Today my 60th birthday, so here’s a list of 60 significant records from each year of my life which can be found in the Record Cell. We posted the first 50 a decade ago. We just added the last decades worth of faves today. It’s not difficult, because as I get older, I have bought much less music. To the point where I spend just a few hundred dollars a year now. In any case, the back catalog items and reissues run roughshod over most things contemporary. Hence as we go forward there were a lot of China Crisis/John Foxx/Blow Monkeys titles that got the nods for their respective years of issue. Since the new albums that I buy on release tend to be hard core faves almost exclusively by this point in time.
For 2023 there have been almost no contemporary purchases! But I just got a second listen to the John Foxx “Avenham” album last weekend and it gets the gold star against scanty competition. Even so there was some heavy competition for a few of those years. There could have been more Shriekback and Blow Monkeys titles in the grid if my mood were a little different today.
Over the years I have observed my slightly older chum Mr. Ware age and give up chasing records for his own private Record Cell. When I was a snip of a lad in my late 40s, I watched him gradually disengage from buying much of anything and at the time I was all-in on collecting music. I could hardly imagine a headspace where I was not giving it my all. I thought to myself at the time, “how can he do that?” And yet, about 15 years later, I’m not making but a fraction of the effort that I used to. The marketplace hasn’t helped, with the simultaneous rise of the vinyl bubble and streaming dealing death-blows to the format that will always have my heart. The silver disc.
But as I officially enter my Golden Years, I can’t see much point to acquiring yet more discs. In fact, this year I have been wanting to have a mass sell-off but it’s hard to find the time to post up the hundreds, if not thousands of discs I need to sell if we ever want to have a nest egg to travel to Europe and the UK next April while still holding down a job.
And my penchant for buying records and not listening to them for upwards to 30 years is supremely unviable at my age! I can’t see myself caring much about a collection at 90. At that age, it had better all be sold off! So what records are left behind for now had better get an airing. And soon.
– 30 –
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Post-Punk Monk 
Penblwydd Hapus from Wales!
What a fine selection you have there. Many would appear in my own list.
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Happy Birthday ! Always the Sage! Your true passion shines through so I wish you many more happy, musical years!
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Happy Birthday, PPM. I myself will enter my 6th decade in March of next year chasing OMD all around UK. In any case, interesting set of discs – have not heard of most of them but a few comments if I may – I love the song “If there is something” from that Roxy Music album that was in the movie with Daniel Craig “Flashbacks of a Fool”- amazing song by Bryan Ferry. The OMD songs, well, they need no extra kudos from me. ABC Lexicon of Love is great – I will be seeing them do their tour at the Royal Albert Hall next February. Electrick Music had the song “Kissing the Machine” – love that song. Lastly, just for the cool cover which reminds me of all over here in Europe, the Gary Daley Gone From Here looks interesting – I’d buy it just for the cover alone…..
In any case, keep up the good work and don’t worry about the decumulation phase – we all go through it. It’s the memories we want to keep….
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Deserat – So far, since June, I’ve sold about 15-20 discs from my collection. I need to be pumping that many a week from where I’m standing! “If There Is Something” is my favorite song from “Roxy Music.” What I really love is the 13 minute Peel Sessions version recorded with Davy O’List still as lead guitarist before Manzanera joined the group.
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Happy Birthday
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY JiM!!!!!!
mine was 2 days ago- 58!
i’m catchin up…’
xxr o b
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rObPReusS – You’ll have to get up early in the morning to catch up with me…kid!
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Great Idea, I should try how my list would look…..
Happy Birthday!
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Happy Birthday Monk!
That’s a fine collection of albums. Many would be in my list too.
I’m still buying too much music, mainly cd reissues and box sets. Little ‘new’ music.
As I don’t have any kids I do wonder what will become of my collection when I’m gone and maybe I should be shedding albums rather than buying them. As I’m a relative whippersnapper at 56 I’ll worry about that down the line.
Anyway, enjoy your day Jim.
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Happy Birthday. Selling is ok, we all ahve way too much stuff these days, and I have the added problem of losing my hearing and now wearing hearing aids. I sold a fifth of my album collection last year: an upheaval but also a serious amound of money involved. I still have the music on alternative formats. Real choices to be made about whether or not it’s the music or the sellable objects we love…
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Happy Birthday Monk! I hope the day included lots of tunes and cake :-)
As always, thank you for sharing your unique perspectives on the musical arts!
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Happy Birthday PPM! Here’s to another 60!
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Greetings from Greenwich, young sire!
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Happy birthday, so far for this year, Radio Stars would be in my list, thanks to you , enjoy
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middle aged man – There’s something to be said for Pop Rock Music, well made! Glad to be of service.
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Well since I’ve been mentioned in this post I’d like to add a little further context. I’m lucky enough to have a 25 year old son who shares my musical interests. I have turned over all my vinyl to him already. Some day he’ll inherit the CDs. Hard to imagine what music collecting, ownership, or even value might be 20, 50 or 100 years from now but at least for now my collecting efforts will remain together.
But yes, for now I feel I have more than enough.
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Mr. Ware – As someone who has collected antiques all of my adult life, I kind of suspect what owning music discs will be like in the future. An eccentricity!
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Happy birthday! This is a great idea, will do when I hit 60 next year. I’ll also make a Spotify playlist because I’m evil that way, heh, heh. Many goodies here, too…I’ll have to dig through your archives, however, to find your thoughts on my least favorite Scritti album…
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Jeremy Shatan – Gasp! Are you suggesting that your least favorite Scritti Politti album is “White Bread, Black Beer?” That’s my favorite one! I got it years before I stared blogging and am patiently awaiting Green’s next opus, but I’ve never posted on any Scritti albums. If I ever bought a copy of “Anomie + Bonhomie” I could do a Scritti Politti Rock G.P.A. Maybe I’d also need a CD of “Early” too.
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Yes, it’s true, I’ve never cottoned on to WB/BB…although I might like it better than the debut. Cupid & Psyche will always be my #1, with Anomie & Bonhomie close behind, then Provision. Fairly resigned at this point that we’ll not be hearing from Green again in any extended form…the Nick Drake covers were a treat, however!
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