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I know many music lovers and chasers, these days, don’t even think about music in terms of CDs or maybe even albums; they just seek out “tracks” on some online supply chain. You probably watch the latest music video when it “drops” and leave the rest to social-media gossip. But, I still find myself sifting through CDs, new and old, like autumn leaves, looking for those that satisfy my interests, sometimes just for their cover art.
The average CD (and LP, or larger vinyl record) has one good song on it, typically the one played on the radio to promote the artist/CD. How sad is that?! ‘One good song on an album! That’s a waste. But, it’s truth. Unless you’re a slave to the sounds an artist or band makes, there may only be one good song on that foolishly prized and perhaps highly promoted album.
Not too long ago, in my perspective of time, there was such a thing as a “single” which came on an audio cassette or “45.” You could get a favored song in some format and replay it until the damn thing became warped. I wouldn’t recommend listening to music that way; but it did cut down on costs (sort of).
I can rattle off a few names of soloists and bands that have been sold on the radio only to disappoint when I push myself to pick up one of their albums. The Killers, Sting, Seal, Motley Crue, Nickelback, Sponge, Sum 41, AC/DC, the Fray, Train, Filter, Limp Bizkit, Jimmy Eat World, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, All-American Rejects,** Green Day, Len, MC Hammer, the Cranberries,^^ the Proclaimers, etc. When you’re dishing out chunks of money to savor 1-3 “hit” songs on a CD or LP, you’re wasting your time and money…which is why, I suppose, now there are so many people “streaming” and “ripping” single tracks from online sources. It’s still sad for the countless other songs that are left in the waste bin; the artists spend who-knows-how-much time crafting those just to be ignored…except, maybe, by die-hard fans who will eat anything.
**Gee. You’d think there was something in the name to tell you purchasing an album is a bad idea.
^^The Corrs have a similar vocal quality and generally more pleasant music. I might still cut a Corrs album down to 1-3 songs worth replaying, but, overall, their music is less dreary than that of the Cranberries.
[Just to be clear…the number of great songs on any particular album is not necessarily limited to those replayed on the radio. Now and then, there are tracks the radio ignores which have replay merit. It’s just convenient, it seems, how the radio seems to spotlight certain songs which, in turn, become replay-worthy/favored. I wonder how that happens.]
Far less often do I find what can only be described as a “gem,” an album I can play start-to-finish without wincing or feeling the slightest discomfort, enough discomfort to skip a track (or two). And, if an artist or band could produce an album that is a treat all the way through…well…that would shine brighter than a diamond, shine brighter than a diamond…in the sky.
The closest I have come to a gem of an album might be Katy Perry’s pop-rock debut, titled One of the Boys. If there is a bad track on that (CD), it’s still decent music, which is saying something, considering how many albums I’ve had to sit through and wonder why I want them to be better than they are. I don’t know exactly why I should hold that album up as the standard by which I measure all others…but I think I have to do just that. [That does not mean I have to dwell upon cherry Chapstick or scantily clad women firing whipped cream from spray cans from their bras in the company of Snoop Dogg.]
I consider myself a rather strong fan of bands like Linkin Park and Foo Fighters. Both are great workout bands; you could set yourself up in a gym with a treadmill and/or punching bag and get a great workout while listening to the music. Yet, if I go through their albums, I am still likely to find at least 1-3 songs on each (CD) that I could do without.
Linkin Park is obsessively angry, sad and occasionally painful. [So, why do I like their songs and own almost every album? I’m not sure, considering I listen to music to get out of a bad mood/rut and be inspired. I guess life hasn’t been great, so far; so I use the music as a sort of therapy. I know that I definitely decode the songs well and enjoy the occasional thunderstorm; I don’t replay them daily…even if I used to hear the band, daily, on the radio.] Numb is potent, powerfully emotional and makes me think of the tense relationship I have had with my own parents. In the End, which is quite similar to Numb, has its own unique ending which leaves you deep in thought, sometimes about who you can trust, as the lyrics say. The music seems fit for some really gritty, pulse-pounding action/fantasy movie…maybe a “dark knight” story…not exactly a confusing, disappointing Transformers spectacle. I hear a Linkin Park song and almost immediately start plotting a movie scene or video of my own. Linkin Park put out break-up songs that you wouldn’t necessarily associate with a romantic partner. [Tragically, they also seem to stimulate deadly thoughts.]
The average Foo Fighters song makes you wish you had long, messy hair and the space to thrash around the room with it. They’re generally a raging party band. But, not every track is like that; a few can be a bit sad and somewhat repetitive, like a broken record (namely Times Like These, which feels more like a jam/practice session than something you want to enjoy with friends…even though it has a few inspirational moments/lyrics). I tend to dismiss those and replay the ones I prefer. The Pretender, All My Life, Everlong and Walk are frequently favored.
Outside what may be considered the commercial box are artists/groups like Mannheim Steamroller and Bond. You may not know them by name but may recognize some of their (mostly) instrumental music. Not every piece they put out is a runaway hit. Some are sleepers…or remotely annoying. Yet, Mannheim Steamroller has crafted sooo many albums, and each has a certain magical, artistic quality; you feel like you’re filling a bookshelf with colorful covers rather than collecting music. I’d certainly use a few covers as wall art. Their Christmas albums have, maybe, one or two songs, each, which I’d scrap; otherwise, they are decent varieties/blends of holiday music. I only have two by Bond, a fairly daring group of women who try to be unique, even when they may be merely changing a few notes in a piece of music by someone else; both feel more like cover-band collections than original works. Yet, there is something about the spell woven by Bond that keeps me looking for more from them.
As an artist, myself (a visual artist with an interest in crafting music, as well as fashion and other types of art), most music I look to as a means of inspiration, something to fuel my own creativity. I don’t use music to harp on anyone. I won’t likely craft something that marks someone for life unless I genuinely believe that person is evil. And, even then, I wouldn’t want to hear my own words repeating those hateful messages…because it would bring the past misery back into focus. If someone came to me and said they loved one of those hateful, menacing songs, what sort of person would I be to agree or smile? A dark wizard, I guess.
What about you and your luck at finding good music?
What albums would you consider those rare gems (and why)?
And, which would you rather cut apart just to get out one or two great songs (which are probably replayed on the radio, in excess)?
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