Ever since I got a little brown radio with tape recorder for myself, when I was 10 years old, I have actively been 'collecting' music, in whatever form. Thinking about that last part I realise I must have been breaking copyright laws since that day, buy that is maybe another story...
According to my parents I was shaking my diaper covered booty to music from the radio when I was 1-2 years old... but as I don't remember that, but the above very vividly, I count that as the beginning.
As a present to go with the radio, I got a black plastic foldable box, that contained 4 Philips black/red 60 minute tapes... A treasure beyond measure in my eyes then!
The first recordings I made with these, from the radio, was from the Top 100 of 1985 (or was it 1984?), if I am correct. The Commodores - Nightshift (still one of my all-time favorite tracks), 'We Are The World', Bruce Springsteen - I'm On Fire, Madonna, Queen, and many others I don't remember now... Terrible recordings, with DJs cutting in and all that, but the tapes were played until they simply couldn't be played anymore...
I collected a huge stack of tapes over the years, LPs, and later 100s of CD's.... nowadays my (digital) collection covers most of what I had/have on those tapes: I basically 'recovered' most of my youth over the last years. Concerts, special versions, everything.
Many bands, albums, songs, lyrics and tunes have simply come to mean a lot to me over the years and sometimes strong emotions, positive or negative, are connected with them. So, you just want to have that music, right?
Some 'newer' music that came to mean a great deal is the music of Yann Tiersen, the French musician and composer. Mainly his work on the soundtrack of the fantastic movie 'Amelie Poulain' has carved a special place.
I could write a long long story about this, but this is not the place. The music I have heard played on a piano close to Rue Mouffetard in Paris, a million times from either Guillaume's or my room, and carries me far far away on its melancholic sweet tones. Hearing the music simply makes me walk through small streets in Paris again!
So, ever since that winter and my little radio I have been collecting music, from every kind of source, every kind of dusty corner of the world. I had to think of all this, and more, when I came across this
post on a blog I follow regularly. There you can find lots of music by Yann Tiersen, a live album, the soundtrack of Goodbye Lenin (aaaalmost on par with the above mentioned soundtrack) and a more electronic session.
I know, I know, I shouldn't promote such behaviour :p So, buy the albums, ok?
Enjoy the music... what else is there to say anyway?
