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01 October 2008

When Old Becomes New

My CD collection had grown to just over 200 when I went back to college in 1996. I kept most of them in two CD books, each holding 100 CDs when full. I was already over capacity. (Even though it it is an interesting story [for the geeks], I won't get into the process of how I kept the books alphabetized.)

In the summer of 1997 the first book containing artists A-L was stolen from my apartment. My roommates and I had carelessly left the patio door unlocked. That book of CDs was the only valuable thing in the front room at the time.

I was more sad than angry. The one thing I knew I couldn't get back was the time I had spent putting the collection together.

One of the CDs I never realized I missed so much was the only studio release ever put out by The La's. I'll not lie and say that The La's are an under-appreciated gem of the early 90s scene that was alternative music before grunge took over. They were clearly mediocre, but their music was unpretentious--something I appreciated in a band.

You probably heard The Boo Radleys cover their song There She Goes on the soundtrack for So I Married an Axe Murderer. (For the record, the original version was included on the soundtrack too.) Since then I've heard it in a few other movies and TV commercials. (Six Pence, None the Richer covered it too.)

The album standouts (to me) are Timeless Melody and Way Out (from 1987!). The songs sound completely different, but are very much alike--wistful nobody-loves-me pop music that the British were so good at in the early 90s.

Anyway, enough reminiscing. My new old copy arrived yesterday. I've gone through it seven or eight times now and I feel like I'm 17 again (with less hair and pimples). Definitely worth the $6 I paid.

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