Ere’s something to be said for the magic of an album
Unfortunately, however, that concept may be a dying art
Iheard a song on the radio the other day that sent me straight back to my teenage years. The song in question was Pearl Jam’s “Go,” which one doesn’t hear on the radio very often. The album, “Ten,” launched Pearl Jam into the national music scene. It’s one of those rare “perfect” albums I can listen to from start to finish, without skipping a song along the way. I just enjoy the whole thing.
As I was driving along, alone with my thoughts, I started thinking about how some albums just have that power. Some are intentionally designed to be listened to from start to finish, others are just great albums.
For me, those albums include Simon and Garfunkel’s Concert in Central Park, REM’S Out of Time, Jane’s Addiction’s Nothing’s Shocking, Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, Paul Simon’s Graceland and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.
I don’t know how many lawns I mowed in high school listening to REM, or how many road trips I made singing along to Graceland.
As I was thinking about this list, however, it occurred to me that falling in love with an entire album might be a dying concept.
When I was growing up, we couldn’t wait to get our hands on a new album from our favorite artist. When I was a little kid, it was vinyl, until my parents got a CD player when I was maybe 10 – and then CDS were all the rage.
But it didn’t matter the format. We got those new albums and we listened to them from start to finish, savoring every note.
Now, the music scene is incredibly different. You don’t have to buy a whole album. In fact, you don’t have to buy anything.
You can just hop onto a streaming service, and you have a limitless smorgasbord of music at your fingertips, 24/7. You can curate your perfect playlist with a few quick swipes, crafting an amazing personal album of your own choosing, cherry-picking the best songs from every artist under the sun.
It’s a great experience in and of itself, and can lead to a diverse interest in music, spanning genres and generations.
But do people still buy albums like they once did? And do artists write an album from start to finish with the intention of it being an experience?
Personally, I don’t remember the last time I bought an album, let alone thought about the experience of an album.
There are some artists who might still strive for that idea. Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Gorillaz come to mind – and maybe there are others that still do too. Unfortunately, I think it may be a dying art.
And that’s a bummer. Because there’s something to be said for the emotional journey a well-crafted album can take you on!
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Argus Hamilton is the host comedian at The Comedy Store in Hollywood and a speaker. His email address is argus@argushamilton.com.