Back in the days, I thought my 200 album collection was a pretty good rock collection. In the last year, thanks to the suggestion from AK members to check out thrifts, and some other buying opportunities, I have at least tripled my collection. Part of the experience has been to expand my collection of several artists, for example, Steve Miller Band, Jefferson Airplane, Traffic, Dave Brubeck, CSN/Y, Steely Dan, and of course, many many classical. Haven't had as much luck with Jazz, and have had to pay closer to market for that.

Before getting back into vinyl and getting better gear, I had been listening to a lot of music from the computer. I would often put several cuts together from various artists to burn discs for the car. Now, after having widened my collection of several artists, I really enjoy listening to the music that was not widely played. Steve Miller played a much wider variety of music than I was used to; Linda Rondtadt can handle several different types of music; Traffic was much more than "Low Spark of High Heeled Boys and Feelin' Alright;" and so on. I think I better understand now why so many people reject greatest hits compilations.

Regards,

D-Ray

I think I agree ...

I think that the artist (and let's give everyone the benefit of the doubt on this one) had to make an artistic decision as to the music to include on an album and the order it should appear. Assuming that timing constraints are not a problem, which might not always be the case on, say, an LP, an album in its entireity is probably what the artist intended for the listener to experience. (I base this partly on the experience of having friends and colleagues in the music business and partly on my own experience, though I would *never* consider myself an artist in this sense of the word.)

However, I am fairly young (32) and grew up when CDs (and the "shuffle" feature) were all the rage. Now with iTunes one can "shuffle" thousands of songs from hundreds of CDs. I won't deny that a lot of my listening is in "shuffle" mode, based on genre.

Now, though, more and more often I find myself sitting down and putting on an LP and listening to all of side 1, then all of side 2 and enjoying the experience, perhaps as the originator intended?

I am also not a big fan of "Best of ... " and "Greatest Hits" though they can be a good starting place to investigate the music of a new-found interest.

I think that some of those "greatest hits" releases are ok as a long the collection of songs is the "ulitmate greatest hits" compilations. As always, it's a matter of personal preference.

I agree with Don. I think a lot of artists (not all) put together a whole album (or CD) for a 45 to 50 minute "experience". Popular radio tends to pull a hit or two from the album for their own convenience or who knows what reason. On the other hand, some albums seem to be "showcase albums" meant to show off all the differant styles the artist is capable of playing. I have a Joe Satriani album that I enjoy almost every tune on, but the styles are all so differant that playing the whole album front to back just doesn't make any sense. DSOTM has great single cuts but the album as a whole should, in my opinion, be heard at one sitting.

Just my 2 cents worth. :music:

I just made a similar remark to my son as we were kicking back listening to "Armed Forces" by Elvis Costello. He has a Costello Greatest Hits CD that barely touches upon the great tracks on this album. We mentioned a couple of similar examples from the Stones. Consider Beggar's Banquet and Exile on Main St. You have to get past the (admittedly good) smash hits on both LP's (Sympathy for the Devil, Street Fighting Man, Happy) to get to the really great stuff (the honky tonk bluesy stuff that didn't get much air play).

...I really enjoy listening to the music that was not widely played.

Me too...some of my favorites are not the 'hits'.

As you mentioned, it shows just how versatile and creative most of these musicians are.

A singer/songwriter that has other musicians record their pieces...Bob Dylan, for example, has recorded his music and has had numerous others also record his pieces. They all interpret his music differently than he himself does.

Some do it better, IIRC he has stated that he liked Jimi's verision of 'All Along The Watchtower' best. I have an LP of Odetta singing all Dylan songs. She does some that I think are great and others that I think I'd rather hear someone else do...maybe not Dylan:D.

I enjoy listening to LPs of all types of music...it's all good...some is just better:yes:. Preston

Yeah, I'm all about playing the whole record through. A record is like a movie, it just isn't right skipping cuts.
One big thing I have mentioned on other threads, the song I usually liked the least ends up becoming my favorite. And the albums I wasn't sure about the first couple plays usually end up getting worn out.

I just made a similar remark to my son as we were kicking back listening to "Armed Forces" by Elvis Costello. He has a Costello Greatest Hits CD that barely touches upon the great tracks on this album. We mentioned a couple of similar examples from the Stones. Consider Beggar's Banquet and Exile on Main St. You have to get past the (admittedly good) smash hits on both LP's (Sympathy for the Devil, Street Fighting Man, Happy) to get to the really great stuff (the honky tonk bluesy stuff that didn't get much air play).

I was gonna say that you're right on the mark, but I should probably just say that I agree with you. As the other thread I've been reading today shows, when it comes to opinion there is only agreement - there is no way to measure accuracy. But I like your opinion - on this one at least.:D

Regards,

D-Ray

I kind if disagree. The artist may have put it together and wanted us to listen to it in a certain sequence and taken as a whole. Since I own it, I determine what I will spend my time listening to. If it is crap, then it will get skipped over. The ability to do this with CD's and servers is why vinyl is not worth my effort.
Jim

I never liked compilations or did the mix tape thing, I also never listen to music on the radio, singles to me are just ways of getting cool b-sides. I've always listened to full albums right through, and honestly there are a lot of albums you kinda have to, to enjoy the concept and/or story to it.

The Compact Disc marked the beginning of the end of society as we know it.

Most best of LP`s are throw togethers for the Money! That being said there are a few and I mean a few that are good. The albums usually have a greater sample of the artists music and feeling at the time. I pretty much listen all the way through. And my collection has gone from small to OMG in about a year. With no signs of stopping any time soon! :D

I listen to Deep Tracks on XM because it is usually anything BUT the hits!

Well, it sure seems like I am up to the turntable to flip or change the record before I know it. Let's face it, 22 minutes or so just isn't that long, especially when you're in kick back mode :smoke:

Back in the early '70's, a new local FM station started to play entire albums one night each week. It helped that station get a hold on the market and become a major rock 'n roll influence. That station was WMMS 100.7 FM. Many artists would come to Cleveland based upon the record sales that were generated by the expanded airplay WMMS provided. These artists played local concerts to enthusiastic crowds and generated enough sales to start getting national recognition. It was said at the time that WMMS influenced rock and roll because they would play all the songs on an album and expose the public to a much broader picture of the artist's music abilities, and not just the few "commercially selected" cuts typically played on air.

No, I do not like every cut on every album,(there are some real stinkers out there) but I've found some terrific music (IMO) that I would probably never have heard on the radio. I have surprised myself at how many albums I have that I listen to the entire album over and over again.

I agree with Don. I think a lot of artists (not all) put together a whole album (or CD) for a 45 to 50 minute "experience". Popular radio tends to pull a hit or two from the album for their own convenience or who knows what reason. On the other hand, some albums seem to be "showcase albums" meant to show off all the differant styles the artist is capable of playing. I have a Joe Satriani album that I enjoy almost every tune on, but the styles are all so differant that playing the whole album front to back just doesn't make any sense. DSOTM has great single cuts but the album as a whole should, in my opinion, be heard at one sitting.

Just my 2 cents worth. :music:
same with 'who's next'. imo.

I listened to Allman Brothers Beginnings tonight, and I guarantee you there is no stinker on that gem. Granted, those times I saw the Allman Brothers, there was always someone in the audience constantly yelling "play whippin' post," but the depth of their talent was a joy to behold.

Regards,

D-Ray

I only listen to LP's in whole, never just a cut or two. If the album isn't good enough to listen to then I just let it go and give up on the single. Then again I don't listen to radio any more either.

I miss the good old days of FM radio when they played 3 tracks from every LP they played, it was what made them different from AM.

Deep cuts, they are where it is at. :D

I find that many artists make radio friendly tracks to sell an album but then spend the rest of their tracks on the music that they really want. Emerson Lake and Palmer comes to mind. Their radio friendly tracks are a whole lot different than the albums they come from.

I do have a few greatest hits records but normally what I find to be my favorites are the ones that most people don't ever hear.

I think I better understand now why so many people reject greatest hits compilations.

I have always held that greatest hits collections are, with some exceptions, counter intuitive. Do you take a piece from 13 different Van Goghs, put them in a frame, and call it a Van Gogh?

You can do it with bands like the Beatles, Stones, Who, etc, but most of their albums work just as well. Pink Floyd, Dead, Allmans? Forget it.

One exception is the Cars. I think their greatest hits work, although their first album is pretty good all the way through. The Scorpions and Black Sabbath are two others.

Most of the time it's Side 1, Track 1 and through to completion for me. There are a few albums I'll start on Side 2, and a rare few that only get selected cuts played. I have zero problem with getting up after 20-25 minutes and flipping the disc...but if I'm engaged in some activity where this would be inconvenient then the CD player gets the call. Trouble is, baseball season's right around the corner...so my time spent listening will decline in inverse proportion to the number of innings the Twins play.

Most of the time it's Side 1, Track 1 and through to completion for me. There are a few albums I'll start on Side 2, and a rare few that only get selected cuts played. I have zero problem with getting up after 20-25 minutes and flipping the disc...but if I'm engaged in some activity where this would be inconvenient then the CD player gets the call. Trouble is, baseball season's right around the corner...so my time spent listening will decline in inverse proportion to the number of innings the Twins play.

One of the reasons I had time to get into this hobby is that I no longer had 50-60 high school games to attend each spring/summer. I will listen to the Royals Games some, but as often as not, will check them out on the computer when the tunes are spinning. (Watch out. You will be surprised by the Royals this year.) If I could still listen to Jack Buck call the Cardinals, :tears: however, the vinyl would spin a bit less.

Regards,

D-Ray

I've never been one for titillation over qualitative artistic experience.

Whole album, please. :thmbsp:

(With the shorter attention spans that are so prevalent these days, you'd think getting up to flip the record would be a welcome distraction. Perhaps even watching the pretty labels spinning around could sub for mindlessly scrolling through the text on an iPod screen :boring: .) :D:D

Fond memories of Friday payday back in the late sixties and early seventies. There was a record store between work and the bus stop. Always managed to pick up at least two/three new albums, rush home, unwrap, a little herb, stereo headphones, ahh.... The treat was to closely inspect the artwork, then follow the printed lyrics on the sleeves or inside the folding album covers. I still have a lot of these old albums, still play them through, and still discover things in the music and on the old jackets that I missed or wasn't interested in back then. (Oh, at my age the weed is now a no-no). How come they don't include the lyrics to the songs on those CD's? Make sense to anyone?

I got away from the whole album experience somewhere along the way until I started going to some concerts with a fellow music afficionado, who was dead set on playing entire albums on his wonderful car stereo and owned pretty much NO greatest hits compilaions. That made me see what I've been missing and these days I'll play a dsic from start to finish.

Okay, I KNOW where that 'along the way' came along...when I was making the transition from vinyl to CD when the new medium came along. There was NO way I could replace my entire vinyl collection so I would pick up a decent comprehensive offering of this or that band.