Appercating/Listening To An Album Fully, Now An Urban Myth?

[mow]

Personally, I think CDs and MP3 players have ruined the concept of "listening to music fully".

In the good old anicent days; with LPs (cassettes) and Vynil records, it was rather hard not to listen to an album fully. That meant bands had to create A+ materail from start to finish, if they hoped to have someone bother to buy or listen to their records. If they didnt, the album would be considered a failed effort by the band.


Nowadays, thank to CDs and mp3 players, most of the albums out there are mainly consisting of 2 tracks which are hits and popular, while the rest of the album is merely a filler. That means an album usually has 9-10 average (at best) songs.

Thanks to the function Skip, most people simply float by the fillers and listen to the hits (and sometimes they have every right to do so).

another problem with cds, is the fact they allow up to 80 minutes of music, whil LPs tended to have a max of 50. This leads a band to not pick the best of their work to include in the album. They now have the ability to jam pack everything into the record, both good and bad material. Why bother? People will skip and listen to the hits only anyhow. and they will still pay for a full record.

Ofcourse bashing CDs and MP3s is rather gfutile and silly. there is now way in hell I could be able to sustain a collection if it wasnt for mp3s. But, do you agree/disagree with the fact these features can lead to a downfall in musical essence & quality?

Discuss.

[Mineko-Iwasa]

I do agree with it in some points.
That may be one of the reasons why pple don't buy cds but "steal" them from the net. i mean why should one buy a cd with 3 good songs and the rest is crap if you have the possibility to get the song you want throug net?

BUT it all depend on the bands and artists. there are the ones who live for the music and use well the fact that they have 80 mins on a cd to fill with music.
others just want to sell records and try to produce 3 to 4 good songs and the rest are some musicaly uninteressting tracks.
one has to say that it depends also on the record label. they wont to sell as many records as they can. for that all they need is one to two hits not more.

conculsion, it is not only the fault of the cds and mp3 files.

[sunshine and gasoline]

Ofcourse bashing CDs and MP3s is rather gfutile and silly. there is now way in hell I could be able to sustain a collection if it wasnt for mp3s. But, do you agree/disagree with the fact these features can lead to a downfall in musical essence & quality?

Discuss.

The end of mainstream music maybe, but I disagree.

Thanks to mp3, music is slowly becoming more a net thing and more good music can be spread, I think twenty years ago it would have been impossible for bands like GYBE to spread.

But thanks for the internet, even unknown bands can be spread if they are good. I see great hope in mp3, that one day it will overtake MTV. More and more people are going to the net for their music.

Internet is democracy in it's pures form.

I still listen to albums, even if they are mp3 format, you just put the whole album in the playlist and slack on the sofa, I'm to lazy to hop up and skip songs. So I usually still listen to whole albums.

I don't know if I had a point, but I'm tired.

[mow]

no no, both of you made very important points :amuse

[BlueCheese]

I disagree, theres nothing like listening to the whole thing. There is the occasional album that only has one or two good songs, but I can also think of some albums where i don't ever really listen to just one song from it but the whole album.

I nearly always listen to the entire album. Only if i really love a song will I listen to it on it's own. For me each album I have represents a mood. If i'm in that mood I will listen to that album.

[mow]

lol, when It comes to you guys and gals, I know you all listen to albums fully, that fact cannot be doubted and hence you all being the awesomeness that you are :P.

Im focusing more on the general public, is this one (of many) reasons that has caused to lack in public music taste?

[BlueCheese]

Fair enough. Then I will agree with you, I know people that buy albums just to listen to one song.

[sunshine and gasoline]

Well the general public is in such a sad state that I don't even go there anymore.

But my point is, that the good music is slowly movin to the net. Nowdays you can record a song on your computer and upload it to the net and spread it to people, if the song is good it will spread even more.

This is why I'm optimistic about mp3. Local underground acts can spread much easier nowdays.

[mow]

Well the general public is in such a sad state that I don't even go there anymore.

But my point is, that the good music is slowly movin to the net. Nowdays you can record a song on your computer and upload it to the net and spread it to people, if the song is good it will spread even more.

This is why I'm optimistic about mp3. Local underground acts can spread much easier nowdays.

True, that cannot be argued :amuse. Which leads me to my next point

Were do you see the direction of music holding? We moved from vynils, to lps, to cds and now mp3 (and m4as if you use itunes). Are mp3s the final revulotion in music storage?

[Mineko-Iwasa]

Were do you see the direction of music holding? We moved from vynils, to lps, to cds and now mp3 (and m4as if you use itunes). Are mp3s the final revulotion in music storage?

=_=, the world is changing, improving very fast, so they might find something new.

as now for the gerneral public, they do not listen to albums, but to the hit song of the album. then move to another artist another hit song etc....

i am to tired to write a better statement :amuse

[mow]

lol, I keep forgeting you lads are on the other side of the globe :laugh.

But I hope scientist will make a chip that they can stick to my head with 120 GIG storage, how awesome would that be?

[CrazyMoronX]

Getting rid of MP3s would detriment sales of CDs with the same chance that it would increase sales. A lot of people that download MP3s claim to buy the CD only after they know the music is good, even after downloading the entire CD they will still buy it for quality or some crap like that.

Anyways... listening to a full CD is generally a good idea, a lot of the times it has really good songs on it that never get played on the radio, or any other spotlight on TV or movies. Sublime's 40oz to Freedom for example, they barely play any of their songs anymore at all save Smoke two Joints, but even when they did they didn't play some of the best songs.

Also, listening through the CD through sometimes you don't like it at first, like me with, you guessed it, 40oz to Freedom. I didn't like it much at first, but after a few times I loved it, and still hold it as one of the best CDs ever.

In short... after a wild tangent about why MP3s arent necesarily bad for sales, and establishing my undying love for Sublime.... I made no real points.

[Mineko-Iwasa]

But I hope scientist will make a chip that they can stick to my head with 120 GIG storage, how awesome would that be?

hm.... that would be no good for me :laugh , i would not stop to listen to music then. (the only time during day i don't listen to music is when i sleep....)

but that would be a great idea. indeed. that would have so many advantages :amazed

[mow]

Getting rid of MP3s would detriment sales of CDs with the same chance that it would increase sales. A lot of people that download MP3s claim to buy the CD only after they know the music is good, even after downloading the entire CD they will still buy it for quality or some crap like that.

Anyways... listening to a full CD is generally a good idea, a lot of the times it has really good songs on it that never get played on the radio, or any other spotlight on TV or movies. Sublime's 40oz to Freedom for example, they barely play any of their songs anymore at all save Smoke two Joints, but even when they did they didn't play some of the best songs.

Also, listening through the CD through sometimes you don't like it at first, like me with, you guessed it, 40oz to Freedom. I didn't like it much at first, but after a few times I loved it, and still hold it as one of the best CDs ever.

In short... after a wild tangent about why MP3s arent necesarily bad for sales, and establishing my undying love for Sublime.... I made no real points.


And in an even stranger twist, I just borrowed that album from my friend.

[CrazyMoronX]

And in an even stranger twist, I just borrowed that album from my friend.

Wait... let me get this straight, you didn't have it before?!?! :amazed

That's wrong on so many levels...

Hopefully you can redeem yourself and say you just lost your copy or somethign. :smile-big

[sunshine and gasoline]

True, that cannot be argued :amuse. Which leads me to my next point

Were do you see the direction of music holding? We moved from vynils, to lps, to cds and now mp3 (and m4as if you use itunes). Are mp3s the final revulotion in music storage?

I think the development will go to faster connections, that can handle videos and uncompressed formats like waw wihout problem.

For me the internet symbolises the only hope for the destruction of the mainstream as we know it.

Becasue, when I'm on the net downloading music, it is not because MTV has forced it onto me, it is because I've heard that it's good.

I only know that, I enjoy listening to mp3 Elliott while writing this.

[BlueCheese]

For me the internet symbolises the only hope for the destruction of the mainstream as we know it.

We can only hope

[podsandgods]

i dont think its the cd or mp3 technology thats making bands write only a couple of good songs and leaving the rest of the album as crap, i think its just how the music industry is today. Mainstream music is all about cashing in on hit singles and nothing more. if you want to listen to bands that put out great records then you might want to look for the lesser mainstream bands that try to write a whole good record and not just write a good single so the cd goes gold.

[Catatonik]

As above, the MP3 format is a result of the singles metality that labels put out and forth. The very essence of the singles metality is why albums have fillers.

Result: People move onto a tactic that allows them to pick and choose the songs they want (with the general public it's the singles).

Now, this is not a bad thing, because many artists now realize they need more than the strength of a single or two to sell the albums, thus creating a stronger album overall to better tempt the listeners into buying the whole damn thing.

As to the issue originally brought up, yes, yes I do think the whole album experience is a dying breed in the mainstream, but given that 90% of it is shit, that makes it an understandable move. While I for one LOVE a full album (Devin Townsends Accelerated Evolution, or Infinity albums should be taken as a whole) I also understand why the lean towards song grabbing and track skipping.

Trying to listen to the entirety of Greendays American Idiot is nigh impossible for me. I can only take it in one or two song bursts.

I do believe Sunshine has a good point, the move of stronger, more talented artists towards the 'net is visible, it get's their music out there and increases the attendance of shows and merchandise, thus negating the need for the bloated, greedy labels.

And some Labels are learning, like Century Media, who re-issued a remastered and remixed version of Nevermores last album over the net to appease the fans who were horrified by the albums original production..

[sunshine and gasoline]

^I guess that is why you rule, Catatonik. You summed up my toughts pretty much, but with better english.

[Catatonik]

Thanks man. I was hoping we were on the same line of thought, and that I wasn't just babbling like an ass :D

Anyhoo, P2P=Spread, spread+fans, fans+shows=money..money to the artists, not the labels.

Three words.

Fuck. The. Labels.

[mow]

Haha

REP!!!

[sunshine and gasoline]

That is indeed rep worthy.

[Catatonik]

I will quote Devin Townsends thoughts on the P2P issue.

"Go ahead, download the entire album, hell burn it to CD and give it to everybody you know..fuck yeah, just come to a show and buy a shirt."

\m/

[Voynich]

My thoughts:

If you make a good album..loose mp3's won't do. I dlled the Gorillaz album, but if you listen to it in mp3 it's all fucked up. It only sounds good on cd...if you can hear all of it. And there are so many bad mp3 versions out there, that stop when the songs isn't finished yet, that have glimps in it, that sound like it's been recorded of an ancient tapeplayer. Whole albums rule...the prices just suck.

Good thing of mp3 is the fact you can get stuff that's not available in stores.

*morning posts so forgive me the pointless rambling*

[Keramachi]

I still listen to albums in their entirety if I can. Whatever happened to the glory days (that I wasn't around for...) where bands made albums like Tommy or The Wall? I wish the concept of an album was still worth something. That's why Led Zeppelin refused to release Stairway to Heaven as a single. And damn, IV was a good album.

[Catatonik]

You want to hear a brilliant concept album?

Check out Ayreons - The Human Equation

One genius, like twelve vocalists, one giant story.

And some of the craziest and most impressive progressive work you will ever encounter.

[I ARE 1031]

I listened to every CD I ever learned from beginning to end multiple times.

[Efraim Longstocking]

I rarely have the patience to listen to an entire album. Because after a while I just find out that everything on the album often sound exactly the same. I get bored while listening to some music and I want to listen to something totally different. I can love listening to an artist but if I listen for like 20 minutes I just find everything by them sounds the same and I turn it of. I don't know why it's like that but it can be one reason I love compilations of various artists. And may be a reason for my love for artists that change their sound swift and leaves you without a clue.

[Catatonik]

Simpatik, might I recommend you Ween then? They do not have a sound, they just do everything.

[Twizted]

IMHO, there is a significant mix of both sides here. While mainstream bands and "artists" put out drivel to fill their albums out--thus perpetuating the growing internet trend with mp3s, there are many good lesser known bands that have much to gain from the spreading of mp3 downloading.

The way I look at it, is that there will always be good bands and bad bands, and in many ways this very debate is a great indicator of whether a band is good or not. I still buy the albums of "good" bands, and I still listen to them fully. If a band has only one or two good songs, then I won't buy the album, and I'll just Dll it off the net.

For example, bands like System of a Down, with their previous two albums, IMO were good enough to listen to all the way through. Toxicity was damn good through and through.

In the end, I believe that the music is the ultimate litmus test of the success of the album. If the band puts out a good product, the album will be bought, and it will be enjoyed through and through--at least by anyone who is even the slightest bit musically inclined. So I won't say the album is dead, nor is the ability to appreciate the whole album all the way through. Toxicity had very popular singles, I.e. - "Chop Suey" and "Toxicity," but the album was great all the way through, and I know many that listen to the whole thing. If the stuff is good, they will come. The only difference, is that now there is more of a Black and White choice. Either the band is awesome and you will buy their album, or the band has two songs and you will dll. Back in the hey day of the album, you had no choice but to buy the album.

[Efraim Longstocking]

Yeah, I might just check ot more Ween. I've heard one song and that one rocked.

I had another idea abotthis issue. Moe's view was that people don't listen fully to albums anymore and that's the reason the artists have no reason giving the best they have. But of course an artist would try anyway to give out his best work. My view is that to many artist puts out to much shit because they don't have any better stuff left. They have their one hit and are unable to create any better music. There aren't many artists that put out great albums anymore. Artists like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles isn't doesn't excist today.

[sunshine and gasoline]

Artists like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles isn't doesn't excist today.
They do, you just have to get of your lazy ass and find them in the underground. :P

And like I said, you're statement may be true for the mainstream part of music.

[Erkekjetter]

I agree, and disagree. Like S&G said, you just have to look a bit harder for bands that put out quality music. I really look for bands like that, because, if I like the band, I want to listen to ALLL their music that I can, not just 3 songs. I'm an avid album listener. Heh, and I do have a decent collection of vinyls. Mostly passed down from my father.

[Catatonik]

S&G's right SImpatik, you're just not looking in the right places :)

[Hangatýr]

Thanks to the interwebs, it's easier to download single songs, but I still download entire albums, and listen to them fully. Multiple times, if I have to.

The only thing I do not like about it, is that there is no thrill in discovering a secret track, as the computer reveals all. No longer is the option of finding that secret treasure, and having lightning strike from your brain, out your nose, and into your mouth when hearing it.

[Catatonik]

I was never all that enamoured of the 'sectre' track concept myself.

Though on one album I posess, you have to start the album then rewing four minutes to get the beginning of the 'secret' track.

Amusingly well hidden.

[Cell]

I have never, once, EVER not listened to a Bad Religion album all the way through.

I do that with some cds though... >>

[DyersEve]

There are lots of albums that I could listen to all the way through until my dying day, and then there are lots I can't, for whatever reason.

[Sublime]

I only buy albums that I can listen to without skipping. Never for only 1 or 2 songs, that's what Limewire is for.