About Music Arcades

What?

Towards the end of 2005 I set out to listen to every record, CD, pre-recorded cassette, mini-disc and music-related CD-ROM in my collection. Music Arcades is the blog of that endeavour, one a day. Click the covers on the right to see this month's entries, view the latest entry, or visit the month-by-month archives. Keep up with each day's entry via the RSS feed (or Atom feed, if you're fussy about that kind of thing).

Why?

I have a big collection, by most standards. I know some who have collections several times larger — I'm not bragging — but it's still big enough that listening to all of it would take several years. Inevitably that means that some of the less popular items in the collection might never be listened to again. Not only that, but there have been times in my life when I was buying music faster than I could properly listen to and absorb it — so I don't really know all that I have and what's good. That cultural surplus seems to me to be an embarrassing waste. I wanted to justify my acquisitiveness by giving everything at least one decent hearing.

Nostalgia? Yup, guilty of that, too. I remember younger days when it was common to sit down and do nothing but listen, except maybe perusing the sleeve notes. Particularly I remember listening with a friend, drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, and playing our favourite records to each other. "Listen to this bit — this is amazing, because…"

More about this in my opening letter to Ben.

How?

I have a database that lists everything in my collection. Using a random number generator I pick the next items, usually in groups of five at a time. I listen to them, and then I write about them. Not necessarily about how good or bad they are — though inevitably that comes into it — but as though I were listening to them with Ben, over an endless stream of coffee and cigarettes. Frequently, therefore, what I write is littered with personal anecdotes and idiosyncratic, arcane references that only mean anything to me and a few close friends. It's a blog, not a reference guide. Take it as you find it.

How long?

Music Arcades began on Winter Solstice 2005. It will continue until I reach the end of my collection, or until the rest of my life gets in the way. I make no guarantees. But, after over 1,000 entries, I'm still loving it.

Why Music Arcades?

The origins of the name, and some of the inspirations behind the folly of the site, are referred to at the end of this post. Pragmatically, musicarcades.com was available in 2005; not much else was.

Who?

My name is David. At the moment I live in London, England, with Lucy and the Boy. That's all you need to know.