How do you sort your JW albums?

[ciarlese 265]

I have been collecting original JW albums since 1993, and only within the last few years I have started ripping them all and upoading to my personal cloud (in wave 16 bits 44.1 Khz format to preserve the original sound quality).
New albums are being released and with less space left on my shelves I have been wondering what the best way to store those cd's (and LP's) would be.
So far I have gone for the alphabetical order. That doesn't seem to work any more: with the collection growing, a new cd will need me to move more and more previous albums to be put and kept in the right place.
So I am now undecided between album release date or movie release date (i.e.: when that music has been composed): the first one would give a better picture of how the market has evolved through the years, as well as the technology behind each release. The second one would give a better picture of how Jw career has evolved.
Another option, for the laziest, is to just add a new purchased cd after the previous one, which would reflect how the personal collections has evolved.
 

If anyone has any more options feel free to add :).

[mstrox 6,808]

I used to sort by composer and then film release date, but it got too cumbersome - and difficult when considering compilations, scores with multiple composers, etc.  Now I sort my entire film score shelf alphabetically by film title, with duplicates (OST/expansion) filed by release date.

[Bespin 8,650]

The only way of sorting a physical discography, is alphabetically by performer artist, then by release date. In the case of a film music composer like JW, it’s better to sort the album and expanded release by the movie release date, and to put in different sub groups, the collaboratives albums, then the compilations.

 

Ex : the compilations (& some collabs) are in the column at the end of the movie albums section.

 

[Thor 8,101]

Physically: By film date, more or less (some things that have three 'entries' and more have their own section, like STAR WARS). Compilations, concert works etc. at the end.

 

In iTunes, I've tried to do the same, but the compilations, concert works etc. are now inserted (through album release date) throughout the collection.

 

In terms of how the files are stored on my harddrive, I have my own system for that, with different folders reflecting the different aspects of his career. Click on image to expand the view/read individual titles:

 

 

 

 

[Bespin 8,650]

The BPO albums, then the collaborative ones:

 

 

Example of the way of sorting the different releases of a same movie:

 

 

And a last subsection of JW as a composer (original albums for which he’s not involved as a performer).

 

[Falstaft 2,169]

Chronologically, for film scores, and then pretty haphazardly for everything else. 

 

I used to do it by label and/or color, but while aesthetically pleasing, it was annoying when I actually had to find anything. I'm enjoying seeing other people's JW shrines, and realizing I'm not the only crazed collector of good-old physical media here!

 

 

[SteveMc 2,675]

By my calculations, there would be exactly 120 random ways of arranging my collection.

 

[1977 1,745]

My stuff is stored in crates by composer, however within each crate there is no rhyme or reason. I do, however, maintain a spreadsheet which indicates which titles are in a specific crate, so where a composer (such as JW) has two or more crates I know where to look if I am after something.

 

10 hours ago, Falstaft said:

 

Didn't I read somewhere that CDs need to be stored vertically? Just wondering.

 

Also aren't you worried about dust?

[Incanus 5,785]

Alphabetically of course!

[Bespin 8,650]

Only music stores classify their disc alphabetically, for the sale purpose.

 

And I never saw a complete boxset of an artist containing alphabetically sorted albums in it...

 

One great thing about owning a complete collection of an artist is to understand his or her progression in time. The begining, the maturity period, the last works, etc.  Only a chronological organized collection can truly show that. Then when you know your artist, you know very well where to find the album you look for.

[mstrox 6,808]

It’s easier to find Monsignor on a packed shelf right before Moonraker than it is to bend down to the Ws for Williams and then try to remember when the hell Monsignor was released - and then re-figure it out when it’s time to refile the darn thing.

[Bespin 8,650]

Well, if you keep only 2-3 CD of each artists you like, maybe.

 

I'm a completist, when I love an artist, I love EVERYTHING of him.

[mstrox 6,808]

I have every Williams CD release, barring a very small handful of discs that are OOP and extremely expensive.  Same with Danny Elfman.  And huge swaths of other prolific composers - Zimmer, Shore, Giacchino, Powell, Horner, Goldsmith, McCreary, etc.  Without counting, probably 1000 albums, and that’s just on the film score shelf.  That’s what makes it difficult.  If I only had 3 albums by each composer, I’d be able to easily sort them by release date.  Now I get a new CD, I file it in 5 seconds where it needs to go and don’t have to think about it.

[Bespin 8,650]

That's not logic, captain.

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,801]

I sort my JW albums by composer.

[Incanus 5,785]

4 hours ago, Bespin said:

Only music stores classify their disc alphabetically, for the sale purpose.

Well how narrow-minded of you Bespin to think so.

 

I see no particular pros of sorting my CD collection by year but to each his own.

[Jay 38,811]

I sort my JW albums the same as Bespin does.  First all the scores, then all the compilations and non-film work he conducted (like Williams on Williams or Pops on Parade), then collections of JW music conducted by others (like the Gerhardt albums or Transcripts for Piano), and within each of those it's sorted chronologically.  And I have my John Williams CDs on the top shelves of my film score rack, with every other composer underneath sorted alphabetically, chronologically within each composer

[Incanus 5,785]

1 minute ago, Jay said:

I sort my JW albums the same as Bespin does.  First all the scores, then all the compilations and non-film work he conducted (like Williams on Williams or Pops on Parade), then collections of JW music conducted by others (like the Gerhardt albums or Transcripts for Piano), and within each of those it's sorted chronologically.  And I have my John Williams CDs on the top shelves of my film score rack, with every other composer underneath sorted alphabetically, chronologically within each composer

Mine is the same apart from the chronological ordering. But hey I guess it comes naturally to film score fans.  

My collection is almost complete if not chronological.

[Jay 38,811]

I own every JW OST except The Eiger Sanction which I couldn't get before it hit ridiculous prices on the secondary market.  There are some other OSTs I never got for the same reason, but now I have the expansion so I don't feel the need to track down a copy of the actual OST (IE, Dracula)

[Incanus 5,785]

I am still missing The Paper Chase now which is also badly OOP. I got Eiger Saction for about 35 € (used) a few years back. Feels like a bargain now.

[Jay 38,811]

Hmmm I forgot about that one, I never got the FSM Poseidon or Towering Inferno either, but thanks to the Disaster box set they are not needed.  I'd love a new combo release of Paper Chase and Conrack, though!

[Incanus 5,785]

2 minutes ago, Jay said:

Hmmm I forgot about that one, I never got the FSM Poseidon or Towering Inferno either, but thanks to the Disaster box set they are not needed.  I'd love a new combo release of Paper Chase and Conrack, though!

Ditto! I loved that Mike Matessino got Pete 'n' Tillie released in conjunction with Stanley & Iris, so a similar combo would be definitely welcome for those two smaller scores.

[Richard Penna 4,019]

Alphabetically by title on my computer, across all composers. No composer has preference in my collection.

 

Physically, absolutely no ordering whatsoever. Possibly a vague sense of date of purchase in there somewhere. And yes, it makes locating a CD take a long time

[mstrox 6,808]

I'm down to these puppies, MOSTLY due to cost/OOP.  I'm most interested in the first four, but not interested enough to pay aftermarket prices - I'll keep hoping for reissues or expansions.

 

The Eiger Sanction

Conrack

The Paper Chase

The Reivers

Fiddler on the Roof

Goodbye, Mr. Chips

Valley of the Dolls

Land of the Giants

Complete Lost in Space

[Jurassic Shark 12,801]

6 minutes ago, mstrox said:

Fiddler on the Roof

 

This one's still available, both the expanded and the original album, at least in Europe.

[mstrox 6,808]

I do have the OST digitally because I have all of my mom’s showtimes stuff ripped, and it’s fine.  If I were to buy it, it would just be a bottlecap thing. Same with the Lost in Space box - I already have a handful of Williams heavy discs and don’t care much for those scores, so only compulsion would make me buy it.

[Dr. Rick 1,186]

My JW movie CDs are sorted in chronological order, then I have his compilations sorted by label release (Philips, Sony, etc).

[danbeck 123]

I used to organize my all my soundtracks alphabetically, with the composers mixed. This was good for franchises that had multiple composers like the James Bond and Star Trek series (and within the franchises chronologically by film release date).

 

Then, when my collection got larger, I decided to organize it by alphabetically by the first name of the composer (so Williams is at "J"ohn Williams and not at "W"illiams) and then alphabetically by movie title within each composer and compilations at the end.

 

Then, when my collection got even larger and my living room shelf could not display everything, I had to transfer part of it to a closet. I made a selection of my "preferred titles" and then placed the rest of the collection in the closet (still organized alphabetically by composer and alphabetically within the composer both in the shelf and in the closet). Therefore, for titles having multiple releases only the "best" (my preferred) release is displayed in my living room shelf (usually the C&C version with a few exceptions like Troy on which I prefer the original album to the extended release or the Aristas' Star Wars that I prefer to the 2CD releases of Empire and Jedi [due to the sound quality]), other releases of the same title that I kept (if there is something I found worth keeping it - like original album not reproduced in the expanded edition or different mix) are organized within the closet. My current problem is that the closet is now also full).

John Williams CDs alphabetically in the shelf:

 

John Williams CDs alphabetically in the closet:

 

All my CDs are dowloaded to iTunes (I used to do it in the AAC 320 kbps format, now I'm doing it in Apple Losseless format at a 4TB drive - but a large part of the collection still remain at 320 kbps format).

[Wojo 2,456]

Physically my collection is stored randomly in cardboard boxes. The boxes are sorted by size in a closet. 

[Bespin 8,650]

3 hours ago, mstrox said:

Goodbye, Mr. Chips

 

My greatest collector regret, to have missed this release.

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,801]

Goodbye, Goodbye, Mr. Chips.

[mstrox 6,808]

It seems the least likely of the long out of print to get a reissue, too - it's not really in any of the currently operating labels' wheelhouses

[Jurassic Shark 12,801]

I usually sort my JW albums with my hands.

[Martinland 361]

Actually I never thought about the reason why, but interestingly enough John Williams is the only composer I have sorted alphabetically by title. All other film composers, bands, classical composers, jazz artists, pop artists, et cetera I have in their genre's section alphabetically by surname but then chronologically by purchase. So it's interesting to see which Goldsmith came first, or which Morricone was the latest I bought (I nearly always remember the circumstances/shops) - sometimes I place favourites right in front of that artist's section, that's it.

 

I think Williams' section is the largest (and most often used) and that's why I wanted the most immediate aproach when you have a title in mind, easy. :-)

[Brundlefly 2,392]

I do it by composition date, however I used to do it roughly by genre.

[King Mark 3,666]

Shelf  : movie release date

itunes:alphabetically

[Oomoog the Ecstatic 314]

I see a lot of wrong and idiotic answers in here.

 

Here is my book collection for reference:

 

 

I know where each one is by heart.

[Jurassic Shark 12,801]

OCD, by any chance?

 

It looks like you've stolen all your books from the library.

[theMaestraX 106]

4 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

OCD, by any chance?

 

It looks like you've stolen all your books from the library.

 

Or a PICTURE inside your local library.

[Jurassic Shark 12,801]

I don't think any library uses such a system for sorting... or at least I hope not! 

[Dr. Rick 1,186]

Here are some pics of my (meager) collection.  I use the Ikea Gnedby shelves.  They are narrow but they look good in between the matching bookshelves on either side.  Pics will already be outdated by end of day as I'm getting LLL's Die Hard 3 delivered today

[rough cut 1,739]

In a box in the basement.

[Jurassic Shark 12,801]

What kind of box? Ikea?

[theMaestraX 106]

Aren't they called Billys from Ikea? Cos I've got the same design using my YEAR catogory system of JW albums.

[rough cut 1,739]

No, no nothing that fancy. I am talking about a box box. The kind you use if you move.

[theMaestraX 106]

You mean a cardboard box with light brown or white color tones - now I geddit.

[rough cut 1,739]

I think alot of them are in old banana boxes.

 

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,801]

Even the JW ones?

[KittBash 289]

Let's give this a go. 

Probably more of a show off the collection than just the Williams but I usually group Composer then by composition date... the box sets have always been a hitch in the system (the disaster box is the only one that wasn't off to the side) Need to go through and fix the rest of the collection as I've only sorted Williams and Giacchino so far. 

 

[Dr. Rick 1,186]

On 4/28/2020 at 9:50 AM, ATXHusker said:

Here are some pics of my (meager) collection.  I use the Ikea Gnedby shelves.  They are narrow but they look good in between the matching bookshelves on either side.  Pics will already be outdated by end of day as I'm getting LLL's Die Hard 3 delivered today

 

Yikes!  

I just happened to be on CraigsList looking for CD shelving options and came across a post for Ikea Gnedby shelves that the user said is now discontinued.  I went to Ikea's site and sure enough when I searched for it no results.  I currently have 2 of the white Gnedbys holding my collection in between 2 white BIlly bookshelves but I am going to eventually run out of room.  Of course the CL post is for 3 black ones and they are a considerable distance from my house to get them plus I'd have to paint them to match.  Might have to rethink my whole strategy now for my office.