My Fear for the Demise of the Concept Album

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Long Playing Records (LP’s) allowed for the invention and rise of the concept album. Artists utilized the technology of LP’s to tell an overarching story over the length of an entire album, creating works of art that were dependent on the whole product. Yes, a single song would be played on the radio, but the true story could only be told in conjunction with its surrounding songs, sounds, and even the packaging that it came in. Example: The Beatles’ Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band

Humans naturally want to find order within chaos. We find that relationship in music itself; chromaticisms and dissonances build up suspense and lead to resolutions. That tendency branches out into the entire album itself. After listening to an album in order repeatedly, you will naturally start associating the end of one song with the beginning of the next, to the point where not only will you be able to identify the song to follow, but you will actually feel suspense until the next song starts and the tension is resolved.

When a band creates an album, they are clearly cognizant of each song selection, the order of succession, and the timing between songs. When someone creates a mix CD, each selection is made according to that individual’s aesthetics. The product is an art greater than the sum of each song. The result is an overarching story, a natural progression of dissonance and resolution, and correlations that are long-lasting and will stay with an attentive listener.

My fear is that this art form will not withstand new technology. People no longer “pop in” a CD to listen to. Now music is digital, compiled together on your computer, and loaded onto your mp3 player. I no longer hear music in a planned order that the artist conceived; I hear it in the order (alphabetical) it appears in my Creative Zen: Vision M.

I no longer listen to one of my favorite albums, OK Computer, in order because my Zen lists alphabetically. It is completely different. In my mind, I know exactly what the first song is, how the opening guitar riff sounds, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I could sing the exact pitch that it starts on. In fact, I just tested myself, and yes. I can. I just sang the first pitch of “Airbag” before I heard it. I am awesome.

I guess that was a bad example though, because “Airbag” is still the first song of OK Computer since it starts with “A,” but that’s not the point. The point is that the end of “Airbag’s” beep. beep. beep. doesn’t transition directly to that percussive cymbal scratch or whatever of “Paranoid Android.” (That’s my favorite part of the entire album actually.)

Well, that’s not even the point either. More importantly, digital formatting has changed how consumers listen to music. I no longer buy complete albums. I buy the song I want for $0.99 on Amazon with one click and am done with it. I wouldn’t know if there was any special correlation that the artist intended with the song before or after it.

My other issue is that I don’t physically have the album. This need to have music physically will definitely show my age in a few years, especially when current youngsters will grow up without ever having purchased a physical album. I have the same problem with books; I like to actually have the book on my shelf, but soon the Kindle or whatever will make that a silly notion.

Music has always been more than just the music itself. It is a complete experience. This is something that performing arts organizations are trying to communicate. There is absolutely nothing like live music, and it has nothing to do with what you’re hearing. That can all be recorded and re-transmitted. The difference is your interaction. There is an energy that only live performances can provide between the band, the music, and the audience. You can feel the suspense in your fellow audience members. The band feeds off of the energy that an enthusiastic crowd provides. The same “experience” argument can be made for concept albums.

I do feel anxiety that concept albums will become obsolete in the near future, and very much hope that there is something to be done about it. Stay tuned for another (and completely contradictory) rant about the virtues of the radio and why I hope it doesn’t become obsolete as well.