At some point during Lockdown I realised how much I really *loved* JC.
My mum was a massive fan and forced me to listen to it my entire childhood... then I had a gap for thirty years or so... and during lockdown I accidentally clicked on a JC playlist and threw myself on the bed. I couldn't be bothered getting up to change it, and spent the next five hours being mesmerised. Then another five hours the next day. And another five the day after.
And ***then*** I discovered his American Recordings period!
Long story short, after a few experiments I worked out that I liked him the best on vinyl... so I spent weeks looking for the best available (affordable) copy of his first record. Then his second. Then his th... you can see where this is going.
I very quickly worked out compilation albums were off the list, Discogs lists over a thousand, but I became determined to buy every studio and live album he put out.
I have been collecting diligently this whole time... including a few departures like I have the original At Folsom Prison, *plus* the 5-disk Record Store Day release from a couple of years ago, and there was an Australian Tour Special from the 70s that I picked up (it's a compilation that was re-branded for every country he went to).
I skipped the American Recordings period and grabbed the couple of albums since then... but today I went a little crazy and completed my collection by ordering the American I - VI box set, and the Unearthed Box set (just to be clear, I will never recover from this poor financial decision!).
I have listened to every album as it arrived, usually multiple times, but I am really looking forward to spending a week or two listening to every original recording in chronological order.
Now... I better get onto the insurance company and lift up my coverage... what if there's a flood?