Albums with instructions for playback (i.e. This Record Should Be Played Loud)

This was one of the first cd's I bought. Wasn't much available back then either.
I believe the warning was because of the quick change from the high frequencies of the cannon crack and the low resulting boom could fry your speakers. I remember hearing that when the cannons were recorded at some military school the dorm windows were blown out from the sound pressure....

 

Yea, they have a quick, big punch to them when they go off. I can see how you could be a little nervous if it's played at a loud volume.

 

The Cure - Concert

Deadwax A "PLAY ME LOUD"
Deadwax B "EAT ME TOO"

 

From Mike Oldfield's album "Amarok"...

"HEALTH WARNING – This record could be hazardous to the health of cloth-eared nincompoops. If you suffer from this condition, consult your Doctor immediately ".

 

Don't remember which Radiohead album (I think it was 'Amnesiac') says something about storing it avoiding direct sunlight or something

 

The back of "Todd" (Bearsville 2BR 6952):

"Now, more than ever, turn it UP!"

 

the first Paul Butterfield Blues Band album

Kind of superflous though isn't it, the instruction to play it loud. I mean it was amusing once.

 

From the liner notes of Todd Rundgren, "A Wizard A True Star" (BR 2133):

!Important Notice!
I'm sure you've heard this before,
but due to the fact that you can only
put so much music on a piece of
plastic before you start to loose (sic) some
of the sound, and due to the fact
that I have exceeded what is considered
the practical norm by at least 6 or
7 minutes per side, you will probably
want to crank up your Victrola as loud
as it will go to get the full enjoy-
ment contained on this here LP.
Thank

 

More liner notes from Todd Rundgren, "Initiation": (BR 6957):

Technical Note: Due to the amount of music on this disc
(over one hour), two points must be emphasized.
Firstly, if your needle is worn or damaged,
it will ruin this disc immediately.
Secondly, if the sound does not seem loud enough
on your system, try re-recording the music onto tape.
By the way, thanks for buying the album.

 

Well, they should all be given an 'F' for grammar. (Should be "play loudly")

 

Uh, no. Merriam-Webster, Strunk & White and many others all show "loud" as a completely acceptable adverbial usage. A college prof might prefer "loudly", but in some contexts it sounds stilted and isn't common usage anymore in saying something like "play it loud".

If you Google "Play it loud" you get 228,000,000 returns and "play it loudly" garners only 15,800,000. Loud has become the more frequent and accepted usage.

We could start a loud vs. loudly thread. It might be even more fun than cables!

 

I have always wondered, has anybody ever been enough of a serious fan to the point of actually following these instructions?

I know I have never bothered with it, since the book wasn't in the house. Maybe I should have. I supposed I felt the piece was horrific / disquieting enough on its own...

 

"We suggest that you play this record at the highest possible volume in order to fully appreciate the sound of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band"

Electra Records was very polite in 1965. Back then it was quite 'surprising' to be encouraged to crank it up, and I was happy that I took their advice!

 

That post made me look it up. It's in the public domain as a pdf file in various places. Here is one. The text itself is just 24 pages. "Short fiction". In honor of Frank, I will give it a read tonight and revisit 'The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny'.

 

Read any Kafka before?

 

Slade titled one of their albums, "Play it Loud".

 

On Severed Heads "City Slab Horror" ..... "This album is recommended for maximum volume headphone torture"

 

Sure. Never read this one though. Just finished it. Reminds me of Edgar Allen Poe meets Cormac McCarthy!

 

Words to live by.

 

Yes, and McDonald's hamburgers are the most purchased in the world.

 

Rush's debut album says "For best results, play at maximum volume"

 

I seem to remember seeing a CD by Whitehouse that warned it had several hidden frequencies that if played loud could be harmful to hearing.

 

Lou Reed's "Set The Twilight Reeling" instructs the listener to turn the CD up as loud as possible, to hear the maximum dynamic range.

 

Nirvana In Utero, as mentioned before, but with a picture. First one I thought of.

 

The title track on Steve Hackett's Please don't touch has the following instructions :
For maximum effect this track should be listened to as loudly as possible with as much treble and bass as your system can muster - not to be played to people with heart conditions or those in severely halluginogenic states of mind.