1,001 Albums

In the absence of any sensible or deep New Year resolutions, and seeing that a couple of connections online were doing the same, I signed up to 1,001 albums to hear before you die where you get a classic album each day to listen to and rate out of 5. Just imagine.... In fact that was the first one, Imagine by John Lennon (mixed 3 stars). Day 2, and cooking steak for tea, I download the Smiths, Meat is Murder. On day 3, as I wondered if my new year ought to involve at least some spiritual or faith based aims and aspirations, I got AC/DC Highway to Hell. I'm not making this up...

As I have continued with my new and unexpected hobby/pastime, a couple of things occurred to me:

I've pondered habits, time and discipline: I notice that haven't missed a day yet and it is nearly the end of March. I am busy and yet I have found the time. How has that happened? I guess as much as I hate to admit it, the old saying is true, if we really want to do something we will generally find a way and if we don't, we will probably find an excuse. It has become a habit in the same way that I have coffee and quiet time early in the morning. Other habits are not as easy, if I could transfer this sort of discipline to writing or exercise, I would probably conquer the world

I've also wondered about tastes, and caution vs openness to change. My Spotify list most years is narrow: largely older white men with guitars: Springsteen, Pink Floyd, U2 and Marillion feature heavily. As humans we are creatures of habit; we stick to what we know. Now I've been forced to expand my interests. I have discovered the jazz funk of Parliament/Funkadelic, Santana, an instrumental album by Miles Davis, the Brazilian Bossa nova scene and the lovely Latin sounds of Havana Social Club. Things that I didn't think I'd enjoy but have widened my world. I've tried some hip-hop and rap too but sorry I just don't get it. (It's the mix of talking and music which also puts me off musicals -and led me to score Michael Jackson's Thriller as only 4 out of 5 due to an awful chatty bit in his duet with McCartney...I digress). Yes, I will probably always have a preference for guitar based rock but my eyes and ears are more open. Perhaps that too is a good general attitude in life; important not to dismiss new things just because we feel comfortable

When you've been in churches as long as I have, you expect a 3rd point to the sermon but many of the albums so far have ripped up the rules with 10 minute instrumentals, a series of 2 minute tracks or a mix of the two. So why stick to the need for 3 points?

What do your hobbies teach you?