Jim R

Vicente del Bosque Xabi Alonso Xavi Hernandez

Baretta Mannix Kojak

The people of Chewandswallow The people of Food Digest We The People

kiddie Kiddio Brook Benton

Maybe I can get away with this.

Nice! You get points for the way they're looking back toward the camera too. brownie, that Vido Musso one was somewhere in my brain, but I couldn't find it (frustrating, but not surprising ). Very good find!

Colonel Sanders Colonel Bogey Conrad Birdie

Geraldine Flip Wilson Anthony Wilson

Dang! I was already halfway through compiling "BFT 110 - The Complete Jeffcrom Jazz Collection," which was to consist of every record I own. I think I'd be up for that... but as a download only.

Again, Thom, please don't suggest that I'm any different, and don't also feel obligated, and don't also honor the compiler's efforts. I thought I was pretty clear about that. I'm simply pointing out the reality, which is that compilers are going to experience plenty of responses that are less than thorough or enthusiastic, in addition to total non-responses. Our personal approaches are very unlikely to change that, imo. 2-disc tests have been done a number of times, and some people do enjoy having the opportunity to sample that amount of music. I agree that a 5-disc set would be a bit of a stretch, though. Jeff, I think that your suggestion is sound (no pun intended).

Bungalow Bill & the tiger Peter & the wolf Elmer Fudd & the wabbit

Margaret Court Sparky Mitch Albom

I don't see where you indicated why this is your preference, and I'd be curious to know. Because, to me, that's the point where it starts to turn from a fun activity into a chore. And yes, I can stop listening at the 80-minute point. That's what I've done with several BFTs that went beyond a CD's length. But in those cases I have felt that the experience has been degraded, however slightly. I feel some slight exasperation with the amount of music I have been presented, and the compiler seems disappointed that I haven't listened to the whole thing. It has become slightly less fun for me and the compiler. Here's a possibly stupid analogy: There's a party with lots of food. The host insists of piling too much food on everyone's plates. No, the guests don't have to eat it all, but an element of awkwardness has been introduced. The guests have to decide how much they can leave on their plates without offending the host. They're probably going to feel some obligation to eat more than they really want to, and the host is now probably going to be end up being slightly offended that they didn't eat it all. Thanks for elaborating, Jeff. Frankly, I think you (and Thom, and handful of others) are the exception to the general rule that people are generally not all that dedicated to full and enthusiastic participation.

If you read my posts carefully, it should be clear that I personally believe in honoring the compiler. Pretty strongly, actually, in terms of how I conduct my own participation. I just don't think it's realistic to be very concerned about that in terms of setting up the rules. The reality is, compilers are never really honored as they should be. Over time, I've gotten used to this as a fact of BFT life, and to me it's become clear that the whole thing has to be accepted as a loose, informal exercise where freedom (to participate or not, to comment or not) rules. Again, all I'm saying is that if someone wants to include 2 CD's worth of material (and it's been done many times), I see no reason why they shouldn't be allowed to do so. Anyone who has followed this exercise for any length of time ought to realize that they're not going to see full participation*. For folks like yourself, there's no reason you couldn't announce when you sign up (as has been done before also) that you only want disc one (or disc two, or whatever). *When I compiled my test in 2003, there were ten or twelve people who signed up and received a CDR in the mail, but didn't participate at all in the discussion. The most recent test I participated in (#100) consisted of 14 tracks, which I believe amounted to one disc. Twelve people signed up. Only eight of those people participated, and only six of them commented on every one of the 14 tracks. The other two participants commented on two or three of the 14 tracks. This is absolutely typical from what I've seen over the past 9 years. When I came back and read my posts this morning, I wondered if my "tone" appeared aggressive or even mildly hostile. If so, I apoligize. I really am only looking at this as an exercise in logic, and to me it seems rather pointless to apply such limitations to the freedom of the compilers.

I don't see where you indicated why this is your preference, and I'd be curious to know. I think you're addressing a slightly different point. If the question was whether you were required to include 2 CD's worth, then I could understand why you would be making these comments. But that's not the question. Obviously, you and everyone else is free to limit your test to 80 minutes (or less) when your turn rolls around... right? The question is, should everyone be limited to 80 minutes or less, and if they are allowed to make it 160 minutes, will that really cause you or anyone else any problems when you're not obligated to: a) sign up at all; b) participate, if you've signed up; and c) comment on every bit of the music if indeed you opt to participate?

And by the way, I'm not suggesting that signing up and not participating should be encouraged. I'm simply saying that it happens frequently, and participation on a limited scale (commenting on only a few selected tracks) is very common. For the record, I've always participated fully when I've signed up- even burning a minidisc of one test and taking that with me on our trip to Tahiti. I'll skip a track now and then, if it's beyond my scope, but I'll say so. I'm simply stating my view of the way things generally go, and wondering what harm there is in having no limit to the length of a test. For me, it's a question of logic. I really have no ax to grind.

I've participated on and off since the beginning in 2003. I've re-read the 2009 thread linked above, in which I participated, and I've read this thread, and I still don't understand the need for a limit. If the compiler wants to include 2 CD's worth of music, that doesn't mean that everybody has to comment on (or even listen to) every track. If you look at the reality of what occurs on many (I'd say most) tests, there are always several people who sign up and don't even participate, and usually a few who don't comment on every track. There is no consequence for people who do this, and of course there needn't be. There are no requirements of any kind in terms of the extent to which someone listens or comments. There may be a guilt factor for those who request hard copies of 2 CD's and then fail to participate, but that's no reason to limit the amount of music the compiler wishes to include, imo. The bottom line for me is... what's the harm in making the test longer? People are completely free to participate to the extent they wish to, and that's how it's always been. When you can simply download the music or go to a stream on the web, the "responsibility" in terms of participating becomes even more flexible, the way I see it. 2 CD's worth of music will appeal to some, and for those who don't have the time or interest for that much music, hey- there's (still) no obligation to address all (or any) of it.

The best of us (to whom these things happen) The best of them (with whom that guy could play) The best man (who Sir Lancelot got a little carried away and killed in "Monty Python & The Holy Grail")

Being that I was young and impressionable when she was first becoming popular, I remember being impressed by the fact that she was so comfortable making fun of her own appearance (and allowing others to do so). At any rate, she was one of a kind. I can still hear "the laugh". RIP.

The cast of "Hair" The Cowsills The Flower Girl

Len Bias Lin, Jeremy jazzbo