

[kaydraven]

I can't think of which CDs have especially cool presentation or packaging. The only one I can think of is the original release of Broken, which I found at the thrift store with the mini disc. I still think that's really cool.

[MrLobster]

I still think that's really cool.

It is cool.

Other examples I can think of are "10,000 Days", "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" and "Peña" (put out by Secret Stash Records).

[thenorthwood]

I still buy CD’s regularly. I buy vinyl too but I love CD’s for their ease of use, portability, compactness, and I suppose to some degree their nostalgia. I would often head to the used record store or one of the music retailers after getting my paycheck and loved finding hidden gems, especially singles. One of my favorite finds was all three of the We’re In This Together singles at a used record store for a relatively cheap price. I actually just bought two CD towers last year to mimic ones I bought 15 years ago.

[armogi]

Any of you guys collect live bootlegs cds?

[piggy]

CDs I had that were special to me were the limited edition versions of the R.E.M. albums from the 90s. I had them for Out of Time, Automatic For The People, Monster, New Adventures In Hi-Fi, and Up. They were money.

[neorev]

I love CD digibooks, for example The Chemical Brothers - Further, Massive Attack - Collected, Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks (Deluxe Edition), The Prodigy - World's On Fire (Limited Edition), etc. I just love the feel and weight and much thicker than a digipack or digisleeve/wallet. Plus it gives you the ability to include lots of artwork.

I also like digisleeves/wallets/gatefolds cuz they're like mini LPs when done with good materials. I also like digipacks. I prefer all of these over plastic jewel cases. Especially matted and unfinished are great for that older look rather than glossy.

I also picked up some awesome resealable clear plastic sleeves for my different CD packaging types to help protect them from scuffs and markings.

Remember Radiohead's Kid A with the hidden booklet behind the tray? That was awesome.

I remember loving the colors in David Bowie's Earthling booklet, the pinks/purples/golds really popped. Björk's Volta was a unique package.

Another plus with CDs were the ability to hide audio, such as before track 1 when you press rewind right when you start a CD up (UNKLE's Psyence Fiction hidden intro track) and having hidden seques/links/intros/outros between tracks that you don't hear when you skip tracks (The Crystal Method's Vegas, between tracks High Roller and Comin' Back). I thought that was cool because it promoted listening to the full album rather than skipping tracks.

[Merriweather]

So are there any CDs you guys cherish the most... like in terms of presentation/packaging? Any tips on releases with great artwork etc?

As a graphic designer, I've always appreciated the work that went into most of Mike Patton's projects on Ipecac Records with designer Martin Kvamme. They did some cool stuff for Fantomas, Tomahawk, Mondo Cane and Peeping Tom.

Another plus with CDs were the ability to hide audio, such as before track 1 when you press rewind right when you start a CD up (UNKLE's Psyence Fiction hidden intro track) and having hidden seques/links/intros/outros between tracks that you don't hear when you skip tracks (The Crystal Method's Vegas, between tracks High Roller and Comin' Back). I thought that was cool because it promoted listening to the full album rather than skipping tracks.

Soulwax have always hidden something in the pre-gap of their albums (except their latest, which was kind of weird not to have one), Finding out there were whole other songs on the CD was definitely a cool surprise.

[piggy]

I love digibooks/ecolbooks, but I hate digipaks. They wear out so much faster than jewel cases and end up looking like shit after about a decade. Jewel cases are really unsexy, but they hold up well and can be replaced.

[neorev]

I love digibooks/ecolbooks, but I hate digipaks. They wear out so much faster than jewel cases and end up looking like shit after about a decade. Jewel cases are really unsexy, but they hold up well and can be replaced.

You gotta pick up the resealable sleeves, man. They're great and protect the CD. I grab them from this Japanese online store as Japan is crazy about preserving and protecting CDs. They even have plastic sleeves for the actual CD itself.

[Maximilian]

You gotta pick up the resealable sleeves, man. They're great and protect the CD. I grab them from this Japanese online store as Japan is crazy about preserving and protecting CDs. They even have plastic sleeves for the actual CD itself.

I use them, too. In my younger days I didn't care, but now I keep them pristine.

[MrLobster]

Soundtracks, tributes and some various:

A bunch of electronic-based:

More various, larger groupings of individual artists/bands, spoken word+comedy:

Larger groupings of individual artists/bands and Canadian:

Rock, Alternative, Metal, Country, Classical still need to be sorted nicely... but damn, that's the majority of it.

[MrLobster]

Feels good to purge the last of the CDs I really didn't want any longer... now just to finish encoding the mess I posted above and I can go back to letting it be a library.

[Krazy]

I love CD’s more than any format, but don’t want to turn into “them”.

And i I grew up on vinyl. It’s expensive, sound quality is over rated, can be a bitch to store, and can only pretty much be used in the space of ones room in their house.

No clue where this post is going, lol.

[Maximilian]

I love CD’s more than any format, but don’t want to turn into “them”.

And i I grew up on vinyl. It’s expensive, sound quality is over rated, can be a bitch to store, and can only pretty much be used in the space of ones room in their house.

No clue where this post is going, lol.

...and say you want to pop The Downward Spiral on and chill out.... You can't, because you have to get up three times to keep flipping the album. Fuck vinyl.

[acrid avid jam shred]

I've been building up a sizeable CD collection over the past few years. When I'm searching for records, I usually buy them on CD, and I pick up vinyl for new releases that I'm really excited for, or for my favourite albums. I reckon streaming services has diminished the act of searching for stuff in a record store that you've wanted for ages, and it's always cool to stumble upon or find a rare CD copy of an album that you've been looking for. As well as getting the files from the disc onto my laptop, I still find that I play stuff on the speakers sometimes. I think I prefer the digipacks to the generic plastic cases too.

[Halo Infinity]

Has anybody else noticed that it seems like there are sometimes a lot of people that don't remember that CDs were still popular in the first half of the 2000s?

(I know it also depends on who you speak to, and that I brought this up a few times before, but most people I know think of just the 1990s when it comes to CDs, even though CDs were still big in 2000-2004.)

I can still clearly remember portable CD players being the norm in 2003 and 2004, even in spite of file-sharing becoming popular since 1999. The 2000s still seemed to have the CD era in it.

Anyway, I still like CDs since I also started getting into collecting albums in 1999. I still like being able to collect album art as well, as well as listening to each album as a whole. Even though I also like compact cassettes and vinyl, the CD still remains to be my favorite.

However, I am also thankful that I can just rip my CDs and not have to carry them around CD wallets anymore. Even until now, I've taken collecting CDs to collecting movies or TV shows on DVD. And as much as I sometimes skip around on discographies, I sometimes enjoy listening to albums in chronological order while looking at the album art, especially when giving a band a proper listen, while actually collecting the albums for the very first time. And even if E-CDs are sometimes very much disliked, I still happen to enjoy them as they leave me pleasantly surprised to know I got just a little bit more than just the music itself.

I know it's unrealistic, especially with streaming taking over, but I actually still miss being able to enter a store and see shelves filled with CDs and DVDs. It was and still is one of my favorite ways to follow and support my favorite sources of entertainment.

[jmtd]

I’m so over ripping CDs. The Mixed Up reissue isn’t in musicbrainz yet so I’ll have to do the metadata by hand. And the only strong guarantee a rip is accurate is with, well, AccurateRip which only has a limited number of tools that support it, and being an single commercial database might go away one day just like CDDB did.

[botley]

^ Just use Test & Copy in EAC.

[neorev]

Here's a look at my Chemical Brothers mini LP CDs from the Modern Masters series. As you can see, this series recreates these album vinyl editions in CD size with artwork. Not your usual digisleeve, much thicker and sturdier. The Prodigy did a similar special edition in Japan for their album The Day Is My Enemy, which, of course, I also have. :P

As you can see, they even recreated the paper vinyl sleeves. One holds the CD with LP1/Side A artwork on the CD and the other sleeve holds the 3 other sides' artwork as pieces of art.





Exit Planet Dust and Brothers Gonna Work It Out are single sleeves while Dig Your Own Hole, Surrender, and Come With Us are gatefolds like their vinyl versions are.

[MrLobster]

Really like the booklet for "The Edges Of Twilight" by The Tea Party. Mainly the quality of it... semi-transparent sheets and also textured paper.