# is the album extinct



## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

in case you don't get it, or read it online...this is a cool article...
Premier Guitar - April 2010


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## lbrown1 (Mar 22, 2007)

an interesting read......I do, I think, agree that the concept album or the idea of an entire album being enveloped in some sort of theme may indeed be a thing of the past......or maybe its al cyclical and that type of art is on hiatus.....BUT the idea of the "single" immersed in a collection of crap songs passed off as an album isn't a new thing either....one only needs to reflect back to the 80's to find a litany of seemingly throw away bubble gum tunes that seem to have stood the test of time for whatever reason.....I also can't help but notice how many times on "concept" albums radio play was focussed on a few tunes...i.e. the Wall - radio played Another Brick part 2 to death - it was even reformatted (in the intro) to be radio friendly....I dunno - maybe Floyd had no say in that ....but I do find it peculiar that was allowed for so many years but they went to court over Itunes selling the songs as singles

just my observations and ramblings....


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## J S Moore (Feb 18, 2006)

It wasn't that i-tunes was selling the singles it was that they weren't paying the royalties on them.

Edit: I think that the musicians who have the talent and drive to pull off a concept album are few and far between. Also, the record companies are looking for hits. They're not willing to put in the time and effort to let a musician find their audience or develop their music. There's a great documentary called "Before the Music Dies" that goes in to this in detail. And that article makes some very good points.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I like the idea of albums.

Although I will often listen to a variety of songs mixed together--I also like to hear an album in it's entirety, when it's a good one--even if it isn't a concept album, _per se_.

But things are cyclical.

In the 60's & before the LP was often a collection of singles, b-sides, and assorted filler--sometimes there were gems in there as well.

But during the 60's some bands found a way to break out of that--of course in some genres a more cohesive album concept had already existed-such as in classical music.


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## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

i would agree...the circle hopefully won't be broken...i think we can all hope that good music returns to the fore-front and pushes the singles driven market out...but for the time being, if you want that kind of music you have to look Indie...which is fine with me...a couple of the bands i'm diggin now are Indie...


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## lbrown1 (Mar 22, 2007)

this is going to sound a little funny - but bear with me......

take a boo at Lady Gaga's approach....a little harder to recognize as a "concept" album because its full of the electronica dance hits sent into the market as singles....but her first 2 albums are definitely centered around a common theme -maybe not "concept per se"......but the whole thing is put together as a "story".... partly in the songs themselves - and a LOT in the way she delivers them live......I think its rare - but its still out there even if it is in "other " genres......at first I thought she was just another dance music bubble gum act....but damn! - that girl has some great talent!.....you won't see too many electronica pop acts step out on stage with just a voice and a piano.........I'm really diggin her stuff..even if I don't really fit her intended demographic....


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

i dunno, but i think the concept of at least a general theme on an album is important. they offer a clear snapshot of the band at that moment. 
the judas priest who recorded _sad wings of destiny_ was not the same band that later gave us _british steel_. i'm not talking about line-up changes, they only changed drummers between these albums. i mean where their head was at. suicidal tendancies is an even more dramatic example of what i mean. the skate band that wrote _institutionalized_ was far and away not the same band as the one who released _monopoly on sorrow_. 
then there's king diamond's _abigail_. a metal opera, if you will. none of these would have been possible in today's hit driven atmosphere, but they all contain some great music.


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

...i take comfort in the possibilty that the "album" is no longer a mainstream/commercial entity, as that simply makes the concept of recording, purchasing and listening to an album much more special and valuable.


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## Starbuck (Jun 15, 2007)

lbrown1 said:


> this is going to sound a little funny - but bear with me......
> 
> take a boo at Lady Gaga's approach....a little harder to recognize as a "concept" album because its full of the electronica dance hits sent into the market as singles....but her first 2 albums are definitely centered around a common theme -maybe not "concept per se"......but the whole thing is put together as a "story".... partly in the songs themselves - and a LOT in the way she delivers them live......I think its rare - but its still out there even if it is in "other " genres......at first I thought she was just another dance music bubble gum act....but damn! - that girl has some great talent!.....you won't see too many electronica pop acts step out on stage with just a voice and a piano.........I'm really diggin her stuff..even if I don't really fit her intended demographic....


i would agree with that, I think she is a very talented individual. She really has figured out how to market herself and she is Julliard educated. I guess she does the acoustic stuff to throw off the detractors who poo poo her. I do love some of her songs, but I really don't want my daughter exposed to her videos at all. While I get that they are a form of "art" I do find them somewhat tasteless. She sure makes Madonna look tame!

As for the Album part? well I do love that I can download 1 song on iTunes and in some cases I have gone back to purchase the "album": in it's entiriety. The Medium I like to purchase now is Live DVD's. I'm amassing a nice collection!


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

Starbuck said:


> The Medium I like to purchase now is Live DVD's. I'm amassing a nice collection!


...you're not alone. my drummer and i are both obsessed with this medium, on a number of levels. being able to "study" great artists up close is one. really looking forward to getting michael jackson's "this is it" and the new white stripes.


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## lbrown1 (Mar 22, 2007)

david henman said:


> ...you're not alone. my drummer and i are both obsessed with this medium, on a number of levels. being able to "study" great artists up close is one. really looking forward to getting michael jackson's "this is it" and the new white stripes.


I haven't bought "This is It"...but I rented it.....it's pretty cool.......my fav scene....when MJ and Orianthi are on stage alone and she's a little apprehensive - he stops so they can redo the scene and instructs her to "go wild...this is your time to shine!"....and she does!

I too am a concert DVD hound


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## Starbuck (Jun 15, 2007)

david henman said:


> ...you're not alone. my drummer and i are both obsessed with this medium, on a number of levels. being able to "study" great artists up close is one. really looking forward to getting michael jackson's "this is it" and the new white stripes.


Yeah it's great! I have a new found appreciation for bands that I never would have thought I'd dig so much. Even just enjoying new arrangements, which is what I really liked about Foo's Skin and Bones.


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## Starbuck (Jun 15, 2007)

lbrown1 said:


> I too am a concert DVD hound


Where to find them though? I have a couple of BD, but HMV and Best buy usually only have the same ones.


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## Duster (Dec 28, 2007)

It's a good topic, but I think one that's impossible to answer "yes" or "no".

I think this is another symptom of something that we see in a lot of markets for a lot of different products, including TV Programs, movies, fashion, and even cars. I like to refer to it as "market fragmentation". There was a time, not long ago, when companies offered products through a couple of limited channels. For example, records were sold in local record stores. It was difficult for producers to know who their audience was and what they wanted. And it was very difficult for consumers to know what was available, unless they saw it in the store. An independent musician had no chance of finding an audience beyond the area where they could draw a live audience.

It was the same for TV. There were limited channels. It was the same for many products.

Today, the market is fragmented. People get music from all over the place. Musicians find fans all over the place. Record companies collect information on their market through all kinds of media and channels. It's the same for TV - look how many channels there are now. It used to be that everyone listened to more or less the same music, in a handful of genres. Today there are hundreds of genres, and sub-genres, each with their own "stars". At my high school, you either liked "rock" music, or "dance" music. Today it's a different world. That's why records like Thriller were such big hits. Everyone saw the same videos and heard the same stuff.

Today, there are so many different audiences. Sure, many people listen only to singles, so the album might seem "dead". But there are still plenty of people making and listening to full length albums. There's probably more people listening to instrumental rock music today than back in the 80s. There are still plenty of people listening to 14 minute songs. I myself listen to all kinds of "less-accessible", art-style music, than I would have been able to even 15 years ago. And as you touched on, the live DVD introduces a whole new way to enjoy music.

Albums aren't dead. They've just had a whole bunch of offspring, a whole bunch of different musical formats, genres, and listening experiences. There's DVD, music channels on TV, audio-only channels on TV, internet radio, podcasts, myspace, facebook, etc. Some of the grandkids look just like albums. Some of the grandkids look different. But the family of music formats just gets bigger and bigger. None of them will die, really. Each will have its own following. But the day when "everyone" had a copy of a certain album, is definitely over.

--- D


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## lbrown1 (Mar 22, 2007)

Starbuck said:


> Where to find them though? I have a couple of BD, but HMV and Best buy usually only have the same ones.


I've had some luck with Walmart believe it or not..recently picked up ZZtop double DVD that's really fantastic....from 1980 something is the first one and then 2007 I think is the 2nd one....its amazing how these guys just get cooler with age.

I also picked up a Heart "soundstage" DVD there too - and it was just brilliant......I wouldn't mind finding other "soundstage" events but they seem hard to locate


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## Duster (Dec 28, 2007)

lbrown1 said:


> I've had some luck with Walmart believe it or not..recently picked up ZZtop double DVD that's really fantastic....from 1980 something is the first one and then 2007 I think is the 2nd one....its amazing how these guys just get cooler with age.
> 
> I also picked up a Heart "soundstage" DVD there too - and it was just brilliant......I wouldn't mind finding other "soundstage" events but they seem hard to locate


Have you guys been to the From the Basement website?

Some GREAT live performances there, mostly by indie-type bands. Some of it is pretty "out there", but the production quality is good. I've spent a surprising amount of time there watching bands I've never heard of, as well as some famous acts.

--- D


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## Starbuck (Jun 15, 2007)

lbrown1 said:


> I've had some luck with Walmart believe it or not..recently picked up ZZtop double DVD that's really fantastic....from 1980 something is the first one and then 2007 I think is the 2nd one....its amazing how these guys just get cooler with age.
> 
> I also picked up a Heart "soundstage" DVD there too - and it was just brilliant......I wouldn't mind finding other "soundstage" events but they seem hard to locate


I've seen that sounstage with Heart I think, they do Dreamboat right? fantastic! I've all seen the ZZ Live in Texas that is extremely cool.


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## lbrown1 (Mar 22, 2007)

Duster said:


> Have you guys been to the From the Basement website?
> 
> Some GREAT live performances there, mostly by indie-type bands. Some of it is pretty "out there", but the production quality is good. I've spent a surprising amount of time there watching bands I've never heard of, as well as some famous acts.
> 
> --- D



hey - this is really cool - thanks


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

Starbuck said:


> Where to find them though? I have a couple of BD, but HMV and Best buy usually only have the same ones.


...i highly recommend amazon.com for selection, pricing, service and fast delivery.

i've gotten some good deals at hmv and, yes, wal-mart.


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## Starbuck (Jun 15, 2007)

david henman said:


> ...i highly recommend amazon.com for selection, pricing, service and fast delivery.
> 
> i've gotten some good deals at hmv and, yes, wal-mart.


That's a good call and I have gotten a few from there, but I don't always know what I'm looking for, know what I mean?


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