My Epic Music Project
Since I now live on the edge of nowhere, attempting to listen to the radio in my car is almost pointless. There is an exact spot on the interstate, just before my exit, where all of the NYC radio stations except Hot 97 turn to static.
And don't get me wrong, Hot 97 is the place for hip-hop in New York. I like it. I missed it while I was away. But I can't listen to it 24-7.
My aging iPod is not a solution to my music variety problem because I have no hookup for it in the RamenMobile. And it's almost full to capacity.
So how am I going to keep myself entertained in my car when all I have is a CD player and a limited budget?
I'm going to listen to every single CD that I currently own. Every single CD, with the exception of one (for good reason, and it's built into the rules I made up). Seriously though, how many times have you looked at your CD collection, searching for something to listen to, and you get irritated because you can't make up your mind? I have created a project, or a game, to solve that problem and to make things interesting for a few months. Introducing...
The Epic Music Project
(feel free to play along!)
1. Arrange your CD collection in alphabetical order by artist (last name first). The article "the" should be ignored (Ex: The Beatles get filed under B; The Killers get filed under K). Multiple albums by the same artist should then be sorted chronologically by release date (earliest release first). Yes, this is a boring step if you aren't a dork like I am and have kept your collection organized since day 1. However, keeping the CDs in alphabetical order keeps you from arranging all your favorites first or last or wherever you want.
2. Start with the first disc and listen to it in its entirety. When the disc is over, listen to the next disc in the order. If you run out of CDs while you're on the road, you can listen to the radio or any of the other discs that you have in the car, as long as they're ones you listened to already per the alphabetical order.
3. Because not every disc is awesome, you may want to skip a track (especially if you always skip tracks on some albums). You are only allowed to skip a track after you have listened to it for a full minute.
And here's the most important rule:
4. You may only exclude 1 (one) CD from the playlist. Think long and hard about this, and choose wisely. You are going to get stuck listening to albums that you can't stand and you wonder why you bought them, but you can only rule out one little disc from the competition. (Granted, you can technically listen to the first minute of every song on a shitty album, but that also defeats the purpose of the game. Unless the album really is that bad.)
5. You are allowed to skip remixes of a song without exercising the 1 minute rule if the remix is close to indistinguishable from the original track. If the remix is totally different (ex: R. Kelly's Ignition and its way better remix), you must listen to the song (or at least the first minute of it).
6. Live CDs cannot be skipped, even if the set list is identical to the original album that you have just heard. (Honestly, if it was worth buying the live CD, there's gotta be something on there to set it apart from the original.) The 1 minute rule remains in effect.
7. Compilation CDs cannot be skipped. If you have already heard the track on a previous album, you can skip without using the 1 minute rule.
8. If you acquire any new CDs during the project, they must be filed in alphabetical order with the rest of your collection before you listen to them. If a new CD falls within CDs you have already listened to, you cannot break the order (ex: If you buy Kings of Leon and you're listening to Maroon 5...you have to wait till the end of the project to listen to the new plastic!)
It's ridiculously simple: Alphabetical order, play in order, stick to the 1-minute rule as needed, only one CD gets excused.
I started my Epic Music Project on April 1st with 112's third album, Part III. I'm now in the midst of the B's, having just finished Lou Bega (the Mambo #5 guy) and will start with Chuck Berry in the morning.
Some observations:
-This really gets tough when you have a lot of albums by one artist. I heard 3 Christina Aguilera albums in a row, and I'm totally X-tina'd out for a while. (I lie; I could listen to "Stripped" again right now if I had to.)
-Adds To The Top (fill in number) List of Favorites: Christina Aguilera, "Stripped"; Barenaked Ladies, "Stunt"; The Beatles, "Abbey Road."
-Adds to the Pleasant Surprise List (CD's I haven't heard in a while): Beatnuts, "Milk Me."
It's late, so I better get to bed.
Oh, you want to know which CD I'm excusing from the list? Lauryn Hill, "Unplugged." The. Worst. CD. That. I. Have. EVER. Purchased. And I loooooove Lauryn Hill. Her album will get added to my top (fill in number) list. But not the Unplugged joint, and I've made numerous attempts over several years and phases in my life to listen to it. To be perfectly honest, the One CD Excused Rule was specifically created so I would not have to hear that album. I just figured it was only fair to make it an official rule so I wouldn't skip any other albums. And if I'm encouraging you all to play along and hoping that you'll stick to the rules, I had better make full disclosure of all the steps that I'm taking as I play the game.
So, yeah, I'm throwing down the red flag. (omg, only 126 more days till college football starts!) I'm going to listen to (virtually) every one of my CD's. Can you do it too?
I'll keep y'all posted on my progress, and at the end of the project (however long it takes), I'll have an official list of my favorite albums of all time.
Happy Listening!!
And don't get me wrong, Hot 97 is the place for hip-hop in New York. I like it. I missed it while I was away. But I can't listen to it 24-7.
My aging iPod is not a solution to my music variety problem because I have no hookup for it in the RamenMobile. And it's almost full to capacity.
So how am I going to keep myself entertained in my car when all I have is a CD player and a limited budget?
I'm going to listen to every single CD that I currently own. Every single CD, with the exception of one (for good reason, and it's built into the rules I made up). Seriously though, how many times have you looked at your CD collection, searching for something to listen to, and you get irritated because you can't make up your mind? I have created a project, or a game, to solve that problem and to make things interesting for a few months. Introducing...
The Epic Music Project
(feel free to play along!)
1. Arrange your CD collection in alphabetical order by artist (last name first). The article "the" should be ignored (Ex: The Beatles get filed under B; The Killers get filed under K). Multiple albums by the same artist should then be sorted chronologically by release date (earliest release first). Yes, this is a boring step if you aren't a dork like I am and have kept your collection organized since day 1. However, keeping the CDs in alphabetical order keeps you from arranging all your favorites first or last or wherever you want.
2. Start with the first disc and listen to it in its entirety. When the disc is over, listen to the next disc in the order. If you run out of CDs while you're on the road, you can listen to the radio or any of the other discs that you have in the car, as long as they're ones you listened to already per the alphabetical order.
3. Because not every disc is awesome, you may want to skip a track (especially if you always skip tracks on some albums). You are only allowed to skip a track after you have listened to it for a full minute.
And here's the most important rule:
4. You may only exclude 1 (one) CD from the playlist. Think long and hard about this, and choose wisely. You are going to get stuck listening to albums that you can't stand and you wonder why you bought them, but you can only rule out one little disc from the competition. (Granted, you can technically listen to the first minute of every song on a shitty album, but that also defeats the purpose of the game. Unless the album really is that bad.)
5. You are allowed to skip remixes of a song without exercising the 1 minute rule if the remix is close to indistinguishable from the original track. If the remix is totally different (ex: R. Kelly's Ignition and its way better remix), you must listen to the song (or at least the first minute of it).
6. Live CDs cannot be skipped, even if the set list is identical to the original album that you have just heard. (Honestly, if it was worth buying the live CD, there's gotta be something on there to set it apart from the original.) The 1 minute rule remains in effect.
7. Compilation CDs cannot be skipped. If you have already heard the track on a previous album, you can skip without using the 1 minute rule.
8. If you acquire any new CDs during the project, they must be filed in alphabetical order with the rest of your collection before you listen to them. If a new CD falls within CDs you have already listened to, you cannot break the order (ex: If you buy Kings of Leon and you're listening to Maroon 5...you have to wait till the end of the project to listen to the new plastic!)
It's ridiculously simple: Alphabetical order, play in order, stick to the 1-minute rule as needed, only one CD gets excused.
I started my Epic Music Project on April 1st with 112's third album, Part III. I'm now in the midst of the B's, having just finished Lou Bega (the Mambo #5 guy) and will start with Chuck Berry in the morning.
Some observations:
-This really gets tough when you have a lot of albums by one artist. I heard 3 Christina Aguilera albums in a row, and I'm totally X-tina'd out for a while. (I lie; I could listen to "Stripped" again right now if I had to.)
-Adds To The Top (fill in number) List of Favorites: Christina Aguilera, "Stripped"; Barenaked Ladies, "Stunt"; The Beatles, "Abbey Road."
-Adds to the Pleasant Surprise List (CD's I haven't heard in a while): Beatnuts, "Milk Me."
It's late, so I better get to bed.
Oh, you want to know which CD I'm excusing from the list? Lauryn Hill, "Unplugged." The. Worst. CD. That. I. Have. EVER. Purchased. And I loooooove Lauryn Hill. Her album will get added to my top (fill in number) list. But not the Unplugged joint, and I've made numerous attempts over several years and phases in my life to listen to it. To be perfectly honest, the One CD Excused Rule was specifically created so I would not have to hear that album. I just figured it was only fair to make it an official rule so I wouldn't skip any other albums. And if I'm encouraging you all to play along and hoping that you'll stick to the rules, I had better make full disclosure of all the steps that I'm taking as I play the game.
So, yeah, I'm throwing down the red flag. (omg, only 126 more days till college football starts!) I'm going to listen to (virtually) every one of my CD's. Can you do it too?
I'll keep y'all posted on my progress, and at the end of the project (however long it takes), I'll have an official list of my favorite albums of all time.
Happy Listening!!
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