Rock n' Roll Rabbit Hole (Took a turn for the Stones and more)

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Re: Rock n' Roll Rabbit Hole (Took a turn for the Stones and more)

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Re: Rock n' Roll Rabbit Hole (Took a turn for the Stones and more)

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I have a question, Jersey Girl. While much of this thread is about single songs, what is your experience with listening to full albums and how did that affect your connection with the music or musicians behind the music in your life?

I ask because this seems to be something largely lost to the way most people experience music now that we get our music through services or forums that detach a song from an album. Some artists are even limiting LP releases in favor of recording and releasing new songs spread out over a period of time. It may just be different like change tends to be.

But I am old enough to have listened to most music from my youth in the form of albums. Many of them listened to with friends while hanging out. Almost all at some point as an active listener playing them on my system in my bedroom, letting the transitions of the album from song to song inform the experience of that album. I still prefer to find albums and let them play through while listening at work though I don't think I've spent the time to just sit and listen to an album as the center of my attention in so long I couldn't tell you when was the last time I did so. Something I am now thinking about, too,...
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Re: Rock n' Roll Rabbit Hole (Took a turn for the Stones and more)

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Re: Rock n' Roll Rabbit Hole (Took a turn for the Stones and more)

Post by Xenophon »

honorentheos wrote:
Mon Mar 14, 2022 7:27 am
I have a question, Jersey Girl. While much of this thread is about single songs, what is your experience with listening to full albums and how did that affect your connection with the music or musicians behind the music in your life?

I ask because this seems to be something largely lost to the way most people experience music now that we get our music through services or forums that detach a song from an album. Some artists are even limiting LP releases in favor of recording and releasing new songs spread out over a period of time. It may just be different like change tends to be.

But I am old enough to have listened to most music from my youth in the form of albums. Many of them listened to with friends while hanging out. Almost all at some point as an active listener playing them on my system in my bedroom, letting the transitions of the album from song to song inform the experience of that album. I still prefer to find albums and let them play through while listening at work though I don't think I've spent the time to just sit and listen to an album as the center of my attention in so long I couldn't tell you when was the last time I did so. Something I am now thinking about, too,...
We've discussed it on the old board (if I recall correctly) but listening to music is still one of my all-time favorite pastimes. I'm fortunate enough to enjoy a really wide range which makes finding really solid albums a bit easier. And I still believe that Rap/Hip-hop has some of the best execution on building cohesive albums that tell a great story but they certainly aren't alone.

The genre may not be it for you but artists like K.A.A.N., Tyler the Creator, Tech N9ne, The Kid Laori, and a ton of others are all still putting together absolute bangers that have a ton of thought put into their flow from song to song and we've even seen a nice return to the addition of skits to some of these albums. Some other notable albums from the last year I've liked across some different genres:
  • Jubilee by Japanese Breakfast
  • Ignorance by The Weather Station
  • Cavalcade by black midi (a warning that these cats are not for those that hate jazz)
  • She isn't for me but I thought Adele still crushed it with 30
  • Menneskekollektivet by Lost Girls (shout-out to my Norwegian friend for bringing them to my attention)
  • Promises by Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders, and the London Symphony Orchestra
  • My wife's #1 contribution to the list would be Heaux Tales by Jazmine Sullivan.
I do think you hit on one of the reasons we might perceive that the age of albums is dead, time. I'm sure it is tough for you but I find it difficult to truly stop and just listen to music the way I did when I was younger. It helped that there were a lot less distractions to deal with but I still find that I can make the time if I want to. I've had to make it an active part of my mindfulness to slow down long enough to do it. Promises in particular is a wonderful one to kick back to and sip on some scotch.
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Re: Rock n' Roll Rabbit Hole (Took a turn for the Stones and more)

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honorentheos wrote:
Mon Mar 14, 2022 7:27 am
I have a question, Jersey Girl. While much of this thread is about single songs, what is your experience with listening to full albums and how did that affect your connection with the music or musicians behind the music in your life?

I ask because this seems to be something largely lost to the way most people experience music now that we get our music through services or forums that detach a song from an album. Some artists are even limiting LP releases in favor of recording and releasing new songs spread out over a period of time. It may just be different like change tends to be.

But I am old enough to have listened to most music from my youth in the form of albums. Many of them listened to with friends while hanging out.
Honorentheos, your question made me wonder as well. Almost all of my listening remains by albums. I like getting more involved in what a particular group or person is doing at one time. The preference is strong enough that I have not looked into the music services now being used. Instead I have explored music from 1923 to say 1990.
I looked at xonophon's music list. Material I am unfamiliar with except Pharaoh Sanders. I found the Floating Points recording in question on youtube. it is enough outside of my listening that I would have to work at it to appreciate. you tube linked an album by Sanders playing music from Coltrane's Crescent. It is lovely. But I have listened to quite a bit of Coltrane so my ears step right into the music.

I think my response to the question is that any given music requires a listener to be in sync with the music. If one is listening to lots of the currently most popular songs then they may be enough alike that your ears know what to notice right away.
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Re: Rock n' Roll Rabbit Hole (Took a turn for the Stones and more)

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Thanks for the suggestions and thoughts, Xeno and Huckelberry. I put on two of Xeno's suggestions today and gave their albums a listen with mixed results.

The first I chose was Jazmine Sullivan's Heaux Tale. As an album I found it interesting with a musical and literal narrative interwoven in a way I appreciated. It reminded me of music I would have listened to more while in college than something I'd listen to now and no song jumped out at me as something I'd add to a playlist. But the sum of the parts was absolutely greater than the whole, in my opinion, and I will likely listen to it again.

The other album I listened to was Japanese Breakfast's Jubilee. I had the exact opposite reaction. Many of the songs were cool and something I'd play on a playlist. But as whole? It didn't register as an album to me and after a while I thought it would be better with more diversity between songs.
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Re: Rock n' Roll Rabbit Hole (Took a turn for the Stones and more)

Post by honorentheos »

Xenophon wrote:
Mon Mar 14, 2022 3:29 pm
I do think you hit on one of the reasons we might perceive that the age of albums is dead, time. I'm sure it is tough for you but I find it difficult to truly stop and just listen to music the way I did when I was younger. It helped that there were a lot less distractions to deal with but I still find that I can make the time if I want to. I've had to make it an active part of my mindfulness to slow down long enough to do it. Promises in particular is a wonderful one to kick back to and sip on some scotch.
I wanted to separate my reply to this from my quick reaction post above to keep it clean, no gravy in the corn here.

I think you hit on two things that inspired me a bit. My routine has room for purposeful music listening, room I fill more with podcasts and the like where I'm occupied but my attention is able to be split. And I thought about rotating in some more music in that mix. But that's not how I listened to albums as a teen when putting on a new album and letting it come over like a trip to be experienced was integral to the initial listening experience. You're right. That requires mindfulness and I've missed that. Thank you for the reminder and suggestion (even if you didn't directly propose it as a suggestion.)
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Re: Rock n' Roll Rabbit Hole (Took a turn for the Stones and more)

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Nice suggestions, Moksha. I enjoyed the Dead South when they came out however many years ago it was, if for nothing more than the backup singer lays down sick harmonies. The lyrics aren't what sells it, and I'm only kind of ashamed to admit the cousin incest song is probably the one I like the most while also asking myself, "Why does it have to be a cousin incest song sung by Canadians about Southern stereotypes and kick like it does?" Anyway, good stuff. Some of my favorite concert experiences came from discovering the positive energy that is a crowd at a hippy bluegrass show.
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Re: Rock n' Roll Rabbit Hole (Took a turn for the Stones and more)

Post by MeDotOrg »

When I first started buying music, it was 45 rpm singles. I think it was a few years after the British Invasion that I started buying albums. When bands started having control in the recording studio, concept albums started appearing, the most famous of which was The Beatles' Sargent Pepper.

When I first discovered British EPs along with American LPs I was sometimes shocked to see the difference between the 2 albums. How DARE they mess with the play order? I suppose because I heard it first, the American version always sounded like the 'right' one.

When I think of albums, I think of side 2 of Abbey Road. From Sun King through She Came in though the Bathroom Window, there are separate songs that are part of one musical experience.

I think now that songs are bought individually and can be mixed and matched so easily, we've lost 'the album way' that we used to listen to music.

Interesting topic.
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Re: Rock n' Roll Rabbit Hole (Took a turn for the Stones and more)

Post by Xenophon »

honorentheos wrote:
Tue Mar 15, 2022 3:23 am
I wanted to separate my reply to this from my quick reaction post above to keep it clean, no gravy in the corn here.

I think you hit on two things that inspired me a bit. My routine has room for purposeful music listening, room I fill more with podcasts and the like where I'm occupied but my attention is able to be split. And I thought about rotating in some more music in that mix. But that's not how I listened to albums as a teen when putting on a new album and letting it come over like a trip to be experienced was integral to the initial listening experience. You're right. That requires mindfulness and I've missed that. Thank you for the reminder and suggestion (even if you didn't directly propose it as a suggestion.)
I'm glad my post was of value to you. I should say that even though trying to be more mindful about how I consume music has helped I'm not sure I've ever truly recaptured that magical experience of new music from my youth. I imagine it is nearly impossible to regain that mix of how impressionable you are, how fresh everything feels, how perfectly an artist can capture your wild emotions of youth. Face it, I'll never be 16 again listening to A Night at the Opera for the first time. That said it is a ton of fun experimenting to try to regain that.

As to the musical choices I know my tastes are fairly all over the board but I'm pleased at least one of them was more your speed. I've got a pretty wide net so if you're ever struggling to find something to dive into I do enjoy the "name a band/album/genre you like and let me see if I can find something for you" game. I also appreciate folks sharing their tastes with me.
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