Thanks to Sander, Tristor, and Jesse. I have been smacked upside the head with a baton. A musical baton that is, not the kind the cheerleaders or majorettes have. It’s an interesting moment for self-analysis though…

Total volume of music files on my computer:

1,905 Files, 8,341,171,980 bytes (7.77GB).
The vast majority of which is legal, ripped from my own CD collection. This still only represents about half of my CD collection. Roughly a hundred files are singles, half of which I ripped from CD collections, leaving about 50 or so of questionable origin. I do not recall how they got into my collection, I swear.

Last CD I bought:

Hmm, I’ll go one better. Well, three better.

• Latest artist repeat-buy: U2’s How to dismantle an Atomic Bomb.
• Latest artist-first-buy: Dido’s Life for Rent (then No Angel shortly afterwards)
• The actual Latest CD purchased: Sequentia/Choral Ensemble of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis Chill to the Chant, although this is a replacement for the original I bought in 1995 that has been lost in the mists of time and moving, repurchased April 30 for $1.96.

Playing right now:

Tony Bennett Unplugged

Five songs that mean a lot to me (in no particular order):

• Depeche Mode’s One Caress – I’ve sung this for exactly one person, although I’ve sung it in front of many more. It’s just four minutes of purple velvet from my soul.
• Frank Sinatra, It Was A Very Good Year – So bittersweet and honest, it tells a story with no regrets.
• Samuel Barber, Adagio for Strings (Opus 11) – It just rips my heart out every time.
• The theme from the original The Legend of Zelda – Why? if you need ask why, then you also need to listen to an orchestral version. To me, it’s a soaring theme with a simple but bold melody. It brings to mind being eight years old playing in a lush, verdant field and rolling hills, and infinite adventures beyond the horizon.
• Phantom of the Opera, Music of the Night – Again, for exactly one person. It’s a sweet pain that reminds you what it is to live life to it’s fullest.

Five albums that mean a lot to me (also in no particular order):

I’ve added this section because coming up with those five songs reminded me how I feel about albums. I agree with the artists that still cling to the artistry that is an entire album. With these five choices, the album is a masterwork of flowing moods. For me, choosing one song from these would be like picking a single color from a Van Gogh, or a single word from Shakespeare.

• U2’s Achtung Baby – The entire album just fits me like a second skin.
• Tori Amos’ Little Earthquakes – Incredibly revealing, you just can’t turn away. You’re forced to share yourself in return.
• REM’s Automatic for the People – A long look back at the life you’ve lived so far, coming to terms with it, accepting it, holding on to it, and finally accepting who you are. And that’s ok.
• Depeche Mode’s Violator – Peeling back the veneer of civility to reveal the base desires in us all. A cool yet smouldering passion.
• The Cranberries’ Everyone Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? – A time of many firsts and many loves. The memories attached to this are so strong I literally couldn’t listen to it for about seven years. And yet I could never forget it, or let it go.

Five people to whom I’m passing the baton (still in no particular order):

• ct^ – He’s just freakin’ cool.
• MightyMu – The second best non-native-Pennsylvanian you’ll never meet.
• Wil Wheaton – I hope I can get Uncle Willie to reply in his “Big Willie” style…
• Nosebleed – Don’t drip on the carpet, it’s new!
• Asa Dotzler – Just to see if I can get him to reply. About as likely as Wil…

Now it’s your turn. (Some linkage below if you’re interested…)

These are links to Amazon on most of the items I’ve mentioned. They do involve a referral ID, but hey, I’m not evil.

• U2 – Achtung Baby
• U2 – How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb or Special Edition (2 discs)
• Depeche Mode – Songs of Faith and Devotion
• Depeche Mode – Violator
• Frank Sinatra – Greatest Hits Vol. 1
• The Cranberries – Everyone Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?
• REM – Automatic for the People
• Tori Amos – Little Earthquakes, but don’t forget the equally fantastic follow-up Under the Pink
• Phantom of the Opera (Canadian Cast Recording) I bought this when I went to The Pantages in Toronto to see it. Colm Wilkinson did perform, however Rebecca Caine wasn’t feeling well, and her understudy performed in her stead that night. It was still a magnificent show.