Tim Sarty!

Next up we have Tim Sarty. I have known Tim for a long time. He was my source for music growing up! I would always go to Tim's every week and he would always have the newest cd's. This is how I was introduced to basically all of my music in the 90's. Showing up at Tim's and seeing what cool new CD he has in his stereo!

We have lost touch over the years but luckily I managed to track him down over facebook. Tim always had a great collection and it only got better since the last time I saw him!

Here we go!


Introduce yourself!

Name: Tim Sarty

City/Town: Fredericton

Job: Librarian

Maritime Vinyl (MV) - What do you collect? Vinyl; CD’s; Cassettes; 8 tracks; bootlegs; music memorabilia; magazine; etc..

Tim Sarty (TS) - Right now I collect CD’s, digital and vinyl probably in that order. Of course before CD’s it was cassettes and if things keep moving the way they are CD’s will probably disappear  and the only physical item left will be vinyl.

MV - Do you prefer one audio format more than others? (example: vinyl more than cd’s)

TS - I’m not really picky on the audio front between the formats. I look more for good speakers and that helps a lot no matter what format you are listening to. As far as convenience you can’t beat digital. I bought my ipod 4 years ago so I could take my CD collection with me and not drag boxes and boxes of CD’s all over the country. I ended up loving it. I also love the experience of listening to a record as well.  Just sitting around by yourself or with a group of people and listening to something from beginning to end without shuffling or playlists is great.

MV - How big is your collection?

TS - My overall music collection has grown out of control. At my parents’ house I have boxes upon boxes of CD’s which I haven’t brought to my place yet because I just don’t have the room for them. I am also starting to gather a secondary CD collection at my own place as I pick up new things. I am slowly starting to buy more and more digital music after years of holding back.  This being said I am approaching my vinyl collection as something that I am not going to go crazy with. I have 40 or so records most of which are from my Father’s collection.

 

MV - Do you concentrate your collection on one or more artists in particular?

TS - For my vinyl collection I am trying to concentrate on things I really like. Right now I just go and look around to see if something interests me. I try to keep an eye out for Van Morrison, Springsteen, Neil Young, U2, Willie Nelson, Led Zeppelin and other things that excite me at the moment.

 

MV - What is the first album you remember purchasing? Do you still have it?

 

 

 

TS - I don’t remember the first thing I ever bought sadly. It would have been a cassette so it is probably long gone. I do remember getting a Beach Boys tape when I was real young and I loved that thing. I think it was just a compilation album but it was great. I also remember getting Def Leppard’s Hysteria for Christmas one year and that was just when I really started to get into music.

MV - What is your preferred way of adding to your collection? Shopping online? Flea Markets? Independent music stores? Etc… Any favourite store or websites?

TS - I love record stores! The bigger and more unique the better. I was recently in a great store in St. John’s called Fred’s. It’s an institution there and I could have spent hours looking around. Lots of vinyl, CD’s and a nice atmosphere.  I also like to looking through flea markets and hopefully finding something cool in people old collections. Sadly I get a lot of my music from itunes lately. It is awesome to be able to get almost anything at any time but it is not nearly as satisfying.

 

MV - How do you store your collection? Shelves? Boxes? Your attic?

TS - The majority of my CD’s are in boxes in a closet at my parents’ house. Hopefully I will get space to put them out someday but until then the ipod will be the storage for that collection. I have my vinyl on a shelf and have told myself that it will get no bigger than that shelf! I have only been collecting since Christmas but so far so good.

MV - Does your significant other support your collection? Did you have to convince him/her?

TS - No I didn’t need to do any convincing she actually bought me my record player as a Christmas gift.

MV - What is on your “wish list” at the moment?

TS - Since I have not been collecting vinyl that long I have a pretty big wish list at the moment a few of them would be:

- Van Morrison - His Band and the Street Choir
- U2 - any albums but their first
- Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town and Nebraska
- Guns n Roses - Appetite for Destruction
- Heart - Little Queen
- Led Zeppelin - any
- Willie Nelson - Red Headed Stranger

MV - You were always the guy with the coolest stereo when I was younger! What is your current setup?

TS - I pretty much have the exact same set up as I have always had. I am getting very antsy to get a new one but I am getting married in the spring so I couldn’t justify spending the money. I just want to start with a decent receiver and get some good speakers later.  

MV - Do you still have all of the cool vhs concerts you used to have?

TS - I just got rid of the VHS concerts I had. Mostly because I don’t own a VCR anymore and they take up a lot of room.

MV - I found myself re-buying a lot of my vhs concerts on DVD. Now blu-ray is the new medium and I just can’t bring myself to buy them the third time. Do you have the same issue?

TS - That’s another reason I got rid of my VHS because I have the same problem as you. Anything that I really liked I ended up getting in DVD over the years so I didn’t need the VHS copy anymore. I haven’t dipped into Blu-ray either although I have been tempted many times. I can’t justify buying something for a third time. Also a lot of that stuff you can watch bits and pieces of on Youtube so it’s not like it will be gone forever.

MV - Do you ever miss the days when it was a challenge to buy some albums? Now you can find virtually anything online! Is it getting too easy?

TS - I do and I don’t. I love being able to buy something when the feeling strikes but like you say there isn’t much challenge or anticipation anymore. I used to love Tuesdays when new albums are released wondering what the album will be like. Now most of the time you can hear it before it’s released, see the artwork and read reviews. It is different now for sure.

MV - Do you think digital downloads will eventually win the battle and there will be no more cd’s?

TS - I do. It will still be awhile yet I think but I do believe they will go like the cassette eventually. Although I feel that vinyl will be the main physical way to listen to music. It will be a small percentage of sales but people like me still want to have something physical to look at and listen to.