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Many older music fans miss the complete ‘album experience’ such as cover art, liner notes and photos that have disappeared due to streaming. What's your view on that?

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I don’t miss lugging my music collection around with me. I certainly don’t miss being limited to what I can listen to by what I have. The album covers were great fun but I prefer the unlimited music choice streaming offers, over nostalgia. A moment of freedom for me was offloading my entire collection and have never regretted it.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I miss the liner notes and seeing Hal Blaine's name on almost every album. I also miss spreading my weed out on the covers to roll a few while listening to the music. And I miss some of the more innovative album covers like Led Zeppelin III, Sticky Fingers, and Their Satanic Majesties Request.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I miss albums. Which groups or singers record albums today? None, right? Imagine, if there had been streaming in the 1960s when all those iconic groups burst onto the scene like The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd etc. There were so many wonderful songs on Side B of many of their albums that would never have been heard, if streaming had been the norm.

I reluctantly replaced my albums with CDs but that's as far as I am going. I have never streamed a song in my life.

It's the same with books. I have a small library of about 100 books at home, and I will never replace them with an e-reader or whatever they are called.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Agreed. Album covers, liner notes, vinyl - they're not a thing of the past, they're part of the experience of listening to an entire album, A and B sides. CDs just don't do it, and streaming is a waste.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

I’m not even sure you can include the word music after “pop” anymore.

My mum used to say the same thing about the music I used to listen to, and her mother before that.

Some band once made an album cover out of coarse sandpaper so it would ruin the other LPs in the rack next to it. Such mischief is harder to achieve now.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Even in the age of vinyl, I don't think I listened to all of side A then all of side B all that often. There are albums I love which I wouldn't put on if I had to listen to them all the way through while reading the liner notes.

I think people project too much onto

The Rolling Stone readers' poll of Led Zeppelin albums has Physical Graffiti in second place. That record is actually double-album mish-mash of old out-takes and new songs. It is not a codified artistic vision crafted at a single moment of time, what many fans automatically assume every great album must be. Led Zeppelin did make albums that way, but the compilation Physical Graffiti is still better than them.

I am a massive music fan, but I think people project far too much onto it. My advice for sleeve note readers would be to get a guitar or bass and look up how to play the songs they love so much. This can bring new enjoyment and a better appreciation of what the music is than reading what someone has written about it.

As for streaming, I think its brilliant. It has introduced me to some music I never heard on vinyl.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I do agree in a way. We used to have a large collection of vinyls, which then slowly shifted to vinyls and CDs. But it's all been digitalized and the hardware given to charity shops or sold off. I only have a small collection of picture discs. Same with books - I have shifted to e-books, except for a few precious ones. And same with movies. I just don't have the space, and I don't like the clutter.

My music collection is MASSIVE, but it's all on my hard disks. I'm going to go for convenience but I do understand how others would still like that touching experience. We've all been there.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I prefer CDs to vinyl. Despite growing up with vinyl, CDs are less fuss and easier to store and you still get the cover art and liner notes. Sometimes you get a DVD, and with Kpop, you may get a lot more in the box..

Keep buying the CDs (or vinyl if you wish). The money goes to the music industry. You own the CDs (and the DVDs, BDs, goods that may come with them) and it forms part of your collection. You can pass it on to your kids or sell it. That matters when you have a lot of music. My annual budget for music is well north of a grand.

I could have the whole lot for much less on streaming - but how much less would the music industry be receiving from me? Now scale that across everyone. How sustainable is that? You need to pay creative industries for creative works, or they will decline.

Pay for streaming and you own nothing. Most of the profits go to the tech industry. You cannot legally pass anything on to your kids on resell it. Stop paying your subs and the whole lot vanishes.

Ignore streaming. Buy CDs or vinyl. There is a world of music out there on physical media, new and second hand. Explore.

The same goes for movies and TV box sets. Get them now before the streaming services try to pull them from the market. When you get older, if your memory gets a bit iffy, you can watch the movies and series that you enjoy without remembering what happens next. It is an investment in your retirement. Streaming services can pull their content if it falls victim to cancel culture. You will still have your DVD.

My copy of IU's 5th album, 'Lilac' arrived this morning. Rosé's '-R-', Ikimonogakari's 'Who?', Wanima's 'Chilly Chili Sauce', Sakurazaka46's 'BAN' and Aimer's 'Walpurgis' (CD/3xBD) arrived in the last few days. Embrace whatever music you enjoy, but buy the physical media and direct your cash to the music industry, where it belongs. GAFA are rich enough and have neither your best interests nor those of the music industry at heart.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

...miss the complete ‘album experience’ such as cover art, liner notes and photos that havemiss the complete ‘album experience’ such as cover art, liner notes and photos that have disappeared due to streaming...

Really , is that so? Many rack streaming devices can show such photos, cover art, lyrics and such while stream receiving and playing. Good digital audio players offer that too. And you don’t even need any device, when ‘watching’ the whole album as a YouTube video file or streaming for instance. So you can listen, record and also watch additional photos, videos, lyrics, subtitles and such. It’s not always the standard offered by the providing streamers, but the technology is there, for not needing any real physical record in your shelves. It’s surely more a psychological problem, as you only feel real ownership and pleasure if you can see it, touch it, have it in your hands...

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I'm glad CDs and vinyl are still a thing here. It's very much a boys thing, listing/categorizing/rating/comparing, which is fine... all part of the passion of music collectors.

I do miss my parents complaining about how my music was all noise, or it wasn't real music, how it was better back when they were young etc, etc. And that was 40 years ago. Some things never change.

Formats, however, do. And that's fine. You can't make younger people like or do what suited you when you were their age. Sure, as they get older, they might discover vinyl, or an artist that they would have dismissed in their teens... and that's the way it goes.

All this has happened before, and will happen again.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

As for streaming, I think its brilliant. It has introduced me to some music I never heard on vinyl.

Aye, same. Discovering new music (and artists one might have ignored when younger, or one's tastes were different) whatever the format or media is a joy.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Loved opening an album (record) and seeing a picture of the band/singer, usually one I've never seen before, putting on the record and reading the liner notes and lyrics. Hanging out in record stores and flipping through all albums and checking out the covers, front and back, was a huge part of my growing up. The order of the songs and the way an album was put together was important.

But that's all gone and I don't think it'll ever come back. I do love having tens of thousands of songs and albums at my fingertips for 990 yen a month. Makes it easy to check out hundreds of songs that I might never had the money or time to with record store bought albums.

The 20th century ain't ever coming back.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I'm one of those who still have all their vinyl albums (about 150 - I was kept short on pocket money when I was a kid but would have bought lots more) and sticks to their CD collection instead of streaming.

Exploring album covers like Al Stewart's "Year of The Cat", learning katakana with the help of a Japanese print of Kiss' "Hotter Than Hell" or just enjoying the extras that came with an album.

My only attempt at streaming was cut short when my hard drive broke a few days after before I could copy the songs to another hard drive.

Same with books - I guess moving apartment is out of the question with a collection of over 700.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Several of my younger friends (20s) like to buy albums, but they don't have record players. The album cover is instant art that goes on their walls.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Album cover art was some of the most amazing art ever created. Some even came with posters inside. And lyrics.

Today doesn't even compete.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I stopped looking at record covers while listening when I was a teenager.

“Come back on, ELO, and carry on playing!”

1 ( +1 / -0 )

That record is actually double-album mish-mash of old out-takes and new songs. It is not a codified artistic vision crafted at a single moment of time, what many fans automatically assume every great album must be.

And then

but I think people project far too much onto it

Fair enough.

I did ponder two different albums here, so I guess I should have chosen..

Jethro Tull-Thick As A Brick 1972

”That is a great friggen album”

Instead of PG.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

My only attempt at streaming was cut short when my hard drive broke a few days after before I could copy the songs to another hard drive.

That's why I have at least fthree copies of my music collection. That goes for anything else digital. Books, photos, documents, anything related to work.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Don't have a vinyl system so it's a moot question. Vinyl sounds better but takes up space and I stopped looking at record covers while listening when I was a teenager.

Streaming is wonderful and gives access to an near-unlimited amount of music. Plus you can find stuff like this on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpfpqsSALuY

0 ( +0 / -0 )

“Come back on, ELO, and carry on playing!”

"Sunday, bloody Sunday. What a great song. It really encapsulates the frustration of a Sunday, doesn't it? You wake up in the morning, you've got to read all the Sunday papers, the kids are running round, you've got to mow the lawn, wash the car, and you think "Sunday, bloody Sunday!"

0 ( +0 / -0 )

For me, my vinyl collection has only re-intensified since living here. I had a brief love affair with CDs back home in the UK with BritPop. It is something I regret totally. They lure you in with a promise of cheap thrills, a compact package and endless playability.

My father’s Johnny Hodges/Ben Webster records sound superb through my Micro and Yamaha..........that, and realizing I’ve become more tactile in my old age, preferring LPs for their artwork alone.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Allie Noakes.

My guess is that your favorite Beatles’ album would be a tough choice, but you’d go with The Best of The Beatles, right?

Good liner notes!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Alfie - sorry

0 ( +0 / -0 )

blvtzpkToday 05:16 pm JST

Allie Noakes.

My guess is that your favorite Beatles’ album would be a tough choice, but you’d go with The Best of The Beatles, right?

Good liner notes!

Wings Greatest Hits. The band the Beatles could have been!

It says much about the enduring appeal of jet engine technology that Paul felt inspired to write the song Jet some 43 years after they were invented. I’m a big fan of both jets and Jet.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

In some ways, I do miss the nostalgia of going into a Tower Records for everything and going to Clairmont to Rhino Records where I bought music that NO one had and hearing all of the great and upcoming bands Sat. on KROQ and listening to "Rodney on the Roq" and hearing the latest and newest underground bands emerging on the scene, I miss the smell of the vinyl and the dynamic sound range. Having said that, we are just not going back to those classic formats. Yes, there is a new wave of people wanting to get into it and it is growing to a certain level, but their main targets are mostly young kids that want to get their hands on something cool and nostalgic. Mp3-Mp4 and streaming are it now and you can nowadays get extremely close to the vinyl sound, minus the scratching dust, but in time as we are now slowly seeing, CDs in Japan are slowly on their way out, it's just a matter of time. I do miss CD's and cassettes for that matter as well, but as far as practicality, these formats can't beat streaming or Mp3 that is the standard now wether people like it or hate it, you're not going to carry hundreds of albums or CDs in your car and change every few minutes. iPhones and Samsung smartphones allow you to put thousands of songs on these devices and that what a lot of young people want nowadays.

The 4 best albums as far as having the best depth and clarity for me are...

The Brothers Johnson-Light up the Night: Celebration

Pink Floyd-Dark side of the Moon: Time

Rush-Moving Pictures: The Camera Eye

Jaco Pastorius-Jaco Pastorius: A Portrait of Tracy

For me these songs on Vinyl (again depending on your overall setup) have so much detail and warmth, it's just different than on a CD and if you're not sensitive to the subtle nuances between the two formats, you might not think there is much of a difference. For me, I need to hear the bottom which is ground zero for me to even consider exploring a song and from these 4 albums I can hear the bottom, the mids, and the highs distinctively, all in one tight and powerful melodic punch.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I miss the liner notes and cover art as well along with descriptions of the songs, who is playing on them, etc on the back of the covers. That was useful when I'd see a record by someone I wasn't familiar with. If I saw some players on it I recognized it gave me a little clue that it might be something I'd be interested in or not.

I just download now, I realize there is still vinyl, but I have nothing to play it on.

What actually brought me to this thread is I was searching to see if liner notes or their equivalent still exist on the web somewhere in some form in some systematic way. There is all sorts of stuff you can search for and find, but I don't see that record labels even produce liner notes or their equivalent and publish them online. It seems like it would be simple or for that matter include them at a text file in "album" download just like they include the cover art or photo now. You would need to use a computer to view them I suppose, but I suspect many of not most people who use digital audio have a computer or access to one.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Many older music fans miss the complete ‘album experience’ such as cover art, liner notes and photos that have disappeared due to streaming. What's your view on that?

That all ended back in 85 with the introduction of CD’s.

Led Zeppelin-Physical Graffiti 1975

”That’s a great album”

10,000 Maniacs-The Wishing Chair 1985

Borderline

”That’s a great album”

”That’s a great CD”

Nirvana-Nevermind 1991

”That’s a great CD”

plus, I’d like to see them fit a 24” x 24” (George Harrison-All Things Must Pass) poster in a CD.

As for streaming, well isn’t that mostly for pop music? So who cares about that? I’m not even sure you can include the word music after “pop” anymore.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

If you download an album through a torrent you have a choice to download the JPEG image of the album cover as well.

Albums were great to learn teh lyrics if you had an audio discrimination problem, especially if it was a band like The Ramones which were so loud, that you could not understand a word they were singing.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

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