This is such a timely video. I also spend way too much money on music, concerts, merch…. I’m am very compulsive that way….and then I’ll complain about the cost of gas 😂

@letstalkmetal

2 ай бұрын

LOL I'm always amazed at how many people complain when gas goes up a few cents and then they turn around and do something like spending $50-100 going out drinking for a night. It's easy to be compulsive these days when it's so easy to stumble across things on YT, bandcamp, Discogs, etc etc

I changed my collecting habbits a lot in the last 2 - 3 years. I was a completist to start with, had to have everything by bands that I loved for decades. I totally changed that. I sold around 3000 records and 500 CDs that I just don´t need anymore. I buy maybe 20 -25 new albums a year and some stuff that I am after for years, that´s it. I still keep on sorting out records now and then. Sometimes I still catch myself loading up the cart on any given platform now and then. When I watch the endresult, most of the time I just erase the whole order instead of sorting out the "unnecessary" stuff. That saved me a lot of money, hahaha... When I buy a new album I usually make a copy and put it in the car. I have to drive quite a lot and it´s always the same route and I´m always alone, that is the perfect way to get familiar with new s**t.

Great video, many good points! For me this is going on 3 years of not buying every new release under the sun, like you I want to get to know them better, try to create some music muscle memory. Background music is always something that is burnt in my brain, that way when I do focus for a second I can jump right in. I’ll take a nice surprise any day but overall I’m OK with samey lol.

@letstalkmetal

2 ай бұрын

I remember you saying that you had backed off from buying so many new releases. That was something that got me thinking about this topic and how much new stuff I was trying to process and how it wasn't working all that well in terms of long-term memory.

@gerhardk2348

Ай бұрын

Yes music collecting can really be a burden.Staying at home on a nice shiny day because you have to listen to the new purchased stuff and while listen to the new albums searching for the next albums online.I don't buy much albums anymore because I don't have to own everything. I listen to an album online for at least a month.If the album is still a 10/10 after a month or more i probably will buy it. But for the most albums it turns out i like them but don't need it in my collection. This works really good for me and i enjoy listening to music again.

@letstalkmetal

Ай бұрын

@@gerhardk2348 That sounds like a good approach and would definitely prevent lots of average albums from gathering dust on shelves.

"I spend too much on metal stuff" said every collector ever, with much guilt but little regret... Interesting video Alan, I think we can all relate to most of these points. Took a conscious decision to stop buying new releases (in fact all purchases) over the past year. My life has been now more fulfilling as a result - mindfulness is a good thing. I'm actually getting to know my collection now and selling the stuff it makes no sense to own.

@metalmogul

2 ай бұрын

totally with you on Rush, but I don't think I need to give it a chance at all, lol

Awesome video professor.Was just talking with a friend about this. Be it music, video games or RPGs. We buy more than we sit down and enjoy.

@letstalkmetal

2 ай бұрын

Good point- it does apply to other hobbies and forms of entertainment too. I've done well at scaling way back on some things, not so good when it comes to other things :(

Great video Alan, with many points and issues that I also can relate to. The biggest improvement, I think, that I've made in the last couple years in my collecting habits is that I can easily get rid of an item when I think I don't enjoy or need it anymore, or I can buy for cheap again if I ever want to. That helps in financing new items and opens room for them. Purchasing is a completely different thing though, because it is basically therapy. I don't think I'll ever be OK with an item or two per month, but I have also developed some reservations in recent years to limit my purchasing. I never rush to buy a new album on the first week of release, give it a listen online first and decide, I don't have to have everything on vinyl, postpone a purchase if money is tight that particular month etc etc... On another note, it's usually progression and versatility over repetition for me. You just held there the best example, Testament. I don't own any of their reunion releases and probably never will. On the contrary, another new Helloween album with the reformed big lineup is always exciting news, same with Paradise Lost or Amorphis who prefer to change up things even if not too heavily or shockingly.

@letstalkmetal

2 ай бұрын

Those are some good ideas for keeping the number of new purchases under control. I've been trending towards paying more attention to bands that change things up at least some, from time to time. I seem to have a threshold for just how many soundalike albums I need by most bands. There are a few exceptions but not a ton.

I’ve now moved into collecting less new releases ( more on cd, vinyl only for absolute favourite bands ) and more into original 80s pressings on vinyl. Got lucky with a great score from an amazing collection that was for sale. Great vid topic.

I find it good when i want to stop buying is to go through my collection and weed out the stuff i dont want first and sell that off,that tends to keep me focused on the selling side of it so much that i dont even consider buying...and looking through the collection youll find so much stuff youve totally even forgotten you have,which is also good .. realistically its probably an addiction more than anything else and with all addictions it can send you broke if you don't get on top of it.....i find that shrinking the collection to rid it of dust collecting items that never get played is far more interesting than adding more filler....only thing is,you just gotta keep yourself under control so you don't just buy back a heap of junk aswell.. addiction,plain and simple....you are right about the less opportunity to buy stuff back in the old days and the fact we played stuff alot more and came to know it inside out,i waited 6 months for my Venom black metal cd order to show up in Australia and at first listen i didn't love it (no youtube to listen before buying in 1992)i was disappointed,but the fact that i played it over and over again i ended up loving it and still do,same goes for into the pandemonium,i ended up loving it because i spent hours and hours listening to it...these days youd just throw it in a corner and go online and order something else instead,its too easy these days..alot of good points in this video

@letstalkmetal

2 ай бұрын

Thanks! Good idea about focusing on thinning out your collection and finding more interesting stuff that way. When I get the urge to start record shopping I really should just remind myself to go 'shop' on my own shelves because I'll find something that I haven't heard in ages!

@claytonbjork5687

2 ай бұрын

@@letstalkmetal definitely..look on your own shelves first

Good points and insights Alan! Buying less, and spending more time with the buys, resonated with me (I am only a completist with a handful of bands). I also have to mark essays myself, and i usually put things that i dont really know to play in the background, that will never work for getting to know stuff (although the occasional riff or melody will grab my attention); I am thinking of following what you said in this regard. To add to bad habits, myself I tend to buy things after a random listen of a song, or a very casual/quick streaming of it. I have now realised that spending some good time with streaming something before you consider buying it, is definitely a wise strategy! And that is one of the big advantages of these times relative to the 80s and 90s!

Good description at the beginning using the example of “Testament”, Alan. An ongoing problem in this regard is that groundbreaking, important, style-defining bands all reach the point at which their creative power is at an end in order to realize new, relevant ideas. This is usually the point at which they begin to reproduce their successful formulas and recipes using modern, contemporary technique. This method usually works for a certain time, but it also necessarily ends at some point, especially if you don't have an unconditionally loyal fan base behind you that uncritically consumes everything a band releases without any notable expectations. So, my point is not even whether a band necessarily changes their style, their identity along the way, or tries new things for the sake of trying new things, but rather that great, important bands at a certain point in time simply organically brought new things to the table and this is only possible in limited time windows per se.

@letstalkmetal

2 ай бұрын

Well said Mike. Most artists are going to run out of ideas and/or find their comfort zone eventually. And since I'm not the type to unconditionally love everything an artist does, I do get restless when a band is stuck in a rut for too long

Hey Alan, great video as always with some definitely relevant topics and great ideas. Keeping the time honored classics for background music and newer purchases for more devoted listening I think is a great idea! Maybe even just the act in and of it’s self to make an occasion of a spin can make it more memorable. I know what you mean about analyzing the spending after the fact too. Like you said even with sales and discounts it can add up very fast! Especially with vinyl! But if you get say 10 CD’s that can make a dent too! You know I used to find in my younger days if I got more than 1 or 2 CD’s at a time, stuff got neglected. If I got 3 or 4 I just wouldn’t devote as much time to them. Holds true for me today, yet I still do it and I’m just now discovering stuff I got 6 months ago. But some I might never discover. You know it’s harder to go back if you keep getting more! So I’m with you. I went on kind of a buying binge a month or 2 ago now I’m holding back due to concerts and upcoming releases from some of my favorite bands- The Sabbath box, Alcest, Crypt Sermon and Evergrey. On your first topic, overall I think I enjoy bands that experiment and change more. That’s what I always loved about Anathema, they never made the same album twice. Although there are some bands that shouldn’t experiment. Look forward to talking about UFO! .

Hey Alan. Fantastic topic and approach to it. I’ve settled into a new system: All albums get a full two weeks of listening online before any decision is made. Then if it passes - it falls into one of three categories: seek it out on vinyl, buy it on cd, or wait til I stumble across it used. Having said that - I bought the new Darkthrone and Deicide before any listens. LOL. Sick little monkey

@letstalkmetal

2 ай бұрын

Quite the system Frosty though it appears to have some cracks in it LOL I should preview things more in-depth online before tracking them down. I usually preview them a little and then make a quick buy/don't buy decision- not the best approach.

Excellent video! You’re gonna make me add up my amazon purchases and im definitely not going to like the number, 😂😂. Have a great rest of the week.

@letstalkmetal

2 ай бұрын

LOL yeah, looking at my Discogs order history was not pleasant.... "did I really order THAT much stuff?!".

Bands changing sounds: Personally, I support bands changing their sound, even if I don't always like the new direction. I appreciate it when a band experiments with new ideas, even if it doesn’t work out, rather than sticking to the same formula, which quickly becomes boring. For example, I have a lot more respect for Celtic Frost for releasing Cold Lake-even though it's terrible-than for Iron Maiden for putting out essentially the same album repeatedly over the last 25 years. On an album-by-album basis, sure, I'd rather listen to a modern Maiden record than Cold Lake, but in the bigger picture, you have a band that has produced something bad but interesting, and a band that has produced something good but boring. Not giving albums enough time: This is very difficult for me. I only really got into metal around five years ago, so I have a lot of catching up to do. Between checking out classic "must-listen" albums and bands, staying on top of new releases, and listening to music I already like, there simply isn't enough time to give all albums a proper listen. Testament is a great example: thrash metal is one of my favorite genres, but I haven't checked out a single album of theirs simply due to lack of time. To manage this, I give each album one focused listen to make up my mind. If I like it, I'll note it and listen to it a few more times until I feel I've fully digested it. If I don't like it, I won't bother with it again. It's not a perfect solution, but I don't want to waste time on something I know I don't care about when there are plenty of undiscovered albums out there that I might fall in love with on the first listen. There are probably some albums I've dismissed that I would like now, but that's just how life is sometimes. This approach also explains my opinion on the first topic, as albums with something weird, interesting, or unique give me much more reason to think, "What was that? I need to listen to it again," compared to something that might be great but otherwise unremarkable.

Interesting video Alan and certainly thought provoking but to be honest I'm fairly comfortable with my collecting habits I mainly stick to buying used cds and it's one visit to the same shop every 2-3 weeks and on average between 2 and 4 cds a time like you I'm not a completist with bands and I always allow the same budget each time I buy with the exception of birthday and Christmas of course!

Im in the same boat good video Aaron.

I've very rarely been anything even approaching a completist. There are only a handful of bands that I've kept up with over the years. Armored Saint comes to mind immediately. As for buying everything that comes along...nope, I've become adept at making CD-R copies of music copied from streaming services and creating my own inserts to go with them. Yes, I feel a bit guilty for that, but at 63 years old I feel like I don't need to own everything, and I've already done my bit to support the industry.

Consistency. For me. That’s what I value the most. Im a cigar smoker. A big cigar smoker. I have been for over 27 years. I enjoy different blends and different tobacco from all different regions. One aspect in cigar making is flavor profile. Weather, climate change, soil variation all plays a huge role in the quality of the tobacco. If any of these things change it will definitely change the flavor profile of that particular cigar. So…a lot of companies will have limited editions and small batches. Some of these are fantastic. They can gain a lot of popularity among cigar smokers. They will demand more. The makers will try their best to keep that flavor profile going but Ive had later boxes of that exact same cigar that just aren’t the same. A lot of these cigars are complex and it’s really hard to replicate that original batch. So? I tend to gravitate towards brands and lines that have been around for decades. Why? Because they stay consistent. They may not be as complex or dynamic in flavor but they are solid and consistent. I know that particular standard cigar will taste just the same as it did when I smoked it in 97. A Padron anniversary series still tastes exactly as it did when I first tried one in 2005. That’s why Padron has the customer base it does. Where am I going with this? I treat metal and rock just the same. In my opinion it’s much harder to stay consistent and stay true throughout the years than it is to do a 180 every album. Im the guy who isn’t afraid to try different things on a menu but I will always adore and go back to same few items that are always good at my favorite restaurants. As far as bad habits? I buy waaaay too much. I have stacks of unopened cds I still haven’t even listened to yet. Some go back 5 months

I currently have about 250 metal CD's that I havent opened yet. The piles are growing as I'm rapidly growing my collection again. Been collecting for over 33 years, slowed down dramatically the last 10-15. Need to get my collection back up. Probably finally cracked 2000 metal CD's. Amazon makes it very easy to get stuff quickly.

@letstalkmetal

Ай бұрын

Wow, sounds like you've got some catching up to do on listening :) Online shopping does make it almost too easy to find things.

Always been difficult to listen to what I have. I buy too much on such a low budget where certain aspects of life, things are falling apart and I can't always afford to fix things right away. I was starting to give a full month to CDs, making mp3s out of them to listen to in the car. But my car has been stalled for the past few weeks and I haven't been able to get back to that kind of getting to know these albums. The first was Cirith Ungol Frost and Fire, and I noticed that they have a song that they sing "Sirith" Ungol and I kept rolling my eyes at. But I got to know it pretty well. Then was the self titled Metal Church. I got to know it a little bit. I think I liked Cirith Ungol more because I don't remember as much from the latter band. And then I was at Game Over by Nuclear Assault. I got about a week into listening to it when my alternator stopped working. Hopefully soon I will be able to get back at it. And it's all you and Marty's help realizing what I already knew beforehand that I should be doing; listening as much as collecting.

@LanceLust1980HugeTheWarningFan

2 ай бұрын

I don't like Red Barchetta either and I don't know why. Oops. I guess I have been playing mine as background music for driving. I must do better! 😁

@letstalkmetal

2 ай бұрын

Hope you get your car troubles sorted out, that's always a pain :( Yeah, I think the band has always pronounced it "See-rith". When they chose the name back in the early 70s it was probably really hard to find out how those made-up Tolkein names were supposed to be pronounced.

@LanceLust1980HugeTheWarningFan

2 ай бұрын

​@@letstalkmetal Got a new alternator in but I guess it needs a new battery too. Yeah, every time I think of the band's name I always use the K sound and can't find myself using it the way they do. It's been burned into my brain.

Great video Alan. I have sold around 600 albums on a variety of formats over the last year and I dont miss any of them. I have around 800 albums left and i still don't know everything as well I should. I haven't picked up any 2024 releases and less than 10 last year. I just felt like every year I was compounding the problem adding more. Your spot on about background music being better when its something you know well but I have found that sometimes mixing in a couple of background play on a bew album works well but its got to be a certain type i think.

I share all your struggles Alan. The music that comes into my house will get several listens and then sit on a shelf. Is it about listening to music or about the collecting? (I guess it's both). I never thought about this until your video, but I realize I don't listen to legacy type bands for more then a decade of their run. Most of my favorite bands are actually short lived. They didn't stay around long enough to dissapoint me. I have friends that will follow famous bands for 40 years, where as I would rather follow 4 different bands for 10 years.

I identify with a lot of these points. That feeling of knowing I like an album but being unable to describe it accurately or name a song really bothers me. It happens more and more as the collection grows and, let's face it, my memory isn't as strong as it used to be. Being involved in the metal VC has made the problem worse as I'm exposed to so much cool music I didn't know about and want to have it all. Great topic, Alan!

@letstalkmetal

2 ай бұрын

Yeah, those are the types of issues I've got too Scott. Gonna try to change course and obtain less while giving what I do get more attention. Cheers!

Great video as always, Doc. I'm trying to be more patient about purchases, and this has served me well in the past 5 months or so. I've found that, if I dedicate enough time to searching, I can find the really good deal. I've stopped being a completist as well, but I am guilty of buying copies of the same album. I just got my fourth copy of Filth Hounds of Hades because it was a French pressing with the alternate cover, but I got it really cheap. Also, I'm trying to buy bigger items on my Must Have list instead of a bunch of things on my Want list.

@letstalkmetal

2 ай бұрын

Cool pickup on the French pressing of Tank Ash! I'm pretty good at being patient and waiting for a good deal, but I do need to start saving a little more so I can snag some of the rarer/more expensive records when I happen to find them.

I'm starting to feel exactly the same.One thing that makes it difficult maintaining discipline is social media.Being a Death Metal fan...I see the latest releases by the varying distros and it gets tough.Alot of that stuff is very limited...demos..EP's etc plus I'm a fan of the art too.Recently I went down the cassette rabbit hole.I haven't bought a cassette since 1981.(Scorpions Love drive )..the year I graduated from HS.Anyways...I find I buy listen then place on shelf.Slowly changing my habits.Last week I "ran the rack" on demo/EP deathmetal cd's when I'm working out.About 20 cd's...took about 4-5 hours total.Plan to do more of that.Good stuff.I always wonder how Ken form the. death metal crypt listen sto all his stuff LOL!

@letstalkmetal

2 ай бұрын

Ken is no mere mortal LOL You're right Scott that social media/YT definitely puts a lot of music in front of us. Combine that with some FOMO when releases and reissues are limited and it can definitely prompt us to buy more than we might otherwise.

Hello Alan, thank you as usual for another great video. Did you ever make a video regarding how you approach a band in order to listen to their albums? If not, would be a great topic or here on in the Heavy Metallurgy. I am just throwing this topic because I am listening to so many random albums and bands that it gets to a point that you just get lost in all of it...

@letstalkmetal

2 ай бұрын

It is easy to get lost in all the music, for sure! I haven't done that as a topic but I'll keep it in mind and see if I can think of a way to build it into a video. Thanks for the idea!

Certainly guilty of a lot of these . I think some of it is for me having missed the golden era of rock and metal (born in 92) it seemed like no one supported those scenes after a certain year and that usually pertains to albums sales ,so that thought engrained in me from myself since I was young to support the band /scene by buying their albums (within reason) . Because if we don’t then they may not do this anymore. The time thing is interesting too which is why I’m shocked vinyl has made a comeback which generally speaking you have to be in one place to listen to the album unlike a cd. Cheers 🤘

@letstalkmetal

2 ай бұрын

The 'supporting the band' mentality is complicated. I agree that it feels like a good thing to do and we don't want bands to quit due to lack of attention from fans. On the other hand, no one can support every band, so I think we each have to find a balance- how many bands to support and how best to do so without spending more than we can afford or having merch pile up that we really don't want/need.

@krashkoursemetalshow

2 ай бұрын

@@letstalkmetal 💯% , everything within reason 🤘

I became addicted to adding to my collection about a year and a half ago since I was going through an unwanted divorce. It literally saved my life, but certainly isn't good in terms of planning for retirement lol. It'll get you financially.

@letstalkmetal

2 ай бұрын

Sorry to hear about the divorce. Sometimes we do need a distraction, and music can be a great way of helping us work through tough times. I tend to be habit-forming, so I have to be mindful that a 'fun distraction' doesn't become obsessive-compulsive.

@user-yi6li8yg2w

2 ай бұрын

@@letstalkmetal I appreciate the condolences. Not out of the woods yet, but life is looking up again, and that's pretty cool! There are worse habits than heavy metal collecting, so I'm not too mad about it lol.

@letstalkmetal

2 ай бұрын

@@user-yi6li8yg2w True! What's that saying- "I could never get addicted to drugs because I spend all my money on records" :)

Which eye am i supposed to look at?

When a band shows it’s age - music is slower - vocals not good anymore. Etc. Ron Keel becoming a Country and Western cowboy was silly to me. I thought Raven “ Pack is Back “ was a perfect release. I’ve heard “Cold Lake” was a disappointment. Saxon “ Destiny “ was a fun listen too.

@letstalkmetal

2 ай бұрын

LOL I missed Ron's country phase, and I'm OK with that!

You can’t please everyone. Personally, I don’t think Metallica has had a good album since Master of Puppets.

@letstalkmetal

2 ай бұрын

I don't either. Justice is OK but it's never been a personal favorite. Not bad, but not on the level of the first three albums.

I changed my collecting habbits a lot in the last 2 - 3 years. I was a completist to start with, had to have everything by bands that I loved for decades. I totally changed that. I sold around 3000 records and 500 CDs that I just don´t need anymore. I buy maybe 20 -25 new albums a year and some stuff that I am after for years, that´s it. I still keep on sorting out records now and then. Sometimes I still catch myself loading up the cart on any given platform now and then. When I watch the endresult, most of the time I just erase the whole order instead of sorting out the "unnecessary" stuff. That saved me a lot of money, hahaha... When I buy a new album I usually make a copy and put it in the car. I have to drive quite a lot and it´s always the same route and I´m always alone, that is the perfect way to get familiar with new stuff.

@letstalkmetal

2 ай бұрын

I put most new purchases on my ipod to play during commuting to work. Even then I can get distracted on days when traffic is bad. And I'm getting better at just emptying my online cart too :)