Revisting DSOTM's Concept 41 Years Later

 

Well...I'm not exactly apologizing for anything but saying that the idea of so-called concept albums wasn't really an issue with me and other listeners until critics and other writers started saying they were. An early meme perhaps.  

 

 

btw...what part of the USA are you living in?

...and I hope your mac deg isn't too bad ...is it wet or dry?

This brings us full-circle {How important are lyrics...}. 

To not notice a concept or theme in an album is to not notice the content and meaning of the lyric - to hear the music, the song and the vocal is to treat it purely as an aural entertainment for the purpose of enjoyment with little or no regard for any comment or statement the artist is attempting to make in the lyric being sung by the vocalist. This is not unlike reading Pride and Prejudice as a light-hearted love story without noticing the satire and social commentary within, at both levels we can appreciate the skill of the author, the quality of the writing and the literary value of the book. There is nothing wrong with that if entertainment is all you are seeking, and let's be honest here, that is its primary purpose after all. There are onion-like layers to almost every work of art but first above all those in any appreciation of it is the requirement to actually like the piece, to enjoy it and take pleasure from it, at that aesthetic outer layer. 

And we can stop there. There is no rule that says we must delve deeper, or that doing so would increase or decrease our enjoyment, it is the listener's choice. The artist can chose to impart some meaning or commentary into the album but it is for us to decide whether to give them any consideration; we can appreciate that Anderson, Anderson, Waters, Gabriel, Hammill, Sinfield et al can pen a good lyric without analysing what they are saying and even if we do there is nothing to say that any of them are great shakes in the philosophy department.

Well, it's a poor metaphor and in no way relevant to anything I've written so I'm not sure what the 'tongue' icon represents in this case.

Good. I love discussions and love it more when the persons involved can keep it to the subject being discussed and do not resort to personal remarks about the person they are discussing with. However "humorous" they think they are being, it's a cheap shot and frankly, I'm sick of it.