The Death of Collecting?!

Has anyone else wondered where the increasing digitalization of music,books films is heading? A few of my friends will never buy music on CD anymore - as this trend seems to increase massively every year, in about 20 years there will be nothing to collect from the current age - 'Hey look at my download collection'! Ditto books - 'Hey look at my first edition on Kindle'! The soul has been ripped out of the art for me - grumpy old man time!! Imagine Jon's blog in the digital version - what is there to look at - where's the tactile sensation - it's anti rock'n'roll if you ask me!!

Whenever an artist I like releases something I always buy it in a physical format so that I have it in my collection. My flatmate and I were discussing this issue a while back and he reckoned that in future it will only be a limited number of copies of an album that are physically released, just for the collectors, with the majority buying a cheaper, digital format.

The problem of this digital era is that, though in the end we somehow get the very same result of the product (eg: an mp3 file sounds like the song on CD), the physical part is lacking.

What I don't like is having to pay for a digital format, as somebody else or oneself can download it from the net; on the other hand, the good thing about everything being digitalised is that environmentaly friendly. No waste of paper, plastic, oil, energy (well, what the PC consumes!)... that's wonderful !! But this also entails less jobs too... I will always prefer a physical thing rather than a digital one, but that is what we (in general) have led too since the invention of the Internet.

Any solutions???

And when your computer crashes, or your backups fail, you lose all of your music. I love loading my library on the computer and not having to lug CDs around in a booklet that could get lost or stolen when I want to listen on the go, but I don't trust computers to keep my library safe.

On the other hand, my collection is succeptible to fire, natural disasters, and divorce attorneys. (I don't know how the laws work in Spain, Jon, but by all means, get yourself some sort of pre-nuptial agreement to protect your collection before getting married!)

Among the exciting things regarding digital: There are some items that may have never seen a CD release that you can now acquire digitally. I just downloaded the first two albums from one of my favorite musical comedy groups, Big Daddy. Their schtick was that they were a rock-n-roll band that was kidnapped in East Asia around 1959, and held prisoner until 1981 or so. While rock-n-roll evolved, they were "frozen in time," musically speaking, and upon their release, found that they could only perform current-day hits in the style of rock-n-roll, circa 1955-59. Of course, "current day" was the 1980s, so you'd hear songs like Rick James' "Superfreak" done in a slow, reverb-drenched Everly Bros style, "Purple Rain" reworked to sound like Buddy Holly's "Oh, Boy!", "Sussudio" a la "The Wanderer," and "Hotel California" with a Del Shannon twist. In 1992, they even re-created the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album in a 50s style. I have written chapter and verse on this band here over the years, partly because the group featured John "Spazz" Hatton on bass for several albums, and BSO sax player Bob Sandman for one or two albums as well. When Bob died in 1997, Big Daddy re-formed for a benefit show for his family, and Brian Setzer sat in with the band.

Anyway, Big Daddy's first two albums were only released on vinyl and cassette. Never on CD. There was a greatest hits CD released about a decade ago, but many of the gems from the first albums seemed destined to linger on a single pressing of vinyl. Now, thanks to iTunes, both albums are available digitally!

With less physical product, the collectibles should only increase in value. That Big Daddy greatest hits CD from just a few years ago? It's on Amazon starting at $199!

In looking over the iTunes charts today, I have a difficult time believing 20 years from now someone will pay big money for a CD or album from LMFAO, Gym Class Heroes, or Rihanna. Very few contemporary artists outside of Jack White recognize the value of such items. But those of you who snapped up Setzer's "Instru-Mental" vinyl on or near the release date now have something that should increase in value as long as those of us who missed that opportunity are still around. And certain artists will continue to recognize the value of these pieces for their die-hard fans, so I expect those CDs and LPs will continue to be available, in a much shorter supply.

Listen to the Bandwidth-a-billy

I have the first two Big Daddy albums and they're among my all-time favourite albums. Their version of U2's 'I still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For' via a detour into Hank Ballard territory totally annihilates the original for me - ditto their take on Gracelands - didn't realise they made more than two albums though - am now on the hunt!

If you have the one with the U2 tune, then you're on the third Big Daddy album, Cutting Their Own Groove. The first two albums, What Really Happened to the Band of '59, and Meanwhile... Back in the States, are from 1983 and 1985, respectively, and only on vinyl until their digital release a few weeks ago. Spazz joined 'em on their second album, but the first features Ray Campi on a few tracks!

The Big Daddy guys also chose to capitalize on the Gregorian chant craze of 1993-94 by issuing an EP of chanted rock classics known as Chantmania. Not as musically satisfying, but hilarious nonetheless to hear "Theme From the "Monk(ee)s," "Losing My Religion," "We Will Rock You," "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" as ancient chants.

The last Big Daddy project I can recall (besides a vinyl ep featuring Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel," and "Addicted to Love,") is a salute to the movie / play "Grease," called "Grease is the Word." This project took songs from the soundtrack/song book and recorded them with artists that were actually from the era when Grease was set (which can be anywhere from 1959-62, if you incorporate Grease 2 into the equation.) Freddie Cannon, Lesley Gore, Lou Christie, and Darlene Love are featured, backed by Big Daddy. It gives the songs a more authentic feel, ripping the disco from the title track, for example. Unfortunately, people who like Grease aren't nostalgic for the 1950's, they're nostalgic for the 70's. So this 1998 album falls a little flat in the Big Daddy canon.

The "Best of Big Daddy CD from 2000, has a few previously ureleased tracks, including "Little Red Corvette," which is quite amusingly set to ape that song about the Little Nash Rambler, "Beep Beep."

Have fun on your quest.

Big Daddy-billy


Here's a discography link, including a brief summary of the songs: Big Daddy Discography

Thanks for the heads up. Have already started on the quest! Incidentally have just found CD copy of Cutting Their Own Groove on UK Amazon for £6.99 approx $10. Several copies available.