ReggieB
05-12-2015, 10:03
I was watching the end of Colombiana last night, and the closing titles were played out with Johnny Cash singing "Hurt", which I thought was rather splendid. So I found a copy of it online (http://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/hurt-johnny-cash/0004400779982?qref=dac_6) and bought it. However, I didn't just get that track but the whole EP it was on.
This morning I'm listening to the Johnny Cash and the other album I bought yesterday - Deerhunter - Fading Frontier (http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/oct/15/deerhunter-fading-frontier-review) - and it has struck me how much excellent music I would have missed if I only ever bought the headline/hit track from an album. With downloads and streaming, it's easy to just select a particular track from an album, but I never do.
Also I think that the artists have put effort into deciding the track order and in doing so that that's the order they expect them to listened in. Classic examples being Joe Jackson's "Body and Soul" (http://joejackson.com/music?page=music&album_id=36567) and Genesis' "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lamb_Lies_Down_on_Broadway). If I want to listen to a particular artist, I'll select an album of theirs and listen to that whole of the album. If I accidentally randomise the play order of an album, it throws me. I'm used to the tracks being in their order on the album and don't like to hear them out of order.
So many times, I find that the track that led me to an album does not end up being my favourite track on an album over repeated listening. If I only listed to the hit tracks from an album, I'd have missed out on so much excellent music.
I hope we never get to a point when bands/singers only release singles. The album is a complete body of work and long may it survive.
This morning I'm listening to the Johnny Cash and the other album I bought yesterday - Deerhunter - Fading Frontier (http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/oct/15/deerhunter-fading-frontier-review) - and it has struck me how much excellent music I would have missed if I only ever bought the headline/hit track from an album. With downloads and streaming, it's easy to just select a particular track from an album, but I never do.
Also I think that the artists have put effort into deciding the track order and in doing so that that's the order they expect them to listened in. Classic examples being Joe Jackson's "Body and Soul" (http://joejackson.com/music?page=music&album_id=36567) and Genesis' "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lamb_Lies_Down_on_Broadway). If I want to listen to a particular artist, I'll select an album of theirs and listen to that whole of the album. If I accidentally randomise the play order of an album, it throws me. I'm used to the tracks being in their order on the album and don't like to hear them out of order.
So many times, I find that the track that led me to an album does not end up being my favourite track on an album over repeated listening. If I only listed to the hit tracks from an album, I'd have missed out on so much excellent music.
I hope we never get to a point when bands/singers only release singles. The album is a complete body of work and long may it survive.