This isn't just about Prince, but it does include him.

Think about the flow of albums, how the albums released on vinyl had a flow about them, and how the flow of a CD differs.

I remember listening to Dirty Mind, Controversy, Prince, 1999, Purple Rain etc, etc - the sides of each LP, and the final song on side 1, the first song on side 2 - they were placed there to create a flow, a feeling.

I think that's somewhat missing on CDs.

In the past few years, many acts have released shorter CDs, where as earlier in the 90s, we saw longer CDs that utilised the space they provided - I think the decrease in material on a CD has been a way for acts to get back to the feeling of an LP, where it was a body of work, not just a collection of songs.

Would U feel better if cds had a long pause in the middel?

CAMILLE4U said:

Very droll.

I truly miss them. I remember how each side had a different vibe to it, there was nothing like picking up a new release and after listening to the first side anticipating side 2, or placing the needle gently upon the spinning disc and watching the label spin round. I wish I had the energy and the space to collect some of the newer releases on vinyl, but cd's a so much easier to deal with as much as I haste to admit it. Though I don't read linear notes as much anymore and often refer to tracks by numbers rather than names. I think Prince was predicting the future when he concieved the concept of naming the songs by the order they're in.

I posted a thread on this a little while ago. I do miss the vinyl big time. The 12" remixes, the b sides, the playing backwards to pick up more messages in the songs, looking for the little scratched words or drawing in the smooth bit in the middle. The design of the sleeves, the difference in sound. For example I have Purple Rain on Vinyl and CD and will play the Vinyl on every occassion the cd just sounds muffled compared to the vinyl. The posters that came with them etc etc etc.

Hmmm...Well, I definitley like the sound of the CD better, but I miss album covers of yesterday though. The sheer size of an album made the covers all that more enticing. Many an album cover of mine wound up being makeshift posters.

I don't miss the vinyl issue as such, but I miss the whole build up to the release of an album.

No outtakes. No leaks. No info. Just a lead single, then, on one day, a whole album of excitement.

The music business tries to hype every release now, but, before the digital revolution, we simply got the album on a certain day. And how I loved that day! I used to make it an event.

I remember skipping school on the release days for Parade and SOTT, and sneaking home while my mum was at work so I could play the album uninterrupted.

Those few seconds of crackle, before the first song kicked in were wonderful. You never knew the new direction the music was going to take. It was a rollercoaster ride.

The vinyl singles were just as good. A new B side everytime!? A long version of the a side? It was like a mini christmas.

Its not just a Prince thing. The youth of today will miss out on how exciting "lack of information" used to be!

Ah, I TOTALLY miss the LP. Everything about it.

My boyfriend and I hooked up his long-neglected 70s hi-fi wrecka playa over the weekend and went used LP shopping...among other goodies, I ended up with cheap vinyl copies of LoveSexy, Sign O The Times, Controversy, I Wish U Heaven, and perhaps most thrillingly to me, The Scandalous Sex Suite.

Spin that bitch and just SEE if inhibitions don't start to melt.

SquirrelMeat said:

67TBirdHeartAttack said:

Ditto to everything.

Sound quality aside, vinyl albums, with their cover art and often little extras inside like posters, or even just the photos or art on the inside sleeve, had more personality and warmth than today's CDs.

Plus the stuff like 12"s, picture discs, b sides, etc all made the whole 'record store experience' more exciting than nowadays, imo.

Anybody remember those cardboard poster-like pictures that the record stores would put up to promote or advertise an album? I don't know if they had a specific name, but they'd look just like the record cover itself, the same size and everything as an album or 12", and the stores would use those cardboard things for decoration and/or promotion. I used to go and bug the store employees for those things all the time.

SquirrelMeat said:

VERY true!

no, not really.

Romance1600 said:

Funny you should say this. Check out this BBC news article published this week!

Less is more.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/h...280429.stm

Romance1600 said:

not to be a smart aleck or anything, but weren't they placed that way 'cause there wasn't enough room on one side?
But I do know what you mean.


Really? Don't cds nowadays have like 13 tracks on them? Whereas an album, say Purple Rain, had 9?
I actually liked when there were less tracks, unless it's a greatest hits album I find 13 tracks to be a little much. But then again, I guess that's because a b-side basicly doesn't exist anymore, that's what I really miss.

Vinyl was good. Albums had to be concise (about 45 minutes) just to maintain the sound quality. And they had that A-side/B-side double whammy. I always felt Prince's output declined in overall quality :ducks: around the time CDs became widely popular and artists realised they could release 60+ minutes on a single disc without having to justify a double album to the record company.

Plus I always loved 12 inch singles. There was something really special about the B sides. You made a conscious decision to listen to them and Prince always delivered. They were kind of distanced from the album material and so didn't really interfere with the concept and stuff, which was cool.

Still, I love the quality and convenience of CD.

Yes,I miss the LP too.But overall,CDs are better because they take up less space,they can hold more music,and you can play them in your car.

DavidEye said:

And despite the arguments of vinyl lovers they do sound better.

SquirrelMeat said:

i totally agree with those record execs that say "album albums should have 10 or fewer songs." i feel exactly the same way. you get the feeling you're paying for quality music. it feels as though the artist/band only put their strongest material on there. an album containing more songs is like an immidiate turnoff for me. when an album contains more than, say, 13 songs, i know i'm going to find some filler on it.