I Shall Return

I quoted an American General, but the sentiment remains.

I've been quite busy the past few months as I am in the process of recloating an hour or so up the road. But I assure you, there are big plans in the works for the Canadian Music Archive.

Well now they gave us Juicy Lucy and we did the Watusi

Some big changes have taken place at the Canadian Music Archive.

First off, unless you're at a mole convention being stalked by the Crocs, you will have noticed that the Canadian Music Archive logo has made it's debut! Designed by my lovely and talented girlfriend, the CMA logo will serve as the marker for the Canadian Music Archive on the web.

Thus far, it is proudly marking it place as the header on the Facebook fan page as well as serving as a place holder, and a beacon of things to come at CanadianMusicArchive.ca. Hopefully these two recent moves by us here at the CMA will help spread the word of our mission. As of today at approximately 12:40PM, none of the pages show up in the first dozen or so pages returned from a google search with the keywords "canadian music archive."

However, as I delve deeper and deeper into this project and the Canadian Music Archive seems more like an actual entity rather than some grandiose delusion on my part, I cannot help but wonder what exactly am I doing that is different? Is this project so different than what is being done at the National Archives that it needs to proceed? Somewhere in my mind, I know that this is different enough that it needs to proceed, I just do not know how it is different yet. Am I contemplating something along the lines of the AV Trust? Or even, am I over lapping in my mandate with them? Do I have a mandate? Do I need a mandate? Should I think about incorporating the Canadian Music Archive into a non-profit charity? If I do that will I loose control over the project? Conversely, will the project become too much? Will it consume my life? Will it become my career? Would it be so bad if it did become my career? Could I make it my career?

Sorry for that, that semi-coherent stream of consciousness is what it is like being inside my head most of the time. There are a lot of questions there, questions that need to be answered to be sure. Questions I would love input on.

What would you do, if I sang out of tune?

I've harped on this before, and it has finally come to a head -- my Crossley isn't going to cut it. Two recent events have convinced me of this.

1.) A thread over at RecordCollectorsGuild.org talks about the Crossley just eating vinyl and

2.) The sound quality I'm getting.

I was listening to a .wav of Dunrobins Gone by Bravebelt after I had done the requisite cleaning of the track in Audition (i.e. removing 60 cycle hum, removing the sound of the stylus on the record, and removing any clicks, pops and hiss) and the track sounded lifeless. The 12 string guitar had no bottom end and no top end. In fact, it sounded little more than mid-range mush, and I use mush in the most literal sense of the word. The guitars sounded soft and doughy, with no punch and no real presence.

I do have another turntable in the house, a Kenwood P-100. This is an upgrade, as the platter (that is the spinning bit the record er, spins on) is not plastic as in the Crossley, but rather metal. I plan on giving it a bit of a try this week now that I know how to overcome the limitations I was experiencing before. Hopefully, everything will work out rather peachy, and I can mostly retire the Crossley and save you all from hearing me go on and on about it.

The latest additions to the archive, gleaned over the past several months:

Feist - Let it Die
Five Man Electrical Band - Coming of Age
Goddo - Pretty Bad Boys
Guess Who, The - Canned Wheat
Helix - Walkin' the Razor's Edge
Mother Truckers Yellow Duck - Starting a new day.
Northern Pikes, The - Big Blue Sky
Rush - Moving Pictures
S.C.U.M. - Born too Soon...
Tyson, Ian and Sylvia - Ian & Sylvia
Ugly Ducklings, The - Off The Wall
Various Artists- The History of Vancouver Rock and Roll vols 1 & 2. (An excellent compendium of Greater Vancouver rock and roll including the likes of Little Daddy and the Bachelors, The Shockers and The Canadian V.I.P.S)
Wives, The - Cigarettes (the band formerly, and futurely known as The Battered Wives)

Kick at the Darkness 'til it Bleeds Daylight

That has to be one of my favourite lines from any song.

To bastardize a hoary old cliche -- and something I've previously written of -- the project is about the journey and not the destination, and it's a damn good thing too as the more I research and the more I think about things, the longer and more complex this journey becomes.

It has started to appear that to speak with some of the people that I would like to speak with, I will need a publisher. However, I don't think I will realistically be able to get a publisher until I have either a manuscript, or a considerable amount of published writing under my belt. I probably will not be able to write a proper manuscript until I am able to speak with everyone I wish to speak with. But I won't be able to speak with everyone I wish to speak with until I have a publisher... argh!

Quite the conundrum, non?

I am currently toying with the idea of contacting Exclaim! to see if they need another writer. Ideally, dealing with the history of CanCon rock. I should drop them a line tomorrow and see what I can turn up.

Along with things to do tomorrow, I am going to have to mail off an application and a cheque to the Canadian Association of Music Libraries as I'm becoming a member. Where better to find a forum for like minded archivists professional and amateur alike?

Random observation: The in house muzak system which had previously this evening assailed my aural sense with the horror that is Michael Bolton (a song which I have not thought about in literally a decade or more, popped into my head about 10 minutes before it came on the PA) has played two consecutive CanCon songs. . . Bedouin Soundclash doing "When the Night Feels My Song" and Great Big Sea's "Sea of No Cares."

My current method of vinyl digitization is proving far more inadequate that previously thought. Playing Magic People by The Paupers on my Crossley produces a skip and stick in the middle of the song, preventing it from being digitized in any meaningful way. I suppose I could edit the bit that skips out and insert a bit from another part of the song, but that seems far too complicated, and not at all a realistic option. I took the LP into the Village Idiot for their professional opinion, and after a good clean and a spin on his quality turntable, it played fine and was good to go. However, back home I was still getting the skip and stick, leading me to the only reasonable conclusion that the problem is with my turntable. What to do? What to do? I should head down to the local audio supply store and see what they recommend in the way of a turntable that won't break my budget.

On a mission from God part 2

I suppose it is time to fill in some of the missing blanks I rather foolishly left in the last entry.

1.) Inroads: Yes, I can read. Shocking based on some of my blog entries, but utterly true. In no particular order I've read: Hand Me Down World: The Canadian Pop Rock Paradox by Greg Potter, Shakin' All Over: Rock and Roll Years in Canada by Peter Goddard and Phillip Kamin, Rock and Roll Toronto: From Alanis to Zepplin by Richard Goddard and John Course, and I've started reading Axes, Rocks & Hot Licks: The Canadian Rock Music Scene as well as On A Cold Road: Tales of Adventure in Canadian Rock by Dave Bidini. Some overlap, a few even grossly outdated, but all have something for me to grab hold of, giving me another lead, another band, another road to travel down in my quest to end up in my final destination. Somewhere along the way, I'll end up doubling back, been where I've already been, but I'll find something new along the way each and every time.

I've also conducted two interviews thus far, with many more in the works. I'd like to say who I've interviewed, but I don't want this blog to become a place for me to drop names of who I've talked to in this project. That's not a goal of mine, in fact it's nearly the antithesis of what I want.

2.) Storage: I've doubled it. I'm now sporting a terabyte of information, having received an additional 500 gigabyte harddrive for my birthday. I know how to live large and party in style.

3.) Music: The past week or so has been an excellent week in terms of the haul I've been able to pull in on vinyl and compact disc. I went to the Guelph record show on the 16th, pulling in a killer haul there and then that night, I discovered The Record Cellar a great site for digging up Canadian music. I found some discs I've been looking for for a while, and am glad to find lay my hands on them. In no particular order, here are the latest additions to the Canadian Music Archive

Guess Who, The/The Staccatos - A Wild Pair. This was a promotional album released by Coke, an important piece of CanCon.

Guess Who, The - Wheatfield Soul. This one needs no explanation.

The Ugly Ducklings - Somewhere Outside. I believe the copy I have is an 80s reissue of this amazing album. Stripped, raw, garage rock from Toronto's Yorkville scene.

Battered Wives - Battered Wives. Perhaps the most inflammatory, and controversial band/album in the Archive thus far, but listening to it. . . it's really, really good. The two best tracks on the album Uganda Stomp (bomp Idi bomp) and Freedom Fighters were both penned by vocalist and guitarist John Gibb. And, it comes on red vinyl which gives it an extra bit of rebellion.

Nash the Slash - Decomposing. The bandaged one gives us an album designed to be played at any speed -- 33 1/3, 45 or 78 RPM.

54 40 - 54 40. the one with I Go Blind

King Biscuit Boy with Crowbar - Official Music

Bush - Bush. not the one with Gavin Rossdale, who shall forever by assigned an X, whether they like it or not.

Rush - Rush. It doesn't have Neil Pert.


Various Artists - Together. The most Uncola of records in the Archive. This record featuring Lighthouse, Edward Bear, April Wine and Crowbar was part of a 7Up promotion.

That is it for records for the time being, I shall list more tomorrow.

4.) The Future: Coming soon are a Canadian Music Archive website and Facebook page. A full fledged website! There will be links and the debut of the Canadian Music Archive logo! Hot dog and maple syrup that's some good logo.

On a mission from God

Wow, it's been nearly a month since my last entry. Not really due to laziness, but rather lack of much to say.

I've spent a good portion of the month making some inroads into the book end of my archiving project. I've read four books on the history of CanCon, giving me not only more records to track down but some good leads in the area of names.

I have also doubled my storage space, and I'm now sporting a terabyte of space for storage.

That's it for the time being, at least until I can formulate my ideas more fully.

Beggars Can't Be Choosers

But a chooser can be a beggar. Or something. I'm going to beg at any rate.

If anyone out there in the music industry would like to send me some free CDs from some of today's Canadian rock artists, I most certainly won't say no. As much as I want to include everything, there is absolutely no way I can personally afford to buy every single new release by a Canadian artist, especially as I have a rather significant back catalogue to obtain. I know that I won't achieve my goal of arching Canadian music overnight, I just worry that by the time I'm in a financial position to obtain more of todays artists, a lot of albums by new and emerging artists might be lost into the winds of the past, and I would like to avoid that at any and all costs if I can.

So, if anyone out there can help, or can point me in the right direction, it would be fantastically appreciated.

I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing

Not really, but developing creative and relevant titles for each blog post is proving far trickier than previously thought. Is it possible I'm not as on the cutting edge of pop culture cool as I had previously thought? No, that can't be it. It mustn't be it.

The previous seven days have been a very good start for me. Not only did I accomplish my goals I set out for the Record Show, but I made some excellent contacts and have a few records ready to add to the archive.

Last Sunday not only did I find my record cleaner, but I was able to find a great deal on plastic sleeves: 40 for $1. They're used, but that doesn't matter. They're in great condition, and work just fine. I'm quite happy with the deal. I also discovered the awesomeness that is the $1 bin. So many great musical finds in that $1 bin.

I also hit up Speed City Records here in town as well as The Village Idiot. If you're ever in the area and can make it down to Wortley Village, stop into The Village Idiot. Not only do they have a great selection, but some of the most amazing and knowledgeable staff you could ever hope to meet.

Now, onto the additions to the archive!

April Wine - Get Lucky
Band, The - Stage Freight
Band, The/Bob Dylan - Before the Flood
Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts - self titled
Beatles, The - Beatlemania! With the Beatles (Canadian Only Release)
Beatles, The - twist and shout (Canadian Only Release)
Beatles, The - Long Tall Sally (Canadian Only Release)
Diodes, The - Released (early Canadian punk, with a dig at Paul Simon. Great stuff.)
Lighthouse - One Fine Morning (great 60s rock)
Loverboy - Get Lucky
McKenzie, Bob and Doug - Great White North (some great Canadian comedy, a classic Christmas take off and it has Geddy Lee, eh?
Payola$ - Hammer on a Drum
Ocean - "Put your hand in the hand"
Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks - "Mr Dynamo"
Rough Trade - (for those who think young)
U2 - The Unforgettable Fire 12" single (produced by legendary Canadian producer Daniel Lanois


These aren't the only bits of vinyl I've picked up recently, but it is the vast majority, and they are the only bits that warrant including in the archive. Once I find a program I like for converting CDs into FLAC, I will have a larger number of albums in the archive as I digitize my CD collection.

This Place Smells of Chicken

What does the title have to do with music, and furthermore, this post? Not much of anything, however, I am at work, and this place smells of chicken at the moment.

I have successfully digitized all but 2 sides of vinyl from my collection of 45 records. However, I'm not wholly thrilled with the results. Perhaps it's the quality of the record player I am using (more on this in a moment), but far more likely is the fact that I didn't give the records a proper cleaning prior to recording them. I can do quite an admirable job cleaning up the clicks, pops and 60 cycle hum from the recordings using Adobe Audition, but I feel that having a better source going in, I'd have better material to work with. Garbage in, garbage out and all that.

I'm hitting up the CD and Record Show here in town tomorrow, and hopefully I can find some tips on cleaning vinyl. And while I'm there, I'm going to look for some storage sleeves.

As for my record player: I like it, for what it is and I don't regret buying it. However, I have recently learned that the weight of the tone arm on the Crosley player might damage some records on repeated plays, so for the time being I have to keep playing on the turntable to a minimum. I have started researching for a replacement turntable down the road, but it's a tough slough. I have found turntables are referred to in one of two ways: 1.) Use as a DJ turntable, or 2.) Use as an audiophile turntable. The first is obviously of no use to me, and the second causes me many problems.

Firstly is the cost. Turntables can range it price from $400 to $15 000, the low end of the scale is rather manageable as far as these things go. However, I've heard complaints that vinyl picked up used can sound fine in store, but on high end equipment it becomes unlistenable. If you can't enjoy vinyl unless it's brand new, then what is the point? I can understand the desire for ultimate fidelity, but if it comes at the cost of enjoyment then the fidelity becomes a hinderance and that is something I cannot put up with.

None More Black

I've made the first significant addition in my project to archive all my music, and the popular music of Canada. I've obtained a Crosley Keepsake in black. It's not the greatest of tools, as the construction seems somewhat wonky, I think a this point in time, with it's USB connection and stereo speakers for personal use (so as not to disturb anyone in the house with the record player on the stereo) it will serve my purposes. I suppose at some point in the future I will upgrade to a proper record player/pre-amp combo that will provide better fidelity, though that is a purchase that remains some ways into the future yet.

Questions asked frequently by no one but me

1.) How will you decide what to include?

Well, aside from including anything from my personal collection --which will be included-- the primary focus of the archive will be Canadian music circa 1945-present using the MAPL system as a starting off point. Of course, no such system is perfect, and I will most likely be leaning heavily towards the criterion needed for pre-1972 inclusion, but I will be as complete as possible.

However, it won't only be Canadian music included. There will be historically significant non-Canadian music as well. The Beatles Canadian only releases would be a good example of this. Would it be possible to count the number of kids who were inspired to pick up guitars in 1963 after hearing those records?

2.) Is monetary value a concern?

Yes. And no. Mostly no. The primary concern for me is the music on the album and the information on the album. So, what I mean is, if I have a choice between an album at $50 in perfect mint condition, versus an album at $25 where you can see slight wear on the album cover, I'll take the $25 album every time because that means I'll have another $25 free to get a second album to save for future generations.

3.) What type of media will you be collecting?

If it spins, it's in. CD, SACD, DVD-Audio, 78, 33 1/3, 45, reel to reel, wire recording, it's all in. If I can't play it yet, that just means I'll have a small challenge ahead of me, but it will be preserved for posterity.

4.) Is any of this subject to change at any time?

Yes. Except number 3.

The Journey Begins

I've done it! I'm on the cutting edge of 2002!

This, my little corner of the web, my so-called blog, will be a chronicle of several projects I've got on the go. The ultimate goal is to have all these projects come together in a form yet to be revealed.

The first, and right now largest of these projects is the archiving of my music collection. Over the years I've accumulated a somewhat sizeable CD collection, and have recently come into an equally sizeable record collection. I plan on creating digital back ups of all these albums on both hard drive and dvd, which will then serve as my primary music collection, while the master copies will hopefully be catalogued and saved for the enjoyment of future generations.

What form this will all take has yet to be decided. I'm currently researching options for my catalogue -- that is database, which system to use etc. -- and the only real decision I have made thus far is which codec to use. Right now, I plan on using Free Lossless Audio Codec as my digital archiving solution of choice. It has many of the benefits of WAV, such as lossless audio, while also having the benefits of the much more popular MP3, such as compression and metadata, with little to none of the drawbacks.

How will this all go? Only time will tell I suppose, as I'm still in the very beginning stages of this project. However, I have to make a couple more purchases and then I will be able to truly begin this project in earnest.