How many of you can recognize this experience? You're sitting on the bus listening to your iPod, you have 50 bajillion songs or so and it's jumping around from hip-hop to classic rock, to country etc.... They say variety is the spice of life, but this age has really pushed the love of variety to it's extreme limits. Sure it's nice to be able to hold every song ever recorded in the palm of your hand, but what have we lost in the process?
Let me put it this way. When was the last time that you sat and listened to a whole album from beginning to end? Me? I do it everyday. I am a huge believer in the album as an art form. I think most rock artists (I'll use rock, because that's the main general genre I listen to) have stubbornly held fast to that same belief. Rock and Roll has for the most part not yet conformed to the release of the "single," as the number one priority. If there is a single than it is one song embedded into a larger artistic work. I have never been the kind of person that could sit down and switch from artist, to artist, album to album, and listen to only my favorite songs. I feel that I am cheating the artist somehow when I do that. I think the "random" button is somewhat of an abomination, an insult to the artist.
Let me draw a comparison. Take da Vinci's "Mona Lisa." To only listen to one particularly excellent song on an album and then move on would be like intense scrutiny of only Mona Lisa's mouth without ever seeing the whole of the painting. Sure, the smile is famous. Astounding even. However, I am certain that da Vinci suffered and labored over every inch of that painting, and it is only in the context of the whole picture that we can truly appreciate her smile. It is the same with the album. Context, in a rock album can be very powerful. How did the previous song end? How did it lead into this song? Why did the artist decide to place them in this order? (Believe me it is not an arbitrary decision). What is the first song on the album? What is the last song? How do the songs in-between tie the two together? What are the first words of the album? What are the last? What is the artist trying to portray with this work? How does the album flow as far as song intensity, tempo and mood go? What kind of emotional response does the album elicit? What kinds of things do you think the artist was going through and thinking about as they wrote this album? What sort of innovative things are done throughout with structure, musicality, and lyrics? What are you thinking about as the album ends? Is there a theme to the album?
I find myself listening to a single album maybe 20 times over the course of a couple weeks and discovering new and wonderful things about it each time. I contend that a good rock album is every bit the work of art that a good painting or sculpture is. They are deep, meaningful, emotional, well thought out, intentional, and beautiful. Now, I am a bit of a rock fanatic, so I don't expect you will listen with the same habits that I do, but I challenge you to sit down, choose one of your favorite artists, put in one of their albums and listen, really listen to the album from beginning to end. Ask those critical questions. Connect with it. Let it take you on the journey that is intended. Don't sell the artist short by listening to a few favorite songs and moving on. I challenge you to fall in love with the album as an art form. You will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of music than you have had before. It may even inspire you to make some of your own.
