Introducing The Textbook Committee

A few years ago, I made the shift from buying cds and records to downloading music, mainly via iTunes, directly to my iPod. While I do like the instant access to new music, I am finding that I miss the album-in-my-hands feel, not to mention an appreciation for inspiring liner notes and the look of an overflowing cd rack. I have also found some significant downfalls to how my simple brain has little self control when keeping an even rotation through my favorite albums on my iPod. I found myself scrolling through artists with little ability to actually decide on something, eventually landing on a new album I wanted to absorb again more regularly than the old standards and practices that influenced me to no end. I needed a change and wanted to truly revisit some of the albums and artists that defined me. So I decided to dig back into my cd collection, which after a few relocations and transfers from larger to smaller storage pieces was in complete disarray (ie, in almost perfect random order).

I've set a few ground rules for cycling through the rotation (I dont deny my weirdness):

1 - Grab 5 adjacent cds from my collection, starting from top to bottom, left to right.
2 - No turn backs or rejections - the 5 I grab are the ones I'll listen to.
3 - Listen to every track, in order. No track skipping, fastforwarding or muting. Rewinding allowed on special occasions. Waivers only allowed for scratched cds that skip.
4 - After listening to the 5, pick a few to write about here at TTC.

More of a creative outlet for me and a way to archive some of my favorite albums, the nostalgia they invoke and the lyrics and hooks that transport me somewhere else, I will write about it here at The Textbook Committee. I dont claim to be a music critic or a talented writer. But do claim to be a music snob, filled with admiration for some of the most talented songwriters, crafted albums and overlooked stories told through song hidden in the back of my cd rack. Comment if you like.