Compact discs
Feb 21, 2022
The last time I stopped by my parent’s house they handed me a medium sized box full of my old CDs. As an elder-millennial I did have an iPod and a hard drive full of mp3s in college, so these CDs were from the pre-Internet days, and none of them were good enough that I wanted them around after graduating college. So, take a trip down memory lane with me, by way of CD. ### Ska one hits Only 90s kids will remember, but once upon a time if you heard a good song and wanted to hear it again, and it didn’t get radio play… you had to buy the whole CD. ![A bunch of ska albums I bought for one song.][image-1] ### The albums I thought were cool when I was a teenager I haven’t thought about since ![CD covers of Candlebox’s Lucy, one hot minute by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and pet your friends by Dishwalla.][image-2] Alright… I do think _one hot minute_ is a good album. And there’s two good songs on the Dishwalla album. But I really wanted that Candlebox CD and can’t remember a single song from it. ### The cool covers collection ![CD covers of Tool’s Anima and Alice in Chains’ self named album.][image-3] I’m glad animated covers have made their way back to Apple Music. The Alice in Chains one didn’t move, but purple plastic! My kid will never understand the excitement of plastic in a non-clear color. ### Lost and gone I have a number of albums that I downloaded (don’t tell Lars) or had copies of from friends that disappeared[^1], but this one, _Gravelled and Green_ by the Actual Tigers I liked, but it was [possibly never released](https://www.andrewjoslynmusic.com/gravelled-and-green-the-best-album-never-to-have-happened/), and doesn’t exist (as far as I can tell) on any streaming platform. ![Gravelled and Green by the Actual Tigers][image-4] But if you want the vibe, some of their songs are on YouTube. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tMuvLRC1mOw" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> ### Deep regrets Man I hope I didn’t actually pay this much for this one.  ### Ran out of lives  I bring up this CD in conversation a lot because it included a game on the disc called [Virtual Guitar Quest For Fame](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quest_for_Fame) which at the time was cool. It was also the only way you could reasonably listen to the album, which otherwise sucked. ### Wrong place, wrong time Some CDs just bring up very distinct memories. That long car ride you took where it was the only CD you had so you listened to it over and over. Sad songs that bring up sad times and ska songs that… also bring up sad times. _Hangs-ups_ by Goldfinger always brings up one specific memory for me.  When I was in college I broke my leg, but due to some questionable doctoring it was assumed to be a pulled ligament or muscle for a few weeks, until I noted that it still wasn’t better. So they sent me off for an MRI[^2]. When scheduling it, the hospital mentioned that I would be in the MRI machine for a while, so I could bring a CD to listen to. Great, I have CDs. So which one would I pick, what music would be most appropriate to listen to while lying still for 30 minutes? Of course, the one that starts off with the most upbeat track from the _Tony Hawk 2_ soundtrack.  [^1]: The albums and the friends. [^2]: The astute among you will note that an MRI is not a good way to diagnose a broken leg, but it did image the torn ligaments around my knee, which then led a slightly better doctor to recommend I get an X-ray which found the cracks on my femur and tibia. Yay! [image-1]: /assets/images/2022/cd-ska.jpeg [image-2]: /assets/images/2022/cd-wanted.jpeg [image-3]: /assets/images/2022/cd-covers.jpeg [image-4]: /assets/images/2022/cd-missing.jpeg
Posted: February 2022