I recently learned that I’m part of a music buying demographic known as the Uber Fan. What this means is that I’m the sucker (or well-informed collector) who will usually pick up the deluxe edition of an album to see what bonus booty lies within. I don’t always bite–a live bonus disc doesn’t do it for me–but if the second disc is comprised of demos, remixes and outtakes, I’m all over it. Throw in expanded liner notes and unreleased photos and you’ve sealed the deal.
I’m one of the endangered music lovers who goes for the album experience. From the cover art and packaging to the practically perfect afternoon spent listening to an album from top to bottom, thumbing through the photos, reading along with the lyrics, envisioning the band at work in the studio…this for me is bliss. In case you think your life is too busy for such leisure, or you’ve become snowblinded by the recent assault of MP3s, I’ve created the ABCs of Album Art to get you back on track.
ACTUALIZATION: In an ideal universe, an album is the actualization of the artist’s musical and visceral output, a love letter to the listener. They’ve created a package that reflects the spirit and vision of the music, from inception to realization.
BANDWAGON: Get off of it. Sometimes less is not more. Ipods are not cutting edge–every junior high school kid has one to match their pink sneakers or black fedora. Can we please circle back around to music as art and move away from this “it’s mine because I can get it for free” sense of entitlement?
CLASSIC: Will there ever be such a thing as a classic download? A classic batch of MP3s? I get it, singles are where it’s at. You get in, get off and get out, leave the money on the table. Will singles replace the legacy of the classic album? I don’t see it.
DESIGN: I’m a design nerd who will buy an album because it has a great cover, and there are some incredible ones out there. Albums are a perfect little platform for designers to strut their stuff. Start looking and you’ll see it too.
EDUCATE: I love when I open a new cd and find a thick booklet filled with information. Particularly if the music is new to me. I recently picked up an Afro-Funk album and was thrilled that each band had a two-page spread about them and their roots. When the cd was over, I was smarter.
FANS: Who cares how many songs are on your ipod? Not me. I want to see what’s on your shelves. Which bands do you respect enough to buy their albums? Which albums have been in your collection since your initial musical awakening? Who do you care enough about to call yourself a fan?
GENERIC PACKAGING: There is a rich history of album cover design dating back to the 1930s. Initially, records were packaged in generic paper covers that simply had the label logo and title on them. In a culture-altering stroke of ingenuity, designers started thinking of the album cover as a creative canvas and the golden age of album art was born.
HARD DRIVE: If your entire music library is on your computer’s hard drive, you might need a digital flush. Step away from the screen.
INSPIRATION: Popular culture moves at the speed of thought. Paying attention to album cover art is a great way to stay on top of what’s happening and to inspire your own contributions to our shared life.
JAY-Z: Some music is perfect MP3 material. I picked up The Blueprint III, listened to it a few times, put “Empire State of Mind” and “A Star Is Born” on my workout mix then traded it in. Done and done.
KINDLE: Like an MP3 player, it has its place: it’s portable and carries a ton of material in a small package. Cool. But, it doesn’t replace my books and I still want liner notes.
LYRICS: Love them. Read them. The me reading lyrics while listening to an album is the happy me.
MP3s: They’re the fast food of music. Quick, cheap and portable, but a nicely prepared meal they’re not.
NEWNESS: A new album has an air of excitement surrounding it. What’s it going to sound like? How will it be packaged? What’s in the liner notes. I’ve yet to have my excitement rise over an MP3.
OPEN LETTER: Album art is an open letter from the artist to the world: this is the information that is relevant to this collection of music, and the art that goes along with it. Even if there is not a lick of text on the whole thing, that’s part of the message that the artist wants to send.
PROJECT: We see a compact little item called an album. The artist sees bandmates, countless hours of work, community, creation and destruction, laughter and tears, inspiration and devastation. Spending time with an album is a way to honor the project in its entirety.
QUIET TIME: Perusing liner notes then drifting into a nap is quiet time perfection.
READING: I love to read. Reading at a computer is different than reading from a page. Great liner notes are the stuff of life to a music nerd/bookworm like myself.
SPINES: Check out the spines of a carefully curated music collection.
TWITTER: I recently received a Tweet that simply said: “I miss liner notes.” …and that’s why we don’t get rid of our collections, boys and girls.
UBER FANS: We’re out there, and we want more than the download, or even the disc. We want art and bios and photos and more!
VINYL: I’ve been focused on cds here, but let’s take a moment for the Queen Mother of Album Art, the vinyl record, graced with warmth and size and longevity. Long Live the Queen!
WHITE ALBUM: Album covers do not have to be flashy to be classic. Case in point: The White Album. Design perfection.
XYLOPHONE: Yes, I do want to know who played the xylophone on track seven and no, I don’t want to have to Google it to find out.
YOUNGSTERS: Will the youngsters of today miss out on the simple joy of relaxing with an album? Is this truly a thing of the past? Has shuffle completely taken over the world? Maybe in time, but for now we’re holding strong. Do your part. Don’t let your child be the next one to say “What’s a record?”
ZEN: Being present with an album is a sweet, simple joy. Let the music roll through you. Study the album art. Read the liner notes from cover to cover. You’ll find something that a screen and a file just won’t give you.
Photo by Flickr user Striatic
Paul M Davis
7 Comments
Mike Renner
Great article Cat!
05 Jan 2010 12:01 pm
@derhay
Happily, I'm an Uber Fan too. Amen to your article, Cat.
05 Jan 2010 09:01 pm
Stellar Corpses
Well said! I have so many memories of listening to an album while reading the liner notes and looking at the art. Now with my own band I keep that in mind while getting to be being the creator of that special exerience. -dusty
05 Jan 2010 03:01 pm
Cat Johnson
Mike: Thank You!
@derhay: Uber Pride!
Dusty: It's great that bands (like Stellar Corpses) are still thinking in terms of albums and creating experiences. Cheers.
06 Jan 2010 03:01 am
Stephanie Pace
beautiful!
06 Jan 2010 03:01 pm
Mari Stauffer
I absolutely love it, and concur my friend!
-Mari
10 Jan 2010 07:01 am
DJ Tom LG
Very informative Cat!!
14 Jan 2010 02:01 am
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