When I was a kid, radio was the best way to discover new music. I’d hear a band on the radio and become curious to hear more. Sometimes it only took one single and I was hooked. Other times I’d hear a few songs by an artist and decide I had to have the whole album! Hearing songs on the radio led me to buy innumerable albums!
I still love radio, but what happened to albums? Many artists these days no longer release albums – those collections of songs that marked an era, revealed a journey, showcased a collection of songs. They release singles but don’t always collect them into a full album. Radio is still a great way to discover new music, but I miss the constant flow of album releases.
Singles were the teaser for upcoming albums
Traditionally, singles are a teaser for an upcoming album and considered best songs from the track list. It’s a form of advertising for the full album. When I hear a song on the radio that piques my interest, I want to hear more. There’s an expectation that the artist/band will include this single on their next album.
If an artist is not releasing an album, are the singles all we get from an era? Has music been compartmentalized into small chunks similar to how all discourse should now fit into a Tweet? I love albums and the way they represent a band or artist during a specific timeframe or era.
Albums are best when played from start to finish, giving the listener the whole foray into the artist’s creative reach. It’s fun to make a playlist or mixtape of my favorite songs, but an album curated by the band always takes a top spot for me. A hit single makes me wonder what else they created in the same time frame defining the eras of the band’s journey.
When I pull a record off the shelf, I’m not thinking about a song, I want to listen to the whole thing! Maybe this is a generational thing. I grew up buying albums, not mp3s. For me it’s like discovering an awesome movie trailer for a movie but never seeing the full movie.
I think one culprit in the decline of albums is money. Album releases are expensive compared to dropping a single. Additionally, streaming music sites tend to focus on playlists rather than albums which may in turn influence listening habits overall.
Regardless, there’s no better way to end a day than listening to an album by your favorite band or artist. Long live the album!
By CapeCod.com staff
