Organizing The Record Albums

Have you seen the movie, High Fidelity? At one point, John Cusack's character is deeply distraught over a breakup and he's self-medicating with his record albums. He's re-organizing them and they are in piles all around him. Can you picture it? 

Well a few weeks ago, that's how I spent every day for a week. Sitting on the floor with piles of records all around me. Trying to put them all into some kind of logical order. My parents wanted to catalog their records, so they knew what they had. My dad loves record albums, but because the collection wasn't in any sort of order, he found himself buying duplicates. So I agreed to organize them for him.

So for that week, I was in that room for hours, every day til it got dark. There's no light in there, so when the sun went down, I quit for the day. I had it almost finished by the end of the week, but I needed a break, so I took a week off. I went back in last night to finish up and realized I'd left about 25 records out of the alphabetical order. So I had to move some stuff around to fit them all in their appropriate letter section. It took a bit of time, but I got them all in their places and now I'm trying to organize the classical section. 

How exactly do you organize classical records? Anyone have any record-store experience? I've got Beethoven, for example, done by the Philadelphia Orchestra, for example, conducted by John So and So. Does it go under B (for Beethoven), P (for Philadelphia) or S (for So and So)?

I'll have to ask my dad for his preference, but I really have no idea.

After this close and personal bonding experience with these albums, I have learned a few things. Some of the albums from the 60's had really cool covers. Some of the albums from the 80's had really terrible covers. My parents have a very eclectic taste in music. (I knew that already, but this confirmed it!) James Taylor went through a very unattractive phase. Elvis Costello did shoot one album cover without his glasses on, but he's covering his eyes! And Barry Manilow even looked like a wax figure when he was young!

I also found a few hidden treasures I had to share. I will add this disclaimer, however, to save the reputation of my parents:

This collection is comprised of my mother's records and my father's records as well as a large collection of records we received because a friend of a friend was going to throw them out and my dad didn't want to let that happen. So, these gems may or may not be from that box. I am in no way stating that either my mother or my father bought these albums.

(Yes, that is Big Bird conducting the orchestra! Those are, indeed,  five faces of the same man floating in his own silhouette. The orange and green one is an album of Norwegian Dances. And don't you love the hair-dos of Atlantic Starr? Her dress is also fantastic, don't you think?!)

But this is the real gem. Are you ready for it?

(Isn't it fabulous?! LOL It seems that Mr. Fiedler is a conductor of an orchestra that performed the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and he really wanted to get into character! It's my absolute favorite and I have no desire to listen to it, whatsoever!)