Quote:
with this new generation of cd remasters we are seeing original album plus half a dozen extra tracks. should extra tracks be included, or do they detract from the original album? |
i'm all about the "previously unreleased material" from my favorite artists. not only do i support remasters with extra tracks, i seek them out. the real question is where in the track order they should be placed: generally i feel it should be at the end of the original song list, but there are exeptions - for example rhino's "fully loaded" remaster set of the velvet underground's "loaded" is a fantastic album.
Quote:
we are seeing new albums with over an hour of music. now a lot of classic 40 minute albums had filler, so does having a 70 minute album mean wading through more filler, or are we really getting more music for our money? |
there's a big difference between an
album and a collection of songs. i don't give a damn how long it is; if its got flow, cohesiveness, and strength through each song then its a keeper. i don't subscribe to the "filler" concept because i'm not a person who jumps around tracks, i expect an artist to release work thats meant to be listened to from begining to end.
which leads to what i consider the real difference between the days of analog and the days of digital: with the ability to jump tracks its not uncommon to see people listen to a few seconds of a track and then skip to the next one (a habit i find incredibly annoying). do artists take that into account? i assume so. they certainly didn't have to in the days of vinyl (who the hell is going to lift up a tonearm, line it to the next cut, then drop it); does that take away from a cohesive album? maybe... but once again i judge the total work when i listen to music.
then there's the aspect of "side b track 1", something only vinyl listeners can appreciate. when listening to older albums the first cut of the second side is the second part of the journey... the process of walking up to the table, lifting the arm, fliping a record, moving to the lead in groove, and dropping the needle is zen and clears the mind for the second side. vinyl listeners understand this, but its lost on digital. i'm going to break down the two most windely regarded radiohead albums since they're a popular group among many people here and in my opinion a perfect example of what i'm talking about:
the bends:
the last cut on the a side is
[nice dream], last cut on the b side (and of course the cd) is
street spirit [fade out]. we start off the second side with the driving guitars of
just. try pausing the cd between tracks 6 and 7 for a bit before letting it go on.
ok computer:
look at the back cover of the cd and you'll see "logical track order: eeny: 1-3 meeny 4-6 miney: 7-10 mo: 11-12". thats the track order for each side of this two lp set. on the first lp the b side starts off with
exit music (for a film), or in other words where it starts through an introspective/escapist attitude. it finishes off with the self blaming
karma police. the second lp starts off with
fitter happier. see the concept?
lucky is the first cut of the last side. try listening to the cd through that order and pause it for a bit where you should be switching sides and its obvious how it was cut into four sections. reading too much into a piece of work? maybe, but i suspect there's a few readers who understand what i'm talking about.
damn, there's the desire to write more but i'm just going to listen to kid a now...
carlo.