music millenium on 23rd closed on august 31st. this probably doesn't mean much to you, and that particular store closing doesn't affect my life all that much. it was a good record store though. big and well stocked. a place where you could lose yourself for a few hours. i saw lou barlow play there. i missed paul westerberg playing there. what're you gonna do?
what bothers me is the slow death of record stores. i could go into a whole spiel about how downloading music is awful, and how all you motherfuckers with ipods are missing one of the vital aspects of the music buying experience, but, shit, i've downloaded a few things in my day. of course, if i really liked it i would buy it anyway so i could have the book. but c'mon ipoders, do you really get a thrill scrolling through lists trying to find that song you heard on the radio? y'know, the one you don't really know the name of but it's got an acoustic guitar and sung by some californian faking an english accent? don't you miss the record racks? the thousands of skinny cardboared sleeves that you have to physically dig through to find that gem? that one?
but people are stupid. they'd rather go to happy hours with co-workers. or go to work. or go to a ballgame. or mow the lawn. or lay down on the fucking couch and watch law and order. or go to their fucking computer and download their shitty music onto there shitty computer and listen to it on shitty speakers while they do their online banking.
i'm old. i know. but i want to hold my records. album art (remember that) is important. it's beautiful. "in the court of the crimson king"? that's my favorite painting!
it's important to know who produced the album you're listening to. phil spector produced the one i'm listening to.
it's important to know who engineered the album you're listening to. ed stasium engineered the one i'm listening to.
you should know who played bass in your favorite band. or if they have a piano player or if it's a guest musician.
good music is important. every part of it. i wish liner notes included who cleaned the toilets in the studio. i would like to know.
so go buy a fucking record. music is physical. otherwise it's just a ghost.
1 comment:
Your listening to "End of the Century!" Thank you to my brothers for buying me a new turntable so I am impelled to buy more vinyl. Music IS physical! I think few people think of it that way.
But fuck you -- I download too! Shit, I've got 24 bucks still on my iTunes card! Really, I should only use it after midnight, when the last recod store has closed for the night.
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