What are your OCD record tendencies?

[moonbeams]

for the record, I was diagnosed with OCD in the early 90s.

(I cured it, too).

[moonbeams]

no pun intended

[harryq]

I'm really OCD about about people confusing their anal-retentive habits with an actual diagnosed anxiety disorder.

dude, it's not cool to joke about anxiety disorders...

as for my OCD record tendencies, my records are in reverse alphabetical order, which made sense at the time--my biggest "collections" were alkaline trio and AFI, and the only direction that was able to expand was left, so rather than risk having to split a band's records across a divider in the expedit (an example in and of itself), I figured I'd just order things Z->A. once you get used to it, it's not really that tricky, but it seems a bit weird...

in general, my ordering goes

1) band name (Z->A)

2) release year (normal)

3) # pressed (increasing, mainly so the one I play is always on the right)

[steventangent]

I'm really OCD about about people confusing their anal-retentive habits with an actual diagnosed anxiety disorder.

dude, it's not cool to joke about anxiety disorders...

I'm not sure if you are kidding, or missed my point entirely

[steventangent]

no pun intended

Oh you totally intended that pun. You're not fooling anybody.

[Derek™]

I wash my hands before handling my records.

Exactly six times. Initial wash must be at a time where the minute interval is divisible by 5. (i.e. 04:40, 06:15, etc.)

Absolutely no less than 20 seconds on each hand. No more than 35.

[steventangent]

That's the spirit!

[jimmyg]

Don't really have any really bad ones. Get record, take off shrink, listen to it, but it in a poly bag, put in box!

[Just Another Tom]

Aside from my filing system,

* All my records have the A side facing forward in the sleeve

* I don't put a record on my shelf until i have listened to it. This goes for multiple colour variants, if i receive 4 colours of the same record i will listen to all four before i file them.

[trevorm]

You people are all insane.

[chiefwahoo]

This is a CD thing, but same deal: when I used to have a sizable number of CDs, there was ONE CD that was labeled backwards. By that I mean if it faced the same way as all the others in the case the spine label was upside down. It drove me crazy trying to come to terms with the fact that it was never going to be perfect. Every day or so i would flip it, thinking it was wrong the way it was. It just got ridiculous.

You don't have any LPs with this problem?

[plasma36]

This is a CD thing, but same deal: when I used to have a sizable number of CDs, there was ONE CD that was labeled backwards. By that I mean if it faced the same way as all the others in the case the spine label was upside down. It drove me crazy trying to come to terms with the fact that it was never going to be perfect. Every day or so i would flip it, thinking it was wrong the way it was. It just got ridiculous.

You don't have any LPs with this problem?

I have two: Daft Punk and the Catalyst

[mxv]

When I get records they get put on a certain shelf awaiting their turn to be played. I play the record then put it on a different shelf awaiting it to be added to my list of every record I own. If the record is on colored vinyl I make a label that I stick to the poly bag stating what color it is on. After adding the records to my list they get filed away in the collection in alphabetical order.

I also will play every variant if I get records on multiple colors. After they get filed away and I play something I have multiple copies of I will just randomly pick one. The only exception is test pressings as I'll play them once or twice and if I have a regular pressing I will play that instead.

[000000]

first listen must be undistracted, except for reading liner notes. and all of mine are in the same brand of polybags too. so glad i'm not alone in that, haha.

[harryq]

dude, it's not cool to joke about anxiety disorders...

I'm not sure if you are kidding, or missed my point entirely

I'm kidding (well, it was meant as a joke, but I suppose the statement itself isn't a joke), and I'm thinking you were, too...

in any case, this

explains how I feel about that

[nicole]

I keep all the shit in the jacket in the same order. so if there is a digital download card in between a lyric booklet and the record, it stays in that order no matter what. i know most records are assembled by hand so there are most likely inconsistensies with this type of thing, but just dont care. how i get it is how i keep it.

[mymirrorspeaks]

I love this thread.

First I update my RYM catalog page and make sure all of the information for that vinyl issue is correct. If it's a new record I usually try to open it with a razor and keep the shrink intact, but if I fuck up the opening I will try to save any stickers from the exterior of the record and peel them off to put them on the poly sleeve. From used records, I remove any price stickers and then file in one of three places. If it is an album that I know I love (or at least really like), I will file it away into my alphabetized collection. If it's an album I blind bought, I will stack it in an unsorted section and try to listen to it and evaluate to decide if it's worth keeping (and filing away) or something I'm going to sell towards more records. My third section is for albums made in 2011/2010 and those are also alphabetized. I also try to download every album I buy, if it's not available for download I will usually try to rip the record to Audacity and import into my itunes because I like to try to keep my Last FM as updated as possible with what I'm listening to (I play the record muted in my itunes while listening to it on my turntable for scrobbling purposes).[/nerdy obsessiveness]

i do this same thing

[serum7]

Don't really have any really bad ones. Get record, take off shrink, listen to it, but it in a poly bag, put in box!

Basically same for me, but I can never have the sleeve in the jacket so that you can access the record without pulling out the sleeve. Too much access for dust and the like.

Also must use the carbon fiber brush on them before playing.

[rocknroll76]

[suchashorttime]

this thread is like a support group. it rules.

first i slit the shrink with a knife where the jacket opens. then i slide off the shrink and either a) fold it in quarters if it has a sticker or any sort of unique marking or discard it if it's plain shrink. i immediately transfer the record into a rice paper inner-sleeve and pull out a sealable polypro bag. i usually give the record a spin immediately, inspect it for defect if it was used, check for warping if new or used. when it's done, i replace it in the rice paper sleeve, slide it into the jacket with the original white sleeve, slide the jacket and folded shrink into the polypro bag, and seal. i file my records alphabetically by band, and chronologically within each band group. i try to update my google doc immediately, but i've gotten a little lazy with it.

weooo!

[rocknroll76]

You guys with resealable sleeves never run into problems with them? I liked 'em for a while, but they are not great for getting at the record more than a couple times and once I had the sticky part ruin an album cover. I know there are some out there that the sticky part isn't too sticky...those Blink182 Enemas that MTS sent out came in some good resealable sleeves. I'd like to know what ones those are.

[Guest vinyldoa]

a side facing the front of the cover and the lower part of the inside sleeve. I should be better with cleaning but I don't have a cleaner :[ gotta get a bunch of sleeves too

[suchashorttime]

You guys with resealable sleeves never run into problems with them? I liked 'em for a while, but they are not great for getting at the record more than a couple times and once I had the sticky part ruin an album cover. I know there are some out there that the sticky part isn't too sticky...those Blink182 Enemas that MTS sent out came in some good resealable sleeves. I'd like to know what ones those are.

i use bags unlimited's polypro resealable bags. the glue strip is on the bag, not the flap, so the jacket technically never has to pass the glue. i really like them. solid bags, good size, good price. i managed to squeeze my deluxe people's key into one, just as a frame of reference.

[Guest obzen]

I read this thread before and after I play every record.

[mcm1610]

I have to listen to it before it goes on the shelf. And add it to my google docs list.

I wish i was better about this. organization is key but I slack on that so bad. I've been getting in the habit of listening to a record as soon as i get it these days. it's tough when you get 15 at once. my record list is a disaster, so outdated.

my OCD is needing to have every possible release a band has released on vinyl. not necessarily every variant, just a single copy of each. it doesn't always happen but when the price is right, maybe.

My records don't even make it onto the shelf until they've been listened to and listed. If I get a big shipment, they stay leaning up against the front of my shelves as a reminder that I better not be listening to anything until these get dealt with.

On a similar note, I've been listening to nothing but Coheed's SSTB since it came in because I've been too lazy to google-list it and get out the plastic sleeves for it to go in before it ends up on my shelf.