The Five CDs I Had To Repurchase

Even though I own a ton of CDs and DVDs, there is one thing about me that those in the entertainment business might not like...I don't “double dip.” If you're not familiar with that term, it means to buy something over again. Much of the music and movie industry is built on the idea of re-releasing stuff whether it's a special edition DVD version of a movie that's already out or the limited edition re-release of an already popular album.

I don't own two copies of the same movie or CD. I will wait as long as it takes for a special edition of a DVD if I know one is on the way. Once I buy a CD, there's nothing the record company could add on that will make me buy another copy. I almost never buy greatest hits albums of artists I already own a lot of music from even if that greatest hits album has a new track or two (lone exception: The Chemical Brothers who included a whole CD of bonus tracks).

However, even with all this, it doesn't mean that I haven't had to repurchase CDs. There are five albums that I've had to repurchase for various reasons. All of these albums are ones I like (because bad albums never get played and thus never need replacing) and oddly enough, two of them are from the same artists. Anyway, here are the five albums I've had to repurchase in chronological order.

1. Reasonable Doubt by Jay-Z
2. ATLiens by OutKast

What Happened: They were stolen from me when I was in high school.

Comments: I was so happy to have these CDs when I bought them. Both of them are great albums and many argue that they are the best albums ever released by these respective artists.

My dumb ass felt the need to show off a little bit by bringing them to school so people could see. I kept them in my binder by my desk when I was in Chemistry and did my labs. When I returned, I saw the boxes still there and went on my way to my next class. In that next class, I actually opened the boxes and found my CDs missing.

The next day, I confronted the guy I thought stole the CDs by sitting in his seat before Chemistry started. When he got there, I accused him of stealing my CDs. He said he didn't and threatened me. I only stood my ground for a little while before getting up. The funny thing is that me and the guy ended up being cool with each other for the rest of the semester.

When Did I Buy Them Again: After Christmas that same year.

3. Surrender by The Chemical Brothers

What Happened: Scratched

Comments: This CD wasn't a total loss. It was scratched enough that the final song on the album would not play. Of course, I happened to like the final song.

If I had to pick a favorite Chemical Brothers album, this would be it. I enjoyed a lot of the songs on here from “Let Forever Be” to “Hey Boy Hey Girl”, “Out Of Control” and the title track.

When Did I Buy It Again: A few months after I found out how bad it was scratched, I bought a used copy from Wherehouse Music for $10.

4. Things Fall Apart by The Roots

What Happened: Horribly scratched. It's not a good thing when you can see through the CD. How ironic is it that a CD called Things Fall Apart ends up, well, falling apart?

Comments: This was the CD that introduced me to The Roots. It remains the best album I have ever heard from them. The music is incredibly creative but not inaccessible. I mean, this album has “You Got Me,” “The Next Movement,” “Act Too (Love Of My Life),” and “Adrenaline!” I had to have a working copy of this album again.

When Did I Buy It Again: It took a while, but when I bought some CDs from Amazon.com, I included this.

5. Dig Your Own Hole by The Chemical Brothers

What Happened: When I went to play it, I found out that it was actually broken. I'm betting that I somehow stepped on it and broke it. It is the only CD I've accidentally broken and hopefully it will be the last.

Comments: Just like Things Fall Apart was the CD that introduced me to The Roots, this CD was the one that introduced me to The Chemical Brothers. It's also notable for being the second electronic music album I ever bought (the first was Vegas by The Crystal Method). If Surrender is my favorite Chemical Brothers album, this one is close behind. Apart from the popular songs “Block Rockin' Beats” and “Setting Sun,” I had to buy this album again for “Where Do I Begin,” which is the song I wanted to listen to when I went to play it in the first place.

When Did I Buy It Again: I bought it from DeepDiscount.com and received it in the mail just yesterday.