My wife has recently become overwhelmed with my CD collection.
It's impossible to find anything without getting on your knees and thumbing through each album on my wall of music, as my collection of more than 1,000 CDs crosses genres from pop to classical, grunge to folk.
It's been out of control for years.
Two moves ago, I had them organized by family tree and genre. Jay Farrar's Son Volt goes next to Jeff Tweedy's Wilco because Farrar and Tweedy were in Uncle Tupelo together.
But I also had genre as the leading classification, dominated by grunge, indie and alternative and pop. But then I had a section for female artists. Plus spots for my top-shelf (literally) bands and artists unified only by my devotion -- Wilco, R.E.M., Pearl Jam, The Who, Jimi Hendrix.
As you can see, things can get complicated.
I've got Joni Mitchell tabbed under folk. But the association muddies it. She could get linked to Neil Young because they're both Canadian. But Young, the godfather of grunge, is in rock, no doubt about it.
But what about Young's past with Crosby, Stills and Nash? Folk, no question. But then you have the fact that CSN's Our House was written at Mitchell's Laurel Canyon home in California. So they're just one big happy family, right?
My head's spinning now. And you can see why my wife gets frustrated. She'd never be able find my Mitchell CDs.
I keep thinking of that scene in High Fidelity where Dick and Rob are going through Rob's records while Dick ponders how they're organized.
"Chronological? ... Not alphabetical ... "
"Nope, autobiographical."
Each record, he says, is cataloged down to who gave it to him or whom he was going to give it to but kept for personal reasons.
I'd love to be able to say my collection is organized autobiographically but my memory won't have it. I could alphabetize them as it's the easiest method, but it's so impersonal. Plus, I'm a browser. I like to have a reference point and hope something jumps out at me. Rarely do I just think of something I want to hear. I have to stumble upon it as the mood strikes me.
Mood then? No, that's too iffy because if I want to get out some aggression I'll put on Pearl Jam's Ten or the Drive-By Truckers' Blessing and a Curse.
But that's also prime housecleaning music, too. There are just too many records that work for too many situations.
I'm thinking I'll go with association-only this time. And the ones that fly solo will just be packed in alphabetically. Not as envious as autobiographical but at least when I'm looking for the Raconteurs, the White Stripes or Brendan Benson, I'll know the family tree.
Take a look at this link, http://worldmusic.about.com/od/worldmusic101/tp/Organizing CDs.htm, then let me know if you have a better idea.
* Jeremy Dutton: 509-582-1525; jdutton@tricityherald.com.