I've been a fan for years, but recently I had to sell my official albums and singles collection when I hit hard times. Now that I've begun buying back my collection, I've started to notice that all those 'lists' I had in my head over the years as to what were my favorite albums, might have been wrong all along...for one simple reason: I could only buy back a few at a time, and so I bought them in order of what I felt I absolutely HAD to have first, second, etc...for example, I never would have thought that I liked New Power Soul more than Around the World in a Day, but when faced with the choice, I picked up NPS for the last five songs, which are just more fun for me to listen than Around the World in a Day, or Lovesexy. Not a better album obviously, but when push came to shove, I wanted it more.

We all have our favorites, but if you lost your collection and had to rebuild one at a time, which do you think would REALLY get top priority? Below is the way I went, each weekend at a time. All I had to begin with was my downloads, bootlegs, and two of the hits collections.

1st BUY:

20Ten (obviously because it just came out)

Gold Experience

Emancipation

Crystal Ball

Parade

2nd BUY

Sign o The Times

Exodus

Planet Earth

Musicology

LotusFlower/MPLSound

3rd BUY:

Come

Graffiti Bridge

1999

Purple Rain

Around/Day

Lovesexy

4th BUY:

Symbol

Diamonds and Pearls

Rave

Chaos/Disorder

The Vault

5th BUY:

Black Album

Batman

One Night Alone

NEED TO PICK UP:

One Night Alone...Live (only waited on this because of expense, would have been sooner)

For You

Prince

Dirty Mind

Controversy

Rainbow Children

(Some of) the singles

Who did you sell them to?

your too honest

download em'

in fairness-you did already pay for em all once

so i wouldn't feel bad

I'd probably buy them chronologically, lol. Just because I'm weird like that.

Interesting perspective.

1

Purple Rain

Dirty Mind

Parade

the Gold Experience

2

Sign O the Times

3121

Black Album

Lovesexy

3

Planet Earth

Emancipation

Controversy

Really, the rest is optional.

polkadotbliss said:

your too honest

download em'

in fairness-you did already pay for em all once

so i wouldn't feel bad

Here here!

Militant said:

I'd probably buy them chronologically, lol. Just because I'm weird like that.

Nah, it's a good way to approach it for sure. It assures you get everything, especially if you're going to delve back into getting 12" singles, etc.

I lost pretty much my entire collection a few years back, music, memorabilia the lot.

Despite a couple of times that i found a bargain or something really rare, i bought as much as i could in chronological order.

Even going as far as buying the cd singles, vinyl, memorabilia etc that was related to the album i was buying at the time. And as Ernest pointed out, it made sure i did not overlook a release by mistake, especially when it came to multiple versions of singles for example.

Once i had all the official releases, i started once more on the collecting of bootlegs.

Overall, quite a task. But an enjoyable and interesting one.

[Edited 8/1/10 18:58pm]