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Collections and Obsessions |
TRENT CONTENTS Proposed Change, Change ... and Debate Association President's Message Topping the Competitive Recruitment Environment The Interactive Learning Centre Profile of a Volunteer: Roy O'Brien '75 "How To" series Toronto realtor Mary Crawford '82 Collections and Obsessions : Jim Doran's Various Vinyl |
By Francy Poapst '81
Jim Doran and his record collection. The first in an occasional series about the 'collections and obsessions' of our alumni. Introduce yourself for our readers. Hi, my name is Jim Doran and I'll be your server this evening ... no ... wait a minute ... that's something else. Anyway, I was born in Peterborough and attended Trent from 1973 to 1979. Now I live in Edmonton and work at the University of Alberta. I've worked there in various programmer analyst and systems analyst capacities since 1982, except for a couple of years in the late '80s when I moved back to Peterborough and worked as a systems analyst in the Alumni/Development Office at Trent. I came back to Edmonton and the University in 1990 where I was a systems analyst in the Registrar's Office. For the last three years, I've worked in the Office of Budget and Statistics where they now call me a Research Systems Analyst. We do most of the institutional analysis for the University. (You may have seen some of my work in the latest Maclean's University Survey, but probably not.) In my spare time, I'm the President of the Edmonton Chapter of the Trent University Alumni Association, I work on projects around the house, and dabble in photography. I also use, upgrade, and maintain a music collection that's, apparently, worth writing about in a magazine. How did you come to Trent University? Even though I was born and raised in Peterborough, I didn't even consider Trent when I was in Grade 13. Most of my classmates at St. Peter's High School were going to out-of-town universities so that was my plan, too. I ended up at Carleton in Ottawa to do engineering but I was the only one from my school who went there. That made it a little tough and I bailed out after Christmas. Meanwhile, a few friends had gone to Trent and told me how much they liked it, so, in the following September (1973), I started at Trent. I loved it so much that I stayed for six years and only left it because I "accidentally" found a job in Alberta and the commute was too long to get to class! ;-) What did you do there (besides work at the Cat's Ass spinning vinyl)? I had a pretty busy time at Trent. Not only did I work as a DJ at the Cat's Ass, but I also worked in various capacities, from technician to manager, at Trent Radio for all six years I spent there. That's where my musical interests really blossomed. But I had other jobs, too. I worked for Audio-Visual Services showing movies for classes, setting up sound systems and tape recorders, etc. I also worked for Conference Services in the summer time, and one summer, I helped paint the street and dining room in Otonabee College. I also drove a van to Oshawa for Julian Blackburn College for a couple of years taking profs there for the off-campus courses. I worked for Theatre Services as a projectionist for movies or taking tickets at the door of the Wenjack Theatre. For a year or two, I worked for Public Affairs, giving tours of the campus to prospective students and/or their parents. And I had an off-campus job bartending at the Kawartha Golf and Country Club. Somewhere in there I got at least some of my studying done. What was your major? I did a joint major in physics and math. This degree didn't turn out to be directly related to the career I've ended up in, but, if I had to do it again, I'd take the same thing at the same place. I'd probably work a little harder, though. ;-) Who did you hang out with? I hung out with lots of different people because of my widespread involvement and the length of time I was there. However, since I lived in Otonabee College for five years, most of my friends were there, including that famous group, the Otonabee College Men's Club. (No phone calls, please! It's not as sexist as it sounds!) I still see these guys (Bryan Cummins '75, Dave Lafleche '76, Ron Paterson '75, and Gio Simonetta '75) from time to time when I get Back East. Who was/were your favourite prof(s)? That's a tough one! I had a lot of good ones - there were very few who weren't - but favourites that come immediately to mind are John Earnshaw and Al Slavin, both in Physics. John was my supervisor of studies for 5 years and I had him for a couple of courses. I had Al for a couple as well. I sometimes run into these guys when I'm on campus and they will always stop to chat. In fact, last year on a visit to the campus, I ran into Al Slavin and he gave me an impromptu tour of the new Physics facilities. That was an unexpected bonus! Describe your record collection. Well, it's fairly large (although I know of some larger ones) and it's mostly vinyl-based. Surprisingly - considering I'm a systems analyst - I don't have it all catalogued on my computer, and I don't have an exact count. However, in ballpark figures, Iıd say there are about 4000 LPS, 6000 45s, and 400 CDS. They cover pop, rock, metal, folk, jazz, classical, new age, electronic, and some other musical niches (like disco and industrial). The time span is generally from about '65 to today. Of course, some of the classical stuff goes waaayyy back. Some would say I have a serious hole in the so-called alternative rock area but I don't like most of it so I don't collect it. Pretty simple. How did you start this? I'm not sure, exactly. My first album was one by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. I got that when I was just a kid (I think it's in my Dad's collection now!). My next one - years later - was the one that got it rolling: Led Zeppelin II. I joined a couple of now-long-defunct mail order record clubs when I was in high school. I got lots of free records for signing up all my friends to the club. This established the foundation of my collection and my collecting. Everything really took off while I was at Trent. Being part of Trent Radio exposed me to different kinds of music and lots of it. Being the Cat's Ass DJ for three or four years didn't hurt, either. When I started working at U of A, I immediately got connected with the campus station, CJSR. I did weekly or twice weekly shows for six years there - most in the 'eclectic' format - so that I could play absolutely anything I wanted. And I did. The exposure to all the music that came into the station had me in record stores every week picking up records by the armload. I got several hundred when the Kelly's and Super Clef stores went out of business. Bad for them but great for me! Why did you start this? This one's simple. I liked listening to music from an early age so I started collecting it as soon as I started having money in my pocket. Have the die-hard collectors been after you to sell the collection? No one has ever approached me about buying it. If anyone did, though, theyıd have to have deep pockets to convince me because I'm not interested in parting with the collection. In fact, I want to expand it. Over the last few years, Iıve acquired whole collections from several people who were moving into CD-only collections. I got their turntables, too, just in case they disappear from stores. Smart, eh? Do you conduct tours in your home? Sure! Admission is 1 LP for each 15 minutes spent looking through it. This could add up to a lot of LPS if one wanted to spend much time looking in "the stacks," or listening to them! ;-) Do you have a favourite record? That's REALLY tough! I have a lot of favourites and they change from time to time. However, the one that comes to mind that I can always listen to even when I can't decide what to listen to is Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick. Iıve loved that one ever since I got it soon after it came out in 1972. I still have that copy, complete with its fancy cover that folds out into a newspaper (St. Cleve's Chronicle, I think it's called) with a lot of hilarious stories. Now I have a CD copy of it so it's handier to listen to but it doesn't have all the original cover artwork. My favourite collector record is a limited edition direct-to-disc LP recording by Toronto band FM that came out in the early 80s when direct-to-disc recordings were becoming the big rage. Perhaps strangely, though, Iıve never heard it; Iıve never even opened it. It still looks just like it did the day I bought it at Moondance on George Street in Peterborough. (Shameless plug: Mike Taveroff still runs one of the best record stores on the planet!) I didn't want to play it until I had a turntable worthy of the fine pressing. Now I've got a good turntable but Iım afraid to open the record in case it doesn't contain what the cover says is in it! ;-) I've also got a Dave Mason LP (Alone Together) on marbled vinyl which looks pretty cool spinning on the turntable. Some great tunes on it, too! What record(s) do you need to make your collection complete? Wow! That would be a huge list! I have very few complete artist collections so I could use the 'completer sets' for a bunch of artists that are among my favourites. The music industry needs to stop putting out product for a while so I can get caught up! ;-) If you had to whittle the collection down to 10 albums, which ones would they be? This is the standard 'desert island' question and I think I would have different answers on different days depending on what I was listening to at the time. I hope I never have to actually do this but, today, I think I can live with the following list which is in no particular order. I can even justify my choices with some (perhaps outrageous) opinions. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon - This is an outstanding album by any measure but especially as a sonic wonder (engineered by Alan Parsons). It's #16 on the Billboard Top Pop Catalogue Albums chart as of 1999.09.25. This is its 1,173rd week (more than 22 years!) on this list since it was released in 1973. Supertramp - Crime of the Century - This is another engineering masterpiece but it's equally strong musically. This is a band with a strong - and well deserved - reputation in musicality and sound quality. Brian Eno - Thursday Afternoon - The most relaxing ambient album I've ever heard, and Iıve heard a lot of them. One track, 61 minutes. Great for afternoon naps (any day, not just Thursday!). Yes - 90125 - This is another incredible mix of musicality and engineering. This album has a harder edge than previous Yes albums thanks to Trevor Rabin who makes his debut with the band. The Doors - Greatest Hits - The original version of "Light My Fire" is the best song ever recorded. Don't let anyone tell you different. All the others on here are also keepers. (Maybe Iım cheating by putting in a greatest hits package - and a two disc one at that - but it's my list!) Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I - This is an absolutely amazing first album hammered out in 15 hours for $750. Great live feel with a minimum of studio trickery. The guitar solo in "Dazed and Confused" is in the top 5 ever recorded. Al di Meola - Cielo e Terra - This is his finest recording, I think. The recording is so crisp and clear that, if you closed your eyes, you'd swear he and his guitar were in the room with you. A very relaxing set of acoustic guitar and synthesiser pieces. Tafelmusik - Bach's Brandenburg Concertos 1 through 6 - Bach was a giant, and no one does Bach better than Tafelmusik. 'Nuff said. Genesis - Selling England by the Pound - I prefer the Peter Gabriel generation of this band and this is their best one from that era. Amazing synth solo in "Cinema Show." Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick - Ian Anderson is a musical genius and this early song (all 43 or so minutes of it taking up the whole album) brings all his talents to bear. And the cover provides enough reading material to keep you busy while you listen. | |
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