Organizing Bob Dylan on your iPod or computer (obsessives only!)

How do you arrange Bob Dylan tracks on your iPod/computer?

- Do you have remasters and originals side by side or just the "best" version of each? And do you name them as "(remaster)", "(original)", etc?

- Do you file Bootleg Series entries under "B" or have you renamed them as "Another Self Portrait", "Tell Tale Signs", etc?

- Do you include duplicate tracks so that each one only appears once? Or, would you replace the outtakes and rarities on Biograph, More Greatest Hits etc with Side Tracks?

- Do you keep the remastered Self Portrait as its own album or as part of the BS in which it was included?

- Do you add "[live]" after live tracks, even when you know it's a live album?

- Do you standardize track names so that you always have the comma in "It Ain't Me, Babe" – even when the metatagging didn't bother? (This means that if you sort by song, they all align.)

- Do you add any other information?

Sorry if this seems obsessive but this is all important stuff.

 

This post made me chuckle.

You do realize this thread isn't about Bob Dylan at all, but rather how to curate and manage a digital library for any artist with a substantial body of work and multiple comps (best of, anthologies, etc.).

One question to ask, do you ever use shuffle mode on your iPod? Either total shuffle or shuffle within artist? How would you feel about "Blowing In The Wind" coming on 4 times in a row?

A friend of mine bought the U2 iPod and Complete U2 package when those came out, and there were several songs he had 3-4 exact copies of (not live versions or remixes mind you). I thought that was nuts and waste of space!

 

Yes, it could apply to other artists but I wanted to keep it Dylan-focused as it's notable how many variants there are of certain songs in recent Bootleg Series and live sets (such as the 36-disc 1966 box).

Yes, I sonetines use shuffle and would welcome four different versions of the same song.

 

I keep Dylan and the Dead filed separately so as not to infect the other Dylan (and Dead) files.

 

Ok I focused on your first bullet. Remastered is not a variant by my definition, whereas live or alt mix or outtake would be. Have fun, and remember it is your collection so put the versions on you actually want to hear!

 

I already have the file structure of a full digitised library, so have always followed certain "rules" for tagging and labelling (the above is just scratching tbe surface). It was more curiosity about how others do this.

 

I keep both the remaster and the originals but will usually note the year of the remaster in parenthases. Sometimes I get a bug up my butt and want to make comparisons between the versions so it’s easier to have both. Disk space is cheap enough that I can keep all the duplicates.

I always file the bootleg series under B and the volume number before the volume title so they all appear together sequentially. The remastered Self Portrait was kept as part of the Bootleg Series.

If it’s a live album I will not include “live” in the individual song titles and usually won’t leave it by the title unless it’s supposed to be there (Real Live). It bothers me when I see that!

I’m not meticulous about ensuring song titles are consistent with commas and other punctuation but if I haapen to notice it I will try to match it to how I know it’s usually listed.

 

I do year by year ( on the year by year I may also drop them into a larger playlist of that year for context)
live
demoes
eras: NYC, Woodstock, the Band, Rolling Thunder, Christian, etc.,

Duplicates I consider on a case by case basis

I keep Biograph in the loop cause it is a nice synopsis, but will usually use the tracks from the larger specific era Bootleg sets

Otherwise it is loose and flowing always adaptive

 

Do you do the same with Dylan and the Band?

 

Thanks for the nice summary.

 

All versions, side by side, chronologically. Original just with album title, any remaster as 'Title [Remaster 2017]'

[/QUOTE]- Do you file Bootleg Series entries under "B" or have you renamed them as "Another Self Portrait", "Tell Tale Signs", etc?[/QUOTE]

B - 'The Bootleg Series • Volumes 1-3 [Rare & Unreleased] 1961-1991 [Disc 2]'. These are placed at date of most recently recorded track. So Vol 1-3 are right before first edition of 'Good As I Been To You'.

[/QUOTE]- Do you include duplicate tracks so that each one only appears once? Or, would you replace the outtakes and rarities on Biograph, More Greatest Hits etc with Side Tracks?[/QUOTE] Not sure what you mean?

[/QUOTE]- Do you keep the remastered Self Portrait as its own album or as part of the BS in which it was included?[/QUOTE] Part of BS

[/QUOTE]- Do you add "[live]" after live tracks, even when you know it's a live album?[/QUOTE] Nope.

[/QUOTE]- Do you standardize track names so that you always have the comma in "It Ain't Me, Babe" – even when the metatagging didn't bother? (This means that if you sort by song, they all align.)[/QUOTE] All track names faithful and as original listing.

[/QUOTE]- Do you add any other information?[/QUOTE] examples?

[/QUOTE] Sorry if this seems obsessive but this is all important stuff.[/QUOTE] Hi, fellow geek!

 

I realise I made a complete and utter **** of my post above

 

In the scenario with original vs. remaster, I might put the CK99999 that's on the original disc.
Of course, if it's a Japan or W. German pressing, then you would need to identify it if your goal is to encompass multiple pressings.

Remaster = 2017 RE or 2017 RM
Whatever works.

I have never collected more than one mastering but have saved the best instead.

 

In general, this is what I do for everyone, including Dylan:

* Albums are listed in chronological order by putting the date prior to the title

* I don't bother marking remasters, particular issues, etc. unless there's something really unusual about them (for example, the 70s ZZ Top albums with rerecorded drum tracks). When there's something unusual about them, I'll usually try to have a copy of each significantly different version, and I'll mark what version they are.

* I typically try to have a copy of both mono and stereo mixes.

* I typically try to have a copy of both, say, US and UK track listings when they're significantly different. If there's just an added track on one, I won't usually bother with two separate versions--I'll just go with the version with the additional track. Occasionally I've combined different versions, although I'm more likely to do that with something that was a compilation in the first place.

* Bonus tracks normally go in a separate folder, as a separate album, basically, marked as bonus tracks. I combine bonus tracks from different versions into one "bonus track album." I (usually) eliminate duplicate tracks when I do that (what I mean there is that if there are two different bonus track versions of something, with some repeated material on the different versions--I'll eliminate the identical tracks usually). The exception to separating bonus tracks is when an album is released with bonus tracks (in particular countries, for example) from the start, or shortly after an initial release. In those cases I consider the bonus tracks to be part of the album. For example, for the KISS debut, I include "Kissin' Time", since it was added shortly after the initial release, and that's how the vast majority of people know that album. So basically, I just remove them when bonus tracks were added years after the original release of the album.

* I try to standardize titles, but I don't always catch it. I prefer them to be standardized so I can easily search for multiple versions of the same track.

* Archival stuff I list as the date that something was recorded, which is sometimes a range instead. I do that instead of using the release date. I want stuff organized more or less in chronological order of "when it happened."

* For live archival recordings, and live recordings that were from a particular gig, I use the date of the performance, not the release date. I also list the venue as the main title instead of the release title. I make a note of the release title after that when there is one. Part of the reason that I do this is because I collect bootlegs, too, and this helps me keep track of everything. When I have both a bootleg and an official release of a particular gig, I'll keep both if there are notable differences between the two--edits, or overdubs, or songs missing from the official release. If there are not, I'll dump the bootleg.

* If it's a live release from a recent tour (recent to the release), and the recording incorporates a bunch of different dates on the tour, I'll just file it by the release date. So for example, a live album released in February 1975, from a tour that happened throughout 1974, where the recordings are from a bunch of different gigs on the 1974 tour, is the only sort of live album that I'd file under the release date.

* I don't mark tracks as "live," "mono," "stereo" etc. if the whole album is that. I only mark tracks that way when it's in a collection of bonus tracks that are a mixture of things. Bonus tracks I try to detail when I know the info--if it's a single B-side, etc.

 

Sometimes I have used the "comments" field to tag tracks individually, i.e., "cover version" or whatever. That can be a lot of work. Also, it's more logical to tag entire albums at a time.

 

So if it's a various-years compilation such as BS 1–3, would you tag each individual track by its year? And would you tag the date in the album name as 1991 for all three discs?

 

- I don't keep different masterings of anything in my library, just the best one I have, and it will be tagged as the original album. (Remixes are a different story, I'll do that for The Beatles).

-I don't file any albums alphabetically, I file them all chronologically, but in the album name I have all the Bootleg Series following a standard pattern, which looks for example like this:

The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs, Rare And Unreleased 1989-2006

-I don't usually put [Live] at the end of tracks but it has been known and I may still have some that look like that.

-I try to standardize tracks names as you suggest, but why the record lables can't get this basic task right in the first place is beyond me!

 

One version of each album. I’m not fussy about which mastering.

Bootleg Series is named The Bootleg Series, Vol. x: (Title) e.g. The Bootleg Series, Vol.8 - Tell Tale Signs. I’ve had to split BS 13 into Vol.13 (first four discs), 13a (Toronto) and 13b (Earls Court).

Multi disc sets (BS, Budokan, Biograph etc.) are assigned as a single album and numbered sequentially from 1. to whatever the last one is (379 in the case of Bs12).

Conversely, each disc in the 50th Anniversary Series is assigned its own volume by year, as they’re all mostly distinct gigs on each disc. I’ve created uniform artwork for each volume with the 50th Anniversary logo and the title/date of the recording.

All songs are assigned to the year of release for new albums. or, in the case of newly released outtakes, year of recording. So, for example the new Earls Court gig from BS13 has 1981 in the year field. That to me is more valuable information than the year of release.

Duplicate tracks are avoided as much as possible, so I’ve tidied up the loose ends and orphan songs from Biograph, Masterpieces, etc into one big expanded version of Side Tracks. Any alternate studio versions are given parentheses with a note, mostly just (Alternate Version). I have an allergy to [ ] appearing in my digital catalogue.

Live albums are marked as ‘Live’ in the genre field. This is something I do across all my digital collection.

 

Does anyone here use an iPhone for music? One complication is that in the "albums" view it abbreviated titles. So any BS release is reduced to the identical-looking "The Bootleg Serie" – no space for the full title, let alone the disc number. This makes it hard to locate, say, The Bootleg Series, Vol. 13: Trouble in Mind CD5. In the case of the 36-disc live set it's even trickier.

Thoughts?

 

First - I don'the use an iPod or play music throught my computer.

But I have been collecting Bob Dylan music for over 50 years. Since I use Word to keep track of my collection, I use the Word alpha system to keep track. In alpha order. That includes all the legit and boots.
My live collection of collector recordings uses year, month, day format. Such as:
1974-01-03 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL.

For Bob one offs I might list ito like this

Bob Dylan - OST - Wonder Boys (2000).

Now the Wonder Boys would be listed twice: one under Bob Dylan and the other as OST.

Of course the one offs areally cherry picked and put in a file I call Rarities.

I have a Digital Music Player with a 128GB SD card that I load up. Right now ai have all the Dylan Trouble No More box set, with all the bonus stuff loaded up.

Don't know if this helps or not.

 

Studio albums in a separate folder, Bootleg series in a separate folder. Chronological order within their respecttive folders.
Done.

 

- Do you have remasters and originals side by side or just the "best" version of each? And do you name them as "(remaster)", "(original)", etc?

Side by side, with notations after the title as to whether they are from a (vinyl) needle dropped source, or, say, a remaster; [i.e. 2010 mono remaster]. Have no use for original Dylan 60's-era stereo releases where there was a discreet mono mix and don't have any in my collection.

- Do you file Bootleg Series entries under "B" or have you renamed them as "Another Self Portrait", "Tell Tale Signs", etc?

Everything is organized strictly by title, so Bootleg Series releases all appear together in order of volume number, titled for example: "Bootleg Series Vol. 09: The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964 (2010)".

- Do you include duplicate tracks so that each one only appears once? Or, would you replace the outtakes and rarities on Biograph, More Greatest Hits etc with Side Tracks?

Everything is kept as originally released, so there are some duplications.

- Do you keep the remastered Self Portrait as its own album or as part of the BS in which it was included?

Part of the Bootleg Series.

- Do you add "[live]" after live tracks, even when you know it's a live album?

No, but I do note the recording/performance date in the title (i.e., New York Town Hall 4-12-63).

- Do you standardize track names so that you always have the comma in "It Ain't Me, Babe" – even when the metatagging didn't bother? (This means that if you sort by song, they all align.)

No, but I may someday if I have the time.

- Do you add any other information?

No, mainly try to keep it simple, figuring I can find stuff easily enough when I need to. One additional thing I will note - I'm very much a stickler for accurate artist credits. However, while I list Before the Flood as a joint Dylan/Band release, I've always maintained The Basement Tapes as actually conceived are erroneously jointly credited to Dylan and The Band (it's really Dylan's show all the way). Therefore while I list the original '75 release (which included discreet Band tracks) as "Bob Dylan/The Band", all other iterations including boot versions are credited solely to Dylan.

 

Thanks. I have tagged Before the Flood as "Bob Dylan" just to prevent splitting him up into multiple artist configurations. But it seems wrong somehow.

 

I put the year after the track title, as long as I know the year.

Re the date of the album, if it's a compilation in the vein of a greatest hits that the artist supervised and released as part of their "main sequence" of releases, the date before the album title is the release date. If it's a compilation that's posthumous, archival long after the fact, or if it's not artist-supervised, etc. the date before the album title is whatever range the tracks are from, so it might be something as wide as 1966-1991 or whatever.

 

I've done this with alt. takes for a couple of Mosaic jazz box sets. I recreated the original albums with the LP artwork and made a separate one for the alternates. It makes it more fun though less scholarly. Sometimes for bonus tracks I'll keep them with the album but I'll add a track of 15 seconds of silence to give me time to decide if I stop at the end of the original album.

You've reminded me I have some work to do with Thelonious Monk. As noted by the OP Bob does have a few long titles that tend be shortened or may be missing a comma.

Me too. The majority of the time my organizing relates to reclaiming shelf space* and converting CDs to FLAC to play off a hard drive for my Cambridge. For many Mosaic jazz (and other box) sets it's an improved experience since the limits of CD space sometimes causes albums or sessions to go across 2 discs.

Once in awhile instead of a year I'll just put a 1-, 2-, etc. in front of an album title so they line up in order. (Again, this is not using iTunes but it's the stereo component reading off of a hard drive).

Same here. If mono I'll mark it in the album folder title or in the album title if it's on my iPhone. It's exceedingly rare (if ever) that I mark a track live. Typically I'll have entire concerts so having the venue in the name gives it away that it's live.

*I then put the CDs into "deep storage", for those who worry about legalities.