Sunday, December 25, 2022

All* broken links restored!!

I DID IT YA BASTIDS!

And it only took NINE YEARS!  That's right, it hasn't been since roughly 2013 or 2014 that every single download link on this page was functioning. I mentioned earlier in the month that I'd already restored just about everything from 2007 to 2013, and that the remainder might have to wait until the new year, but I was able to get it done, on the last night of Chanukah and Christmas no less. The big game changer for me was switching my file hoster to Mediafire, who won't let links expire for premium members.  No more spending an endless amount of time chasing after your requests. Everything should remain stable, but as my experience with past file hosters has shown, the rug can always get pulled out from under us, so keep your fingers crossed.  This was a massive month-long endeavor entailing file by file restoration - not an easy thing considering my upload speed pale to those of typical download speeds.  True, there may be no "new" content in this particular entry, but 2400+ links are live, active and waiting to take up residence on your phone or hard drive. As for the asterisk in the title bar, here are a few things that won't be returning:

  • About 20% or more of the expired links will not be revived due to the fact that many of the albums and singles I've shared for the past fifteen years have been officially reissued, primarily through vendors like Amazon Downloads, Bandcamp, and occasionally even as physical reissues. I consider these particular releases to be "back in print," and as such I have no intention of depriving any of the artists I discuss on these pages of their hard earned money. Yes, there's a lot missing as a result, but technically you don't have to deprive yourself of the music itself, since these recordings are commercially available again. In almost all instances I've provided a link directing you to the point of purchase.
  • Mystery Monday links - which were designed to be available for one week tops.  Miss a Mystery Monday, and you miss a lot, though so may make a return appearance.
  • the two or three song "samplers"  which I made available with a few dozen of the reviews I've done on here. There were very few of these to begin with, and for what it's worth I did refresh  links to a couple of them
Can't believe I finished the whole thing. Sorry for ignoring the majority of your request this year. I simply couldn't keep up, but I've had this idea in the pipeline for ages now. Truth be told there are a handful of links (maybe ten, if that) I couldn't restore, due to the loss of the source files, but even these may be replaced at some point. Finally, in a few instances, I placed the links in the comments section where noted. Not many of these either.  Thanks for your patience, and more importantly your readership and support. It keeps Wilfuly Obscure going.

11 comments:

Palm Beach said...

What a labour of love. Thank you and happy Hanukkah.

lucky said...

Truly a mitzvah!

Thanks for all you all do to maintain the best site on the internets!

billy said...

dude ... amazing.

simply amazing!

decrepitude said...

What an amazing gift of time. Thank you for all your work!!!

Unknown said...

I admire your dedication. I've been following the blog since the beginning and have downloaded every post along the way, missing only a few Mystery Mondays that had very short windows, but I love how you continue to maintain the site for new readers. May they discover as much great music as I have thanks to your generosity.

Jonathan said...

thank you

Stephen said...

Fucking Brilliant.

Cheers
Stephen

T.E. Johnson said...

thanks man, I appreciate it. Happy belated Hanukkah. Gotta fire up the ID3 tag editor lol.

Malaspina said...

Magnificent effort!

heartsofstone said...

Thanks again for all you do for all of us.

CoverHeaven said...

I must have added hundreds of cover songs from your blog in my youtube channel! (CoverHeaven)
I'm sure I've written to you before!
Thank you for the reuploads! That was a great surprise!
Cheers and happy new year!