Is there a therapist in the house?


I deeply regret something I never thought I would do.  I sold most of the records in my 500+ collection.  Every day for the past month I get a knot in my stomach when I think of what I did.  Many of the albums were 40+ years old and original pressings.  I took care of them and kept them clean.  Each time I played one the record playing event or experience seemed brand new to me.  Reading the liner notes never got old.  I remember buying a lot of the records and the joy I felt the first time the stylus hit the groove.  Then, I convinced myself that the records were just "things" and it was the music that was important.  I checked TIDAL and Spotify to confirm I could download the music.  With a pending move to another state and the thought that the records were just things, I sold the records.  Now, when I play a downloaded album or I hear a song from an album I used to have, I am heartbroken.  I feel like a part of my soul is gone and can not be replaced.  I've expressed this disaster to family and friends but the responses are usually one or two sentences which don't give me any comfort.  This is definitely one of the worst decisions I ever made.  Replacing them is thought but may not be possible.  Has anyone sold a record collection and felt remorseful?  If so what did you do?  I could really use some help with this situation.
rayd

Showing 1 response by lloydc

You only have two choices: get over it, or replace the ones you really miss. 

I got rid of half my collection every time I moved in the 80's and 90's, getting rid of things I didn't think I would ever be interested in listening to again.  Some of it was stuff so ubiquitous, or records I had listened to so many times, that I really didn't think I would ever put them on a turntable again (e.g., Stairway to Heaven) or just weren't that great (e.g. Gentle Giant, Keith Jarrett, etc.).  I was somewhat mistaken, and miss some of those. Some of it was because my tastes have changed over time and I was pretty sure I wouldn't be interested again (e.g. Tangerine Dream.)  I regret dumping all those imported pressings for nothing, but I don't miss listening to them, and we all make adverse financial decisions occasionally, which are usually dwarfed by the vicissitudes of life (e.g., market swings, divorce, medical costs.)

But you know, Tidal is not so bad, and most of us will be compelled to downsize, eventually...