Archives

By the numbers: 2023

[Matt Rogers - Have You Heard of Christmas?]

In the past, I would try to write about every album I encountered. These days, I listen to a lot of stuff, but I’ll only post an entry if something sparks a memory.

As these statistics demonstrate, I’m leaving a lot out of this blog.

First and last purchases of the year

The first and last purchases of the year are determined by the date of order. Pre-ordered items not yet shipped have already been taken into account.

  • First purchase: easy life, Maybe in Another Life on CD.
  • First purchase of a 2023 release: Sam Smith, Gloria on CD.
  • Last purchase of a 2023 release: Matt Rogers, Have You Heard of Christmas? on vinyl
  • Last purchase: Danish String Quartet, Prism III on CD.

Purchases by format

FormatNew releaseReissueCatalogTotal
7-inch0202
12-inch0527
CD Single0000
CD4212233287
CD-R0000
Downloads70815
Vinyl275072149
Total items bought7669315460

Definitions

New release
Initial release within the calendar year.
Reissue
Originally released prior to the calendar year but reissued within the calendar year.
Catalog
Initial release prior to the calendar year.

Top catalog release years

Single titles purchased in multiple formats are counted individually.

YearNumber of items purchasedYear-over-year change
200319New!
1991150
199714New!
2002130
199213New!
202212New!
200612New!
198911-1
199911New!

Top artists

ArtistNumber of items purchased
Shiina Ringo8
Duran Duran7
Jason Isbell6
Various Artists5
SYML5
The Donnas5
Neutral Milk Hotel5
Sinéad O’Connor5
Grace Jones4
Prince4

Notes

  • Shiina Ringo reissued her albums on vinyl. The 2009 vinyl reissues go for exorbitant prices on Discogs, so I’m assuming these reissues will follow suite.
  • Duran Duran also embarked on a vinyl reissue campaign, taking ownership of albums released since 1997.
  • Given how much I’ve played Brian Fennell this year, I’m surprised SYML wasn’t higher on the list.
  • Sinéad O’Connor’s death hit me hard.
  • 2003 dominates because of milestone reissues, particularly in Japan where ART-SCHOOL, bloodthirsty butchers and Onitsuka Chihiro released catalog titles on vinyl.

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By the numbers: 2022

[Steve Reich - Runner / Music for Ensemble and Orchestra]

In the past, I would try to write about every album I encountered. These days, I listen to a lot of stuff, but I’ll only post an entry if something sparks a memory.

As these statistics demonstrate, I’m leaving a lot out of this blog.

First and last purchases of the year

The first and last purchases of the year are determined by the date of order. Pre-ordered items not yet shipped have already been taken into account.

  • First purchase: Bill Calahan, Apocalypse on CD.
  • First purchase of a 2022 release: Utada Hikaru, Bad MODE on CD.
  • Last purchase of a 2022 release: Steve Reich, Runner / Music for Ensemble and Orchestra on vinyl
  • Last purchase: M.I.A., Maya on vinyl.

Purchases by format

FormatNew releaseReissueCatalogTotal
7-inch0101
10-inch0101
12-inch0606
CD Single0011
CD3810416464
CD-R0000
Downloads4059
Vinyl2658110195
Total items bought6877532677

Definitions

New release
Initial release within the calendar year.
Reissue
Originally released prior to the calendar year but reissued within the calendar year.
Catalog
Initial release prior to the calendar year.

Top catalog release years

YearNumber of items purchasedYear-over-year change
199130New!
199327New!
199822+4
199622New!
200221New!
199021New!
198920New!
200119+3
200019-6
199719-6

Top artists

Single titles purchased in multiple formats are counted individually.

ArtistNumber of items purchased
Glenn Gould16
John Coltrane10
Various Artists9
Utada Hikaru9
Makaino Kouji8
Kraftwerk8
Prince8
Duran Duran7
Tim McGraw5
Wire5
Cracker5
Beyoncé5

Notes

  • Glenn Gould tops the artist list because of a single purchase at the thrift shop.
  • Utada Hikaru and anime soundtrack composer Makaino Kouji both got major vinyl reissues in 2022.
  • I only get Tim McGraw albums to see if he’s wearing no shirt in the cover art.
  • This year is the first time the late 1980s don’t account for most of the top catalog years.

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A wish list of vinyl reissues, part the second

[Nick Lachey - What's Left of Me]

I wrote an entry similar to this one back in 2017 (almost to the day!) Five years later, vinyl sales account for 7 percent of total music revenue, according to Variety. The last stat I heard was 2 percent, and that was around the time I wrote that previous entry.

At this point, I’m surprised when I don’t find a title on vinyl, but that doesn’t mean titles haven’t fallen through the reissue cracks. So here’s a sequel — albums I would love to see reissued on vinyl.

Café Tacvba, Cuatros Caminos
Café Tacvba,

Vinyl pressings of Café Tacvba albums exist, but they’re usually limited and quick to run out of print. To my knowledge, neither nor Cuatros Caminos have ever been issued on vinyl, but I wouldn’t mind repressings of albums that had been issued on vinyl. Cuatros Camino was reissued March 2023. has been reissued outside the US, most recently in 2023.

Tracy Chapman, New Beginning

New Beginning had “Give Me One Reason”, Chapman’s biggest hit since “Fast Car”, so it’s curious to see the album never getting a vinyl reissue. I’ve seen RSD titles reissued for far less.

Orgy, Candyass

Orgy’s cover of New Order’s “Blue Monday” rivals the original, but the entire Candyass album was actually really good. Reissued Feb. 2024.

Kanye West, Yeezus

A lot of unofficial pressings exist, so an official release would be nice. Kanye annoys me, but this album is pretty unhinged.

Nick Lachey, What’s Left of Me

I have a soft spot for Nick Lachey and this album. I was definitely not the target market for his reality TV show, but the angst resulting from the end of his marriage led to some pretty honest art. I don’t expect What’s Left of Me to get the vinyl treatment. I would probably be the only person interested in getting it.

Pansy Division, Absurd Pop Song Romance

It’s not hard to sense a hunger for commercial success on this album, and I think it deserves to be revisited.

Stephen Sondheim, Assassins (Original Cast Recording)

By the time Stephen Sondheim opened Assassins off-Broadway, cast recordings migrated entirely to CD, so the original cast recording of this show never saw a vinyl release.

Sam Sparro, Sam Sparro

Sparro got a Grammy nomination for “Black and Gold”. Surely, that’s enough to warrant a vinyl pressing? Don’t call you Shirley?

STRAIGHTENER, LOST WORLD’S ANTHOLOGY
ART-SCHOOL, LOVE/HATE

Among fans of SUPERCAR, NUMBER GIRL, Quruli and Shiina Ringo, these albums by ART-SCHOOL and STRAIGHTENER could be considered classics of early 2000s Japanese indie rock. But that’s a pretty narrow audience to justify a vinyl pressing. UPDATE: LOVE/HATE was reissued Nov. 2023.

SUPER JUNKY MONKEY, A.I.E.T.O.H

This EP was actually issued on vinyl, so let’s have a repressing!

Harry Connick, Jr., She

I am mostly ambivalent to the work of Harry Connick, Jr., but his two albums of New Orleans rock — She and Star Turtle — are the only two albums of his I own. Given how uncharacteristic these albums are with the rest of his discography, I don’t imagine they have much goodwill among his fans. So a vinyl reissue? Unlikely. But She was released on vinyl in the Netherlands …

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By the numbers: 2021

[Tokyo Jihen - Sougou]

In the past, I would try to write about every album I encountered. These days, I listen to a lot of stuff, but I’ll only post an entry if something sparks a memory.

As these statistics demonstrate, I’m leaving a lot out of this blog.

First and last purchases of the year

The first and last purchases of the year are determined by the date of order. Pre-ordered items not yet shipped have already been taken into account.

  • First purchase: Cocco, Kuchinashi on CD.
  • First purchase of a 2021 release: Anton Reicha, Reicha Rediscovered (Ivan Ilić) on CD.
  • Last purchase of a 2021 release: Tokyo Jihen, Sougou on CD
  • Last purchase: Godspeed You! Black Emperor, F# A# ∞ on LP.

Purchases by format

FormatNew releaseReissueCatalogTotal
7-inch0112
12-inch2518
CD Single0000
CD318420459
CD-R0000
Downloads703744
Vinyl142687127
Total items bought5440546640

Definitions

New release
Initial release within the calendar year.
Reissue
Originally released prior to the calendar year but reissued within the calendar year.
Catalog
Initial release prior to the calendar year.

Top catalog release years

YearNumber of items purchasedYear-over-year change
198825New!
200025+7
199721New!
199920-3
1985180
198718New!
199818-3
198017New!
199417New!
200117-2

Top artists

Single titles purchased in multiple formats are counted individually.

ArtistNumber of items purchased
Adam Neely13
Various Artists8
Tokyo Jihen 8
John Coltrane7
Gustav Mahler6
The Rolling Stones6
Emmylou Harris6
Robbie Williams5
Dmitri Shostakovich5

Notes

  • Adam Neely posts singles and EPs, so his recorded output is not as prolific as it may seem.
  • My policy with regard to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones is to avoid paying more than $3 for their CDs, which means I’m usually finding them at thrift stores. It’s actually surprisingly common to see mid-90s Beatles remasters show up for $1.
  • You would think an Emmylou Harris stan such as myself would have already bought every recording in sight. I’ve held out on the Profile compilations because I have other compilations that contain that music. I keep hoping to find Light in the Stable on CD at the thrift store.
  • Over the years, I’ve posited that 1987 and 2002 were significant years in music releases. I’m beginning to sense 1980 is also such a year, not just because I was old enough to bug my mom to buy stuff for me.

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By the numbers: 2020

[Bruce Springsteen - Letter to You]

In the past, I would try to write about every album I encountered. These days, I listen to a lot of stuff, but I’ll only post an entry if something sparks a memory.

As these statistics demonstrate, I’m leaving a lot out of this blog.

First and last purchases of the year

The first and last purchases of the year are determined by the date of order. Pre-ordered items not yet shipped have already been taken into account.

  • First purchase: Gary Numan, The Pleasure Principle on vinyl.
  • First purchase of a 2020 release: … And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, X: The Godless Void and Other Stories on CD.
  • Last purchase of a 2020 release: Bruce Springsteen, Letter to You on CD
  • Last purchase: XTC, Go 2 on CD.

Purchases by format

FormatNew releaseReissueCatalogTotal
7-inch0000
10-inch0101
12-inch1102
CD Single0000
CD355245285
CD-R1001
Downloads130518
Vinyl133156100
Total items bought6238304407

Definitions

New release
Initial release within the calendar year.
Reissue
Originally released prior to the calendar year but reissued within the calendar year.
Catalog
Initial release prior to the calendar year.

Top catalog release years

YearNumber of items purchasedYear-over-year change
199916New!
200315New!
200214+9
199813New!
198513New!
200812New!
198312New!
200111New!
200011New!
199511+1
198911-6
198411New!

Top artists

Single titles purchased in multiple formats are counted individually.

ArtistNumber of items purchased
Soundtracks17
Jason Isbell6
Various Artists6
Robyn5
downy5
PJ Harvey5
Philip Glass4
envy4
… And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead4
Guided By Voices4
U24

Notes

  • For the second year in a row, soundtracks make up a lot of my purchases from the past year, and like last year, they’re less about the score and more about the show.
  • Jason Isbell owns his own record label, so when SARS-CoV2 hit, he pivoted from live performance to releasing live recordings on Bandcamp.
  • The PJ Harvey vinyl reissue campaign has also drawn my attention to her works.
  • It looks like I’ve expanded beyond the late ’80s in my catalog purchases. It could also just be a symptom of limited purchasing opportunities due to SARS-CoV2.
  • Collectorz Music, the software I use to track my collection, added a count column to its interface, which has made compiling this entry so much faster.

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By the numbers: 2019

[Kim Gordon - No Home Record]

In the past, I would try to write about every album I encountered. These days, I listen to a lot of stuff, but I’ll only post an entry if something sparks a memory.

As these statistics demonstrate, I’m leaving a lot out of this blog.

First and last purchases of the year

The first and last purchases of the year are determined by the date of order. Pre-ordered items not yet shipped have already been taken into account.

  • First purchase: Nakamori Akina, NEW AKINA Etranger on CD.
  • First purchase of a 2019 release: Soundtrack, The West Wing on CD.
  • Last purchase of a 2019 release: Kim Gordon, No Home Record on vinyl.
  • Last purchase: J. Cole, Born Sinner on CD.

Purchases by format

FormatNew releaseReissueCatalogTotal
7-inch2002
12-inch2226
CD Single1023
CD3810599647
CD-R1203
Downloads0000
Vinyl1932192243
Total items bought6446795905

Definitions

New release
Initial release within the calendar year.
Reissue
Originally released prior to the calendar year but reissued within the calendar year.
Catalog
Initial release prior to the calendar year.

Top catalog release years

YearNumber of items purchasedYear-over-year change
198632+6
199331-1
199030+6
198729+4
198928-4
198825-3
199725New!
198324New!
200922New!
199121+7
199521New!
200221-8
199420+4

Top artists

Single titles purchased in multiple formats are counted individually.

ArtistNumber of items purchased
Soundtracks36
Robert Palmer14
Olivier Messiaen11
Everything But the Girl8
Various Artists8
Beck6
Fleetwood Mac6
Janet Jackson6
John Coltrane6
Johnny Cash6
NUMBER GIRL6
Ornette Coleman6
Sly and the Family Stone6
The Beatles6

Notes

  • I’m surprised by the number of soundtracks I picked up this year, and I’ll admit many of those purchases were spurred by admiration for the film and not on the merits of the film score.
  • Robert Palmer is a seriously underrated singer. The market price for his albums puts him in the bargain bin, which allowed me to grab them without burning a hole in my pocket. He should be commanding more than he does.
  • Raiding the thrift shops these past three years has greatly expanded my collection, but now my listening is a lot shallower. If I play an album more than once, I like it a lot, or I can’t figure out if I ought to hate it.

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By the numbers: 2018

[Igor Stravinsky - Funeral Song]

In the past, I would try to write about every album I encountered. These days, I listen to a lot of stuff, but I’ll only post an entry if something sparks a memory.

As these statistics demonstrate, I’m leaving a lot out of this blog.

First and last purchases of the year

The first and last purchases of the year are determined by the date of order. Pre-ordered items not yet shipped have already been taken into account.

  • First purchase: Trio Bulgarka, The Forest Is Crying on vinyl.
  • First purchase of a 2018 release: Igor Stravinsky, Chant Funèbre / La Sacre Du Printemps on CD.
  • Last purchase of a 2018 release: James Ehnes, Howard, Kernis: Violin Concertos / Tovey: Stream of Limelight on CD
  • Last purchase: Yaz, You and Me Bothon vinyl.

Purchases by format

FormatNew releaseReissueCatalogTotal
7-inch0000
10-inch1012
12-inch2103
CD Single0000
CD3613485534
CD-R0000
Downloads50510
Vinyl1628131175
Total items bought6042622724

Definitions

New release
Initial release within the calendar year.
Reissue
Originally released prior to the calendar year but reissued within the calendar year.
Catalog
Initial release prior to the calendar year.

Top catalog release years

YearNumber of items purchasedYear-over-year change
199324New!
198924+5
198824+1
199223+1
200222New!
198622+3
1984210
198720-7
199019+3
198519New!
198219New!
199818+2
199118New!
200117New!
200417New!
199416New!
199616-14
200315New!

Top artists

Single titles purchased in multiple formats are counted individually.

ArtistNumber of items purchased
Soundtracks17
David Bowie11
John Coltrane10
Joni Mitchell10
Soundtracks9
Fugazi7
Miles Davis6
Fishbone6
Brian Eno6
The Jimi Hendrix Experience6
The Pogues6
Wilco6
Kate Bush6
Bruce Springsteen6

Notes

  • We’re reaching a point where the collector CD market is going to get more ridiculous as brick-and-mortar stores rid their CD inventory in favor of vinyl.
  • Twice weekly visits to thrift stores account for the increase in my physical collection. It’s tough to beat a price point if $1 if you’re not too picky about condition, which I no longer am.
  • I picked up a lot of Joni Mitchell this year, but I can’t say I’ve grown attached to most of those acquisitions.
  • I’m starting to explore classic rock, more out of academic curiosity than actual appeal. I treat the Beatles like I treat Berlioz — as something I should know but not necessarily need to like.
  • I don’t know if or when I’ll listen to the Miles Davis albums I picked up this year. Something about Miles eludes me.

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Thank you, Russ Solomon

[Tower Records: No Music, No Life]

This site owes its existence to Russ Solomon, the founder of Tower Records who died on March 11 while watching the Oscars and drinking whiskey, according to reports.

I’ve already mentioned how Pulse magazine shaped my listening habits. The magazine also inspired me to become a music reviewer.

Jackson Griffith wrote columns for the magazine using a series of aliases. His writing style could be inscrutable and long-winded, but it was also humorous and, for avowed non-reader as myself back in high school, endlessly fascinating.

When I started writing reviews for the school paper, I tried — with little success — to emulate Griffith’s style. By the time I reached college, the greater lesson sank in: write like yourself, not that I had a clue who I was. The advent of the Internet allowed me to become my own publisher, and I’ve been subjecting you poor readers to these opinions for some 18 years now.

In college, I would receive promotional albums to review, but I could never get behind them. I could only write about items I bought with my own money, and back then, most of those items were bought at Tower Records. It was a lovely racket — Pulse spurred me to write about music, and Tower provided the product to do so.

I would read stories about how Walmart was the only place in town to buy music, which horrified me. Department store music sections were temples of mediocrity compared to the cornucopia found at Tower. I counted my lucky stars I could take the bus to a store that would stock albums by John Zorn, Joan Tower and In Tua Nua.

And while the Honolulu stores did their darnedest to have breadth and depth, Pulse hinted more was available that would never reach the islands. Early music e-commerce sites CD Now and Music Boulevard would chip away at Tower’s hold on my spending.

After I moved to Austin, my allegiance shifted to Waterloo Records and Amazon. I would later discover Tower didn’t have a monopoly on the idea of far ranging stock. Waterloo, Amoeba, Music Millennium, Silver Platters — the experience of Tower lives on.

So thank you, Russ Solomon, for connecting a precocious teen-ager to a lifetime of music fandom, financial ruin and obscure punditry.

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By the numbers: 2017

[Renée Fleming - Distant Light]

In the past, I would try to write about every album I encountered. These days, I listen to a lot of stuff, but I’ll only post an entry if something sparks a memory.

As these statistics demonstrate, I’m leaving a lot out of this blog.

First and last purchases of the year

The first and last purchases of the year are determined by the date of order. Pre-ordered items not yet shipped have already been taken into account.

  • First purchase: Sleater-Kinney, One Beat (2014 reissue) on vinyl.
  • First purchase of a 2017 release: Renée Fleming, Distant Light on CD.
  • Last purchase of a 2017 release: Anne Dudley, Anne Dudley Plays the Art of Noise on CD
  • Last purchase: Wilco, Summerteeth on vinyl.

Purchases by format

Format New release Reissue Catalog Total
7-inch 0 0 0 0
12-inch 0 1 0 1
CD Single 0 0 2 2
CD 31 14 289 334
CD-R 0 0 1 1
Downloads 3 0 1 4
Vinyl 9 43 110 162
Total items bought 43 58 403 504

Definitions

New release
Initial release within the calendar year.
Reissue
Originally released prior to the calendar year but reissued within the calendar year.
Catalog
Initial release prior to the calendar year.

Top catalog release years

Year Number of items purchased Year-over-year change
1987 22 +9
1988 21 0
1999 20 New!
1996 19 +6
1992 19 +1
2016 18 New!
1989 17 +2
1984 17 New!
1986 16 New!
1998 15 New!
1990 15 -7

Top artists

Single titles purchased in multiple formats are counted individually.

 

Artist Number of items purchased
Clannad 8
Depeche Mode 8
David Bowie 6
Chris Isaak 6
Kronos Quartet 6
Midnight Oil 6
Perfume 6
Stevie Wonder 6
The Clash 5
John Coltrane 5
Dead Can Dance 5
Enya 5
Steve Reich 5
Bruce Springsteen 5
SUPERCAR 5
Aphex Twin 4
Miles Davis 4
Bill Evans 4
Charles Mingus 4
Outkast 4
The Streets 4
A Tribe Called Quest 4
Steve Winwood 4

Notes

  • The death on Pádraig Duggan in 2016 spurred me to bring a lot of Clannad titles back into my collection.
  • Cheap CDs from thrift shops account for some of the entries list, namely Chris Isaak and Steve Winwood.
  • If I grouped this list by title, David Bowie wouldn’t rank as highly. Pretty much, I bought different versions of Ziggy Stardust.
  • Midnight Oil and Depeche Mode concerts made me want to dig further into back catalog I hadn’t yet explored.

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A wish list of vinyl reissues

[Fastball - All the Pain Money Can Buy]

When you can find a second-hand vinyl copy of Suzanne Vega’s Solitutde Standing for $1, does the world really need a reissue that costs $30? Same goes for the soundtrack to Top Gun — was it really such a cultural watershed?

Vinyl reissues make up just a sliver of recorded music sales, but it’s the only sector experiencing rapid growth. So if Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em by MC Hammer can get a reissue, then nothing should stop the following titles from showing up on wax. From what I can tell, none of these titles have ever been issued on vinyl.

Fastball, All the Pain Money Can Buy

The stars aligned for Fastball on this album, but tensions in the band prevented them from capitalizing on that momentum. It still holds up well after nearly 20 years. Reissued on Nov. 9, 2018.

Patty Griffin, Flaming Red

You need look no further than Silver Bell to hear how well Flaming Red would sound on vinyl. Griffin doesn’t usually indulge her rock side, but like the title of this album, she burns when she does.

Freedy Johnston, This Perfect World

This album was in constant rotation on my player back in 1994, and I didn’t care if it storm up the charts. It didn’t, so the likelihood for a reissue are slim. Reissued Feb. 2019.

Hajime Chitose, Hainumikaze

I’ve so far not been impressed by vinyl pressings of domestic Japanese albums. The market is still driven mostly by CDs, so Japanese labels don’t put much care into the sound of vinyl releases. In my fantasy world where they did, I would so want to hear Hajime Chitose’s voice on vinyl.

Onitsuka Chihiro, INSOMNIA

All the ballads on this album should make remastering it for vinyl not insurmountable. Right? Reissued Sept. 2023.

Hem, Rabbit Songs

I’m surprised the only album in Hem’s discography available on vinyl is Departures and Farewells. I would have thought Rabbit Songs had been reissued a long time ago.

Utada Hikaru, Ultra Blue

The last Utada album to be issued on vinyl was DEEP RIVER. Reissued April 27, 2022

Duran Duran, Medazzaland

The masters for Duran Duran’s most underrated album is owned by the band, so the fate of a vinyl reissue is entirely up to them. Nick Rhodes has mentioned he would love to see it happen. Reissued Oct. 14, 2022.

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