Remember the experience of buying record albums? In this age of dowloading music and buying CD's, we have forgotten the experience that buying albums used to be. We would go to a record store, study the cover (remember how huge they were!)and read the songs list. Since we couldn't possibly know how the songs were like, we looked for clues in the song titles. A clever, interesting title could mean a good song. Maybe.
When we took the record home ,we would look at it and examine the cover art then we would open it and look at the gatefold. There we would find the song's lyrics. So we would have our first listen while reading the lyrics at the same time.If a certain lyric attracted our attention or touched us in some way, we would read it again and again.
After a couple of listenings, we would read the gatefold again and look for names of guest musicians playing in it. "Look, such and such a guy is playing the keyboards...". That would add an extra special something to the enjoyment of the music.Hell, we even read the "Thanks" section to see if we recognized any musician.
In a way, a record album was not just about the music. It was about an artist making a complete statement through sounds,lyrics, art direction.
Believe me, I don't miss the scratchy records of old and all its problems. I love what digital recording has done. But I somehow miss that special experience that only a record album was abe to provide.
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