Collection Notes
A Record’s Runout Inscription Deserves an Exact Transcription
Small marks near the centre of a record can be difficult to read and easy to overinterpret. If you are documenting your own copy, begin with the characters…
Music, kept close
The listening journal
Collection Notes
Keep Your Genre Tags Separate from the Words Printed on the Sleeve
A record may sit comfortably in two parts of your collection even though the sleeve uses only one genre label, or none. Your catalogue can accommodate that…
On the Shelf
The Tuning Break on a Live Recording Can Be Part of the Performance
Between two songs on a live recording, a musician checks a string and the audience begins talking. It is tempting to skip straight to the next title.…
Between the Speakers
A Listening Session in a Record Shop Needs a Question, Not a Verdict
A few minutes at a listening station cannot tell you everything about an album. They can answer a smaller question, provided you choose that question before…
On the Shelf
A Lyric Booklet and the Voice You Hear May Not Line Up Perfectly
Following a lyric booklet while listening can reveal small differences between printed words and a recorded performance. A repeated phrase, an extra…
Between the Speakers
Make a Listening Queue That Allows You to Change Your Mind
A listening queue can become another list of obligations if every selection feels like a promise. Give yourself a way to move an album without describing…
Collection Notes
The Price Sticker Is Part of Your Copy’s Story, Even When You Leave It Alone
A shop sticker on an old record sleeve can bring back the place where a collection began. You can record that detail without immediately deciding to remove…
On the Shelf
A Record Display Can Rotate Without Losing Its Shelf Location
Putting a few favourite sleeves on display makes a collection easier to enjoy, but it can also leave a gap in the catalogue’s location information. A…