h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Since 1994, my collection of (mostly 80s) vinyl albums and singles has lived in boxes. A variety of lofts, attics and garages have been home to them. A variety of removals companies have whinged about how heavy they are to lug about. A variety of shelving had even been used on the rare occasions that there has been space to get them out.

However, since 1994 I haven't had any kind of record player to play them on .

That is, until last year, when the missus bought me a turntable for my birthday. I didn't have time to use it though, what with only being in the country for 2 days a week .

That is, until last month, when I finally found the time to plug it into the computer (with a clever USB adaptor thingy) and grab a selection of records and start ripping them into mp3 format.


I plan to rip the whole lot, but that's a bit of a daunting task. Do I just start with Lee Aarron and work my way through to ZZ Top? Do I pull out my favourite artists first? Or start with those rare things that I haven't heard in years?

For now, I've just ripped some things that just randomly took my fancy. There might turn out to be some bizarre meaning in what I've chosen first, but in - apparently - no particular order, so far I've ripped these:

Gary Numan - Cars (7" single)
Guns 'n' Roses - Appetite for Distruction (just the a-side)
Ellis Beggs and Howard - Homelands (2nd and 3rd tracks off the a-side)
Mr Mister - Go On (all of it)

What I'm ripping next:

The Alarm - Declaration


Paff

all my vinyl is still in the loft, from when I moved here. Can't bear to part with it, and I have no turntable either.

with the whatever-you-said you're doing

I was listening to 'Now That's what Paff Calls Music' on the way to Pompey the other day. What a terrific album

Pleased to say I can return the compliment: I don't listen to albums much recently (I just put iTunes on shuffle instead), but if I do listen to an album, I quite often put on 'Skanky's Crimbo Album' from the year before last. And 'The Best Skanking Album ... Ever' was my soundtrack for moving to Jersey - it was the only thing I listened to on the 10 hour boat trip!

I'm putting together a 'Now That's What Paff Calls Music 2' as we speak. It might be ready in a week or two...

Well, the timing couldn't be better. My camps start soon, so I'll be doing a lot of driving in the coming months, and I like to start the summer with some new driving music.

Will you be writing a book to accompany it?

Book? I've kept it down to 5 pages this time. Mainly by reducing the font size down to 7pt.

Only five pages?? I hope they're at least A4 size.