Ninety-Eight Thousand (98,000)

Just listened to my 98,000th unique iTunes track, The vaguely holiday-related track “Daddy’s Drinking Up Our Christmas” by Smiley Bates. This represents 635.64 GB of data, constituting 267 days, 7 hours, 13 minutes, and 44 seconds of playing time. Leaving 76,550 items (once again – again – more “music” added in the interval) remaining unheard, …

Ninety-Seven Thousand (97,000)

Just listened to my 97,000th unique iTunes track, an instrumental riff from a 1974 Los Angeles concert by Steely Dan at The Record Factory, from a bootleg provided me years ago by my friend Gary. The track was a bridge between “Pretzel Logic” and their hit “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”. This represents 632.17 GB …

Ninety-Six Thousand (96,000)

Just listened to my 96,000th unique iTunes track, a classic version of “Harlem Nocturne”, by the incomparable Johnny Otis, from a collection of different Harlem Nocturnes. This compelling instrumental — in almost any version — is one of the all-time best songs ever. This represents 626.67 GB of data, constituting 261 days, 14 hours, 22 …

Ninety-Five Thousand (95,000)

Just listened to my 95,000th unique iTunes track, the sexy reggae — or is it mento? — 1972 single, “Night Food Reggae”, by the mysterious Nora Dean, found on the Trojan Records collection Tighten Up Volume 7. The alleged singer later moved from Jamaica to New York, became born again, and turned from reggae to …

Ninety-Four Thousand

Just listened to my 94,000th unique iTunes track (with replays of the same item not counting towards that total), the George M. Cohan smash hit from 1911, “That Haunting Melody”, sung by the inimitable Al Jolson on the A-side of Victor 17037. (He is inimitable because of the blackface, naturally.) This represents 609.37 GB of …

Ninety-Three Thousand

93,000th iTunes track (with all necessary caveats): “Soul Feeling, Pt. 2” by Eddie ‘G.’ Giles from the simply terrific Soul compilation Downtown Soulville! (Yet another title ending in an exclamation point… Hmm…) This represents 598.67 GB of data, constituting 251 days, 8 hours, 29 minutes, and 49 seconds of playing time. Which leaves 79,706 items …

Ninety-Two Thousand

92,000th iTunes track: “A Martini Built For Two” by My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult from Sexplosion! This represents 589.04 GB of data, constituting 247 days, 13 hours, 30 minutes, and 39 seconds of playing time. Which leaves 80,627 items (give or take) remaining unheard, totaling 510.40 GB of data lasting 231 days, 1 …