"Can you imagine life without music? I'd die. No Question."
I'm not quoting myself here, nor am I recounting the words of a philosopher or musician of note. One summer between university years, I worked as a housepainter - and those were the words of one of my fellow painters. He wasn't even a musician - but he obviously loved his music. Frankly, even though I was studying music at the time, I was skeptical. I couldn't see myself dying from lack of music, 'though my life would definitely have been severely diminished without it. Twenty years later, I couldn't say with absolute certainty that I could live without it. I'd probably go mad at the very least.
Music varies in importance from person to person of course, and HOW we 'consume' music probably varies as much - the two matters are related. I know a number of people for whom music is virtually a religion, and I know of some for whom it is wallpaper. These days even using the term 'album' (which is derived from the days of photo-album-style binders that housed several 78 rpm records, each containing about 3 minutes of music per side. These records broke if you dropped them. I should know as I truncated a few of my mother's 'albums' this very way) feels a bit dated...but is it?
True, I grew up in the years when the album form reached its zenith. The 'Concept Album' as a popular art form came and went in the '70's. A 45-minute (or 90-minute for double albums) song cycle, like chapters in a novel, would tell a story or at least try to paint a cohesive picture. Sometimes the stories were told succinctly (Dark Side of the Moon) or perhaps a little long-windedly (Scenes from Topographic Oceans), but the listener would be taken on a ride. Even beyond concept albums, I've always been disappointed when I've bought an artist's Greatest Hits package. Cherry-picking disparate tunes from various albums based solely on sales successes leaves a very cold impression. Frankly, I'd rather hear a snapshot of the artist at that point in his or her career, complete with the odd clunker, than a steady stream of the artists' 'hits' over a wide span of time.
Strangely, with the music-download approach to hearing music, we've gone back to the early '60's when singles held sway over albums, as far as the music industry was concerned. I understand the convenience and quick gratification that would lead a listener to downloading song-by-song, but I pity anyone who hasn't experienced The Great Album. You might have had the experience of bringing home a CD, a record (a cassette? an 8-track?), putting it on the stereo, and flying away with the music for an hour or so. Think of what you'd miss if all you ever heard from 'Dark Side of the Moon' was "Money"? Admittedly, I can't remember the last time I just sat down with an album and listened to it on my home stereo with undivided attention. As an earning adult, I have to be doing something productive meanwhile, I suppose...which leaves my car as the place in which I come closest to being transported by music, irony of ironies. Perhaps this is a sad state of affairs all around, but not insurmountable. I dare you to listen to a whole album this week. The only multi-tasking allowed is reading the liner notes or doodling. I'll take the dare myself. After all - good sustenance should never be rushed. Let me know how you do!
I'm not quoting myself here, nor am I recounting the words of a philosopher or musician of note. One summer between university years, I worked as a housepainter - and those were the words of one of my fellow painters. He wasn't even a musician - but he obviously loved his music. Frankly, even though I was studying music at the time, I was skeptical. I couldn't see myself dying from lack of music, 'though my life would definitely have been severely diminished without it. Twenty years later, I couldn't say with absolute certainty that I could live without it. I'd probably go mad at the very least.
Music varies in importance from person to person of course, and HOW we 'consume' music probably varies as much - the two matters are related. I know a number of people for whom music is virtually a religion, and I know of some for whom it is wallpaper. These days even using the term 'album' (which is derived from the days of photo-album-style binders that housed several 78 rpm records, each containing about 3 minutes of music per side. These records broke if you dropped them. I should know as I truncated a few of my mother's 'albums' this very way) feels a bit dated...but is it?
True, I grew up in the years when the album form reached its zenith. The 'Concept Album' as a popular art form came and went in the '70's. A 45-minute (or 90-minute for double albums) song cycle, like chapters in a novel, would tell a story or at least try to paint a cohesive picture. Sometimes the stories were told succinctly (Dark Side of the Moon) or perhaps a little long-windedly (Scenes from Topographic Oceans), but the listener would be taken on a ride. Even beyond concept albums, I've always been disappointed when I've bought an artist's Greatest Hits package. Cherry-picking disparate tunes from various albums based solely on sales successes leaves a very cold impression. Frankly, I'd rather hear a snapshot of the artist at that point in his or her career, complete with the odd clunker, than a steady stream of the artists' 'hits' over a wide span of time.
Strangely, with the music-download approach to hearing music, we've gone back to the early '60's when singles held sway over albums, as far as the music industry was concerned. I understand the convenience and quick gratification that would lead a listener to downloading song-by-song, but I pity anyone who hasn't experienced The Great Album. You might have had the experience of bringing home a CD, a record (a cassette? an 8-track?), putting it on the stereo, and flying away with the music for an hour or so. Think of what you'd miss if all you ever heard from 'Dark Side of the Moon' was "Money"? Admittedly, I can't remember the last time I just sat down with an album and listened to it on my home stereo with undivided attention. As an earning adult, I have to be doing something productive meanwhile, I suppose...which leaves my car as the place in which I come closest to being transported by music, irony of ironies. Perhaps this is a sad state of affairs all around, but not insurmountable. I dare you to listen to a whole album this week. The only multi-tasking allowed is reading the liner notes or doodling. I'll take the dare myself. After all - good sustenance should never be rushed. Let me know how you do!