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My Music Year-In Review (not counting Christmas)

Unlike a lot of other bloggers and journalists, I can't really make a "best-of" list of albums of the year, because I haven't really bought too many CDs that were released this year. I'm now starting to focus on artists and albums from the past, like The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix. I could make a top ten list, but I think I only bought ten total albums that were new this year.

However, I do want to take a look back at my music-buying habits from 2005. I bought quite a few CDs, sometimes more than two or three in a given month. It's an addiction, but a good addiction.

January:

Alison Krauss and Union Station - Lonely Runs Both Ways

I wanted this for Christmas, and didn't receive it, so I bought it with Christmas money. I've had mixed feelings about it, but I've come to at least strongly like most of the songs on it.

February:

Aerosmith - Nine Lives
Annbjorg Lien - Baba Yaga
Stevie Ray Vaughan - The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
Melissa Etheridge - Yes I Am

Those four albums were purchased at a local music store that was going out of business. I was actually planning to go there anyway, but the day I was going was the day I found out they were going out of business! Most of their used albums were on sale for $1. The Stevie Ray Vaughan was not used, so I paid $18 for it instead of $25. The rest were dollar CDs. I also bought a CD for a friend, which is not listed.

Goo Goo Dolls - Gutterflower
Hanson - This Time Around
Tim Buckley - Goodbye and Hello

These three I bought at the place I usually get my music - CD World. I got a new computer recently, so I decided to celebrate with new music. The Goo Goo Dolls and Hanson were used, and the Hanson one was only $4! Please, no bad comments. They're really not that bad now that they have adult voices.

March:

Keri Noble - Fearless

I went to a Jonny Lang concert in March, and Keri opened for him. I liked her so much that I bought an album right after her performance. I even got it signed!

April:

Beausoleil - La Danse De La Vie
Jimi Hendrix - Blues
Green Day - American Idiot
Rolling Stones - Forty Licks
k.d. lang - Hymns of the 49th Parallel
INXS - The Best of INXS

I bought all of these albums with birthday money. The first four were bought a few days after my birthday, and the other two were bought a few days after that. I got the INXS because I had a coupon for Fred Meyer and decided to get another CD with it. I had their $6 sale discs in mind, but didn't see anything I just HAD to have. So, I found the INXS disc instead. The k.d. lang disc I wanted to get right after my birthday with the others, but couldn't find it at CD World, so I waited and went to Circuit City and bought it there.

May:

Audioslave - Out Of Exile

I heard this one online the day before it came out, and was so impressed that I bought it the next day. It's their best album so far.

June:

Coldplay - X&Y
Missy Higgins - The Sound Of White
U2 - The Joshua Tree
Billy Corgan -thefutureembrace

The Corgan album was coming out in June, and I wanted to get it. I listened to it on Billy's Myspace before it was released, and had my doubts because it was not what I expected. I also previewed the Coldplay album online, and decided I'd rather have that. I also wanted to get a bargain disc at CD World, and I thought it was about time I get a U2 disc. The Joshua Tree was only $9. I also found Missy Higgins' album at a good price there, so I got that too.

To recap - I got Coldplay, Missy Higgins and U2 at CD World on the same day.

A few days later, I rethought my decision and got the Billy Corgan album anyway.

July:

The Chieftains - The Best Of The Chieftains
The Beatles - Abbey Road

I saw The Chieftains in concert in July, so I just had to get another of their albums. They were only selling one at the concert, so I waited until the next day and went to CD World. I also took a look at the used discs online, and decided to finally purchase a Beatles album. I reserved Abbey Road, and bought it and the Chieftians best of album.

August:

Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation - Mighty Rearranger
Nickel Creek - Why Should The Fire Die?
Led Zeppelin - IV

I had wanted to get the new Robert Plant album for a while, so I finally decided to do just that during August. I also found out that Nickel Creek had a new album out, so I got that too on the day it came out along with the Plant disc. With those purchases, I qualified for a free CD, so I chose the famous Led Zeppelin IV album. I didn't want to pay $18 for only 8 tracks, so I waited and made it my free one.

I was good and didn't buy anything in September because I wanted to wait until . . .

October:

Afro Celt Sound System - Anatomic
Bob Marley - Legend

I had been looking forward to the new Afro Celt Sound System album for a LONG time, so I rushed out on October 4 and bought it. I also wanted to finally buy Legend. Unfortunately, CD World no longer had it in their bargain section, so I paid full price for it. It turns out that it was worth the full price! I love it.

David Gray - Life In Slow Motion
The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band

That Friday, CD World had a great $4 benefit sale for a local radio station as well as a store-wide 20%-off sale. I couldn't pass up the opportunity at such great prices, so I went down there even though I had just bought new discs a few days earlier. Very few of the $4 CDs looked familiar, but I did find a couple David Gray discs in that section. I chose his latest album, and I made a very good choice. I also browsed the used discs inside the store, and I could not pass up a shot at owning the famous Sgt. Pepper album for a cheap price!

November:

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis: Bold As Love
Jimi Hendrix - First Rays Of The New Rising Sun

I was in a mood for more Hendrix, so I went out and bought a couple of his albums in the middle of November. I was originally just going to buy Axis, but when I saw that First Rays was being sold used, I knew I had to get that too.

Smashing Pumpkins - Adore
Smashing Pumpkins - Pisces Iscariot

Not long after the Hendrix purchases, CD World had another incredible sale. For one day only, the day after the Civil War football game between the University of Oregon and Oregon State, they were selling the used discs for a percentage off based on the number of points by which the U of O won the game. The U of O did win, and won by a whopping 42 points. So used discs, already cheap, were 42% off! I bought these two Smashing Pumpkins discs for under six dollars each. I went there right when the store opened to be sure I had the best selection.

The only other albums I'm getting this year are the albums I'm getting for Christmas, whatever they are. If there's one that I don't get that I really want, I might buy it too.

The Year In Numbers:

I bought a whopping 33 (thirty three) CDs this year, just for myself! I think that's by far the most I've bought in one calendar year.

I own 129 CDs total, so that's a little over 25% of my total collection!

My biggest music-buying month was February, when I got seven new CDs.

My slowest months were January, March, May and September.

If I bought all these CDs at a full price of $17 per disc, I would have spent $561. Luckily, I can buy used and sale discs and save a lot of money on my purchases!