I file everything by: last name, first name and " band name", the

so that being said, is it

howlin' wolf or wolf, howlin'

and

muddy waters or waters, muddy

i'd go with
'h'owlin' wolf
'm'uddy waters.

John, Elton or Elton John?

Can't ever see myself having this problem.

"H" for "Howlin', "W" for "Waters". Both filed under blues (after comps/soundtracks, before jazz).

This is the correct answer.

This is how I currently have 'em, but neithers real name is 'howlin' wolf' or 'muddy waters'.... and both of the new first names are adjectives describing the last name....

Ahhhhhh Grasshopper, whereas you could greet "Mr. Waters", you would certainly not introduce yourself to "Mr. Wolf".

this is why i file by first name instead of last

Agree.

+1

my discs I always go with first letter of last name, or first letter of compilation name

mp3's are always organized by first letter of first name, which has created zero problems. ("The" is always discarded)

Maybe I should change my disc order to match my mp3 order...

do it!


we'll start a revolution

My filing system:

Alphabetical: Last name, first name or band name, no "the"

Exceptions/quirks:

Bands/artists are filed under the name of their earliest project I own within a given format (12", CD, or 7"). Examples: Police on 12" vinyl under "P"--includes Klark Kent. Police on 7" single under "P". Police on CD under "S" for Strontium 90.

Compilations are filed after "Z" and include soundtracks. I generally file genre comps before label comps before soundtracks. The exception is tribute albums which are filed under the subject's name. e.g. "Turban Renewal" is file under Sam the Sham.

Names beginning with numbers are filed numerically before "A". Numbers after the first word are filed first. e.g. U2 filed before UB40.

Blues filed alphabetically after soundtracks. Jazz filed alphabetically after blues. Classical alphabetically by composer after jazz. Specialty (i.e. Christmas stuff) and comedy filed at the end.

I don't alphabetize the titles within a particular artist's discography.

Where were they filed in the store?

If memory serves me right, Muddy was probably under W and Howlin' under H. If only because Muddy Waters sounds more like a real name. That's a pretty wishy-washy reason to decide, but that's how it goes.

i don't think anyone considers howlin' wolf's "first name" to be howlin', but if you were to call muddy waters by his "first name", it'd be muddy. it's a fake first and last name, thus his last name is waters.

elvis costello's real name isn't actually elvis costello, but people call him that and thus his last name is costello while his first is elvis. li'l kim's last name isn't kim, so you file it under l'il.

a tricky one is is 2pac v. tupac shakur. i think all his artist albums went by 2pac, so there's that, but he was popularly known by his first and last name as a media figure. i'd default to putting him under numbers, for 2.

Precisely. Regardless of whether or not it's their real name, you file them under what the name on the cd says.

Howlin' Wolf is what he goes by but, because Howlin' isn't a passable first name, just like Li'l or Young, it goes under H.

The two record stores I've worked in have have Tupac under T simply because of what Katie said -- the cd's simply said "2pac" so under the Twopac he goes.

i almost said 'muddy' isnt a passable first name, but then i remembered:

Why, you'd file them as McKinley Morganfield and Chester Arthur Burnett, of course.

My standard response to these questions:

File it where you can find it.

the only ones i've had this problem with are big daddy kane (i filed it under K) and i used to file dj's under their last name but now they're all in alphabetical order under DJ.

Duh. They go chronologically.

Cat Power? SO and I disagree on this important matter.

My filing system: "It's over there...on the shelf."