Quote:
Originally Posted by WatchChain
The concept of a recorded album reads like a great, classic novel. A list of songs that tell a story to document a moment in time. When played in sequence, they create a tone and mood that is euphoric. Coupled with cover art, photographs and liner notes, albums are an enriching experience. Fast forward to now - we have definitely lost something. Great albums are becoming a rare breed.
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I can vouch for that perspective. I was very much of that generation that consumed the whole album in a sitting. The cliché of sitting on the floor, following along with the lyric sleeve, is the truth. We really did think of albums that way. We bought 45s, but that was a very different experience, and not as deep of a connection. In fact, there isn’t much talk about this, but one of the weird sensations we used to have was mentally placing the single (which was on the radio a month or two before the album was available) on the full album in an auditory way — we sometimes were disappointed about where the single was put on the album. Something usually felt wrong about it.
I knew the white album from AM radio, and I even knew “Hypnotized” and a few others. I was dragged to a Mac concert in late summer 1976, didn’t much turn on to the live experience, but did go nuts over the “Go Your Own Way” single a few months later.
Rumours was released, and I bought it after keeping my friend’s vinyl copy for a few too many weeks. So
Rumours was the first Mac album I owned — I got my 1975 vinyl a little bit after
Rumours. I bought the vinyls for
Tusk,
Live,
Mirage,
Law and Order,
Bella Donna,
The Visitor,
The Wild Heart,
I’m Not Me, and I think that’s about it for my full-album vinyl experience. Everything since then has been just a collection of individual tracks for me, even
Say You Will.