CDs
Allegra says buy a CD Player
Good morning! Is January over yet? For me, this month has ranked #2 in Allegra’s Worst Months Ever taking silver to March 2020. But greener pastures ahead. I’m curating a Valentine’s Day watchlist with Nora soon and February romance makes me giddy. Seems I’m not alone?
Anyway
I asked for a CD player for Christmas. My little brother, not usually the gifting aficionado, rose to the occasion. So thank you Willy.
My impetus for this item was simple: I want to be more physical with my music. The inspiration? Widespread. But more specifically: beautiful cool women. Some of note; my Mary J. Blige obsessed mother, Serena Morris the diva trinket / relic extraordinaire, killer bass-playing music fanatic Kelsey Kussman and the Toni Braxton loving flip phone wearing genius Liana Satenstein.
Also, back in early December I was gifted some epic pieces from Mackie Shaye’s collective Little Oyster Club. Among them? This shining pearl, a Shania Twain CD. But like there can be no fire without kindling there can be no Shania without CD Player.
And I wanted Shania. So a couple days before New Year’s Eve I popped her ruby slipper covered CD into my new Magnavox player. And just like that, Twain’s elegant Canadian silk voice echoed back to me in Man I Feel Like A Woman.
From there my interest avalanched. So I visited the Original Disc Jockey, my mother Suzanne. Elated by my request to finally raid her CD collection, we sat on the starred carpet of my childhood home paging through epic books of musical joy. My mom has her favorites.
The gothic font of Led Zeppelin in their Alistair Crowley years, track #4 from Stone Temple Pilots album, Aimee Man’s Save Me from the Magnolia (1999) Soundtrack.
My selects?
An insane soundtrack from Scorsese’s 2006 film The Departed. The CD case is itself a beautiful artifact, with Leonard DiCaprio stretched across a lush green pool table as his arm is threatened by a mob member. It is a treat for the eyes as much as for the ears.
My favorite track from this soundtrack will always be I’m Shipping Up To Boston, by the Drop Kick Murphys. Me and my two brothers use to demand that my Mom BLARE the volume when this track came on.
As I write this, I have TLC’s CrazySexyCool smoothly playing in the backdrop. It’s on track 4, Diggin’ On You. I woke up and turned my CD player on and immediately grooved around my room.
It’s so nice to listen to music like this. By touching it and physically looking. Paging through lyrics with my fingers. Pressing an eject button. Turning up a volume dial.
I am listening with my ears but feeling it in my entire body. It’s something that I forgot but remember now with ease.
It sounds like the car rides growing up. It feels like my mom blaring Sugar Rays Fly on the way to Uniondale to see Nana. It looks like a listening party. So feel free to listen too. Here is a playlist of my current favorites:
But can I be honest? Get the real thing. Find a cheap CD player. Then rock up to a thrift store and go digging. Or call your Mom / older family member. Ask them about the music of their past. Relish, as I am now, in the unfettered joy of sound. Of shared history.
Of moments like music so beautiful you can’t help but just sing along.
also never seek out CDs! let them find u in a thrift shop, a locally owned record store u discover on a walk, on the side of the street sold by a knowledgeable reformed punk, in a box labeled "free" on a stoop, and as u mentioned, an eager-to-share family member. The best surprises find u when ur at ur lowest, highest, and smack dab chillin' in between.
last year i bought my own cd player second hand and i must say is one of the best purchases i’ve done in a while, listening to a whole album makes me so happy!! im obsessed!