12 Selections for the Price of One: My Evolution through Music Clubs

Several times growing up, I joined the Columbia House Music Club. The first time, the choices were more driven by my parents (Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac). The second time, my brother called the shots--this would be more in the metal phase, and we received our selections in vinyl format. (I should mention that the standard course of action at this point would be to reap the rewards of joining then never pay for anything, unfortunately. Oddly, though, they would make us the offer again after a couple of years).

I made my own selections for a batch as a freshman in high school, coinciding with a decided shift in musical taste. I hadn't heard much of anything from the cassettes I was ordering, save from 120 Minutes, a weekly MTV program focusing on what was then unapologetically called alternative music. One of the selections was New Order's Substance. Immediately I liked it, leading to a friend's purchase of Joy Division's album by the same title (very different--probably preferred New Order at the time, though I like them both quite a bit now). I also chose Echo & the Bunnymen's self-titled album, which resonated with me for a while, but I think I destroyed at some point. I happen to be listening to that same album right now, in something of a rediscovery of the group. There was some embarrassing material in the haul, too, like an androgynous group called Gene Loves Jezebel. I think I eventually sold a lot of these. Resale value! On cassettes!

There was another round of joining a year or so later, introducing me to things like The Pogues, another band that I've stuck with. This also might have been the first time that I paid my bill and stuck with it. You're not supposed to listen to CDs at all anymore--straight to the iPod. I still buy new releases, though, and I burn CDs of things I download. I also very occasionally order CDs through the music club (Columbia House doesn't exist anymore, so it's BMG). I just received an order with Parliament, James Brown, Radiohead and Steve Earle.

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