A really obsessive collector's "problem" but...

When sorting bands and artists out in alphabetical order, how do you decide on whether an artist name should go by second name or first? Sounds a bit weird, let me explain.

Would 'Alice Cooper' CDs be categorised under Cooper? Sure it's a second name...but is it really? Or is Alice Cooper the name of the band, and thus the band be listed under 'A'. Same with Marilyn Manson, Ozzy Osbourne, Ted Nugent...what's the definitive way of defining is something is a band name or artist name?

I sort mine by the age of the artist at the time of the recording.

I think that Alice Cooper albums must take over the "A", Ozzy Osbourne albums under the "O" ecc...
I sort mine under this way...

JerryOnly wrote:

I think that Alice Cooper albums must take over the "A", Ozzy Osbourne albums under the "O" ecc...

So would Bob Dylan go under B?

Muloc7253 wrote:

JerryOnly wrote:

I think that Alice Cooper albums must take over the "A", Ozzy Osbourne albums under the "O" ecc...

So would Bob Dylan go under B?

I really think yes, I would do that in this way...

It's even harder when the band's name is a fake name like Jethro Tull or Johnny Crash. I file them under "J" but if the name is the artists real name, I use the first letter of the last name.

tohostudios wrote:

It's even harder when the band's name is a fake name like Jethro Tull or Johnny Crash. I file them under "J" but if the name is the artists real name, I use the first letter of the last name.

Yeah, that sort of thing is really annoying.

I guess I tend to go by whether I assosiate the name with a band or an artist. Marilyn Manson and Alice Cooper I tend to assosiate with a band better (even though I refer to the frontman by that name too) because they stuck with (sort of) the same band, that changed over time (not including their most very recent stuff). I see Ozzy Osbourne as more a singular artist. I dunno, it's a difficult one. As you said, Jethro Tull is one of the most annoying.

I go by the last name.
Cooper, Alice
Dylan, Bob
Nugent, Ted
Osbourne, Ozzy


Jethro Tull is a band name and is not someone in the band. Same with Pink Floyd. Therefore I got with the first word in the name.

Alice Cooper indeed was a band name, but has since become the singers name. Same with Marilyn Manson.

ultmetal wrote:

I go by the last name.
Cooper, Alice
Dylan, Bob
Nugent, Ted
Osbourne, Ozzy


Jethro Tull is a band name and is not someone in the band. Same with Pink Floyd. Therefore I got with the first word in the name.

Alice Cooper indeed was a band name, but has since become the singers name. Same with Marilyn Manson.

Same here, although I recently moved Lizzy Borden from the "L" section and moved them to "B". Alice Cooper has always been in with the other "C"s

MetalGuy71 wrote:

ultmetal wrote:

I go by the last name.
Cooper, Alice
Dylan, Bob
Nugent, Ted
Osbourne, Ozzy


Jethro Tull is a band name and is not someone in the band. Same with Pink Floyd. Therefore I got with the first word in the name.

Alice Cooper indeed was a band name, but has since become the singers name. Same with Marilyn Manson.

Same here, although I recently moved Lizzy Borden from the "L" section and moved them to "B". Alice Cooper has always been in with the other "C"s

See now I contradict myself with Lizzy Borden. I have them in with L, but won't be moving them because it's far too much reshuffling.

ult

I recently went through rearranging all of my cds and they all go by the first name. I arranged everything in order from how my ipod displays it. I used to have it kind of messed up where some would be according to the last name and some wouldnt, then I was bored one day and just decided to take everything down and start all over again. That took a couple of hours haha.

ultmetal wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

ultmetal wrote:

I go by the last name.
Cooper, Alice
Dylan, Bob
Nugent, Ted
Osbourne, Ozzy


Jethro Tull is a band name and is not someone in the band. Same with Pink Floyd. Therefore I got with the first word in the name.

Alice Cooper indeed was a band name, but has since become the singers name. Same with Marilyn Manson.

Same here, although I recently moved Lizzy Borden from the "L" section and moved them to "B". Alice Cooper has always been in with the other "C"s

See now I contradict myself with Lizzy Borden. I have them in with L, but won't be moving them because it's far too much reshuffling.

ult

I had Lizzy in the L's for the longest time but when I purchased his last cd, I thought, "This should be under B". Dunno why I moved 'em after so many years.

Do you file solo albums under the person's name or with the band the artist is normally in?

I actually do both. For instance, I have David Readman's solo album under "R" not with Pink Cream 69. But for some reason, I have Ian Anderson's solo stuff after Jethro Tull in the "Js".

I always get confused everytime I go to a store, I guess I will have to use the last name to find them

I go by first name.

IMO, if the band's name is also the name of a person in the band (and Alice Cooper is Vincent Furnier's legal name these days) it goes under the first letter of the last name.

If the band name is a person's name who is not in the band (i.e. Jethro Tull, Uriah Heep, Steely Dan, Molly Hatchet, Lynyrd Skynyrd) I file it under first letter of the first word in the name.

But don't burn yourself out over it - as long as YOU know where you keep it, isn't that all that really matters? (OCD traits notwithstanding)

Here's another nice little quirky question: with cd's, do you have to spin the cd around so it's straight in the jewel case when you put it away? And with vinyl, do you make sure that the albums are stored Side A facing front and label straight?

I do.

i don't have any problem like this...i divide my vinyls by countries...of course US by states like: alaska-snow white, arizona-exiled, colorado- jag panzer, titan force, satan's host, salem spade, connecticut- ESP, liege lord, sacred oath, florida: iron cross, thatcher, leather nunn etc...of course the ball is lost in states like texas, new york, new jersey, cali, illinois, ohio....

Quote :

Here's another nice little quirky question: with cd's, do you have to spin the cd around so it's straight in the jewel case when you put it away? And with vinyl, do you make sure that the albums are stored Side A facing front and label straight?

Whoa! I guess I'm pretty normal because I sure don't do that!

How about this one. Where do you file bands who's name begins with a number? I tend to put them at the end of the letter with which their name would begin if the number was spelled out.

So 311 and 38 Special are at the end of the "Ts".

TrogDawn wrote:

Here's another nice little quirky question: with cd's, do you have to spin the cd around so it's straight in the jewel case when you put it away? And with vinyl, do you make sure that the albums are stored Side A facing front and label straight?

I do. [/color]

Did you remember to face all of the bills in your wallet with the heads pointing the same direction and by sequential serial numbers?

Easy, pre-Welcome To Your Nightmare Alice Cooper records go under 'A' due to them being band records while Welcome To Your Nightmare onwards go under 'C' due to them being solo records.

I put all bands named after someone in the band under the last name. Thus Ben Harper goes under H. Dave Matthews's solo album goes under M. But Dave Matthews Band would go under D, since Band is tagged onto the end. Then where do you put Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals? Well, I put it under H. Harper, Ben & The Innocent Criminals.

It's been a while, but I'm thinking this is the proper way to alphabetize. Can't remember, though.

I gave up sorting my albums a many, many years ago. I just let the CDs fall where they may.

I used to be real obsessive about it though, but it got to be too much of a hassle.

TrogDawn wrote:

Here's another nice little quirky question: with cd's, do you have to spin the cd around so it's straight in the jewel case when you put it away? And with vinyl, do you make sure that the albums are stored Side A facing front and label straight?

I do.

Yep,Trog my OCD tendencies are as bad as yours.The cd has to be straight in the case.

ultmetal wrote:

Alice Cooper indeed was a band name, but has since become the singers name. Same with Marilyn Manson.

Diamond, King?

Well, at least Ozzy Osbourne is definitely under the 'O'

thrasher73 wrote:

TrogDawn wrote:

Here's another nice little quirky question: with cd's, do you have to spin the cd around so it's straight in the jewel case when you put it away? And with vinyl, do you make sure that the albums are stored Side A facing front and label straight?

I do.

Yep,Trog my OCD tendencies are as bad as yours.The cd has to be straight in the case.

You mean having the logo parallel in the case? Yep, guilty for that.