IDM Mailing Archive

Sorry in advance for flooding your mailboxes with more off-topic mail, but i've been somewhat bothered by something lately. I've noticed that almost all of the cds and albums i've bought recently have been extrordinarily boring. Not to say that music today is boring, because in fact i've been finding more good music lately than i can afford to buy, but liner art and information has become very scant. I can understand minimalism, but i'm getting tired of the only writing on an album being from the record company, and the artwork a sinle boring picture, or worse a wash of color, excuse me if i'm wrong but color fields were ever done back in the 50's. Try picking up a re-release of some jazzer or pop star from years past, you have more liner notes than you can read in the span of an album listening, from artist thoughts to reviews, tour notes, what was played, why it was revolutionary, lyrics, etc etc etc... then i go pick up an autechre cd or some other flavor of the month and nothing... An old argument for buy an album vs. mp3s is packaging, well packaging is virtually non-existant. I want something more than a single page insert, picture on front, plain back. or a two page book thats a solid color... I don't even care what they put in them anymore, just put something. shout outs, equipment lists, lyric sheet (i know i'm reaching there), pictures of the people contributing, real artwork, the bands favorite cheesecake recipe, a manifesto, i just want a little something to look at while the music plays. This isn't to say everyone has neglected their albums. Third eye foundation's Little Lost Soul had a lot of pretty pictures to look at, and even a little bit to read while the beats and noise played. And there are plenty more. Well again sorry, I just had to get that off my chest before i go out buy another album and break the plastic wrap to find a gatefold of another boring earthtone and shoot the salesperson. David <please don't hate me> ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

I agree completely, just so you know if you get tons of flames, you're not alone. I think too much new music comes out with too little accompanying information (or non-info). There are only two possible reasons for this. 1) somebody, the artist or the label, is being LAZY .... and 2) small labels can't afford the printing costs and they are betting the music is good enough to get you hooked and buying so they can make enough money to do the job right the next time... actually, there's a third option, which may be the worst: 3) whoever makes the decision about the liner notes and artwork is of the regrettable opinion that no info or minimalist art is somehow artsy or cool or whatever. give it up! minimalism isn't better than other options, it's just one option of many. go wild! on the subject of equipment lists - this bores me to no end, but that's only (probably) because i'm not involved in making music nor do i care much about the specifics of the process. however, the recent Varathane CD-R on Hydrant/Sprout came with one square peice of paper, and they managed to include an equipment list on it. -adam On Fri, 30 Jun 2000 20:29:20 CDT, David Moore wrote:

quoted 42 lines Sorry in advance for flooding your mailboxes with more off-topic mail, but

>Sorry in advance for flooding your mailboxes with more off-topic mail, but >i've been somewhat bothered by something lately. I've noticed that almost >all of the cds and albums i've bought recently have been extrordinarily >boring. Not to say that music today is boring, because in fact i've been >finding more good music lately than i can afford to buy, but liner art and >information has become very scant. I can understand minimalism, but i'm >getting tired of the only writing on an album being from the record company, >and the artwork a sinle boring picture, or worse a wash of color, excuse me >if i'm wrong but color fields were ever done back in the 50's. > >Try picking up a re-release of some jazzer or pop star from years past, you >have more liner notes than you can read in the span of an album listening, >from artist thoughts to reviews, tour notes, what was played, why it was >revolutionary, lyrics, etc etc etc... then i go pick up an autechre cd or >some other flavor of the month and nothing... An old argument for buy an >album vs. mp3s is packaging, well packaging is virtually non-existant. I >want something more than a single page insert, picture on front, plain back. > or a two page book thats a solid color... I don't even care what they put >in them anymore, just put something. shout outs, equipment lists, lyric >sheet (i know i'm reaching there), pictures of the people contributing, real >artwork, the bands favorite cheesecake recipe, a manifesto, i just want a >little something to look at while the music plays. > >This isn't to say everyone has neglected their albums. Third eye >foundation's Little Lost Soul had a lot of pretty pictures to look at, and >even a little bit to read while the beats and noise played. And there are >plenty more. > >Well again sorry, I just had to get that off my chest before i go out buy >another album and break the plastic wrap to find a gatefold of another >boring earthtone and shoot the salesperson. > > David <please don't hate me> > >________________________________________________________________________ >Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com > > >--------------------------------------------------------------------- >To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org >For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org >

-- Adam Piontek [http://www.tcinternet.net/users/damek/] ICQ: 3456339 [damek@earthling.net] ... If you smoke after sex, you're doing it too fast! --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

On Fri, 30 Jun 2000 20:51:10 -0500 "Adam Piontek" <damek@earthling.net> writes:

quoted 1 line There are only two possible reasons for this. 1) somebody, the

>There are only two possible reasons for this. 1) somebody, the

led to ...

quoted 4 lines actually, there's a third option, which may be the worst: 3) whoever

>actually, there's a third option, which may be the worst: 3) whoever >makes the decision about the liner notes and artwork is of the >regrettable opinion that no info or minimalist art is somehow artsy >or cool or whatever.

Could it also be that the label/artist is making a conscious decision to release records without the traditional "baggage" that record buying and selling entails? In other words, the focus is on the content not the context ... musical, that is. Perhaps Pthalocyanine could get his psychiatrist to write the next album insert (ala Mingus) or Freeform his clothier (ala Davis). Or maybe we're better off without. I, personally (duh), would like to see a bit more creativity in the packaging - the approach that Global Comm took on 71:28 (or whatever, I always forget the exact time) was interesting, but a bit of a copout. The artists' prejudice and associations aren't always bad. "monotony and aesthetics" Do we hear winner for the best forthcoming title of next year? ; ) J np: _Cup of Tea Records: Another Compilation_ I love $1 closeout sales at major chains! Join The Party @www.cpusa.org ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

On Sat, 1 Jul 2000 01:16:28 -0500, James R McPherson wrote:

quoted 9 lines actually, there's a third option, which may be the worst: 3) whoever

>>actually, there's a third option, which may be the worst: 3) whoever >>makes the decision about the liner notes and artwork is of the >>regrettable opinion that no info or minimalist art is somehow artsy >>or cool or whatever. > >Could it also be that the label/artist is making a conscious decision to >release records without the traditional "baggage" that record buying and >selling entails? In other words, the focus is on the content not the >context ... musical, that is. Perhaps Pthalocyanine could get his

sorry, i guess i was rather incoherent. i was trying to say that, yes, there's a conscious decision somewhere along the line to focus on musical conent; the view being that anything else is baggage. i think the view that non-musical conent is baggage is regrettable. here you have a release, and you have the opportunity to accompany the music with more art, be it words or images, to produce even a stronger statement (emotional, political, frivolous, whatever) than the music alone can give. perhaps one makes a conscious decision that the exact message they're trying to get across is better served with little or no content besides the music. fine, but too many people are doing that these days and it has to be a cop-out some of the time. all social life is theatre; theatre is the use of a medium to communicate. the basic level of communication is your psyche and body. music is the manipulation of sound to communicate. if the artist is interested in communicating anything, why not use all available options? if the artist is not interested in communicating, why produce anything at all? ("for fun" is a good reason; it involves communication as well).

quoted 3 lines psychiatrist to write the next album insert (ala Mingus) or Freeform his

>psychiatrist to write the next album insert (ala Mingus) or Freeform his >clothier (ala Davis). Or maybe we're better off without. I, personally >(duh), would like to see a bit more creativity in the packaging - the

then we're agreed... np: David Bowie - Black Tie White Noise (he's always made good use of inserts and covers) -- Adam Piontek [http://www.tcinternet.net/users/damek/] ICQ: 3456339 [damek@earthling.net] ... The news is my hooker, and the truth is her pimp! --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org