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iPod and the album
Our current modes of musical ingestion are as follows: random radio plays, mixed CD’s, albums and the new form-- the Ipod. Although it is nice to have a device that gives you your entire music library at the touch of a finger, the iPod is also responsible for the destruction of the beloved album. In respect to the iPod, which is no doubt a genius creation, one can listen to the music as a mix tape (playlist), randomly, and as an entire album. The problem is that one can also listen to any song they want when they want. This option is great but has deleted our desire to experience albums for albums.
The Beatles were the first to popularize albums, before it was singles. Ok, for you pop people, I know you just want hear the next single and get out; and I think very few of you actually listen all the way through the latest Britney Spears album. But for the rest of us, the album is something to cherish.
If you really want to explore an artist’s music it is best to listen the whole product. The album is special in that it represents a one cohesive unit of the bands work. Bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tool, and Sublime create their albums with the intention of giving the songs a harmonious organization. They make them flows a certain way by adding transitional tracks, thought-out key changes between songs, bonus tracks at the end and so on. These creations are how the artist thinks the listener should experience their music, so why not do it?
Essentially, the experience of listening to music has been lost when we have the ability to change so quickly between artists and type. When Records/CDs/Tapes were the primary format of music the listener only had the option of hearing one artist at a time. On the other hand, mix-tapes have been around during this period but they are usually fabricated based on personal choices down to the mixture of artists and even track layout. I salute the Ipod for giving us all these different ways of experiencing music but listeners beware... by not listening to the entire album the complete message of an artist’s music is lost.
The Beatles were the first to popularize albums, before it was singles. Ok, for you pop people, I know you just want hear the next single and get out; and I think very few of you actually listen all the way through the latest Britney Spears album. But for the rest of us, the album is something to cherish.
If you really want to explore an artist’s music it is best to listen the whole product. The album is special in that it represents a one cohesive unit of the bands work. Bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tool, and Sublime create their albums with the intention of giving the songs a harmonious organization. They make them flows a certain way by adding transitional tracks, thought-out key changes between songs, bonus tracks at the end and so on. These creations are how the artist thinks the listener should experience their music, so why not do it?
Essentially, the experience of listening to music has been lost when we have the ability to change so quickly between artists and type. When Records/CDs/Tapes were the primary format of music the listener only had the option of hearing one artist at a time. On the other hand, mix-tapes have been around during this period but they are usually fabricated based on personal choices down to the mixture of artists and even track layout. I salute the Ipod for giving us all these different ways of experiencing music but listeners beware... by not listening to the entire album the complete message of an artist’s music is lost.
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