Album Music
There has always been something of a divide between album sales and singles sales. I have always preferred album music, which tends to be less commercial, to the more mainstream pop-dominated singles charts. This is a sweeping generalization of course. From being a teenager, when I first started to collect records, I have saved up to buy the albums of the artists I like. There are few singles in my collection. Today, singles have three or four tracks on them and are quite expensive. Some of these tracks are fillers and different mixes of the one song. I will only buy a single if I'm certain that I'll never want to buy the album.
The nature of how we obtain our music has changed so much. With the coming of Internet downloading, we can compile our own albums by selecting the tracks we want. Traditional album music bought in the record stores may contain tracks we'd rather not have. This is becoming more and more influential, as download sales are being included now in record charts. Some songs are becoming big hits on the strength of their downloads alone, as in UK band, the Arctic Monkeys. Will album music, as we've always known it, continue to sell? It's difficult to say, as fans take more control over what they listen to. Everyone is their own DJ, with their ipods glued to their ears.
Albums give performers the chance to experiment in ways they wouldn't consider when producing a single. They can try out different kinds of music which fans may not be familiar with. In the 1970s, concept albums were in fashion, with arty gatefold sleeves and poetic lyrics. It was a far cry from the three-minute single. A lot of artists, then and now, rely on album music sales and don't bother to promote singles much. Singer songwriters are an example of this. Artists such as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young have made little impact with their single releases. Bands like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Deep Purple could fill big stadiums without good singles success. They shifted tons of albums instead.
I always look at the album charts first to see what's happening. It's more interesting to me than the singles charts, which feature a lot of one hit wonders and passing trends. Another reason for buying albums is to hear a good band captured live. A sustained stereo blast of live rock for forty minutes is just what the doctor ordered.
