Johnny Cash - The Fabulous Johnny Cash (Columbia Records, 1959) with some of my other records
I was reading my recent copy of Rolling Stone the other night before bed. I came across something sent a shock wave through my system. Artists were talking about the limitations of album releases and talking about releasing MP3 versions of tracks a little at a time or in weekly bursts or further outragous ideas. You can see an article by David Browne on this subject regarding Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins here. Radiohead broke some of the boundaries in 2007 when they relased their album via the internet allowing the public to pay whatever they wanted for the album. This Fall, Tom Petty is selling a $24.98 subscription to weekly "leaks" of the new live album and then the consumer can download the rest of the album on the release date. However, as an established artist Petty is also selling the live release in CD/LP formats as well. See a review here. However, both Radiohead and Petty are sticking to the concept of an album, but getting it to the public in a different fashion.
If you read my post late last week you might have an idea of where I am going with this...
I know that changes to the way that artists release their music shouldn't come as too much of a surprise due to the growth of the MP3 download via iTunes, Amazon, et. al. over the course of this decade. The subject has been out there for a few years now - see here and here. However, like anything else from the last 15 plus years, the concept of focusing on the hits is not a new one (45's, tape and cd singles), nor is the concept of a playlist - you've certainly heard of a mixtape right?
Hits are fine - not that I have particularly liked or identified with too many in the past 15 plus years, but they have their place. What if there are other songs that the listener itentifies with on the album? Further, I've made plenty of mixtapes in my life and it's great fun to sequence songs in a particular order for your enjoyment or for the enjoyment of someone else - particularly someone to whom you're enamored. I've made mixtapes for roadtrips, dates, new loves, old loves, friends, etc. When I only had a tape player in my 1968 Chevrolet Camaro I would also dub entire albums onto blank tapes so I could listen to it in the car. But the beauty of making your own mixtape is that you can choose not to include the hits. You can choose to include songs that include lyrics that may mean something to that person or the current situation or just fit the overall vibe.
A very small amount of the overall compact discs that I own
However, the thing that I LOVE about albums are that they are snapshots of an artist at a particular time in their career. I LOVE the artwork, the packaging, the cohesive sound, the track listing, the liner notes, the recording details, the thank yous - basically the creativity within the boundaries of an established medium. As artists I can see their need to sometimes break through these boundaries and chart new territory. Painters would not stand for having to paint the same size painting every time so why should musicians have to release an album?
I realize that there have been MP3 only releases for a while too, but those are usually reserved for "super" fans of the artist that go out seeking everything available. My wife calls me a completist and I would have to agree. I like to collect all of these "snapshots" of an artist to get a clear, overall picture of their career. To me an album is like a book - a physical copy of a produced work that you can hold in your hands. If artists want to break the boundaries of the album I wish they would keep all consumers in mind and still release a physical copy of their work to the public. I know it's not eco friendly to waste paper, plastic, and vinyl, but this is the one time when I really don't care.
Albums I listened to today:
The Beatles - Rubber Soul (1965)
Bill Janovitz - Up Here (2001)
Tom Waits - Rain Dogs (1985)
Girlfriend - Matthew Sweet (1991) released on October 22
Finally, a Happy 35th Anniversary to the album Hotter Than Hell by KISS released on October 22, 1974. If you're not really into classic KISS, you can also listen to Fumbling Toward Ecstacy by Sarah McLachlan released on October 22, 1993, or if you're a really big Paul Simon fan you can pull out your copy of The Rhythm Of The Saints released on this date in 1990.
