The title of this week’s post is derived from The Bone Collector, an old flick that starred Hollywood A-listers, Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. I have not watched said movie and I don’t intend to do so. Meanwhile, this weekend, I look back at my large CD collection. In case you’re wondering, in the past, I used iTunes and Apple Music. I could still do so. However, call me old school or a patroniser of a lost art. ‘The last shogun’, if you will. While there has been a vinyl revival, and while music subscriptions have ballooned, I’ve simply opted for music CDs.

Days of Yore

I’ve been purchasing music discs for a long time. The hobby started many moons ago while I was at uni. I would stop by JB HiFi at The Galleries, where I would pounce on sale CDs. They were usually 9.99 a pop. During this time, I grabbed The Fray, Matchbox Twenty, Finding Forrester, John Mayer, Bruno Mars, The Kooks, The Script, James Blunt, Maroon 5, and many others. If I’m on the hunt for a particular disc, JB would be my go-to. I would often make these runs at the conclusion of a film viewing in the city. Prior to one Christmas, we also shopped a storm at Myer. We collected Yuletide albums from Elvis, Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, Connie Francis, Michael Buble and a whole lot more. This year, I bought holiday discs by Anne Murray and Susan Boyle.

At the time, I used iTunes aside from listening to CDs. I imported these CDs to my account. ITunes gift cards were often $40 value for $30. In other words, they were on special for 25 percent. Those were the days. Right now, the most common promo is 10 percent off Apple gift cards. iTunes has also been replaced by Apple Music. The latter requires a monthly subscription. During this phase, I attended a few concerts. I caught The Script shortly after they released their eponymous album. I also attended a sold out U2 gig with my friend.

Dial C for CDs

For a time, I forgot about CDs. As mentioned, I opted for my iTunes library. I recall listening to white noise and calming music, aside from my bread and butter. A few years ago, I started buying CDs online. I got them from eBay and Fishpond. I nabbed the soundtrack of Walter Mitty on Chinese New Year. I got these years after my friend and I beheld it at the cinemas. It had some good artists, including Rogue Wave and Of Monsters and Men. We also scored Number One by The Beatles, which compiled all their chart toppers. We likewise nabbed The Bee Gees. My most recent delivery was a two disc N Sync CD from JB online.

My first time buying CDs happpened after my freshman year at uni. There was this pop up sale at Olympic Park. Ten CDs from their selection were a cool fifty bucks. I went there alone. I noticed that they were playing a Snow Patrol release. I promptly grabbed that, together with Lighthouse Family, The Counting Crows, U2, and six others.

My iDevices: a timeline

Aside from JB, eBay, and Fishpond, I also buy second hand CDs. While getting mint condition CDs are cool, sometimes you’ve got to let the bargain come to you. When I told my Uncle that I spent x dollars for the Anne Murray CD, he told me that he despises Christmas. He also told me to look at second hand shops instead, because ‘You need to be a wise buyer’. He should know. He didn’t grow his wealth by being a trigger happy buyer. I’ve bought a few dated CDs from these thrift stores, including 1973, Final Straw, Alicia Keys, etc.

Having an iPod Touch went a long way in organising my music. I won said device in a local writing contest. I recall buying a plastic case at JB. Aside from installing apps and games, the gizmo was perfect for storing and downloading my songs. It was also a handy companion as I journeyed to uni. You could even access the net, as long as it was WiFi. The iPod WAS old school. This was before the lightning connector, bigger storage capacity, and fast charging. It had a home button, like the earlier iPads, which has since been updated. Regardless, I was able to juice it for a good many years.

After I completed my Honours degree, we snagged a few items from Myer. These quickly became my secondary devices after my MacBook Air. My first iPad was a wifi cellular model. Since it could do the same things as the iPod and with a larger screen, this rendered the latter as expendable. The tradition continued with my iPhone, which I purchased almost six years past. At that point, I preferred streaming Netflix instead. Clearly, the iPhone was a few rungs up the Apple ladder. It merged the features of a premium smartphone with its music-centred step cousin. It won’t get awarded at any writing competition. Way back, I dedicated a post to my then-fresh iPhone experience. Sadly, the iPod was phased out. Shame, since it was Apple’s OG music device.

98 carabaos

I know new songs and fresh musicians but I don’t keep up with the latest crooners. I occasionally watch reality shows such as The Voice and The X-Factor but I tend to stream a variety of other media. A long time ago, my younger cousin said that I liked antiquated music. She was in high school then. When I mentioned the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, she told that ‘they were before my time’.

After listening to a sample of my iPod songs, she asked me: ‘Do you listen to Grease?’

That night, I remember singing karaoke with her. For most of Coldplay’s Yellow I maintained a 100 score. She was mighty impressed. I ended up with 98.

Inessential but true

I wouldn’t call CD buying as essential. It’s not anywhere on the same planet as groceries. One could even make the argument that a haircut is more important than CDs. However, if you get them for a good price, and if you know the songs or artists, they’re certainly worth it. This pursuit is a bit more tolerable than throwing away your $$ through other costly potions. Altogether, I have at least sixty CDs. They are from various decades, from the sixties onward. A chunk of them are from the naughties. They comprise my life’s collection and occupy most of the right cabinet of our TV stand. I’m not the only collector in my family. My Auntie also has a large CD collection in her home. Conversely, my cousins used their laptops to organise their music. Call me an anachronism or an old timer, but music CDs are here to stay.