Album Club - Genesis and Rationale

For a number of years, I’ve been noticing that that I rarely get to listen to albums in their entirety any more – certainly not in that relentless, obsessive way I used to during the first three decades of my life.

One reason for this concerns the time constraints of getting old(er); when there are other things to be done, I simply don’t have the time or the will to give an hour or however long over to listening to an album with the proper attention.

My fading relation with the album is also down to wider changes in the music industry. It’s no secret that the album as a coherent musical statement has been seriously compromised by the onset of digital technology. My kids listen mostly to songs; the idea of engaging at length with a collection of songs that are linked by various musical, lyrical and / or other factors is, by and large, absent from their imaginations.

Of course, the long-playing album was the product of a particular period and specific technological developments; it’s only right and proper that it will be superseded as newer technology comes on line.

It’s also true to say, however, that the album format coincided – and in some important ways precipitated – an incredibly creative period in the history of popular music. I feel lucky to have been around during that period; and I don’t want to give up on the pleasures of the album format just yet.

Album Club is an attempt to create a space for the celebration of the format, and for the discussion of individual examples.

The model is loosely based on that of the Book Club. A group of friends meet every six to eight weeks to discuss an album chosen in turn by one of the members. No compilations, no ‘Best of …’; apart from that the only criterion for inclusion is that the choice should have some kind of interest or investment for the host. The chooser begins by talking about their choice, after which people take it in turns to offer an opinion on the record. This all works better after a second glass of wine.

So, once again I have a reason to listen to an album from beginning to end – including the songs I don’t like; once again I’m listening to stuff that I never would have come across otherwise; and once again I have to describe and defend my tastes in a public forum.