The Art of…Creating and Listening to an Album
by Sheldon Rocha Leal
On the 19th of November 2021, Adele released her 4th studio album, “30”, to great critical acclaim and chart success, shipping nearly 1.6million units worldwide, in its opening week. In the 4 weeks leading up to the end of the year the album shipped nearly 4million units, becoming the world’s second biggest selling album of 2021. At the time of the album’s release media outlets reported that Adele had requested that streaming platforms remove the shuffle feature on the album, so as to prevent listeners from listening to it randomly. She wanted audiences to listen to her album in its entirety, from first to last song, an album that took her 5 years to birth. Spotify conceded to her request, but Adele’s appeal caused a split amongst listening audiences and critics.
The ensuing debate about the removal of “shuffle” feature reinforced my beliefs on how people listen to music and the decorum one should apply when consuming an artist’s creative output. As a musicologist, my views are extreme, and clearly not everyone will agree with them, but this is an opinion piece after all, and you, as the reader, should be able to formulate your own views, whilst considering my perspectives. At the end of the day the consumer will do what they please and the creator has no control over that, no matter how hard they try. I’m merely offering the perspective of the creator and what could have possibly motivated Adele to make such a request. Before delving into the argument, I need to historically contextualise the music creation process, how albums were conceptualised and compiled, in order to give insight into my perspectives.
Dating back to the origins of Western Classical Music in the 1600s, the Baroque era, and essentially the formalisation of music as we know it today musicians meticulously composed and orchestrated elaborate pieces of music. These compositions entailed various elements and could last as long as an hour. The creations were very carefully conceptualised and would be designed to elicit different emotional responses, employing elements such as tempo, key, timing and harmonic changes. Compositions were created to convey a specific story and the composer would take the audience on an elaborate journey in the duration of the performance. Although these elaborate creations consisted of various parts, they were designed to be played as a whole. Even though some teachers extrapolated certain elements of the compositions to illustrate and reinforce specific musical concepts to their students, the compositions were always played in their entirety in public.
The trend persisted through the Classical and Romantic periods. At the turn of the 20th century, however, and the advent of the Rock ‘n Roll era in the mid-1950s things changed. Well, things actually started changing from quite some time before that, being ushered in during the Jazz era, which started in the 1920s. The music was now directed at a younger audience, with compositions taking on a shorter format. No longer were audiences subjected to hour long performances of one piece. Arrangements and orchestration were simpler and durations shorter. As we progressed through the two world wars ensemble sizes were reduced, until we arrived in the 1950s and Rock ‘n Roll, where ensembles consisted of 3 members: Guitar, Double Bass, Drums and Voice (with the vocalist often taking the role of guitarist), sometimes piano was also included.
The modern recorded music industry emerged between the 1930s-1950s when records replaced sheet music as the most important product purchased in the music business. Prior to that sheet music and upright pianos were a home’s entertainment centres, this was replaced by the record and the Gramaphone. With the introduction of this new technology the way in which music was consumed, produced, reproduced and created was irrevocably altered. It took time for the art of producing an album to be formalised and for the longest time singles ruled the industry, as sheet music had before that. The first albums to be released were a haphazard collection of singles, which may have followed a specific theme, but often didn’t. This all changed in the early days of Rock ‘n Roll.
Initially, the status quo persisted and many artists like Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Chuck Berry released singles, which eventually got packaged into albums. In these early days of the Rock ‘n Roll era, things worked slightly differently to what they do now. The market was based around the “single”, cover versions, A&R people doubled up as producers and based on a single’s success record companies would decide if they would release an album. These albums were often a compilation of an artist’s former successful singles. Because most of the songs recorded were cover versions, this meant albums could be released at a more rapid pace, meaning an artist could release more than one album a year. As a result albums didn’t sell in the quantities they would finally attain at their peak in the 1970s-1990s.
As the Rock ‘n Roll era moved into its teen years and the music industry formalised, the way record companies and producers approached the making of an album changed. Firstly, the roles of a producer and A&R become more clearly defined. A&Rs now only discovered and signed talent, whilst producers focused on bringing an artist’s musical vision to life. Secondly, the music being released became more sophisticated and started to mature, with many artists writing their own content and relying less on covers. Thirdly, artists started wanting to tell a more extended story through the albums they released. Fourthly, it became evident that the profitability of an album was greater than that of a single, encouraging more artists to invest in the extended music format, LP (Long Player). Finally, technological advancements facilitated the creation of more elaborate soundscapes and end products. The album was, therefore, elevated to an artwork and its own artform, tantamount to the epic creations of the master composers of yore.
As a result “the concept album” was popularised in the mid- to late 1960s. Popularised, because the concept album was something that emerged in the 1940s with the release of Woody Guthrie’s album “Dust Bowl Ballads”. This was followed by albums released by Frank Sinatra: “The Voice of Frank Sinatra” (1946); “In The Wee Small Hours” (1955); “Frank Sinatra Sings For Only The Lonely” (1958). Frank Sinatra is occasionally referred to as the “Father of the Concept Album” and influenced others to follow in his footsteps, including Nat “King” Cole and Bing Crosby.
It was, however, with the release of albums by The Beatles, The Who and The Beach Boys that the artform was elevated into mass popular culture. The Beatle’s “Revolver” (1966), “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” (1967), The Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” (1966) and The Who’s “Tommy” are considered landmark concept albums. As opposed to earlier concept albums by Frank Sinatra, Woody Guthrie, Bing Crosby and Nat “King” Cole, the concept wasn’t only in the lyrical themes, but also in the musical motifs used, artwork and soundscapes produced. The producer’s role in the direction of these projects, by weaving the artist’s concepts into a finished product became vital and they became almost as celebrated and the album’s stars.
It is one thing to write a song, it is something entirely different to be able to breathe life into a composition, and that became and is the role of a producer, whilst considering an artist’s creative vision. Producers are the technical and creative leaders in the studio, and in the 1960s the studio became an instrument in its own right. At that stage many of the tracks created in studio could not be replicated live, as the studio and the sounds created therein where an instrument that could not be transported. Queen, for example, could not perform “Bohemian Rhapsody” in its entirety in public because of the advanced technology employed on the track.
With the advent of the concept album producers spent copious hours determining the sound of a project, selecting appropriate songs, right mix of musicians, order in which songs would appear on the album and even artwork. Furthermore, they would determine the link between the songs, the topic of the album, ensure that a wholistic sound was created and establish the structure and arrangement of each individual track. This means everything was carefully considered, including how one song ended and the next started. It is, therefore, clear that if one removes one of the songs from the album one is missing out on the greater story, not only the written story, but also the sonic one.
The process of creating an album is mammoth, for example, Quincy Jones, whilst working on Michael Jackson’s “Bad” waded through 60 songs which the icon wrote for the project, recorded 30 and only used 11. The hours it takes for a producer to deliver a project that will resonate with the artist’s requirements, the audience and whilst being true to their sonic aesthetic are many and long. Dr. Dre was famously incensed with how people were listening to the music he spent hours conceptualising and producing, that he decided to create his own headphones, Beats. All so that audiences could get an authentic experience of his music.
Listening to one of these work’s of art is something that should be carefully considered, as listening to it randomly leaves much to be desired and negates the artist and producer’s vision. It is tantamount to watching a movie, but starting in the middle, then moving to the beginning and then ending in the middle of the second half. It renders the artwork useless. The same could be said of going to an exhibition of Salvador Dali’s works and only looking at the eyes of the artworks and ignoring everything else. Doing this precludes the viewer or listener from gaining a complete understanding of what the artist and producer were trying to communicate. The final notes leading into the beginning of the next track on an album are an essential element of the storytelling, skipping through these aspects of the artwork diminishes it.
Whilst vinyls and cassettes were the predominant means through which people consumed music, listeners, almost by default, listened to music in the way in which the producer and artist intended. Mostly because it was more cumbersome and difficult to pick out one’s favorite tracks, because of the way in which the medium was designed, making randomisation more difficult. Later on cassette players were designed to allow listeners to skip through tracks, but it was a tedious and time consuming exercise. With vinyls, listeners could more easily skip to the next track, but it wasn’t a precise art and it was just easier to listen to the album from beginning to end.
With the advent of digital music, the CD, MP3, downloads and streaming, everything changed. The CD allowed a listener to skip instantaneously to whichever track they wished to listen to, therefore, relegating album fillers to the trash heap of music history. With the MP3, downloading and streaming, album fillers are now less relevant. Artists have started reevaluating the way in which they engage with their audiences, which is sad, because the art of creating and producing an album is fading away, with artists placing greater emphasis on the single.
Artists like Prince had already started guarding against this selective listening in the 1980s. In 1988 Prince released his 10th studio album, “Lovesexy”, after a protracted fight with his recording label, Warner Bros, in which his proposed album, “The Black Album”, was rejected. “Lovesexy” was, therefore, the replacement album. He was disillusioned with the recording industry and was at this stage no longer making music for the fans, rather music that would challenge the listener. In an unorthodox move he decided to release “Lovesexy” as one continuous 45 minute track.
This meant listeners were forced to listen to the album in its entirety, as the singles were not neatly subdivided, but were rather all featured on one long track. He, therefore, ensured listeners would consume his album as it had been envisioned. Although the album peaked at No1 in the U.K., it only topped out at No11 in the USA, shipping 1,5million units worldwide, spawning one hit “Alphabet St.”. This is a fraction of the success of his previous offering, “Sign ‘O The Times” (1987), from which he derived 3 US Top 10 hits: “Sign ‘O The Times”, “U Got The Look” and “I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man”.
Over the years artists have employed a variety of tactics to ensure audiences listen to their albums as they intended. Hidden and Ghost Tracks employed in the 1960s were utilised by artists to greater effect in the 1980s and 1990s in the gap before the first track, between tracks or in the middle or end of an album. Bonus tracks were also used to encourage music consumers to buy albums, as well as the advent of the “Delux” album. But none of these tactics ensured fans would listen to the entirety of the album in the digital age, with a recent article reporting that only 15% of music fans under the age of 25 have ever listened to a full album.
Knowing what I know and being a songwriter myself, I fully understand the process a creative goes through in writing a song and assimilating it into a bigger project. This has, therefore, resulted in a music listening ritual, which I have followed for many years and which resonates with Adele’s request, mentioned earlier in this article. These are a few of my rules of listening to music, and whilst I understand this will not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s how I choose to consume music:
- Because I am aurally stimulated, I never listen to music in the background (neither live or recorded). I find it disrespectful to the art and distracting. So, no music in the office, while I’m working, talking or socialising. If one is going to listen to music, then listen to music, if one is going to talk, then talk, you can’t do both, because you are not focusing and appreciating what the artist is delivering. I mean…this is obvious.
- I only ever listen to something once the hype has died down, as I don’t want to be influenced by the prevailing zeitgeist.
- I only ever listen to an album twice, in its entirety in the suggested sequence without skipping tracks. Once to get a feel for what I’m listening to, and a second time to establish if I’ve missed something. The album often sounds different the second time, as one picks up on nuance missed out on the first listen. After these two listens, I’ll listen to singles in isolation, outside of the context of the album.
- Other than Soundtracks, I don’t listen to compilations. They are not albums and only give the listener a snapshot of a bigger artwork, as they borrow songs from different albums. Therefore, the songs lose their significance outside of the context of the album.
- I love duet and cover albums as they highlight an artist’s prowess in re-interpreting a classic or how they work harmoniously with another artist. I find these nuances fascinating.
- For me, listening to music is a ritual and, therefore, I will generally do it alone, when I have the time, so that I can fully immerse myself in the sonic soundscapes delivered by the artist(s) and producer(s).
- When listening to the album I’ll carefully consider the artwork and how it is presented in relation to what the artist is attempting to communicate.
- I listen to a wide spectrum of artists in varied genres. I will usually select an album based on the artist or artists featured on the album, the producer on the project or the artwork. There are many things that can be a trigger for me.
- Once the album has been selected and loaded, I will listen to the whole album in its entirety twice, regardless of if I like it or not. There is always something I can learn, even from an album I don’t like.
- When I bought CDs they were put in a waiting area until I had the chance to listen to them. This meant that an album I bought today, would only be heard in about two years. Now, I “like” and download albums people recommend on my Spotify and have created a virtual waiting area.
The artform is paramount and the intention behind the creation is key. If one does not consume the content in the way in which the creator intended, one is missing out on part of the creation. That being said, once one has paid for a product one can do with it whatever one chooses, which is clearly what is happening at the moment on the various platforms on which people consume music. We are increasingly moving into a singles’s market. The attention span of audiences is diminishing. This is altering the way in which creators produce music, writing shorter songs that move to the chorus more quickly in order to maintain an audiences’ attention.
This is similar to what happened in the 1950s and early 1960s. I believe, however, that the “album” as an artwork will make a comeback, and that for now it will cater to a very specific and niche market, as is witnessed in the ever growing vinyl, cassette and CD sales. My motivation in writing this article was primarily to create an awareness behind the music creation and recording process. Illuminating the art behind the creation of an album and guiding people to be more conscious in their consumption of music. Hopefully, in so doing planting a seed in audiences, that an album is part of an artist’s greater creative vision and that a song is merely a piece of a larger puzzle.
