My record collection is cool

My interpretation of the original post is whether one considers his record collection to be a "brand" -- an extension of oneself. The record collection itself is neither cool nor uncool. Rather, it is how the record collection reflects back upon the owner/curator that determines if he is "cool."

Freud explained it simply. Our motivations and behaviors are based on two inputs. What we think something will do for us (do we enjoy it, etc.), and how we think it will make us appear to other people. Is how we think it will make us appear to other people more important than what listening to the collection actually does for us personally?

As far as defining a great brand, there was a famous advertising executive (whose name escapes me at the moment) who worked for Foote, Cone and Belding, who defined a great "brand" succinctly. A brand -- in this case, the LP or the the record collection in aggregate -- should speak to me and speak for me. That's a great brand. For instance, this record collection speaks to me and it speaks for me -- an extension of my values and how I would like to be perceived -- how I think it will make me appear to others. Do you collect records that do something for you personally or do you collect records that you think will reflect upon you and make you appear cool to others? That's my take on what this thread is about.

 

Queen doesn't darken my collection. Queen lightens it up even more with some great music.

I don't see the point in attempting to measure how "cool" your record collection is and concerning yourself with it - back in the 80s, or now. Trying so hard would be exhausting... and what for? Who are you trying to impress? In the end, how "cool" your collection is depends on who's looking through it... and really, people generally couldn't care a less anyway.

 

You do get used to being cool, couldn't live without it now. My record collection can either produce ?, or great regard (from cool people).

 

At last we agree - I have them all

 

Amongst my cherished “Stars on 45” albums, I have this really weird record with a photo of a red coloured ceiling, with a dangling lightbulb.. but it’s not band photo! Too odd!

I’ve never bothered to play it....

Am I Cool...???

 

^ Well said.

Sonic Youth are alright imo, but music snobbery? Not so much. It mostly consists of going along with what the likes of Rolling Stone and NME dictated as being cool or not (y'know, those out of touch magazines that are seen as a bit of a joke these days). That whole superficial attitude is a cliché I've seen too many times.

That's not cool. It's artificial "cool".

 

I have to say the whole premise of the OP's post is flawed. Collecting records is inherently uncool. When has having a diverse record collection of noise rock and arty Japanese bands ever gotten anyone laid? Collecting records and taking it to the level of going on a forum that discusses minute details of records is super uncool. Being cool is not even a thing. When I hear I am trying to be cool I translate that to trying too hard. Enjoy your Fleetwood Mac (apparently that's cool now anyways). Also I will take those "cool" records off your hands for you so you can buy some more Elton John.

 

To be honest, I don't care if my collection is cool or not. To me, that's missing the plot.

 

Its funny how, as people get old, they forget how much they 'thought' about what their friends & peers thought of 'em.

"No fun ma'am, just the facts." - a middle aged audiophile.

 

Thank you for this voice of reason from a fellow QMS fan

 

My Record collection was cool. My 8-Track collection was cool. My Cassette collection was cool, My CD collection was cool.

Now my iTunes/iPod/iPhone collection is "awesome" and all fits in the palm of my hand.

 

In my teenage years, flipping through friends record collections told me a lot about them. What we had in common, their secret Carpenters obsession, whether they had good taste in music, and so on. I got turned onto some killer music because my friends were cool....yet uncool at the same time.

 

It was a big deal in my late teens & early 20s but to still be concerned about being seen as cool in my mid 40s seems lame. Genuinely cool people just are, without trying too hard.

 

My record collection is very cool. To me. And that's what matters.

 

I had never considered Cat Stevens not super cool. I think he’s someone that the discerning folksters like and the bandwagon fans liked for his golden skin and luscious locks. Kinda like Nirvana in the grunge scene.

 

The coolness factor is determined by Pitchfork, Spin..
Gangsta rap and Nicki Minaj are cool, John Mayall and Deep Purple are utterly uncool

 

Thanks for the great post. Growing up in the UK it seemed music played such an important role in those distant school days. Gathering round a radio to hear the new top ten. Top of the pops. I had a friend who hand wrote each weeks top 10 in a chart book. Punks became soul boys became two tone mods.... Bringing 7 inch singles to play in music class said something about you and it could be a dangerous statement. How could you not feel music was dangerous, cool and liking the right music was important ? I've often wondered what made me such a music obsessive. Somewhere Dylan, Bowie and Morrissey spoke to me and spoke for me ? Like all good art they enlightened and opened up avenues to even more artists (Velvets, Cohen, Kinks, Barrett). I've always felt the music spoke to me first and sometimes it happened to be seen as cool too. Being a Smiths fan in the UK was definitely not cool at the time. Morrissey was widely ridiculed (this was before he deserved it). So if anything I feel many of the bands I loved then are now seen as cool.

I'm over 50 now and yes like you it's nice to not be a snob and discover gems you never would have given the time of day earlier. Bee Gees, Steely Dan, Beach Boys, Sinatra.

So to answer your question, my record collection is way cooler than yours !

 

Dirty Mind is still my favorite

 

Side 2 of Radio City is one of my favorite album sides.

 

I've been a big fan of my record collection for decades.

 

so is mine

 

My record collection is a nerd....
until, it takes it's hair down, and it's frumpy, librarian glasses off....
then....it's SEXY!

 

FGTR is not a bad album - at least not as bad as many Genesis fans make out - but it really gives little indication of where they were headed.

My personal favourite is The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, but I'm not sure I'd recommend that as an entry point - it's a sprawling double album that I took a little while to come to appreciate. I'd probably recommend either Foxtrot or Selling England by the Pound, though the two earlier albums Trespass and Nursery Cryme are very good also.
Lamb is the final album that featured Peter Gabriel, after which Phil Collins took over as vocalist. The next three albums - A Trick of the Tail, Wind and Wuthering, and ...And Then There Were Three - are still excellent but have a slightly different feel partly because of the different vocalist and partly because you no longer have Peter Gabriel's wild fantastic lyrical themes. Many people also like the next album, Duke, but personally I think Duke marked the beginning of a dropping off in quality and a shift to more conventional AOR-sounding songs. There is something to enjoy on all their albums, but from this point on they become thinner on the ground.

 

Hah ! Seems I was ahead of my time and way ahead of the modern hipsters nowadays !!!! . I thought Cat was great…... so clearly showed my 'feminine side' way back in the 70's !!!

 

Thanks. I know my Dad has Foxtrot, Nursery Cryme & Genesis Live on CD. I'll run off copies & listen next time I'm there.