Albums that works better on CD than LP

I often wonder how Star Wars would have been perceived if it had been released after Battlestar Galactica.

 

I honor side breaks in old albums, and create my own side breaks when listening to new music. 16-20 minutes of continuous music deserves a break. The only time I don't do this is when I'm listening to classical music. If it's a long enough piece, I'll break for an "intermission!"

 

Couldn't agree more. An expanded edition of Ya's Ya's would be great! Maybe on the 50th anniversary of it's release...

 

Prince - Graffiti Bridge

 

The 1978 recording of Philip Glass's Einstein on the Beach is "abridged" so as to fit on 4 LPs. The 1993 recording is the "full" version fitting on 3 CDs.

Funny enough the 78 recording was released on 4 CDs. Not so funny, I believe it cost me the same as buying 4 individual CDs as they liked to do back then.

 

I agree 100%.

 

John Foxx - Cathedral Oceans, Cathedral Oceans II, Cathedral Oceans III

 

Haha or if CDs were introduced after computer audio? Well in fact for many younger folk, vinyl’s at least a recent discovery if not a new invention.

 

First of all, many people would be thrilled to have the larger artwork and liner notes. They would also be amazed to interact with the actual plastic disc and watch the record spin as the music emanates from the turntable. Would be such a cool, tactile feel after the sterile "pop in a CD and watch it disappear" experience.

Then lastly, they would enjoy the full sound of an LP after listening to an often brittle and harsh sounding CD.

 

The only question is mastering, imo. A good CD beats good Vinyl for me every day, in every way. The old methods that dictated a Side A and Side B are/were artificial and unnecessary. An album release is conceived as a whole - even if sides are themed - and as such CD's just do it better. I also love more flexibility in running time. If an album is meant to be 35 minutes long, so be it. But if there's 70 minutes of music, give me 70 minutes.

 

Honestly, I don't think so. Everything is screens now. I can look a album art on my PC at a size greater than Vinyl. I can also read liner notes etc. the same way. Plastis is, let's face it, out. It's turned into a scourge.

We're often told Millenials don't like "stuff". Vinyl albums are a prime example, they just don't fit. When you factor in how much more delicate they are, how they're more difficult to copy and distribute - I could have as many albums as I want, but I'd need all of them in digital format as well.

Honestly I think the allure of Vinyl is mostly as a collectable, AKA: as an "investment".

 

CDs are useful when buying albums on which there’s multiple songs you’re going to want to skip.
I just ordered 2 Paul McCartney albums - one I ordered on vinyl because I love each track, the other I ordered on CD because I know there are about 3 songs I don’t want to have to listen to.

 

I think you may be missing something. There is a huge movement towards experiences and hands on activities. Cooking, baking, crafts, making things with your hands. This all ties in with people wanting to actually interact with their media. Remember when eBooks killed books? Yeah, you don't b/c it didn't happen. Book stores (real ones) are thriving.

People want to touch the things that are important to them. A shiny disc that disappears into a slot is not a huge draw for anyone outside of music forums who grew up with CDs, when they can just stream or download the same product (or a better version).

I guess it depends on who you talk to and who you know. Among young people, or honestly anyone I know, CDs are seen as superfluous - why would you own a CD when you can get it digitally streaming? But the same people freak out over an actual album. It's why vinyl continues to be more popular and CDs continue to tank.

 

Live and Classical.

 

Another Green World
The College Dropout

 

Yeah, we live in different circles. In my circles - and we were all there for the heyday of vinyl - we're like: Why in the world would anyone want to go back to that? I think it's best we don't generalize. Personally, when I hold a vinyl album, I just think of how ridiculously big it is.

 

You're selectively omitting every factor that makes vinyl problematic.

 

I lived though the end of vinyl as a kid without much real attachment to it. My real heydey was the cassette - shudder. Then CDs were supposed to be the ****. I bought into it like everyone else for many years until I realized that they just didn't sound that great. Sold over a thousand CDs and have never looked back. Yes, generalizations might not be best, since it gets us to the fact that old people (and I'm one of them at 50) like CDs and no one else understands why they exist.

 

Keith Jarrett albums, obviously.

 

I opt for CD when purchasing lo-fi indie stuff like Guided By Voices. Distortion and vinyl don't mix well.

 

Allman Brothers...Eat a Peach

Full Mountain Jam without a side change.

 

If you've heard just one CD that sounded great, that's all the proof needed to quell the idea that the medium sounds bad. It's not the format that's defective or inferior.

 

Please enlighten me and tell me how my collection of Music Matters, Analogue Productions, Speakers Corner, Sam Records, and MoFi vinyl is problematic? Is it the lush, full sound? The amazing high hat and cymbals, the chunky and accurate bass? The crazy low noise floor? Or is it those gorgeous gatefold covers and extra inserts? I know those crazy cheap early OJC albums Mosaic titles can be really annoying b/c they sound so lifelike and are so cheap.

 

My pick, too, for that reason. Though I must say that I still prefer it on my original cassette tape!

Nostalgia and snobbery.

 

Rumours - because then you can add Silver Springs and add to the tension.