Between 1962 and 1968 Bob Dylan released 6 albums. I bought 3 of them. I actually remember buying them and their cost. Yet, when I unpacked a couple of boxes of records I had in storage, I uncovered all 6 of these albums. One of them, Another Side of Bob Dylan, I had in duplicate. How is that possible?
Easily. Between 1969 and 1973 I lived in communal households. That is, I had a room in a house that I shared with from three to five people. Usually there was one stereo system and records were kept nearby. Occasionally, but not always, record albums were identified by name. The owner would write their name somewhere on the album cover, usually on the back in some corner. On my collection of those albums, one name I recognize, but on the other, I have no clue. Is that a statement about the 60s? Probably. I'm sure that one or two of my other albums from those days ended up somewhere else. I rarely put my name on them and was usually willing to bring a few to parties or friend's homes. So be it. It's not a big deal, but seems funny and somehow significant to me. If nothing else, it shows the frequency that these albums were played. In many of those households, there was no TV and the record player was the entire entertainment system. It was used almost 27/7.
Those communal albums were like rolling stones.
In most of those 1968-1973 households there were other favorite albums that played more than others. A brief list would include the work of:
Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young
The Beatles (esp. Rubber Soul, Abbey Road, and the White Album),
Blues albums by B.B. King, Albert King, Taj Mahal, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Sonny Boy Williamson II
Assorted Folk, Bluegrass, Motown, Pop, World music
We listened to everything, all the time.
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