More than music appreciation Oct05 '03

How many CD’s do you own? How much space are those CD’s taking up in your room, basement, or shelf? Have you ever asked yourself, "Why are they sitting there? Why do I need all these CD’s?" Even the most avid music listener can only listen to a certain CD once in a good while. And the rest of the time, that certain album just sits. And sits. And sits.

But we need music. We need variation too. We can’t just own ten CD’s and be happy listening to them over and over till the end of our days. We want new music. We want old music. We want music that we haven’t recently heard. Humans are equipped with the most complex entity in the world – the human brain. Imagine how complex it is to consistently satisfy our mind and soul with the music that it wants to hear. Every second of the day, our mood changes. And our music preference changes too. How can any music collection fully meet our changing desires?

There is an old saying about cognition that claims if you knew it once, you won’t forget it. You may have to dig through your closets to find it, but the knowledge is still there. It’s in your head. It never fades. Only the direct link to it does. But that direct link can easily be replenished. With repetition, the knowledge you once knew can become as fresh as a new day. Do we ever forget how to walk, drive a car, or ride a bike? No, because we do these things consistently. If we ever stopped doing these things, we would still know how, just not as well, since we don’t do it as often.

Music is the same way. We don’t just stop liking an album. We just forget how to like it.

So then why do those CD’s sit there and stare at us, as if saying, "Hey buddy, remember me? Yeah, you bought me at Best Buy a few years ago, and you barely let me out of my cage. Come on. Just once. For old time’s sake." If we have such large collections of music, and if music is so easily accessible, why does it always seem like we have an overabundance? Why does our brain get sick of a CD after only a short period of time?

There are some CD’s that I listened to every day during the weeks after I bought them, thinking that I could never possibly get sick of music so great. Then five months later, I come across them on the shelf, and realize I haven’t listened to them since those first few weeks. I pop one in the CD player, and for some reason, it sounds old. It sounds stale. That freshness it had at the beginning has faded. The pure song is now the only thing left.

That’s not always a bad thing. Sometimes the pure song is what we want to hear. And sometimes songs sound better after having settled for years on our shelves. There have been albums I’ve bought, and listened to only once. Some albums I just can’t get into right away, even if the artist is a personal favorite. Onto the shelf it goes, biding it’s time, waiting for it’s day of resurrection. Waiting to be heard again. Sometimes it takes months, sometimes years.

Then all of a sudden, I open a CD that I never gave a true opportunity to hear, and it sounds great! I ask myself why I never paid more attention to that album more! Where has it been!?

Well, it’s been on my shelf. It’s been moved around to different rooms, different cities, or wherever else I take my life. It has stuck with me, and finally got it’s chance to play. Why didn’t it happen sooner?

The process is always inevitable. You can’t force yourself to like a CD, even if you love the artist, and all of their past CD’s have been your all–time favorites. You will like the CD and appreciate it when the time is right. And you can’t predict one of your most cherished CD’s will go sour. If the relationship is strong in the beginning, but fades over time, let it go. Don’t fight it. Just let it go. There is far too much great music out there to enjoy.

Below are some albums that have never left my side. And those that did, I am not going to mention, because like I said – I have let it go.

1. Shangri–LA DEE DA (Stone Temple Pilots): This album has the best mix of peaceful melodies and pure rock ’n roll. In early summer of 2001, this album hit stores. As far as listening to the entire album in each sitting, this one claims the number one prize.
2. Amnesiac (Radiohead): From front to back, this album takes me away to the shores of Waikiki beach, on the island of Oahu, also in the summer of 2001. This album kept me company on early mornings from the balcony of our hotel in Hawaii. I can still see the early morning joggers running along the beach. Like number one, this album I can only listen to entirely. It’s like one big song.
3. Yield (Pearl Jam): Ironic enough (the title), I have found this album to be the best listened to when driving, and in early spring. The weather is just warm enough to roll the car windows down about half way. The mixture of the smell of spring and the smooth open road make this album one I have never been able to put down.

Categories: Music

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