CD's Are Great! (Including Casette Tapes)

Intro Music

I fell in love with CD's when I got my first two in the best record store in Montana (points if you can guess!). They're two Nirvana album's, "Nirvana Live At Reading" and "Incesticide." I've had them ever since then, and they were my anchor when I dropped out of high school after a terrible turn when I moved back to Oklahoma after freshman year in Montana. I thought I would love vinyl records too, so I bought a few albums and had a fun time playing around with them in my room. When I was moving AGAIN this time from Montana to Oklahoma after I graduated in 2020 and when COVID-19 was in full swing, I was excited to play my vinyl's at my mom's place once my older sister and I drove down to Oklahoma, but that never happened. Turns out, when you are in a point of life where you move more than your average teenager, you don't get the pleasures that stability provides. The joy's of being a military brat. Anyway, it was time for me to move again for college, back to Montana, and I realized that I could not bring the small number of vinyl's I bought with me on the plane, let alone the Crosley record player. I gifted them to my older sister and I highly doubt she uses the shitty turn-table and my "In Rainbows", "Bumpin on Sunset", nor "Little Wheel Spin and Spin."¹

Vinyl? More like Vin-NO!

I realized how kinda shit vinyl's are, it is the ultimate hipster collectable, and I mean no offense with that either. It is good that people are interested in music, or at least their buying habits suggest this. It's a fun novelty, and it does kind of blow my little mind on how sound, amps, and technology works! It is fun to examine the large print media the sleeve comes with, the big and blown up artwork is very fun too. But, I am not convinced it's the best for everyone, it's for a particular person who may have an interest in actually using the vinyl's for mixing and DJ'ing, those who don't mind the cumbersome ritual of taking care of and investing in all the doodads to make them sound good. Some short information on why vinyl's don't work for me:

Storing and maintaining vinyl's can become expensive not only in square footage but also for your pockets.
It is not always guaranteed that you can record off the vinyl into a digital format, and if you tried, it won't be the best quality (for cheap anyway). This obviously doesn't matter if a particular artist from today offers a digital download code.
Vinyl's are great collectibles, but maybe not the best experience.

Now Playing: CD & the Cassette's

I don't mean to poke the bear that is audiophiles, but my ears are shit, and I just want durable and long-lasting options for my music that can take up little space and can be mobile with me. Enter now CD's and cassette tapes. The current issue with both of these formats is the fact that the market no longer caters to professionals or audiophiles when it comes to players. Unless one decided to do research on retro-tech and paying premium prices for such reto-tech that would surely need to be serviced, it is disappointing to those who want the most optimal audio quality. The saying "they don't make them like they used to" is unfortunately true for tech that plays back CDs and cassette tapes.

As a shit ear-haver, I get by just fine with my SONY CFD-S70 B I bought back in 2020. I also bought a Blu-Ray and CD reader in the past year, and have been successful in ripping my music along with some movies I bought second-hand. I also found a way to record my cassette tapes with that SONY boombox and the headphone cord and audio interface I use with Audacity to listen to my amp while I play guitar or record.

Mind you, I make music as a hobby, I am not a professional in anyway, just a humble hobbyist. But! I found a way that works for me with the stuff I already owned. Cassette tapes like vinyl's can sometimes come with a digital download, but they also give one a similar analog experience akin to vinyl. Instead of having to clean something, they are pretty resistant, most times you don't need to rewind if its a two-sided tape, and your favorite niche musicians (especially the noise rock/metal scene) do limited runs.² Not only that, but if you want to check if its good, like a CD when you search for deep scratches, the tape can be checked by moving either the supply or take-up reel with a pen. The tape should be smooth without bumps, scratches, mold residue, etc. Casette tapes can last as long as vinyl, but I prefer them for their portability like CDs.

Sharing the Love, Sharing the Music

If you get enough friends who also like music and can burn CDs, even better! I actually made a great friend because I made a passing comment as a cashier about what would Halloween music sound like. It turns out he's a major goth-kid and the next time he was in line, he handed me an awesome playlist burned onto a CD! Its on my ipod and I listen to it often when I'm in the mood.

I got to this conclusion of owning my music because I kinda hate streaming. I'd rather find music by giving it a shot and exploring. My partner has a LOT of CD's they collected over the years and we have similar tastes and Ive found some new favorites. Buying CDs and cassettes and making a set-up so you can physically share music with others is an amazing ability to connect with people. Another place that is helpful in finding new music is chosic.com. You can try and find similar songs, albums, artists and much more. My current favorite find is a band called Satanicpornocultshop and Kate Bush's "Rocket" just to name a few. What about actually buying music for your own collection?

Support Artists!

If I am unsure I want to buy a particular track, YouTube is always there to help make a purchasing decision, and Bandcamp is fun to crawl through! While becoming a buckaneering pirate of the seven interweb-seas is of course an option, I will not lie and say I have never took up the old eyepatch. But, I suggest limiting or weening oneself from doing so because it actually ruins the experience. I like a lot of music I was exposed to while I listened to Spotify. I have a growing list of albums I want to own but know I cannot buy all of it right now. Sometimes an artist wont make it available to purchase too! It's a little frustrating, however, I can always listen on Youtube when I am working on my laptop or desktop if I get the itch, or, I can get into some of the albums I bought recently and really appreciate them. It is gratifying seeing an album on the list at my local shops, especially the thrift store! I have found some great albums like Wolfgang Press's Queer and Digable Planet's Blowout Comb. Ive only bought one or two albums I just dont like.³ I plan to make an account soon-enough for Bandcamp, but for now I plan on reviewing music I come across here and hope to inspire other's to buy secondhand or new cd's and cassette tapes!

how disappointing Buffy Saint-Marie turned out to be.
looking at you Hemlock Springs, if you have a tape of Going...Going...Gone! I may buy it from you.
Metasexual by Joydrop is a terrible album.