An open letter to the MP3 Generation .......

I wrote this a while back, but what the heck, it is still the way I feel so I'll post it here.

An Open Letter to the CD/MP3 Generation …….

Dear CD/MP3ers,

I have been feeling nostalgic lately. I have recently been replacing my older vinyl Jimmy Buffett albums from used record shops and eBay auctions. Many years ago I framed a lot of my original album covers to display on the walls of my basement. It has been over 15 years since I had looked at those original albums other than the framed front cover itself.

Wow. I had almost forgotten how special and better those albums were than the recent CD releases and digital MP3s. Don’t get me wrong, I love my iPod and those CDs, but they pale in comparison to the magic that that was contained in those original 1970’s and early 1980’s 12 inch vinyl albums.

I am not talking necessarily about the songs themselves, but rather the whole album packages. There was nothing quite like a full 12”x12” album cover that opened double wide to reveal the vinyl record itself in a sleeve that contained liner notes and lyrics. The album cover art on the front, back, inside gatefold and album sleeves somehow seemed to be more elaborate and thought out. Once albums were discontinued and replaced by CDs, we lost all of the great artwork and extras …… notable exception ……. Beaches, Boats, Bars and Ballads with that great book included.

My 5 favorite total album experiences (remember I am focusing on the full album and album cover experiences, not necessarily just the music) are all from those 1970s albums.
1. You Had To Be There
2. Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes
3. A1A
4. Son Of A Son Of A Sailor
5. Living And Dying In 3/4 Time

Those 1970’s albums gave us these great album covers with their fantastic inside gatefold photographs, album sleeves and liner notes:

And the best album experience of them all (man I played this album to death) ………..

The 1980s albums and album covers were still great, but the arrival of the CD at the end of the decade spelled the end of the great album art experience as all music became packaged in tiny little CD cases.

By the 1990s the full sized album magic was all but gone.

And by 2000 we were getting more “Live” CDs and compilation rehashes than original work. All the live CDs were blandly packaged just the same, as if it mattered, because we lost the big album art.

Not that you've asked, but my advice CD/MP3ers ...... invest a few coins and pick up some of the original albums while you still can. To really enjoy the experience, pick up a turntable and listen to the albums (pop, crack, hiss and all) while reading the liner notes and enjoying the album cover art and photos (headphones, blacklight posters and weed optional). You won't regret it.

I await your feedback and thoughts respectfully.

Sincerely,
(one of the 8-track/vinyl generation)