I finally got around to reading the Sunday Times today (and posting in more months than I’d like to count) and came across an interesting article by Elisabeth Vincentelli, If You Won’t Play the Album, They’ll Sing It, From the Top, not quite lamenting the diminished status of the long play album. Vincentelli suggests that the artists are playing albums live, in part for media attention, but also in an effort to affirm their viability. The trend is bolstered by programming on media channels like XM Satellite Radio that invite artists to play classic albums from their repertoire in total for broadcast. Compromised by digital technologies, ITunes a case in point, the sanctity of the LP is no longer bound by the sequencing of a CD, cassette, or record. MP3 players rejoice at the chance to exhibit their incredible mixing capability, reordering gigabytes of music, thousand of songs into an endless number listening scenarios. And we happily indulge, recategorizing albums and artists like bits of data, an excel chart run amok.
The fact is that all this software, from bit torrent to the on-the-go mix is really powerful. But the power is not for the band; it’s for the listener. And the internet is a veritable music potluck! Every time I put on the headphones I it’s like going to a Ponderosa buffet, and each blog serves up a different cuisine. Given that this site identifies itself, at least partially, as a mix site, and therefore contributing to the downfall of the album, I felt it appropriate to comment. The ‘mix’ when it first appeared over 30 years ago with the introduction of the cassette tape it meant something different. It wasn’t ‘easy’ to make a mix, it took endless hours and careful clicks of the play, rewind, and record buttons. One mistake and the entire effort was wasted. The mix was a coveted gift, a personal heartfelt gesture. Hopefully Hearsay is a refuge from the plethora of ill considered, randomly chosen mixes out there, maintaining the careful crafting of an album, even if we didn’t record the tunes ourselves. Sure it may not be Sgt. Pepper’s, but that doesn’t mean it can’t have a good concept.
So with that, a new year deserves a new mix. So let’s kick it off. Hearsay 08: To Sleep, To Dream.
