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A review by lizziekam
33 1/3 Greatest Hits, Volume 1 by David Barker
2.0
Am I interested in what Colin Meloy thinks about the Replacements? Hmmm.
Back in the days when music lovers purchased "records," the first listenings were accompanied by obsessive reading of the liner notes and analysis and interpretation of the cover art. I wanted to know everything there was to know about my favorite bands and their music, and this fed a certain sense of identity for me, that I knew the obscure and arcane about the obscure and alternative bands I loved.
Now that my music comes as a digital download, and maybe as a function of age, I have lost this old desire to thoroughly immerse myself in music ephemera. However, I was intrigued by the 33 1/3 series, surely as a way to access that desire of my youth, but it is not exactly easy to find the actual monographs in my local library system. This volume collects excerpts from highlights of the series, so it seemed like a good way to get a taste. But I was disappointed to discover that (a) the albums chosen were not my favorites from the series, and (b) the excerpts chosen to represent the albums I did like were not about what I wanted. To wit: I love Prince, but did not require a close reading of the Sign O' The Times record. Neil Young's Harvest is MY FAVORITE ALBUM and yet it seems the reviewer actually sort of hates it. Exile on Main Street is my absolute favorite Stones album, but the excerpt here is mostly about the cover art. It would be deeply interesting had I had the actual album cover as I read it, but alas, the Exile in my collection is a digital download. Honestly, my favorite was actually Colin Meloy's piece on Let It Be.
Thus, if I come across the monographs, I may pick them up and read and chapter or two, but it seems that this is a ship that has sailed for me. I am content to listen and enjoy and not obsess.
Back in the days when music lovers purchased "records," the first listenings were accompanied by obsessive reading of the liner notes and analysis and interpretation of the cover art. I wanted to know everything there was to know about my favorite bands and their music, and this fed a certain sense of identity for me, that I knew the obscure and arcane about the obscure and alternative bands I loved.
Now that my music comes as a digital download, and maybe as a function of age, I have lost this old desire to thoroughly immerse myself in music ephemera. However, I was intrigued by the 33 1/3 series, surely as a way to access that desire of my youth, but it is not exactly easy to find the actual monographs in my local library system. This volume collects excerpts from highlights of the series, so it seemed like a good way to get a taste. But I was disappointed to discover that (a) the albums chosen were not my favorites from the series, and (b) the excerpts chosen to represent the albums I did like were not about what I wanted. To wit: I love Prince, but did not require a close reading of the Sign O' The Times record. Neil Young's Harvest is MY FAVORITE ALBUM and yet it seems the reviewer actually sort of hates it. Exile on Main Street is my absolute favorite Stones album, but the excerpt here is mostly about the cover art. It would be deeply interesting had I had the actual album cover as I read it, but alas, the Exile in my collection is a digital download. Honestly, my favorite was actually Colin Meloy's piece on Let It Be.
Thus, if I come across the monographs, I may pick them up and read and chapter or two, but it seems that this is a ship that has sailed for me. I am content to listen and enjoy and not obsess.