The Long-Player Goodbye - by Travis Elborough

[Random_Kiwi]

Yes, I'm talking about a book here (shock horror!) but I thought it'd be more appreciated here, than in the Entertainment and Arts (arts, pffft, all that's ever talked about there TV and movies, really), being so specifcially relating to music, albums and singles. The birth, the raise, the impending death of the much beloved wax, the sleeve notes, the in-between-singles songs which make an album a long-player.

"For over 60 years, since the arrival of the long-player record in 1948, the album has been proving the soundtrack to our lives. Our record collections, even if they're on CD or, these days, an iPod, are our personal treasures, revealing our loves, errors of judgement and lapses in taste

But the format that delivered everything from the challenges of bebob to the aural wallpaper of easy listening via the omnipresence of the Beatles, the absurdities of prog-rock and the supposed iconoclasm of punk, is now and endangered species. In the age of the iPod when we can download an infinite number of single tracks, does the concept of an album still mean anything?"

Asked recentlyabout downloading, musician David Byrne (Talking Heads lead singer, if you're wondering) commented that "The sad part is, I guess, a lot of songs don't grab you right off the bat. But they grow on you, adn you don't have a chance for that to happen if you're only downloading the things with the big hooks. Sometimes, the quieter or subtle song is the one that gives the counterbalance to the loud and brassy one that preceeded it. There's the balance. There are shadings of personality that this band is coming forward with. Life isn't all about parties"

Now I'll freely admit that I'm barely passed the introduction of this book, but damn it's shaping up to be a great read already, and twisting tangent into the history of the long-player, and inadvertant spawning of the 7" single, the burgeoning of the CD, the ever increasing spiral of the digital downloading era, and it's already making me think long and hard and acquire and re-found appreciation for the album as a whole.

We are the digital age, we are the ones able to pluck just the 1 or 2 tracks we want from anyones album, avoiding what we don't like, or more often than now, what we've never even taken the time to try to appreciate. Through DJing, we get more and more selective on what tracks we want, gone are the days of sifting through the new releases in your local dance record shop and culling it back from the 20 tracks you like, to the 10 you can afford right now. Now days, I often find myself sifting Meatport for hours and hours to leave the checkout with seldom more than a handfull of tracks, and said tracks are less and less tangible as time wears on, in no time flat most of them are nothing but useless bits and bytes lost in the sea of music on our HDDs, seldom to ever be played again.

And as for an album (production, not a DJ mix album) how many of us buy them and actually take the time to listen to them through and let them grow on us? I know I seldomly do, and if I do, it's the odd band album moreso than electronica production albums. Is there really much of a market for the electronica long-player?

In 2007, Ash signed a 'singles only' contract, never to release an album again. Prince and Ray Davis both chose to give their album away when one purchased a newspaper. Radiohead put their opus online and allowed people to pay only whatever they wanted to pay; discovering that 'nothing' was the preferred amount people wanted to cough up.

Album sales dropped a stagering 16% in 2007, while the purchase of singles through the likes of iTunes just grows and grows and grows. In an era where a lot of people have iPods from when they're in single digits, are we every going to see a re-birth in the appreciation of an album? Or are we sitting here slowly witnessing it's sad and humble demise?

So, tell me a little something about yourselves and your music purhasing habits.

Age: 32 (quite important is assessing trends in who buys what and in what format)
Physical Collection: Approx 7 crates of vinyl 12", ranging from 1960's to now, albums through singles, funk through breaks, techno through electro, middle of the road albums to progressive house classic rock to folky-pop. Also have about 150 7" singles, mostly 70's and 80's and some 90's classic pop and rock. CD collection is mostly taken up with DJ mix albums these days, still love having the CD/cover art moreso than purchase a continuous MP3 of the mix.
Digital Collection: Still just in the kiddies pool when it comes to this really, find it hard to really embrace or get excited about it due to its intagibility and inherent short lived lifespan.
Do you purchase albums: Yes, some, but not many really other than old LPs found at junk stores, with the odd purchase of the a modern band/production album

Lots of words for a Friday AM, I know, but fuck it, it's music, love it, live it, breathe it or step back through the door you came in

:D

[kasper_flip]

Age: 21
Physical Collection: 350+ records, mostly hard trance and hardstyle, with some trance & techno thrown in. About 100 cds, mostly dj mix cds, plus rock and rap albums.
Digital Collection: about 150 mp3 tracks at the moment, but i am progressively buying all my records on mp3 as some clubs are starting to go CDJ only.
Do you purchase albums: I have 3 Vinyl albums, all hard trance/hardstyle artists. I have plenty of cd albums by rap and rock artists.

[SlicyDicer]

I too like music, but care less about what anyone else thinks I should be doing with my collection, or how I collect it.

I enjoy it, I like to share what I enjoy, I like to make it, I also like to share what I make creatively.

I only listen to what I enjoy and nowadays that's pretty much limited to techno / minimal / progressive / some IDM and house.

I mean, if you enjoy all the stuff you have there then good for you, but I don't like it when people judge me for only enjoying electronic music. It's the only sort of music that speaks to me on any significant level, and for people to look down on me because of it because it's not "live" music, well, they can go and get fucked.

Albums don't speak to me at this point in my life, I listen to some bands every now and again and it all just sounds so bland and unintersting. Nothing is being put out that speaks to me.

Age: 25
Physical Collection: No physical
Digital: Too many, credit cards are a bad thing to have on online music stores.
Do you purchase albums: No.

[Lloyd C]

Age: 26

physical collection: about 400 vinyl, mainly house. A few hundred CD's as well which are mainly mixed cd's and hiphop/rap albums.

Digital: All my CD's are ripped to my computer (if that counts) but stuff downloaded from beatport would be <500 tracks I guess.... it is growing though.

Do you purchase Albums: yes

[Random_Kiwi]

I mean, if you enjoy all the stuff you have there then good for you, but I don't like it when people judge me for only enjoying electronic music. It's the only sort of music that speaks to me on any significant level, and for people to look down on me because of it because it's not "live" music, well, they can go and get fucked.


Fully! Some people only listen to both types of music...country AND western :lol:

Shits me to tears when someone who only listens to pop/soft rock says dance music is boring, doesn't change, all sounds the same...shit, after all these years of typical lead/rythym guitar + drums + bass + vocals, and OUR shit all sounds the same?!?! Pfffft...your shit can only ever create 4 or 5 layers of sound, our shit can have DOZENS of layers, all at the same time, all coming and going and building and changing CONSTANTLY...yet to the uneducated idiots, it all sounds the same. Go fucking figure, eh?

[SlicyDicer]

Yeah it's fair enough to enjoy music, but no one should be a snob. Let people enjoy their music. It's no skin of your nose for people to enjoy trance / happy hardcore. But people should have a good reason for liking it.

The reason shouldn't be because it sounds good on googs and all your friends listen to it at a certain club you all go to to get fucked up at.

That's not music appreciation.

[tios2001]

Age: 35
PHYSICAL COLLECTION: 2-3 crates of LP's - mainly punk/rock, bit of metal etc.. a few singles also...
Several hundred cd's - metal/punk/hip-hop/rock/classic-rock/pop-punk(!)(haha)/reggae/plus a bit of electronic stuff more recently...(these are all on the lappy now)
DIGITAL COLLECTION: over 1500 tracks- house-including deep,tech,minimal,prog,techno,electro/Dub/ Drum & Bass/electronica/chillout/reggae
DO YOU PURCHASE ALBUMS: yes, mainly dub and drum & bass(Shapeshifter/Sal Dub vibe), selective bits of rock(mainly reminiscing here), n stuff

[Spicy]

good on ya slicy, i agree with you as well! it's not fair to judge just cos someone doesn't like other stuff.

having said that, it is also good to listen and try to appreciate elements from as many broad genres as possible. this is some advice given by chris lum in one of his interviews ages ago - to listen to as much different shit as possible. the more different stuff you listen to, the more creative you become because you have ideas going thru your head from a very broad range of sources.

but on the other side of that i guess the broad range of sources could be anything from hard, arse tearing, gabber style tech to soft, vag tickling, minimal tech. ;) just depends what you're into!

anyway sorry on with the thread..

age-- 26

physical collection-- a few hundred vinyl EPs, albums and singles. mostly house between 2000 and 2007. bit of eclectic jazz from the 70s and 80s, and some other wack shit i bought or acquired purely for sampling. got a whole bunch of CDs as well including an almost complete prodigy collection of singles and albums from 1991-1998 (i stopped after FOTL hehe).

digital-- medium sized collection of MP3s from bp/stompy/etc.. as well as a bunch of the above mentioned vinyl recorded. i haven't counted but there must be a couple thousand files by now at least.

do you purchase albums-- sometimes, but not very frequently.


p.s. i have to say i envy some of you guys who have massive collection of records (like you kiwi!). wish i had so much wax to play with. even just listening to records is a whole different experience to anything digital.

[SlicyDicer]

I am also very jealous of the vinyl collections, I want to start I just need to stop buying so much shit on beatport so I can spend it on quality vinyl imprints instead :lol:

[mixmastermil]

Age: 26
Physical Collection: Around 600 records 50/50 split with 12"s and 7"s Mostly Hip Hop but a good mix of Rock,Pop,Breaks and Drum & Bass. Around 150 CD's mostly rock from my teenage years.
Digital Collection: Nil i dont own an Ipod and would only occasionaly listen to music via the internet. I downloaded about 20 tracks when i was 15 but havent since.
Do you buy Albums: Yes about 80% of my 12" collection would be albums and i dont think i own any CD singles.

I have only just started collection 7" in the last year or so and before that I brought vinyl for collecting/listening to rather than to DJ with.

[mashedman]

(arts, pffft, all that's ever talked about there TV and movies, really),
which would fall under entertainment :slap:

[Random_Kiwi]

p.s. i have to say i envy some of you guys who have massive collection of records (like you kiwi!). wish i had so much wax to play with. even just listening to records is a whole different experience to anything digital.

It comes at a huge cost though! :lol:

But yeah, chucking on a Sly and the Family Stone album and listening with the historic pops and crackles = awesome!

which would fall under entertainment :slap:

Was being facetious, douchebag...will get better responses/interest here, so add to the thread, or STFU

:thumb:

[Spicy]

have to say though that the LP doesn't have that much of a home in electronic music as it does with traditional "strum your instrument" types.

is it just more to do with the fact that most of the market are DJs who just buy singles, and .. well it's probably worth it for the artist to release all his stuff as singles or EPs instead of all on one album.

unless you're counting mix CDs as albums, the traditional one-artist LP is few and far between now innit?

[Random_Kiwi]

Yeah, following ya there mate, kinda why I put it in here...DJing is such a "singles culture" even from very early one...moreso now with the digital generation...made me wonder whatr level of appreciation for a full album people who DJ have (and nah, don't count a mix CD as an album/LP)

I used to buy a fair few LP/double LP production albums, but there always ended up at the back of the crate never being played, hardly ever actually listened right through, so I stopped doing it.

And even with digital, you see full LP/Albums on Meatport, never buy them, and I'll only ever occassional even listen and see if there's something to snaffle...Heartthrob's - Dear Painter, Paint Me was about the last one I checked out, and all in all, I took ONE track.

[marksound]

Age: 26

Physical Collection: Around 1500 vinyl. Ranging from hip hop, jazz, funk, soul, and all manner of EDM. Majority is house. Cd's - around 300, alot of hiphop.

Digital collection: iTunes library currently sitting at 7656 tracks. Mostly albums and compilations.

Do you buy albums - Yes! Cd's and on vinyl. Occasionally on iTunes.

[JulesPLees]

Age: 30 (fuck time flies)
Physical Collection: Had about 15 crates of oldskool progressive trance that i sold. Ben Evans bought about a third of my collection lol - the rest went to alley tunes (hey i was broke at the time). Still have a crate of my absolute faves.
Digital Collection: Its getting ridiculous - very quickly filling up a 100 gig hard drive. Have also maxed out my old pcs hard drive...hmm hard to say - but a fricken lot

Do you purchase albums: Yes, digital ones only tho - and those label release things that have 10-20 tracks on them are also very handy. Digital albums are the main way of music shopping for a LOT of melbournes better psy dj's.

Habits/Learning: When i first started buying records - i just bought what i wanted and it was sweet and i scored gigs before i was ready because f it probably. Once i started PLaying gigs i learned (in error) to start buying tunes for the crowd that i probably wasnt 100% keen on.

Looking back that was quite stupid. These days i buy about 20 tunes a week only digital - and i only buy what i really like - from the amount of stuff i have i can create the many different vibes (fluffy floaty or darker meaner prog to groovy as fark breaks to slamming cheeseless (most of the time lol) progressive trance.) that i want to.

Other than that my roommate stocks me up with classical and prog rock for something different

awesome self gratification post ;D

[onpoint]

Age: 22

Physical Collection: aroung 300 records, mainly house singles (vocal/deep/minimal/soulful) and some hip hop records (for general listening)

Digital collection: couple of hundred edm singles, as well as some pop/soul/soft rock albums for general listening (and to play at work [retail store]).

Do you buy albums - Yes! mainly digitally now, and usually hip hop and pop albums, not so much in the dance scene (always thought about it, but ends up deciding otherwise).

[mashedman]

It comes at a huge cost though! :lol:

But yeah, chucking on a Sly and the Family Stone album and listening with the historic pops and crackles = awesome!



Was being facetious, douchebag...will get better responses/interest here, so add to the thread, or STFU

:thumb:
i was also being facetious

Age: 24

Physical: in sydney only about 15 records all electronic, about 100-200 CDs of mostly albums. CDs range from Hip-Hop, Metal, Rock, House, Techno, DnB. Bits of everything really. In Denmark, about 100 rekids, while on a six month holiday, spent most of my time buying music. Mostly electronic stuff like global communication, deep dish, groove armada(all signed:smug: ), early jaxx also a bit of regge, dub, hip hop etc. Should really get it back here but tbh i'll probably sell it to the guy whos holding it for me. He's already sent most of it to me, ripped.
Digital: around 5000 electronic and mostly deep house, but lots of tech-house, techno, nu-disco. dont keep track of all the other stuff.
Albums: Yes

/wank

[Random_Kiwi]

not so much in the dance scene (always thought about it, but ends up deciding otherwise).

Trust me, you end up with an 2 or 3 plate LP which you only ever play ONE track from...2 if you're lucky...stick with singles! :lol:

[onpoint]

Haha yeah that was my thought process...

there are some digital releases which I might look to purchase, but when it comes too wax i think i'll be keeping to singles

[Funkedub]

I often think about the demise of the long player album and look at what gets produced these days. Clearly dance music doesn't lend itself to the idea of the album as much as other forms of music ... but that said, some mix CDs/albums are bvy rights stone cold classic albums in themselves (Nothern Exposure, Coldcut's 70 minutes of Madness)

Artists such as Leftfield and The Orb still work(ed) on the principle of forging and coherent album rather than a collection of 12" singles (hits or otherwise) ... Boxcutter is on the money as far as more contemporary artists making albums goes.


Age: 35
Physical Collection: hard to say without counting ... 1K+ ... started with Floyd and Zeppelin and all that jazz ... moved through dance cross over (Jesus Jones, PWEI) into big beat & chemical beats, then techno (mother fukking techno) some trance n prog n acid house, then it went glacial ... dub, reggae, ska, soul, funk, hip hop, jungle, DnB, dubstep, breaks, pop, rock, cheese
Digital Collection: couple of 100 CDs i guess ...
Do you purchase albums: yes ... yes i do

[Random_Kiwi]

PWEI - fuck I'd love some of them on Wax! Ich Bein Ein Auslander! :rock:

[daysofourlives]

Age: 28
Physical Collection: Over 1000. Mainly house but some good trance, prog, techno and breaks in there too. Probably got about 7 long-players in that mix. I don't think that LP's are necessarily a bad puchase. The Inland Knights and Peace Division albums that I own on vinyl got absolutely hammered.
Digital Collection: Got around 8500 songs with about 6000 of those ripped from mine and mates CD collections. Tend to buy albums online not singles as it still doesn't feel right. I want the remixes and B-sides that you get with vinyl.
Do you purchase albums: All the time. Rock, pop, electronic albums.

[Spicy]

The Inland Knights and Peace Division albums that I own on vinyl got absolutely hammeredfuck yeah, good choice! :rock:

speaking of albums, what about mix compo's but in unmixed vinyl format? do they count? it's a compilation i suppose - various artists and all.

the other day i ordered deep dish - yoshiesque two on 5 x 12" LP. all the tracks on that album are pretty bang on awesome!

[daysofourlives]

fuck yeah, good choice! :rock:

speaking of albums, what about mix compo's but in unmixed vinyl format? do they count? it's a compilation i suppose - various artists and all.

the other day i ordered deep dish - yoshiesque two on 5 x 12" LP. all the tracks on that album are pretty bang on awesome!

Cheers! :thumb:

You raise a good point there. I've got Yoshiesque one on 5 x12" LP. Again all amazing but does it count as an LP? Got a Tribal UK comp on vinyl that also got battered.

[Random_Kiwi]

speaking of albums, what about mix compo's but in unmixed vinyl format? do they count? it's a compilation i suppose - various artists and all.

the other day i ordered deep dish - yoshiesque two on 5 x 12" LP. all the tracks on that album are pretty bang on awesome!

Was thinking about those before, not really an LP due to various artists, but all the ones I've had over the years ended up much the same as LP's, like 2 tracks you actually play on them

Yoshiesque 2 = awesome though...6400 Crew 'Dub Me Sometin' Fresh', Delerium 'Innocent' (epic epic breakdown that one, slams home so nicely though)

[batscarer]

Excellent Friday thread - good for work anyway

Age: 32

Physical Collection: Approx 600 vinyl 12 inches + a couple of crates that get zero air time ever (trance - i was young once) Vinyl is mostly house, deep, progressive, funky. Also breaks and a good dose of D&B in their. Additional 20 or 30 albums on vinyl of funk and soul from James Brown to Aretha to soul compilations.

Digital Collection: Not sure on it's size probably about 1000 tracks bought specifically for DJ'ing with, not counting the i tunes collection. Beatport gets plundered once every 6 weeks when a crate gets purchased. I enjoy the ability to get a variety of styles at affordable prices digital offers. All styles of house, funk, D&B anything with some wicked groove basically.

Do you purchase albums: I am lucky as i get non EDM music from work in the form of promos but i still buy digital albums. I like the exclusives that come with them and even if i don't play all the tracks very often it is good to have the whole body of work form an artist. Freerange is good example of this.

Learnings: After always buying vinyl i still find it hard to rip music without paying for it. I feel if someone has made the effort to make it you can pay for it. It boggles my mind how many of the youger ones at work think it's fine to not pay for any of their music. So short sighted

Sighs at old age

[Random_Kiwi]

Learnings: After always buying vinyl i still find it hard to rip music without paying for it. I feel if someone has made the effort to make it you can pay for it. It boggles my mind how many of the youger ones at work think it's fine to not pay for any of their music. So short sighted


Ditto man! I'm fine with snaffling DJ sets, as they've already paid for the tracks, or they're promos...either way, it often leads to me hunting out a track or two and purchasing them, so it's win win in that the producer can end up with double sales.

I prety much never steal production albums, band or otherwise...I've stolen a few over the years, mainly ones I owned at one stage but have been stolen from me at parties when younger.

[Funkedub]

PWEI - fuck I'd love some of them on Wax! Ich Bein Ein Auslander! :rock:

wot?! like this ?! ;D

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3184/2925421812_7c04e2e2ec.jpg


the other side is even cooler

Poppies were pretty much the start of my buying of vinyl for "dance music"

[TheReturn]

Age: 25

Physical Collection:
- Approx 10 crates of vinyl 12" singles and EPs mainly disco, boogie, hip hop, beats, house and classic pop
- Approx 7 crates of vinyl LPs and compilations same genres as a above, but more classic pop like floyd, human league, beatles etc..
- 300 or so 7 inch singles. Half of them funk and disco half of them pop and rock
- 400 or so CD Albums mostly bought for listening before I started Djing. The majority of them are hip hop related.

Digital Collection: Its growing – maybe about 3000 songs. I buy or DL mainly newer music, edits, remixes and shit like that. But have also ripped a lot of my CDs onto the computer to use for DJing

Do you purchase albums: Yes regularly, seeing as I mostly play pre-digital age music so it consists mainly of 2nd hand LPs

Also, on the book. I thought it was interesting in parts, but started to get boring when after about 5 chapters he hadn’t progressed his analysis past the early 60s.

[Random_Kiwi]

Also, on the book. I thought it was interesting in parts, but started to get boring when after about 5 chapters he hadn’t progressed his analysis past the early 60s.

Yeah, I hear ya...up to the chapter "Beat Less" which starts in with the Beatles...still some interesting stuff in there (Sinatra chapter was awesome) but getting a little tedious...will deffinately finish reading it though...hate starting books and not finishing them, even if they start sucking, I still HAVE to finish it! :lol: