THE CD GALLERY F.A.Q.

Can I buy/burn/copy any of your CDs?

Ok, now that I've got my new burner installed (an LG CDx52/CDRx48/RWx24/DVDx16, man this fucking thing screams!!) I'm ready to dive back into the uncharted, postapocalyptic wasteland of trading again. The rules have changed, so be sure to read the following:

• 1. Trading is available for ROIO's ONLY. (ROIO = Recording Of Indeterminate/Illegitimate Origin; it's a euphemism for "bootleg", son.) My current trading list is here, which I promise to keep as up-to-date as possible, even during the six to eight months between full page updates. :) If you need more information about any particular recording, just ask.
• 2. Trading is NOT available for "officially released" CDs. That INCLUDES rare and OOP stuff. Period! Yes, I've broken this rule in the past...but as of today (June 26th, 2003) it is now a "Zero Tolerance" rule. You may think I'm scared of the RIAA with all it's sabre-rattling and actively suing mp3-traders, but really, that's a very small part of it. What it's REALLY about is the type of people I've traded with -- the strictly ROIO trades have all, with few exceptions, gone smoothly. The "non-ROIO" trades have been nothing but problems. And one in particular, which was "grandfathered in" since it started before I rewrote these rules, convinced me that people who are too cheap to seek out rare/OOP stuff on their own, do not deserve my help. (Especially when they get all bitchy and complain when I refuse to do things like, for instance, copy my entire Bathory discography for them! Excuse me, are you from this planet??) If you think you do not fall into this category, then I am sorry, a few bad apples spoiled the whole bunch. And that's that. ANY REQUESTS TO COPY "OFFICIAL" CDs, NO MATTER HOW RARE THEY ARE, WILL BE DELETED ON SIGHT!!!!!
• 3. NO money trades. I will, however, accept official, "silver" CDs as part of a trade. Check my "Need It" list to see what I'm looking for. I do not trade for blank cdrs.
• 4. Make sure you record all your CDRs using Disc-at-Once. I repeat: MAKE SURE YOU RECORD ALL YOUR CDRs USING DISC-AT-ONCE. That means, NO gaps between songs. NO exceptions. Failure to do so will negate the trade and possibly put you on the Bad Trader List, depending on what kind of mood I'm in.
• 5. Use brand-name media. That means TDK, Maxell, Verbatim, Sony, etc. Basically, anything that's not cheap generic no-label crap. I prefer it when my cdr's are still playable a few years down the road...
• 6. Cover art is prefered, but not required. Most bootleg/ROIO artwork is easily findable on the 'Net. Other artwork is best to exchange by email -- HOWEVER, if you send me artwork by email, ASK ME FIRST, since my dialup connection (still) makes it a royal PITA to get 10MB of art that I already have!
• 7. Writing on discs should ONLY be done with a CD-safe pen. If you're not sure if your pen is CD-safe, don't write on it at all, simply add a piece of paper saying which is which. NO STICKERS!!!!

That's basically it. If you can follow these rules, send me an email with your trade list. Oh, note to John Petrucci fans -- I'm NOT interested in any Van Halen, Steve Vai, or Joe Satriani bootlegs, so if that's all you've got, don't waste your time. ;) Remember, I gotta get something out of this, too.

Where can I find a copy of XXXX?

I'm not a find-it service, guys. Check your local used CD store, or take a gander at my links page for various CD retailers. I've found that eBay and GEMM can be goldmines.

1. How come you don't have XXXX in your collection?
2. Can I write reviews for something you don't have listed, or add comments to something you do?

Because this isn't really a review page. It's a shrine to my CD collection. To wit, the only things you'll see reviewed here is stuff already in my collection. And if I happen to sell a particular CD (which doesn't happen very often), it gets deleted from the page as well. (See my "Need It" list for stuff I'm still looking to get a hold of...)

As for interactive reviews, I suppose people like Mark Prindle don't mind adding reader comments to their pages, but I have enough trouble keeping my own comments up to date to worry about adding anyone elses. (And in answer to your next question, yes, I'm the antisocial type...)

Can I send you a copy of XXXX for free?

While I may not seem the type to turn down free CDs, once again, I have to say NO, based on past experience. Too many times, I've sent out my real name & address to people who promised me free stuff, only to never hear from them again. My paranoia won't allow for that. (Oh, and if you guys really were planning on tracking me down and stealing my CDs...forget about it. I'm a shut-in who rarely leaves the house, and I live in a virtually crime-free neighborhood where people actually call the cops when they notice anything suspicious, and yes, THE COPS TO SHOW UP when you call them! Plus, I'm a registered gun owner. Give me a reason.) The sole exception is for people with whom I've already established a level of trust, through previous trades or other means.

How come you don't list the date released/catalog number/etc...?

This was actually part of my original plan for the galleries, but I couldn't figure out a way to format it properly. Of course, now with over 1800 titles, to go back and add the date etc. to each individual CD would be a mind-numbingly intolerable exercise. I may be obsessive, but sheesh, even I have my limits...

Why do you hate vinyl so much? VINYL'S THE BEST!!!

Occasionally I get an email from one of the cult-like group of people who absolutely worship vinyl over CD. These people remind me of the Flat Earth Society, or those Anti-Technology sects who were stockpiling shotguns & canned food for the upcoming Y2K armageddon. Either that or they are from Europe, where vinyl is apparently still *worth* something...so I thought I'd break it down, and examine the REAL differences between vinyl & CD:

SOUND QUALITY: Sorry, folks, the "vinyl sounds better than CD" argument is pure bunk. Yeah, some of the early CDs sound a little muddy, but that's because they were recorded before digital technology fully exploited the available sound spectrum. Music that's properly mastered for CD dynamics delivers sound that's IMPOSSIBLE on vinyl. I've gone back and listened to some of my old crappy vinyl, and freaked at how fuzzy & distorted it sounded. My God, was I really listening to THAT CRAPPY NOISE all through high school???

LONGEVITY: CDs have a shelf life of over 100 years (NOT forever, which is the popular misconception, but it really doesn't matter does it?) -- not sure about vinyl, but the problem is, every time you play vinyl, IT DEGRADES THE QUALITY. I don't care how good your turntable is, the friction of the diamond needle vs. the PVC plastic will wear it down to the nub eventually. Not so with laser of a CD player! Play a CD 1000 times and it will sound *exactly* the same as the first time you played it.

DURABILITY: No matter how kindly you treat your albums, they will mysteriously develop skips, pops and scratches for no apparent reason. CDs do require proper care but they can take a helluva lot more abuse than vinyl records. I've seen CDs that look like someone polished their car with it, and yet played fine. Only *once* has any CD of mine developed a skip that wasn't there before...and in that case, I just swapped the jewel case with another CD I'd just bought used and returned it to the store. :)

AVAILABILITY/RESALE VALUE: In America, at least, the resalability of even mint vinyl is practically ZERO. I've shopped my obsolete records all around town only to be told to donate them to the Salvation Army...

STORAGE: Have you EVER tried to move 2000 records at once?? NOT a fun task, I assure you! CDs, on the other hand, can be carried in those handy stackable cases that carry 30, 60, even 90 at a time. And you don't have to panic if you drop a box of CDs. Maybe a few cases will get cracked, but that's all.

COVER ART: All right, I'll give on this one. The 12" gatefold LP can be a work of art, something that 5-1/4" CD inserts simply cannot match (Iron Maiden and Yes are prime examples.) But then, the LP cover gets scuffed easily (yeah, there's plastic sleeves you can buy but I never liked those) whereas the CD inserts stay pristine if you don't leave them out of the jewel case too long. (This is one reason why I really don't like digipacks...)

So there you have it. CDs rule over crappy vinyl by a wide margin. If you don't agree...well, that's your opinion and you're entitled to it.

But don't get me wrong, I love vinylphiles...they always give me the most brilliant trades! So if you're one, hop on over to my obsolete vinyl collection and make me an offer!!!

How about adding some sound samples?

Sure thing...anybody got 1 or 2 gigs of free FTP file space they're willing to donate?????

Hey, I have a cool webpage! Can you link to it?

Let me warn you...NOTHING will get your email deleted quicker than a question like this. I hate it worse than spam. Just HOW MANY links do you see on this page??? I maintain a "links free zone" as much as possible...because, when I browse someone else's page, and click on a link to somewhere else, rarely do I ever go back. And I don't want that to happen! I want you to be TRAPPED HERE FOREVER! MUAHAHAHAHA!!!

(Of course, sending me URLs "just to look at" is perfectly fine...it's all in the way you word it, see?)

What happened to the Fan Mail Gallery?

It's been moved here.

What is the answer to the Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything?

Forty-two.