Best Ever Albums

Re: How have ways in discovering music have evolved over time?

dihansse — Wed, 6 Apr 2016 17:03:03 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 04/06/2016 21:03

Interesting comments StreetSpirit and can certainly agree with most of them

Re: How have ways in discovering music have evolved over tim

CA Dreamin — Wed, 6 Apr 2016 16:52:57 GMT

Author: CA Dreamin

Posted: 04/06/2016 20:52

dihansse wrote:

I'm just wondering: technology is evolving and the way we "consume" music is also changing.
I'll start with my own experience (being at an age of 52 and Belgian):
I started as being just a listener of radio, at first just public radio stations and then pirate radio stations which also used to have shows where they mainly broadcasted album tracks and at a certain point also hard rock shows where I discovered bands like Van Halen. Another big influence was top pop, a Dutch television show with clips ( ex the clips of Bohemian Rhapsody and Lust For Life where Iggy was just showing off his torso on a kind of boxing rink come were legendary). For younger people I suppose that would be MTV.
Then came my cassette period where I first started taping from the radio (again Lust for Life was one of the first tracks on my tapes), then an uncle of mine was doing mix tapes for me (I remember him making the remark why I was asking to include Child in Time because I could have included 5 other songs instead of that long one).
Then I started to tape complete albums from friends with mainly things like Pink Floyd, The Cure, The Scorpions and Frank Marino. Sometimes I bought albums on cassette.
This means I never really bought LPs. My parents had a record collection (not my type of music) but the only LP I really bought myself was Help! From the Beatles.
So I 'over straight from cassettes to CD's when I started working in 1989 which both meant buying a big back catalogue of older music (from The Beatles to Talking Heads and buying new music (the Pixies and indie and Grunge movement just started).
Another big change was the coming up of the Ipod and ITunes so I first started digitising my hundreds of CDs and then started buying music from Itunes (I never ripped tracks for free because one way or another I found that didn't really help artists).
This changed the way I listened to music because I didn't listen to full albums in one session any more because I listenedto random lists of my collection (although I still make the connection with actual albums).
And the next stage is Apple Music which allowed me to discover more music, although I still put full albums in my playlist.

Before I begin, I want to say thank you dihansse for sharing your experiences. My mom is a couple years older than you and she has dozens of mixed cassettes so I know what you mean. She even showed me how to make mixed tapes but I never went that route. And I know where you're coming from about digitized music and the 'Skip' button making it less likely for albums to be played start-to-finish. I can only imagine not having a Skip button. And thank you for supporting music all these years. At some point, most people give up.

For me, I started off discovering music through other people, my parents and close friends. CDs were the format I listened on because that's what my parents and friends had. Anyway once my tastes were established, the radio had some input in where my tastes expanded to, but I still relied mostly on older friends' recommendations. We would exchange CDs. I would have certain CDs in my collection he didn't have in his, and vice-versa, and we borrowed from each other. It was more me borrowing from him but that's another story. Anyway, for me this made discovering music a social thing as well because it tied my friends and I closer together. I did dump my CDs onto iTunes and an iPod, so yes I was only sometimes listening to complete albums, but I always made a point to listen to them start-to-finish at least twice before I dumped them on my computer.

I didn't really begin listening to albums online until about two years ago. The reason I shifted to online listening was because peers' recommendations, record stores, and the radio were becoming unreliable. For me, rock radio died, partly because most new mainstream rock artists stink, and partly because stations play a lot of the same stuff over and over again that I've heard a thousand times. My high-school CD-exchanging pal became unreliable because we both moved away from where we grew up. And finally, record stores became unreliable because I started working full-time, making it harder to go to them. I needed a new outlet for music and I found BEA, and started listening online much more. I still have respect for the good ole days when discovering music was more adventurous and spontaneous. There was definitely something rewarding about exchanging CDs with friends, prowling record stores once a week to find an a used CD I had been seeking for months and popping it in my Walkman as soon as I got home. There is nothing rewarding about discovering music online. Nothing. You don't need to hear something on the radio that captures your attention; You don't need to spare a few bucks; You don't need to make visits to a record store; You don't even have to leave your fucking room, or put on a fucking pair of pants. But it's obvious listening to music online is faster and easier. My musical intake is actually higher now than ever before, and I'm grateful for the wonderful music I've found online. I do miss my pre-online-music days, but they're not coming back. If I come across a song I really like, but don't really care for the album it's on, then I'll pirate that one song. But if I find an album online I really dig, I don't pirate it. I buy a physical copy when I get a chance.

Anyway, that's how my means of music discovery have evolved. Now to answer your questions:

dihansse wrote:

attention span: are we (both the older and younger generation) still able to appreciate a full album?

Yes, I believe the human brain will always be able to comprehend and appreciate full albums, but I worry that only a small percentage of people will even bother in the long run. I certainly hope not.

dihansse wrote:

is the fact that music is available at a fingertip makes it less exciting to discover (new) music. At the time we really were looking forward to new albums because we had to make an effort to go and buy them.

Uh, yes. Free albums at our fingertips isn't any fun. I've already explained why above.

dihansse wrote:

- What is the surplus value of indepent reviews by magazines or even sites? At the time they were really important and I dicovered many interesting albus in a way I never would have discovered otherwise.
- Are the new media not just pointing you to types of music you already know because we are tempted to stick to sites which just confirm your taste. In the past I discovered lots of new music because magazines and radio stations directed me to music I didn't know

I believe this depends on the individual listener. If somebody is hungry to expand their music taste, they will find a way.

Re: How have ways in discovering music have evolved over time?

dihansse — Wed, 6 Apr 2016 01:31:30 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 04/06/2016 05:31

About the crap music: it's really mixed; even when sometimes you had to wade trough crap when you were listening in record stores and from mixtapes, if you had the right friends, read the good magazines and listened to good radio stations you were able to discover good music.
Now there is so much availability that it all becomes a bit blurred and you listen to a lot of crap but also if you don't like something on a first listen you immediately dismiss it;
A recent example is Sublime which I see regularly acclaimed on this site (although many times linked with youth sentiment). I don't know the band at all so I skipped through their album quickly without even listening to all the songs and dismissed it as not my cup of tea while I can imagine I could like it after a couple of listens.

Re: How have ways in discovering music have evolved over time?

RoundTheBend — Tue, 5 Apr 2016 22:27:43 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 04/06/2016 02:27

noWaxJim wrote:

Interesting topic, this.

Being a child of the 80s and a student in the 90s it wasn't that hard to discover new music. What you needed is a lot of time and patience, as well as the benevolence of a kindly record store clerk in the likes of Our Price. Never underestimate the role the in-store listening post played in the pre-Internet days. Five disc minimum? Yeah right. You'd just have your limit, go out for a crafty cig and come back in again. You tended to go a lot more with pretty covers or something you'd seen in Select magazine (ah the Britpop years), only to stick it on and realise how crap it was.

Wow... how did I forget this experience. I totally remember now (thanks to you) looking through used CDs and asking to listen to a stack... of course you'd feel like an arse listening to more than just a taste of the album, but now becomes vivid. I remember my first record store being Tom Tom Music... and they had about 3 cd players with decent headphones.

Re: How have ways in discovering music have evolved over time?

JOSweetHeart — Tue, 5 Apr 2016 21:54:03 GMT

Author: JOSweetHeart

Posted: 04/06/2016 01:54

I am probably a mixture of old school and the right now where this matter is concerned. You Tube in my opinion is a big help in getting to know singers that you aren't as familiar with compared to others, but I am most definitely a person who continues to purchase what they love to hear enough. Yeah I could be like so many others who will score what they love to listen to for free if that can still be done, but to me, if you love what you hear enough, you will think that it is worth some money at least, especially if there is no other way for you to show your appreciation for the singer, like paying to see them in concert for example.

God bless you always!!! 😄 😄 😄

Holly

P.S. You Tube is what helped me get to know my newest favorite singer as well as I know him now, but because of the beautiful precious Billy Joe Royal not being here anymore now, its too late for me to do a lot of things where my being a fan of him is concerned, so I have done what can still be done and that is buy what I can get of his material. How else can you tell someone who isn't here anymore that you love them? 😢 😢 😢

Re: How have ways in discovering music have evolved over time?

Jimmy Dread — Tue, 5 Apr 2016 19:11:21 GMT

Author: Jimmy Dread

Posted: 04/05/2016 23:11

Interesting topic, this.

Being a child of the 80s and a student in the 90s it wasn't that hard to discover new music. What you needed is a lot of time and patience, as well as the benevolence of a kindly record store clerk in the likes of Our Price. Never underestimate the role the in-store listening post played in the pre-Internet days. Five disc minimum? Yeah right. You'd just have your limit, go out for a crafty cig and come back in again. You tended to go a lot more with pretty covers or something you'd seen in Select magazine (ah the Britpop years), only to stick it on and realise how crap it was.

Sure, you took your cues from the obvious sources (Peel, NME), but more often than not you borrowed tapes or CDs from the library or your mates and things tended to spread via word-of-mouth. Like a cottage industry version of something going viral, by the end of the week the whole of your Halls of Residence were listening to the new Fugazi LP ('cos you came back hammered and left it on repeat, more than likely).

For us indie types the mixtape was a constant source of new finds. My mate Paul made me a cracking indie pop mix once which pretty much single-handedly got me into the genre. I didn't have MTV, but I did have The Chart Show and from this found out about Ride, MBV, Drop Nineteens, Lush, Smashing Pumpkins and a whole load more. And when I was still a wee lad I used to tape the Top 40 off the radio. We all did. It was a right of passage.

I guess the above - whilst based on the experiences of a Home Counties English lad - aren't overly typical of others of my age, but one thing's for sure is that it's framed the way I approach music, even now with t'Internet. Something still has to grab me by the balls on first listen to make me buy it on the spot. On the rare occasions I persevere with something, it's usually 'cos I've found something remotely ear-pricking to grab hold of. If something or everything is missing on first listen, I most likely won't bother trying again. And even now I can get all the music I want for nowt, I still won't bother to try and 'get' something my brain tells me was cack first time round, no matter what the herd say.

Re: How have ways in discovering music have evolved over time?

alelsupreme — Tue, 5 Apr 2016 18:57:29 GMT

Author: alelsupreme

Posted: 04/05/2016 22:57

SuedeSwede wrote:

I think without the internet (therefore access to near enough any piece of music for free) my music taste would be near to non-existent. I'd definitely be much more dependent on other free sources like the radio. I think it's easy to wear rose-tinted glasses and look back at how, for example, the 78rpm era brought a much bigger sense of preciousness to a record. But it's really just not practical for discovering music you'd love.

yeah i didn't give a toss about music really until i got spotify. that's what made my getting into music possible.

anyway my music taste has almost entirely been developed through a number of different sites, of which BEA and FRL (Future Rock Legends) were definitely the most influential.

Re: How have ways in discovering music have evolved over time?

SuedeSwede — Tue, 5 Apr 2016 18:49:07 GMT

Author: SuedeSwede

Posted: 04/05/2016 22:49

I think without the internet (therefore access to near enough any piece of music for free) my music taste would be near to non-existent. I'd definitely be much more dependent on other free sources like the radio. I think it's easy to wear rose-tinted glasses and look back at how, for example, the 78rpm era brought a much bigger sense of preciousness to a record. But it's really just not practical for discovering music you'd love.

Re: How have ways in discovering music have evolved over time?

RoundTheBend — Tue, 5 Apr 2016 17:49:04 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 04/05/2016 21:49

Allabaster wrote:

Must we dig for treasure when we are standing in it up to our knees? Are the deeper gems so much more precious?

Agreed. Sometimes those gems don't quite have the value we think. They sometimes have added value of the find instead of only the music... Not always but sometimes.

Re: How have ways in discovering music have evolved over time?

Anonymous — Tue, 5 Apr 2016 17:43:54 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 04/05/2016 21:43

meccalecca wrote:

Are you sure it's the words and not the faulty combination of them that appears out of the familiar?

I have become sure of nothing.

Re: How have ways in discovering music have evolved over time?

dihansse — Tue, 5 Apr 2016 15:38:24 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 04/05/2016 19:38

😁 😁 😁

Re: How have ways in discovering music have evolved over time?

meccalecca — Tue, 5 Apr 2016 14:30:26 GMT

Author: meccalecca

Posted: 04/05/2016 18:30

Allabaster wrote:

Your words are strange to me, sir.

Are you sure it's the words and not the faulty combination of them that appears out of the familiar?

Re: How have ways in discovering music have evolved over time?

Anonymous — Tue, 5 Apr 2016 14:28:07 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 04/05/2016 18:28

meccalecca wrote:

Wouldn't if my easier if we just sat down?

Your words are strange to me, sir.

Re: How have ways in discovering music have evolved over time?

meccalecca — Tue, 5 Apr 2016 13:30:14 GMT

Author: meccalecca

Posted: 04/05/2016 17:30

Allabaster wrote:

Must we dig for treasure when we are standing in it up to our knees? Are the deeper gems so much more precious?

Wouldn't if my easier if we just sat down?

Re: How have ways in discovering music have evolved over time?

Anonymous — Tue, 5 Apr 2016 13:07:17 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 04/05/2016 17:07

Must we dig for treasure when we are standing in it up to our knees? Are the deeper gems so much more precious?

Re: How have ways in discovering music have evolved over time?

dihansse — Tue, 5 Apr 2016 00:50:30 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 04/05/2016 04:50

Indeed we seem to have access to lots more ways in discovering music which means that we hop from one album to another and are maybe less "savouring" music than earlier on when records were literally discovered and were listened to over and over again (cf attention span).

Re: How have ways in discovering music have evolved over time?

RoundTheBend — Tue, 5 Apr 2016 00:33:44 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 04/05/2016 04:33

Thanks Mecca and decursso (sp?).

Re: How have ways in discovering music have evolved over time?

meccalecca — Mon, 4 Apr 2016 09:50:49 GMT

Author: meccalecca

Posted: 04/04/2016 13:50

dihansse wrote:

Maybe I should once turn to vinyl because I also think it's really appealing to actually hold on to and listen to records in the old fashioned way but upto now I haven't done it.

My approach at this point is to first listen to new albums on Spotify, Apple Music, NPR First Listen or wherever and then I buy the albums I really really love on vinyl. There's something great about sitting down and putting a record on. I find my attention span growing without the ease of just hitting next or picking a randomized playlist.

Growing up, my early experiences were with my parents LPs (mostly the 60s classics), radio, and MTV. With my brothers being quite a bit older than me, I pretty much absorbed their tastes. And as musicians, their obsessions grew on me more and more. I borrowed their cassettes. They'd make me copies and introduced me to the art of the mixtape. For the most point, I lived off of my family's tastes until around 6th grade. Around then, I started thinking a it more independently and developed love for stuff like Weezer, Green Day, and then Radiohead without my brothers' guidance. My brothers continued to feed me music as their own tastes expanded.

Towards the end of high school came Napster. Suddenly I could download songs without needing to commit money. I also discovered music sites like Pitchfork and Epitonic (which was incredible). That's when I started getting really into stuff like Radiohead and Modest Mouse.

With college came faster internet speeds, limewire, and friends with a wider range of tastes. I was downloading music like crazy, and still buying cds of what I liked. I also began to go to shows far more regularly around the city and was discovering new bands that way.

Years passed. I was writing about music for publications and blogs, so suddenly labels and publicists were mailing and then emailing me records. I was being handed access to pretty much anything I wanted.

I'd eventually switch over to vinyl, and sold the bulk of my cd collection before heading out west.

When Spotify arrived, along with sites like BEA and RYM, I found myself with even more access than before. At some point along the way I had mostly stopped illegally downloading music, so Spotify and previously grooveshark brought pretty much unlimited access. The social network of various music sites like BEA has further expanded my tastes in a way I think would have been next to impossible before the internet age. My attention span has shortened as access has grown, but I cannot complain.

Re: How have ways in discovering music have evolved over time?

Decurso — Mon, 4 Apr 2016 07:56:06 GMT

Author: Decurso

Posted: 04/04/2016 11:56

It's changed a lot for me. Radio, music television and music magazines used to be a big part of how I discovered new music. I haven't listened to the radio since 1993, and it's been longer since I watched music television or read a music magazine.

These days I discover a lot of new music through the SXSW artist sampler torrents, which obviously was not possible in years gone by. I also discover a lot of music through live shows, which I always did in the past as well, but it accounts for a much greater percentage of my musical discoveries these days. Wikipedia is another resource that I obviously did not have in years gone by.

Some methods have stayed fairly consistent. Recommendations from friends and books have always been pretty reliable methods. The difference is instead of mix tapes my friends give me USB drives and email me mp3 three files or Youtube links.

Re: How have ways in discovering music have evolved over time?

dihansse — Sun, 3 Apr 2016 16:26:58 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 04/03/2016 20:26

Hi SethM, this is the kind of reply I was looking for: very interesting and very different from mine.
Maybe I have to be a bit jealous at you: my parent's taste in music was terrible so I had to discover it all by myself (and later via friends).
For one reason or another I don't have access to the first thread you show on pirate radio so that's a pity. I must admit the pirate radio stations you were referring to are I suppose English and maybe radio Luxemburg: mine were Belgian and Dutch but they did broadcast from ships in the North Sea because broadcasting from the mainland was illegal.
Maybe I should once turn to vinyl because I also think it's really appealing to actually hold on to and listen to records in the old fashioned way but upto now I haven't done it.
Magazines: there is a fantastic general magazine which is a bit anarchic and with lots if humor and they really formed a generation of people in Belgium (a Humo reader does have a specific way taking life not too serious): their record reviews used to be great and pointed me to lots of new music http://www.humo.be/cd-reviews/. Of course it's in flemish and the reviews are behind a paying wall now...
Internet: I'm fairly new to this site (I don't know why I didn't discover it earlier) but as for now I'm really discovering new things. My sources usually used to be good old Pitchfork and Popmatters.

There is lots of other interesting stuff in your reply maybe I'll come back to that.